Headlines, August 13, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Tuesday, August 13

U.S. prods S. Korea, Japan to seek 'creative' solutions to trade row

The United States maintained Monday that South Korea and Japan need to seek "creative solutions" to their disagreements after Seoul took retaliatory steps for Tokyo's export control measures. Washington also continues to stand ready to facilitate dialogue between its two Asian allies, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency.

S. Korea says N.K. apparently eyes nuclear talks with U.S. after military drills end

North Korea appears to be seeking the resumption of working-level nuclear talks with the United States after ongoing joint military drills between Seoul and Washington end, South Korea's presidential office said Monday. A senior Cheong Wa Dae official was responding to a statement issued by a North Korean foreign ministry official Sunday that contains strong condemnation against South Korea and blasted Seoul for staging the allies' military exercises that kicked off last week.

Another new missile highlights N.K.'s focus on conventional weapons amid nuclear talks

North Korea showed off yet another newly developed missile last week, indicating that the regime has been focusing on the modernization of its conventional weapons system as nuclear negotiations with the United States have remained stalled, experts said Monday. On Saturday, North Korea fired two short-range projectiles from its eastern coastal city of Hamhung in South Hamgyong Province into the East Sea, the fifth such launch since July 25 and seventh firing so far this year.

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

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister: S. Korea Would be Violating WTO Rules

Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masahisa Sato says Seoul’s removal of Tokyo from a list of nations receiving preferential treatment in trade would be violating World Trade Organization rules if it was retaliating against Japan's export control measures. Sato made the remark on Twitter on Monday, quoting a report on Seoul's latest move.

UN Report: S. Korea Hit Hardest by N. Korean Cyberattacks

United Nations experts say South Korea was the biggest victim of North Korea's cyberattacks. According to the Associated Press last week, the UN Security Council North Korea sanctions committee recently reported to the Security Council that experts are investigating at least 35 cyberattacks by North Korea in 17 countries.

BTS Wins 4 Awards from US Teen Choice Awards

K-pop super group BTS has bagged four awards from a prestigious popular culture awards show in the United States. According to the group’s management agency, Bit Hit Entertainment, BTS won the most awards out of all the nominees for the Teen Choice Awards 2019 held in Los Angeles on Sunday. They won the Choice International Artist award for the third year in a row, and the Choice Fandom award for the second consecutive year thanks to their ARMY fan base.

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

New batch of S. Korean troops to deploy to Somali waters amid speculation over Hormuz Strait mission

South Korea was set to dispatch a fresh batch of troops to the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday for anti-piracy efforts, the Navy said, amid speculation the contingent could also undertake missions in the Strait of Hormuz as part of a U.S.-led coalition. The 30th batch of the Cheonghae Unit is scheduled to depart the southern port city of Busan later in the day to conduct anti-piracy missions off the coast of Somalia for six months starting in September, according to the Navy.

Spy chiefs of Koreas met secretly in April after no-deal summit breakdown in Hanoi: source

The top intelligence officials of the two Koreas met secretly in April after the North's spy chief was replaced following February's no-deal summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, a government source confirmed Tuesday. The meeting between National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and his North Korean counterpart, Jang Kum-chol, came right after Jang took over as chief of the North's United Front Department (UFD), the source said.

S. Korea tops shipbuilding orders for 3rd month in July

South Korea retained the top spot in global shipbuilding orders for the third straight month last month, industry data showed Tuesday. In July, local shipyards won orders totaling 270,000 compensated gross tons (CGTs) to build 10 ships, accounting for half of the orders placed around the globe, according to London-based Clarkson Research Services Ltd., the world's leading provider of data for the shipping and shipbuilding industries.

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

Moon bogged down by multiple crises

Topping the long list of issues which Moon faces is the escalating tension with Japan. Since he took office, bilateral relations with Tokyo have gradually deteriorated, culminating in its recent trade restrictions. In July, Japan applied additional restrictions on exporting key semiconductor-related materials to South Korea, and earlier this month removed the country from its whitelist of trusted trade partners that receive preferential treatment in importing more than 1,000 items.

Koreans reject ‘No Japan’ campaign, focus on criticizing Abe

Last week, it took less than five hours for a district office in Seoul to withdraw its plan to hang some 1,100 banners featuring “No. Boycott Japan” on lampposts across major streets in the heart of the city following a strong public backlash. After officials from Jung-gu Office put up some 50 banners reading “I won’t go (to Japan), I will not buy (Japanese goods)” around the district, which encompasses popular tourist destinations such as Myeong-dong, Namdaemun Market and Deoksugung, the municipality’s website was bombarded with public complaints.

