Headlines, June 18, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Tuesday June 18, 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.
White House on Xi's N.K. visit: Focus is on denuclearization

The world is focused on achieving North Korea's denuclearization, the White House said Monday in response to news of Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Pyongyang. Xi is to make a state visit to North Korea on Thursday and Friday, his first as China's president. "Our goal is to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK as agreed to by Chairman Kim," a White House official told Yonhap on background, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and its leader, Kim Jong-un.

S. Korea, Sweden sign MOUs on trade, economic cooperation

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Russia held talks in Moscow on Monday over issues related to North Korea and bilateral relations, officials said. During the meeting, foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, shared their assessments of the recent situation on the peninsula and discussed ways to boost cooperation for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace, according to the officials.

Solid results expected in auto, shipbuilding sectors in 2019

South Korean shipbuilders and carmakers are set to report improved earnings this year on rising demand for high-end ships and SUVs, a major business lobby said Monday. Shipbuilders will benefit from rising demand for liquefied natural gas carriers and environment-friendly ships due to the International Maritime Organization's stricter emissions regulations. Carmakers are also expected to report an improved profitability on a weak won and robust sales of SUV models, according to the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

N. Korean, Chinese State Media Say Chinese President Xi to Visit Pyongyang This Week

North Korea's state media reported on Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to North Korea this week. The Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said that Xi is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to North Korea from Thursday at the invitation of its leader Kim Jong-un. China's state-run Xinhua news agency also reported the news, quoting a statement from a spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party.

Top Office: Leaders of S. Korea, China Agree in Principle to Meet at G20 Summit

The presidential office said on Monday that South Korea and China have agreed in principle to hold summit talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan later this month. The top office made the announcement in response to news reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a two-day trip to North Korea from Thursday.

Extra Parliament Session to Open at Request Of 4 Major Parties

The National Assembly is set to open an extraordinary session this week at the request of four major parties, excluding the main opposition Liberty Korea Party(LKP). Ranking members of the the minor Bareunmirae Party, the Party for Democracy and Peace, and the Justice Party, held a joint press conference on Monday announcing they are submitting a written request to convene a June extra session signed by a total of 98 lawmakers, including those from the ruling Democratic Party(DP).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Police open probe into YG founder, B.I in suspected drug scandal

Police on Monday opened an investigation into allegations that Yang Hyun-suk, founder of entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment, attempted to cover up drug charges involving one of YG's artists years ago. Yang resigned as CEO and chief producer of YG Entertainment last Friday after an informant claimed that he attempted to deter a police probe into a suspected drug purchase by B.I, the songwriting leader of K-pop boy band iKON, in 2016.

S. Korea in discussion with WFP on plan to provide food aid to N. Korea

South Korea is in discussion with a U.N. agency on its plan to provide food aid to North Korea, the unification ministry said Monday. "Discussions are under way with the World Food Programme on the food provision issue," Lee Sang-min, the ministry's spokesperson told reporters during a regular press briefing. "It is about working-level matters."

Runners-up S. Korea feted before fans in Seoul

Players and coaches of the South Korean men's under-20 football team were feted in front of fans in the nation's capital Monday for their unexpected run to second place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. Coached by Chung Jung-yong, South Korea reached the championship final of the biennial youth tournament for the first time. They lost to Ukraine 3-1 on Saturday, but they were still greeted warmly by hundreds of fans at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, earlier Monday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

China's Xi to visit North Korea this week ahead of G20

Xi Jinping will make the first trip to North Korea by a Chinese president in 14 years this week, state media said Monday, as Beijing tightens relations with Pyongyang amid tensions with the United States. Xi will visit Pyongyang on Thursday and Friday at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said Chinese broadcaster CCTV.Treasury bond yield hits new low, gold price surges amid uncertainties

Responding to mounting speculations that South Korea’s central bank may soon lower the policy rate amid uncertainties, Treasury bond interest rates hit a record-low this year, market observers noted Sunday. Gold price, in contrast, has remained strong and hit a new high, reflecting investors’ increasing appetite for low-risk assets.

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Russia hold talks on N. Korea, bilateral ties

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Russia hold talks on N.The foreign ministers of South Korea and Russia held talks in Moscow on Monday over issues related to North Korea and bilateral relations, officials said. During the meeting, foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, shared their assessments of the recent situation on the peninsula and discussed ways to boost cooperation for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace, according to the officials.

