The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

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

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

Ex-President Kim Dae-jung's widow dies at 96

Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, died Monday at the age of 96, aides said. Lee had been hospitalized at a Seoul hospital while battling liver cancer. "First lady Lee passed today at 11:37 p.m.," an official at the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center said. Lee served as chair of the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center, which was founded by her husband to promote inter-Korean reconciliation and world peace, and fight global poverty.

Pompeo to accompany Trump to S. Korea this month

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will accompany President Donald Trump on a visit to South Korea late this month, the State Department said Monday. Trump is due to visit Seoul for talks with President Moon Jae-in after attending a Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28 and 29. The exact dates of his trip have yet to be announced.

Hungarian authorities to tie last rope around sunken boat to lift it from riverbed

Hungarian authorities were set to tie the fourth and last wire rope around the hull of a sunken tour boat Monday, in their final preparations to lift it to search for the missing in last month's disaster that left 26 South Koreans dead or unaccounted for. Hungary's Counter-Terrorism Center will finish binding the wire ropes around the boat, the Hableany, as a floating crane has been on standby for the salvage operation near Margaret Bridge in the Danube River in Budapest, the scene of the May 29 accident.

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

Widow of Former President Kim Dae-jung Dies at 96

Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, died on Monday at the age of 96. An official at the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center said that the former first lady died at 11:37 p.m. Lee, who served as chair of the center, had been hospitalized at Sinchon Severance Hospital in Seoul since March where she battled liver cancer and other ailments. Lee was born in Seoul in 1922 during the Japanese colonial era. Before marrying Kim in 1962, Lee taught at her alma mater, Ewha Womans University, and worked as a women's rights activist.

Salvage of Sunken Boat in Hungary to Begin at Early Tuesday Afternoon

The salvaging of an ill-fated tour boat that sank in Hungary with dozens of South Koreans on board will likely begin at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. A South Korean response team dispatched to the accident site in Budapest said preparations for salvage efforts are complete and that the operation will begin at 1:30 p.m. Korea time. If all proceeds as planned, the boat will likely be brought out of the water at around 5 p.m Korea time.

Trump to Discuss N.Korea's Denuclearization, Alliance Issues in Seoul

The U.S. State Department says President Donald Trump will discuss ways to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance and to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea during an upcoming trip to Seoul. This is according to State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, who also said on Monday during a regular press briefing that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will accompany Trump to the peninsula.

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

Moon expects dialogue with N. Korea to resume soon

Kicking off a round of high-profile summit diplomacy on a regional peace process, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed optimism Monday that formal dialogue with North Korea will resume before long. He stressed that dialogue momentum stays alive despite concerns about an apparent impasse in nuclear talks after the Hanoi summit between the United States and North Korea failed in late February.

Economy suffering due to weak domestic and global demand: KDI

The South Korean economy is continuing to stagnate on slowing domestic demand and declining exports, a state-run think tank said Monday. Retail sales rose 1.4 percent on-year in April, down from the average of 1.7 percent in the first quarter of this year. South Korea's exports fell 9.4 percent in May from a year earlier, extending their on-year decline for the sixth consecutive month.

Hungarian authorities to tie last rope around sunken boat to lift it from riverbed

Hungarian authorities were set to tie the fourth and last wire rope around the hull of a sunken tour boat Monday, in their final preparations to lift it to search for the missing in last month's disaster that left 26 South Koreans dead or unaccounted for. Hungary's Counter-Terrorism Center will finish binding the wire ropes around the boat, the Hableany, as a floating crane has been on standby for the salvage operation near Margaret Bridge in the Danube River in Budapest, the scene of the May 29 accident.

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

Lee Hee-ho, widow of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, dies at 97

Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, died Monday at the age of 96, aides said. Lee had been hospitalized at a Seoul hospital while battling liver cancer. "First lady Lee passed today," an official at the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center told Yonhap News Agency by phone. Lee served as chair of the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center, which was founded by her husband to promote inter-Korean reconciliation and world peace, and fight global poverty.

Government, ruling party urge main opposition to discuss supplementary budget

The presidential office and the ruling party on Monday urged the main opposition to resume parliamentary proceedings, saying that the supplementary budget needs to be implemented by July at the latest. Officials who attended a high-level meeting between Cheong Wa Dae, the ruling Democratic Party and the government said discussions on the supplementary budget must begin early this week if it is to be implement next month.

S. Korea should continue expansionary actions: finance minister, IMF chief

South Korea’s top fiscal policymaker and the chief of the International Monetary Fund have agreed that Asia’s fourth-largest economy needs to continue its current pump-priming policies in order to respond to external risks and to boost growth, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said Monday. The finance minister also pledged his dedicated efforts to effectuate the government’s supplementary budget bill worth 6.7 trillion ($5.7 billion), which has been pending here since late April amid partisan feuds.

