Headlines, April 5, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Friday, April 5, 2019

Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

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The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.

S. Korea struggles to battle worst wildfire on its soil in years

South Korea on Friday grappled with the massive blaze that roared through forests and cities along the eastern coast, declaring a national emergency and mobilizing all available resources to bring the inferno under control. Over 13,000 rescue officials from across the nation battled to contain the fire that started in a mountainous county of Goseong, about 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, before spreading to neighboring Sokcho, Gangneung and Donghae cities within hours.

President urges support for victims of Goseong fire

President Moon Jae-in instructed his government Friday to pay special attention to the people affected by a massive fire along the country's east coast while also calling for all-out efforts to completely put out the blaze. "I ask you to do your utmost until the very last moment when all embers are completely put out," the president said in a crisis management meeting held at the national crisis management center at his office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. "I also ask you to be thorough in searching for possible victims in remote areas," the president added, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Moon urges to utilize all available resources to cope with fire

President Moon Jae-in on Friday urged related authorities to utilize all available resources to cope with a devastating fire that has engulfed the northeastern border town of Goseong and adjacent areas in Gangwon Province.Moon called an emergency meeting at the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, at 12:20 a.m., ordering officials to make all-out efforts to prevent the expansion of the fire. According to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters, fire broke out on a roadside in Goseong, around 210 kilometers northeast of Seoul, at around 7:17 p.m. Thursday and spread to a nearby mountain.

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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

S. Korea's Northeastern Coast Devastated by Inferno

A massive fire broke out in the country's northeastern province of Gangwon on Thursday, killing one person, injuring eleven and displacing thousands. Fast-blowing winds spread the flames, destroying large tracts of forestland and hundreds of residential units, forcing South Korea to declare a state of national disaster.

S. Korea's National Assembly Ratifies Defense Cost-Sharing Deal with US

South Korea's National Assembly has ratified the country's accord with the U.S. that includes an eight-point-two percent hike in its share of the cost of stationing American troops on the Korean Peninsula. Out of 194 lawmakers in attendance at Friday's plenary session, 139 supported the motion, while 33 opposed and 22 abstained. Under the one-year contract signed last month, Seoul will pay one-point-04 trillion won in 2019 for the operation of the 28-thousand-500-member U.S. Forces Korea, which is roughly half of the total cost.

Ceremony Marking Departure of Interior Minister Canceled

A ceremony marking the departure of Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum was canceled in the wake of the forest fires in Gangwon Province. The ministry announced that it was cancelling the ceremony which was set for 3 p.m. on Friday. Kim was set to leave his post with Friday’s ceremony after the National Assembly adopted a confirmation hearing report on Thursday for interior minister nominee Chin Young. However, with the forest fires spreading in Gangwon Province, Kim left for Goseong late Thursday and is currently issuing orders to tackle the natural disaster.

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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

Samsung's Q1 profit dips 60.4 pct on-year on weak memory chip market

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday its operating earnings likely plunged in the first quarter from a year earlier amid falling memory chip prices and weak demand for display panels. The operating profit was estimated at 6.2 trillion won (US$5.45 billion) in the January-March period, a 60.4 percent drop from a year ago, according to its earnings guidance. The tech giant expected overall sales to have fallen 14.1 percent on-year to 52 trillion won in the three-month period.

S. Korea shares information on eastern fire with N. Korea

South Korea on Friday shared information with the North about a devastating forest fire that engulfed the country's northeastern regions near the inter-Korean border and conveyed the need for possible cooperation, the unification ministry said. The fire, which broke out in Goseong, 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Thursday, spread quickly to neighboring areas, leaving one dead and thousands displaced. President Moon Jae-in earlier ordered officials to work with the North to put out the fire if it spreads across the border.

N. Korea to focus on securing Tokyo Olympic spots: sports minister

North Korea will concentrate all its forces on securing 2020 Tokyo Olympic spots this year, a pro-North Korea newspaper in Japan reported Friday, citing Pyongyang's sports minister. The Chosun Sinbo said that North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk unveiled the communist state's 2019 objectives in sports at its National Olympic Committee meeting in Pyongyang on March 28.

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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

1 dead, 11 hurt in catastrophic fire on east coast

A devastating fire has engulfed the northeastern border town of Goseong, Gangwon Province, leading to one death, at least 11 injuries, and damage to numerous buildings and houses. According to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters, the fire broke out on a roadside in Goseong, around 210 kilometers northeast of Seoul, at around 7:17 p.m. Thursday and spread to a nearby mountain. This led to the evacuation of residents and guests of a nearby condominium.