S. Korea to exclude Japan from trade whitelist in September

South Korea is set to drop Japan as a preferred trading partner in September in response to Tokyo’s recent decision to exclude Seoul from its whitelist, officials said Monday. “An export control system on strategic items should be run under ground rules of an international export control system,” said Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo during a press briefing Monday afternoon.

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

Korea to deploy troops to Somali waters amid speculation over Hormuz Strait mission

Trump considering North Korea envoy as next ambassador to Russia

Stephen Biegun, the diplomat who has been leading efforts to revive stalled U.S. denuclearization talks with North Korea, is under consideration to be President Donald Trump's next ambassador to Russia, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. The current ambassador to Moscow, Jon Huntsman, is due to step down in October after two years in the post, the State Department said last week, amid speculation he plans to run for Utah governor.

Flights resume at Hong Kong airport after protests

Flights resumed Tuesday at Hong Kong airport a day after a massive pro-democracy rally there forced the shutdown of the busy international transport hub. Early Tuesday, passengers with luggage were being checked in at the departures hall and information boards showed several flights were already boarding or about to depart. The abrupt shutdown of one of the world's busiest hubs came after thousands of black-clad demonstrators flooded the airport for a peaceful rally.

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

Car Market Shrinks as Paradigms Change

The global car market is shrinking as demand for fuel-powered vehicles dwindles and consumer priorities change. According to market information provider LMC Automotive, global car sales in the first half of this year dropped 6.6 percent from a year ago to 45.16 million cars. A drop was predictable given the slowing global economy, but the size of the plunge came as a shock as predictions had varied between one to three percent.

Korea Demotes Japan from Preferential Trade Partner

The government on Monday decided to remove Japan from a list of preferred trading partners in a tit-for-tat that risks disrupting vital supply chains. Trade Minister Sung Yoon-mo in a po-faced announcement told reporters the measure was "part of revisions to Korea's export controls on strategic goods" rather than revenge for Japan doing the same earlier this month.

Online Food Shoppers 'More Likely to Have Poor Eating Habits'

Buying food online could lead to a poor diet, a study suggests. The study based on a survey of 410 women conducted by Kongju National University revealed that nearly 90 percent of respondents had bought food online, with the most frequently purchased items being instant or frozen food. The most-cited reasons given for buying food online were low prices, a variety of choices and convenience of delivery.

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

Japan’s secret underground imperial headquarters

On Aug. 10, Akimi Hara, a historical researcher in the city of Nagano, in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, stood at the section of the Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters under Mount Zozan and pointed to where the tunnel connects with the outside. The beam of light was fixed on the former site of a hanba, or bunkhouse, that housed the Korean slave laborers who had been working on this site during the Japanese colonial occupation.

[Interview] Japanese historical researcher tackles issue for forced labor

“The biggest problem is the propaganda claiming that Japan has become a victim because of the South Korean Supreme Court’s ruling on compensation for victims of forced labor.” Japanese modern history researcher Yasuto Takeuchi noted this in response to the Abe Shinzo administration’s claim that the South Korean Supreme Court’s judgment on compensation for victims of forced labor was a violation of international law. Takeuchi took part as a panelist in a symposium hosted by “Tokyo Candlelight Action Against Yasukuni” (Yasukuni is a shrine that serves homage to Japanese war dead, including war criminals) on Aug. 10 at the Korean YMCA in Chiyoda, Tokyo. In an interview with the Hankyoreh after his presentation, he said, “Even if it is belated, the Japanese government should acknowledge the illegality of the colonial occupation and step up to take action to solve the issues that remain unaddressed under the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations.” Takeuchi has researched the issue of forced labor for 30 years, and written a four-book series called, “An Investigation into the Forced Labor of Koreans.”

Admin. court rules government must disclose correspondence on IRP regarding KORUS negotiations

The South Korean government must disclose the correspondence related to intellectual property rights (IRP) that it conducted with US lawmakers and businesses after the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) took effect, a South Korean court has ruled. This could be an opportunity to confirm claims that US pressure played a major role in Seoul’s IRP policies and laws.