Samsung heir keeps tight rein on future businesses

Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of South Korea’s largest conglomerate Samsung Electronics, on Monday continued his visits to the tech giant’s emerging businesses in the fields of automotive parts and the fifth-generation network. Samsung Vice Chairman Lee visited the headquarters of Samsung Electro-Mechanics in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to check out the affiliate’s new businesses in auto parts and 5G modules, according to the firm.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

North Korea's state media say Chinese President Xi to visit Pyongyang

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to North Korea this week, state media announced Monday, as U.S. talks with North Korea on its nuclear program are at an apparent standstill. Xi will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit on Thursday and Friday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. It said the trip will be the first by a Chinese president in 14 years.

Lack of discipline, finishing touch cost Korea in group stage

On the eve of South Korea's final group match against Norway at the FIFA Women's World Cup, head coach Yoon Duk-yeo said the game may well determine the future course of women's football in the country. And after South Korea bowed out of the tournament with three straight losses, the last being a 2-1 defeat to Norway that sealed their fate on Monday, the message is clear.

US-Iran move closer to a flashpoint as tensions spike

The U.S. and Iran edged toward a flashpoint Monday as Tehran announced it was breaking compliance with the accord that keeps it from making nuclear weapons and the Trump administration followed by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East. The Pentagon said the deployment includes security forces and troops for additional surveillance and intelligence gathering in the region. While the number is small, it represents an escalation of U.S. military might aimed at deterring Iran and calming allies worried that transit through key shipping lanes could be in jeopardy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Xi to Visit N.Korea Late This Week

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a surprise state visit to North Korea on Thursday and Friday, Xinhua News reported Monday. "Both sides will exchange views on the [Korean] peninsula situation, and push for new progress in the political resolution of the peninsula issue," Xinhua reported. It will be Xi's first visit to Pyongyang since he took power in 2012 and the first visit by a Chinese president since Hu Jintao in 2005. Xi previously visited Pyongyang as a vice president in 2008.

N.Korea Spurns Overtures to Restart Dialogue

North Korea is giving the silent treatment to any efforts from South Korea and the U.S. to restart nuclear dialogue. U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, will visit South Korea early next week just a couple of days ahead of President Donald Trump and has been angling for a meeting with North Korean officials at the border truce village of Panmunjom, only to be met with deafening silence.

Ulleung Island to Break Ground on Airport Early Next Year

Construction of an airport on Ulleung Island is expected to begin as early as April next year. The project to open the airport on the island was halted amid difficulties finding a builder due to insufficient funds, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has secured an additional budget of W100 billion, to spend about W663 billion in total, and aims to open the airport by 2025 (US$1=W1,186).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Coexistence of daily life and military division within the DMZ

“Things may be a little rough this year, but if we recruit talented people next year, we’ll be able to lead them forward with the spirit of Shangganling.” These remarks were made in an interview on Chinese television on May 26 by Ren Zhengfei, founder and CEO of Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer that’s currently in direct conflict with the US. Amid an economic struggle with the US, China has recently been stressing the spirit of Shangganling(上甘嶺) in order to reinforce the Chinese people’s willingness to resist the US.

Will N. Korea return to the negotiating table?

As South Korea and the US continue stressing the importance of resuming working-level North Korea-US talks amid their lull since the two sides’ Hanoi summit in February, many are now watching to see what choice North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes. Speaking at a press conference on June 15 following a summit with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that “working-level talks first need to be held to achieve concrete progress in North Korea-US negotiations.” The remarks were seen as unusual coming from Moon, who has steered the Korean Peninsula situation in the past under a top-down approach involving the three sides’ leaders.

Moon says N. Korea-US and inter-Korean backroom dialogue between is ongoing

“The momentum for dialogue is being maintained because backroom dialogue is continuing between North Korea and the US, and between South Korea and North Korea. I hope that it won’t take too long for talks between the respective parties to resume,” Moon reiterated during his state visit to Sweden on June 14.“While it might appear that dialogue is at a standstill because the second North Korea-US summit in Hanoi ended without an agreement, US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un are still committed to dialogue and continue to express trust in each other,” Moon said in a Q&A session following his speech to the Swedish parliament on Friday.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Moon Chung-in calls for U.S. to release N. Korea’s cargo ship

Moon Chung-in, a special advisor to President Moon Jae-in of South Korea for Foreign Affairs and National Security, has called for the United States to release the Wise Honest, North Korea’s cargo ship it had seized, to rebuild momentum for dialogue. In the meeting of the National Unification Advisory Council in New York Friday (local time), Moon said that he believes Washington should first return the Wise Honest, which is detained in American Samoa, to overcome the current stalemate in negotiations, according to Radio Free Asia on Saturday. He also reportedly said that North Korea and the United States may have to discuss the matter since there’s no progress in talks between the two sides.