Prime minister to visit wildfire site in eastern province

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Friday plans to visit the scene of a devastating fire that broke out in the northeastern border town of Goseong a day earlier after holding an emergency meeting to cope with the disaster, his office said. Lee began to preside over a meeting with relevant ministers at 8:30 a.m. to discuss the latest developments and discuss ways to provide support to residents, it added.

S. Korea struggles to battle worst wildfire on its soil in years

South Korea on Friday grappled with the massive blaze that roared through forests and cities along the eastern coast, declaring a national emergency and mobilizing all available resources to bring the inferno under control. Over 13,000 rescue officials from across the nation battled to contain the fire that started in a mountainous county of Goseong, about 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, and quickly spread to neighboring Sokcho, Gangneung and Donghae cities within hours.

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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

Mr. President, stop acting like amateur

Take a step back and it is easier to see how political battle lines are moving. The conservatives are concentrating their fire power on President Moon Jae-in's nominees for Cabinet ministers. Two were knocked out. In the process, a presidential spokesman was forced to resign. The new senior secretary, an immediate senior to "the President's mouthpiece," was seriously wounded for jumping into the fray when he was not supposed to. He is keeping his job just because he is new and, more importantly, Cheong Wa Dae doesn't want to give satisfaction to the opposition.

Massive wildfire rips through Gangwon

A devastating fire has engulfed the northeastern border town of Goseong, leading to one death, at least 11 injuries, and damage to numerous buildings and houses. According to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters, the fire broke out on a roadside in Goseong, around 210 kilometers northeast of Seoul, at around 7:17 p.m. Thursday and spread to a nearby mountain. This led to the evacuation of residents and guests of a nearby condominium. Police found a body of a man on a road who had apparently died as a result of the fire.

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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Forest Fire Rages Through Gangwon Province

Forest fires raged through mountainous Gangwon Province east of Seoul on Thursday, killing at least one person and forcing more than 3,000 people from their homes. The flames have burned at least 2.5 million sq.m of forest and destroyed over 120 homes and warehouses. The fire started in Goseong and strong winds blowing 15 m/s spread it quickly. A high school dormitory 2.5 km from downtown Sokcho was partially damaged, but students had already been evacuated, so there were no casualties. But many other homes and commercial buildings completely burned down.

N.Korea 'Building New Ballistic Missile Submarine'

North Korea is building a new 3,000-ton submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles, a senior military spokesman here said Thursday. "A large quantity of components presumably needed to build a 3,000-ton sub, which the North has been developing, have turned up recently at a shipyard in Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province," the spokesman said. "We've also spotted a floating dock deployed off Sinpo, apparently for a missile test." Google Earth satellite imagery from March 2 shows piles of cylindrical components and materials presumed to be submarine bulkheads at the shipyard. None of them can be seen in satellite imagery from August last year.

S.Korea to Open 3 Hiking Trails to DMZ

South Korea is opening up three hiking trails leading up to the demilitarized zone so civilians access the area for the first time since the armistice in 1953. The trails will lead out of the three border towns of Paju, Cheorwon and Goseong. The government plans to start a pilot trail late this month in Goseong that visitors can use to get as close as possible to the DMZ. The opening dates for the trails in Paju and Cheorwon have not been set.

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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)

Trump says he told Kim that he “wasn’t ready for a deal” during Hanoi summit
US President Donald Trump disclosed on Apr. 2 that he told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, at the end of February that Kim “wasn’t ready for a deal.”
Trump made the remarks in an address at the spring dinner of the National Republican Congressional Committee. “We had to walk,” Trump said. “He wasn’t ready for a deal, but that’s okay, because we get along great.” “I told him, you’re not ready for a deal. That’s the first time anybody has ever told him that and left. Never happened to him before.” “We have a good relationship,” Trump said, repeating the phrase for good measure.

Military and police offer first-ever apology to victims of Apr. 3 Jeju Massacre
“There must be some mistake. They still haven’t sent him over.” Sisters Kim In-hu, 83, and Kim Jeong-hee, 80, sat dazedly on Apr. 3 in front of the tombstone of their brother Kim Jeon-joong – 20 at the time of his death – in the missing persons’ grave section of Jeju April 3 Peace Park in Jeju City’s Bonggae neighborhood. “He’s not here yet,” said Jeong-hee.“How is he coming?” said In-hu, holding a handkerchief to her eye as the two departed. Their brother had been a teacher at Hagwi Elementary School when he was arrested one day in 1949 and taken to a prison on the mainland; after the outbreak of the Korean War, he disappeared.

