The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, August 14

S. Korea to actively deal with radioactive water discharge from Fukushima plant

South Korea will actively seek ways to deal with Japan's planned discharge of water contaminated as a result of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid concern storage space will soon run out. The treatment of radioactive water stored in tanks in Fukushima has drawn international concern in recent months following reports that the Japanese government is considering releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean, among other options.

Moon sees Korean economic fundamentals as strong, urges vigilance against fake news

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday the fundamentals of the Korean economy remain strong despite heightened economic uncertainty and called for vigilance against potential negative impacts by fake news on financial markets. The president ordered government officials to sternly tackle growing economic woes at home and abroad but also called attention to the possibility that groundless fake information could increase financial market instability.

Trump cites S. Korea as example of U.S. protecting borders

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday cited South Korea as an example where the United States has helped other countries at the expense of its domestic problems. Trump was addressing workers at a manufacturing facility under construction in Monaca, Pennsylvania, when he took to boasting about his administration's achievements in "putting America first."

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

Hong Kong Protesters Paralyze Airport for Second Day

More than 300 flights were reportedly cancelled on Tuesday in Hong Kong as pro-democracy protesters occupied the international airport again. According to the South China Morning Post, thousands of protesters jammed the terminal on Tuesday afternoon, preventing passengers from passing through security gates to check-in. The Hong Kong airport authority then announced that all check-in operations would be suspended from 4:30 p.m., saying that terminal operations have been seriously disrupted as a result of the public assembly.

Trump: Allies Take Advantage of US More Than Enemies

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed discontent over allies, saying that they take advantage of his country more than enemies. In a speech at the Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex on Tuesday, Trump cited South Korea as an example where the U.S. has helped other countries at the expense of its domestic problems.

US Official: US Concerned by N. Korea Missile Development

A senior U.S. official said on Tuesday that the United States is concerned by North Korea's missile development and will continue to call out the regime for its missile tests. Andrea Thompson, under secretary of state for arms control and international security, made the comment to reporters during a teleconference when asked about the North's recent missile launches. Thompson said that the U.S. continues to work with partners and allies as they uphold the UN Security Council sanctions, working hand in hand to ensure that that pressure campaign remains firm with North Korea.

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

Job additions hit 18-month high in July

Job additions in South Korea rose to the highest in 18 months in July on the back of a rise in employment in the health care, food and leisure-related sectors, with the jobless rate slightly up to 3.9 percent, government data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 27.38 million, up 299,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

Seat occupancy on flights to and from Japan drops over trade row

The number of air passengers on routes between South Korea and Japan dipped during the peak summer vacation season amid an escalating bilateral trade spat, government data showed Wednesday. The passenger load factor for flights to and from Japan averaged 71.5 percent during the first week of August, down from 84.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Seoul stocks open higher on eased trade woes, Korean won surges

Seoul stocks opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight Wall Street gains prompted by the United States' decision to delay tariffs on some Chinese goods. The Korean won also rallied against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 20.87 points, or 1.08 percent, to 1,946.70 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

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

Moon weighed down by economy, North Korea

As he approaches the halfway point in his term, President Moon Jae-in is juggling hefty issues on both the international and domestic fronts. On the home front, Moon faces mounting criticism on a wide range of issues.

Cheonghae Unit sets sail for mission amid speculation of serving in Hormuz Strait

Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit on Tuesday embarked on its mission in the Gulf of Aden amid speculation that its final destination may be the Strait of Hormuz. As Washington has been calling for its allies to take part in the “international maritime security mission” in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tension with Iran, Seoul has been weighing its options.

Jobless rate reaches 3.9% in June, 299,000 jobs created

South Korea's jobless rate reached 3.9 percent in July despite nearly 300,000 new jobs added, government data showed Wednesday. The unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage point from the same month last year, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

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

'Stop provoking ally': Korea's conservatives slam Trump

Korean conservatives are generally pro-U.S. and advocates of a strong Seoul-Washington alliance. Yet their collective position appears to have cracks following U.S. President Donald Trump's nerve-racking remarks seemingly trading the blood-forged alliance for national revenue, favoring North Korea over the South and ridiculing his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in.