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

Samsung, SK hynix caught in US-China trade feud

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have found themselves caught in the middle of the escalating U.S.-China trade war as they are facing growing pressure from Beijing not to join Washington's sanctions on Huawei, according to industry analysts Monday. Korean tech companies including the two semiconductor giants are facing an increasingly uncertain business outlook as they struggle to find the middle ground between the world's two largest economies.

Radical pastor calls for impeaching President Moon

Rev. Jun Gwang-hoon, president of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK), said on Monday he would hold a news conference to rally support from the public to impeach President Moon Jae-in for allegedly spreading communism in South Korea. In a statement released on Monday for fellow Protestant believers, the pastor said he would unveil his letters for U.S. President Donald Trump and both House and Senate members of the United States.

'North Korea unlikely to change position on denuclearization'

It's unlikely the upcoming G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka late this month will produce specific results in terms of putting nuclear diplomacy back on track because expectations of a diplomatic breakthrough that would end the nuclear standoff are thin, experts said Monday. The Osaka meeting will be attended by key regional leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, all of whom have sizable stakes in the denuclearization process. At the summit, President Moon Jae-in is widely expected to pitch his ambitious idea of partial sanctions easing on North Korea and encourage the United States, Japan, China and Russia to stand behind this for an early resumption of the denuclearization talks.

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

Nuclear Parts Makers Suffer from Phaseout

Most companies that make parts for nuclear power plants are in financial difficulties due to the government's phaseout of nuclear energy, according to a poll by the Korea Federation of SMEs. The federation polled 85 companies in South Gyeongsang Province, where Korea's oldest Gori No. 1 reactor was shut down in 2017, and nearly all of them said they are in dire straits. SAS, which manufactures shells for nuclear power plants, has applied for bankruptcy protection, and staff numbers dropped from 300 to just 90. Yet SAS' technology is the best in Korea and the company accounts for the biggest share of the market here.

Japan's Ruling Party Pledges Think Tank to Push Dokdo Land Grab

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has pledged to set up a think tank that will push Tokyo's flimsy territorial claim to Korea's Dokdo islets ahead of elections for the upper house of the Diet next month. The Mainichi Shimbun daily on Saturday said the LDP pledged to "strengthen" international publicity campaigns for the Dokdo claim as well as its dispute with China over the Senkaku or Diaoyutai islands by establishing the research institute.

Budapest Boat Wreck Ready to Be Raised

Korean and Hungarian search teams completed final checks of the pleasure boat that sank in the Danube River in Budapest late last month with 33 Korean passengers on board. Korean officials told reporters Sunday the Hableány will be raised no later than Tuesday. A barge carrying a massive crane made it to the scene on Friday as water levels receded, and already steel trusses have been wrapped around the hull.

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

China issues warning to S. Korean companies to maintain trade with Huawei
South Korean companies who view Huawei as a client or China as a major market are in a tough spot following a warning from Chinese authorities. Despite hopes of short-term “reflective gains” in areas including smartphones, the companies are also deeply worried about suffering potential collateral damage in the battle between two superpowers in the US and China.

Moon to emphasize inter-Korean peace during tour of Northern Europe
While touring the countries of Northern Europe from June 9 to 16, South Korean President Moon Jae-in will be delivering the keynote address at a forum at the University of Oslo. The topic of his address will be peace on the Korean Peninsula. “In his address, President Moon will be expressing his gratitude to the countries of Northern Europe for their support for the Korean Peninsula peace process and explaining our journey toward establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula,” said a senior official at the Blue House during a meeting with reporters on June 7.

Unification minister takes ambiguous stance regarding 4th inter-Korean summit
On June 9, South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said that “neither optimism nor pessimism are currently warranted” regarding the idea of holding a fourth inter-Korean summit. There’s been a great need to hold a North Korea-US summit since the Hanoi summit, and that’s also why President Moon Jae-in proposed an inter-Korean summit,” Kim said during an appearance on KBS’ “Sunday Diagnosis” program.

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

Over 1 million march in Hong Kong over China's extradition law

The anti-Chinese protest by around a seventh of Hong Kong citizens, or 1.03 million, is rising as a new issue of conflict between the United States and China following the Taiwanese issue. The Chinese government has maintained that the opposition to the “extradition bill of criminals,” which sparked the demonstration in Hong Kong, is an attempt by the United States to put pressure on China. Previously, the United States criticized the bill in question for threatening the rule of law in Hong Kong.