Dismissed Cort Guitars worker spends 60th birthday on company’s rooftop in protest
The cherry blossom festivals that symbolize spring in Korea are just around the corner, but Apr. 3 was one of those days when it feels cold whenever the sun is obscured hidden by clouds. That afternoon, an older man, wearing a lightweight black padded jacket and a white hat, emerged on the roof of a three-story building in Seoul’s Deungchon neighborhood and looked down on dozens of people who had gathered in front of the building. Over the jacket, the man was wearing a vest bearing the message, “13 years since the layoffs – we need a solution, Park Young-ho!”

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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)

N. Korea joins U.N. convention on international trade transactions

It has been confirmed that North Korea has joined the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), a law on international trade transactions. The North’s membership will become effective on April 1, 2020. When the Dong-A Ilbo asked José Estrella-Faria, head of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations’ International Trade Law Division, in an e-mail interview if he views the North’s joining of the CISG as Pyongyang’s preparatory move for joining international markets, the U.N. official said that while he could not predict any country’s policy direction, China and Vietnam joined the CISG in 1986 and 2015, respectively, to promote their market economy.

'You’re not ready for a deal,’ Trump tells Kim

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the second U.S.-North Korea summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, “You are not ready for a deal.” Despite this comment, President Trump stressed that he was on good terms with Kim, hinting intentions to continue dialogue with the North. According to AP on Tuesday (local time), President Trump said in a speech at the spring dinner for the NRCC that the comments were made while he was taking a walk with Kim in Hanoi. “I am the first person to have talked to him like this. It was the first time in his life,” said Trump.

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)

The April 3 By-Election Resulted in Maintaining the Status Quo

The April 3 by-elections might have involved just a couple of parliamentary seats, but they had significant political weight. In the end, the voters chose to maintain the status quo. The Liberty Korea Party enjoyed an easy victory in Tongyeong-Goseong, which had traditionally been the party's support base, and the Justice Party, which managed to join hands with the Democratic Party of Korea, won in Changwon-Seongsan. Both the ruling and opposition parties focused their efforts, but ended up retaining their current seats. Since the elections were only held in the Yeongnam region, the results were limited in reflecting the national opinion, but a by-election in the third year of the Moon Jae-in government is bound to have some meaning as a mid-term evaluation. The result showed that the public did not significantly lean to any one side. There was no "judgment of the government," which Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn called for, and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea confirmed a change in public opinion--unlike in the last local elections, more of the public had turned away. The Democratic Party built up strength by winning the executive positions in the local election in Tongyeong and Goseong along with the gubernatorial race in Gyeongsangnam-do in the local elections, but they faced a completely different result just a year later.

Repair Work Begins at 13 Video Reunion Centers for Separated Families: Getting Ready to Operate the Centers for the First Time in 12 Years

On April 3, the government began repairing thirteen video reunion centers for separated families. The government prepared to operate the facilities for the first time in twelve years since the last video reunion in November 2007. After the second North Korea-United States summit collapsed in Hanoi, inter-Korean relations have failed to make any progress. Eyes are on whether the video reunion of separated families, cited as a typical humanitarian project, will proceed as planned.

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Maeil Business News Korea ( http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)

Samsung Elec Q1 OP dips 43% on qtr, 60% on yr to return to pre-boom 2016

In line with its heads-up, Samsung Electronics on Friday unveiled its most humble three-month earnings since the third quarter of 2016 for the first quarter ended March with its operating profit at 6.2 trillion won ($5.5 billion), down whopping 42.6 percent on quarter and 60.4 percent on year. The world’s largest chip and smartphone maker in its earnings guidance estimated sales shrank relatively more modest 12.3 percent on quarter and 14.1 percent on year to 52 trillion won to imply the toll on the bottom line from a sharp deterioration in selling prices of its mainstay memory chips from the boom period over the last two years.

S. Korea exploring deeper ties with China’s Greater Bay Area via back-to-back forums

South Korea is readying to strengthen economic ties with China’s Guangdong Province, an industrial powerhouse that is being groomed as the next Silicon Valley under Beijing’s Industry 4.0 migration campaign. The Korean government is seeking to explore ways to deepen trade and investment in the Guangdong-Hong-Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area during a forum to be held at Shangri-La Hotel in Shenzhen, a major city in Guangdong, on May 21-22.

Hyundai Motor nearly quadruples Palisade’s annual output from initial plan

Hyundai Motor’s labor union has agreed to ramp up the annual output of the new Palisade full-size sports utility vehicle (SUV) to nearly 100,000 units for this year, nearly four times higher than the company’s initial target output, to meet higher-than-expected demand for the car. The company said on Thursday its union consented to the production adjustment of the Palisade SUV to up its monthly output by about 40 percent to 8,640 units, effective on April 1. Following the adjustment, this year’s output of the Palisade is expected to nearly quadruple to 96,480 units from a baseline of 25,000 units.

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