Renault-Samsung releases sport utility vehicle ‘The new QM6 LPG’

Renault-Samsung announced on Monday to release The New QM6, a facelift model of its SUV QM6, in three years. Orders are to be delivered to car purchasers starting from next month. The automaker discloses the gasoline-run GDe and the LPG-run LPe at the same time. The New QM6 is the only SUV that runs on LPG in Korea.

14th-generation descendant of pottery maker Shim Su-gwan passes away

The 14th-generation descendant of Shim Su-gwan, whose real name is Keikichi Osako, passed away from lung cancer on Sunday, Japanese local media outlets reported Monday. He was 92 years old. He was the 14th-generation descendant of Shim Dang-gil, a pottery maker who was abducted to Japan in 1598 during Japan’s invasion to the Korean peninsula. The whole family of Shim Su-gwan has made pottery through generations, living in Satsuma (currently Kagoshima), Japan. Over the past 400 years, the Shims’ skillful Satsuma pottery has grown to become one of the most famous types of pottery in Japan. The Yomiuri Shimbun said they also created a new technique by applying Kagoshima’s traditional glassblowing craft to pottery.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Citizens Run out of Patience: Open Parliamentary Sessions Without the Liberty Korea Party

Negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties to resume normal operation of the National Assembly has been unable to reach an agreement in the final stage, because the Liberty Korea Party is refusing to budge after presenting a so-called "economic hearing" as a condition for resuming parliamentary activities last week. The week before, the Liberty Korea Party demanded that the lawmakers newly select members of the Special Committee for Political Reforms and the Special Committee for Judicial Reforms.

Eyes Turn to North Korea as Both South Korea and the U.S. Propose Working-Level Talks

More and more voices in both South Korea and the United States are urging North Korea to engage in working-level discussions soon to resume denuclearization negotiations with the U.S. North Korea, which seemed to contemplate its position after the collapse of the Hanoi summit, appears to have made a strategic decision on the direction of the negotiations, so eyes are now on whether it will soon seek a point of contact.

"Interesting Point in Kim Jong-un's Letter to Trump"

On June 13 (local time), President Moon Jae-in mentioned North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and said, "There is a very interesting part in the letter that President Trump did not disclose." President Moon is currently on a state trip to Norway, and this day, in a joint press conference following a summit with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, President Moon said, "The U.S. gave me a rough overview." The president added, "But I ask for your understanding, since I cannot say any more than what President Trump has already announced."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Zoom, YouTube and Yahoo are some of the big names coming to Seoul for WKF

Silicon Valley tech legends such as founders of Zoom, YouTube and Yahoo are lined up to join this year’s World Knowledge Forum (WKF) in Seoul in September to talk about how to harness disruptive technologies and new business models for sustainability.

Hazy outlook for chip, steel vs. sunny auto, shipbuilding in H2: Analysts

Of South Korea’s mainstay export items and backbone industries, auto and shipbuilding are the only sectors with positive outlook in the second half of this year, while recovery in steel and semiconductor sectors won’t likely come any time soon, analysts said on Monday.

Samsung Elec holds mobile, telecom emergency meeting amidst Huawei dilemma

Jay Y. Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., called up another emergency executive meeting over the weekend to discuss strategies on mobile phone and telecommunication equipment amidst the Huawei dilemma, after chairing a similar theme-focused meeting on electronic components.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Use us!
The Korea Post media are more than eager to be used, and to serve you—with the following five news outlets, 34 years old this year!

Korean-language Internet edition: http://www.koreapost.co.kr
English-language Internet edition: http://www.koreapost.com
Korean-language print newspaper:
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3801.pdf
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3802.pdf
http://pdf.koreapost.co.kr/38/3803.pdf
http://www.koreapost.co.kr/pdf/list.php?category=&syear=2018&smonth=03&sday=26&hosu=40
English E-daily: http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=9331
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lee Kyung-sik edt@koreapost.com