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

Seoul to remove Japan from its ‘white list’

South Korea has decided to remove Japan from its “white list” of countries that enjoy streamlined procedures when importing strategic goods from the country as early as September. This appears to be a corresponding measure to Japan’s exclusion of South Korea from its “white list.” Although the South Korean government mentioned the possibility of a further action, it did not announce an aggressive trade restriction measure as Japan, which singled out three semiconductor materials to be subject to trade restrictions.

Samsung launches industry's first 108MP mobile image sensor

Samsung Electronics announced Monday that it will mass produce 108 megapixel (Mp) Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX, its new mobile image sensor to go beyond 100 million pixels. The latest addition came in three months after the company introduced 64Mp sensor offerings in May.

A statue to commemorate 'comfort women' on Mt. Namsan

A commemorative statue will be established for comport women victimized by the Japanese troops during World War II on Mt. Namsan under the auspice of Korean nationals living in the United States. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday to hold an unveiling ceremony for a statue in commemoration of war-time sex slaves around the Seoul Education Research & Information Institute on Wednesday or a Memorial Day for Comfort Women commemorated nation-wide. Late Kim Hak-soon, one of the comfort women, gave an official testimony about her painful experience for the first time on Aug. 14, 1991.

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

Cho Kuk’s Confirmation Hearing: Conservative Opposition Cries “War!”

The right man for reforming the Prosecution Service vs. Abandoning the rule of law. The ruling and opposition parties announced the "Battle of Cho Kuk" ahead of a confirmation hearing of the justice minister nominee Cho Kuk (54). On August 11, the conservative opposition party launched a wave of attacks using the word "war," and some even called for a boycott. The ruling party is intent on defending Cho, a symbolic figure of judicial reforms and also one of the president's closest aides. Some people are evening predicting that the confirmation hearing will be just as intense as one fit for a presidential candidate.

North Korea Openly Ignores South Korea and Heads Straight for the U.S.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his wishes to negotiate with the U.S. after the ROK-US joint military exercises, increasing the possibility of North Korea and the U.S. resuming the stalled talks. The military exercises will be conducted for ten days from August 11 to 20, so working-level talks between the North and the U.S. may resume as early as the end of this month.

[Editorial] The U.S. Claims to Be an Ally, While Handing an Excessive Bill

Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper will meet at the defense ministry in Seoul on August 9 and discuss security issues. The meeting is drawing attention because a series of challenging issues for South Korea are expected to be on the table. A typical example would be the U.S. demand for a higher contribution by South Korea to cover defense costs. Already on August 7 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at this issue, tweeting, "South Korea has agreed to pay substantially more money to the United States in order to defend itself from North Korea." Reportedly, John Bolton, the White House national security advisor, who visited South Korea earlier, asked South Korea to increase its contribution five-fold from what the nation is currently paying now. The U.S. appears to be taking advantage of South Korea's current situation, in which it is heavily reliant on the U.S. due to disputes with Japan and the North Korean nuclear problem, to raise South Korea's contribution and seize an advantageous position in negotiations with other allies. Such an attitude from the Trump administration is nothing new, but it is still surprising. The U.S. has not even been able to fully use the defense contributions provided by South Korea. Watching the U.S. demand another excessive hike makes us wonder if the U.S. regards its ally as a moneymaking opportunity.

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

S. Korean lenders rush to offer foreign currency wiring services

South Korean lenders that have been actively seeking to making inroads into overseas markets are competitively introducing easy-to-use and foreign currency wiring services to better meet growing demand by foreign national residents in the country and Korean companies with operations in Southeast Asian countries.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s pre-orders staying 20-30% ahead of its predecessor

The 10th-year-anniversary phones of Samsung Electronics’ iconic pen-enabled Galaxy Note have been met with satisfactory demand, with pre-orders exceeding 20 to 30 percent of its predecessor. SK Telecom Co., one of the major mobile carriers in South Korea, said Sunday that it has received about 20 percent bigger pre-orders of the Galaxy Note 10 smartphones than its predecessor during the first two days, with greater demand for the phablet-size 6.8-inch Plus model although Samsung Note became available in regular phone size for the first time.

Hyundai Motor launches scooter, bike-sharing service in Jeju Island

South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Co. has kicked off a ride-sharing service for electric scooters and bicycles at the country’s southern resort island of Jeju, taking a low-key approach in a segment that has been slow to pick up due to die-hard protests from the cab industry.

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Lee Kyung-sik edt@koreapost.com