S. Korea, Britain agree on post-Brexit free trade deal

South Korea and Britain have agreed in principle to maintain their current free trade agreement ahead of Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU). The preliminary deal includes keeping zero-tariffs on South Korean exports including auto parts and ships even after the Brexit.

Google earned 5.59 trillion won from its news service last year

It has been reported that U.S. largest search engine Google gained 4.7 billion U.S. dollars, or 5.59 trillion won, by utilizing news service last year. The U.S. Congress has recently embarked on the monopoly by platform businesses dominating the internet ad market including Google and Facebook. Against this backdrop, U.S. media outlets are expected to strongly demand platform businesses to distribute their profits.

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

An Incumbent Inspector Bribed: Corrupt "Hamba Restaurant" Season 2

The police investigated a senior police official for allegedly having accepted bribes from Yu Sang-bong (73), a broker of “hamba” restaurants--restaurants temporarily set up near construction sites to cater to the construction workers. The Prosecution Service is checking to see if Yu's appeal, claiming to have handed bribes to a number of former and current police officials is true.

Im Jong-heon Claims Judge Is Wrong to Say, "Tell the Truth According to Your Conscience"

Im Jong-heon, former assistant director of the National Court Administration and a key figure in the abuse of court authority, wrote and submitted a 106-page letter of reasons explaining why he cannot appear in court. However, the letter is full of spite. The reason that he presented as the "right of the defendant according to the Constitution" is more of an implausible argument. He argued that the trial was unfair for the chief judge, Yun Jong-seop did not act according to his wishes.

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

Seoul hints noninterference amid US and China pressure on Huawei front

The South Korean government suggested noninterference as local companies – primarily chipmakers – come under blunt pressure from both Washington and Beijing to take their side in the technology war involving Huawei Technologies. There are areas where companies need to make their own decisions,” said Yoon Jong-won, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, in a briefing on Friday, when asked on the government response to mounting pressure from Washington to join its sanction against Huawei, the world’s biggest telecom gear maker.

Lotte Duty Free’s overseas sales by June already at 2018 full-year figure

South Korea’s top travel retailer Lotte Duty Free expects to outperform its annual overseas sales goal of 700 billion won ($591 million) this year thanks to a surge in sales at its overseas operations. Its estimated overseas sales as of June 8, 2019 already neared last year’s total overseas sales of 240 billion won, according to Lotte Duty Free. The company’s stellar performance abroad largely owed to its aggressive move to go global with new openings.

JB Financial executives buy treasury shares to boost stock value

Executives of Korea’s JB Financial Group have purchased treasury shares to aid stock prices amid bearish Korean stock market. According to JB Financial Group on Friday, its chairman Kim Ki-hong and other five top executives bought a combined 61,583 JB Financial Group shares worth 330 million won ($278,904.67) from late May to early June to boost stock value and show responsible management.

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What’s ticking around the world at this second?
See what the world media around the world have to report:

USA Today www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com
The New York Times www.nytimes.com inytletters@nytimes.com
Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com support@wsj.com, service@wsj-asia.com
Financial Times www.ft.com ean@ft.com
The Times www.thetimes.co.uk help@timesplus.co.uk
The Sun www.thesun.co.uk talkback@the-sun.co.uk
Chinese People's Daily www.people.com.cn kf@people.cn
China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn
GwangmyeongDaily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn
Japan's Yomiuri www.yomiuri.co.jp japannews@yomiuri.com
Asahi www.asahi.com customer-support@asahi.com
Mainichi www.mainichi.jp
Le Monde www.ilemonde.com
Italy LaRepubblica www.quotidiano.repubblica.it vittorio.zucconi@gmail.com
Germany Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung www.faz.net anzeigen.ausland@faz.de
SüddeutscheZeitung www.sueddeutsche.de forum@sueddeutsche.de
Australia Brisbane Times www.brisbanetimes.com.au syndication@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au
Colombia Reports http://colombiareports.com
Bogota Free Planet http://bogotafreeplanet.combfp@bogotafreeplanet.com
El Universal http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english
Andes http://www.andes.info.ec/en
Ecuador Times http://www.ecuadortimes.net
The Jordan Times https://www.jordantimes.com
LSM.lv http://www.lsm.lv/en
The Baltic Times http://www.baltictimes.com lithuania@baltictimes.com, estonia@baltictimes.com, editor@baltictimes.com
El Pais http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html
Philippine Daily Inquirer https://www.inquirer.net
Daily News Hungary http://dailynewshungary.com
Budapest Times http://budapesttimes.hu
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Azerbaijan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR8CBpcQ4WM
Sri Lanka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByX92Y2aGY&t=22s
Morocco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFmp2sVvSE
And many other countries.
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