Developing nations urge help in climate change battle

The representatives of 32 developing countries who were in Seoul to learn how to measure and reduce greenhouse gases to fight climate change knew their countries are up against something almost insurmountable without advanced countries' help. They attended the annual four-week training session prepared by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center of Korea (GIR) under the country's environment ministry ― the "UNFCCC-GIR-CASTT 2019."

Seoul sends naval unit to Gulf of Aden

The Republic of Korea Navy's Cheonghae unit, operating the country's first overseas anti-piracy mission in waters off Somalia, dispatched a fresh batch of troops to the Gulf of Aden Tuesday afternoon, raising expectation over the possibility of South Korea's official participation in the U.S.-led coalition to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz.

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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.

K-Pop Remains Popular in Japan Despite Bilateral Tensions

It seems that nothing can stop Japanese fans' love of K-pop, as it remains intact amid growing tensions between Korea and Japan over trade and historical issues. K-pop stars and music continue to thrive in Japan, with concerts sold out and album sales setting new records. SM Entertainment held three days of concerts in Tokyo on Aug. 3-5, featuring top stars in its stable including EXO, Red Velvet and TVXQ. A total of 150,000 fans packed the concerts, posting photos and videos in real time on social media.

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

The significance of S. Korea’s removal of Japan from its white list

Despite concerns from some quarters that South Korea and Japan are heading into a full-blown tit-for-tat confrontation, the South Korean government decided to remove Japan from its white list (countries that enjoy streamlined export procedures for strategic materials). The strong-armed measure is aimed at both pressuring Japan following that country’s hesitation due to international criticism and to open the door for negotiations to find a bilateral resolution. Analysts also suggest that South Korea has shown that it can always respond to Japan again by pulling out of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

Moon urges “calm and level-headed” response from government regarding Japan

During a meeting of senior secretaries and advisors at the Blue House on Aug. 12, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his admiration for the mature response shown by the public during the conflict provoked by Japan’s trade retaliation. Moon also called on his advisors at the Blue House and government ministries to be “calm and level-headed” in their own response.

Blue House refutes Japanese media report claiming US sides with Tokyo on forced labor issue

On Aug. 12, the Blue House denied a Japanese report that claimed the US supports Japan's argument on the issue of forced labor compensation. Blue House Spokeswoman Ko Min-jung told reporters, “A report by the Mainichi Shimbun where a Japanese government official cited a US government official saying that the US supports Japan’s position on the forced labor claims is not true.”

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

Kim Jong Un declares the completion of a triad of new weapons

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Tuesday that his nation made a remarkable achievement to develop and complete a new weaponry system that ensures invincible military power for victorious progress, according to the North's Rodong Sinmun. Giving an encouraging message to missile scientists, Kim directly declared the completion of a triad of new short-range projectiles. It consists of the North Korean version Iskander (KN-23) ballistic missile, a new large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system, and the North’s newly developed ATACMS short-range tactical missile system.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 Plus camera earns record-high score

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus, Samsung Electronics’ flagship smartphone recently launched in the U.S., has earned the highest score ever for the performance of its front and back cameras from the French camera benchmark site.

The oldest Taegeukgi goes on display at the National Museum

In commemoration of the 74th anniversary of Korean National Liberation Day, the National Museum of Korea plans to display the oldest existing prototype of Taegeukgi, or the Korean national flag (Korea’s 382nd registered cultural property), which Gojong, the last king of Joseon Dynasty, bestowed upon his U.S. adviser Owen N. Denny.

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

Min-hyeok’s Friends Write a Statement, “Rejecting Not Embracing Refugees…. We Cried”

On August 8, the friends of Kim Min-hyeok (16), a refugee from Iran, came back from the Seoul Immigration Office holding the long statement they had prepared. They returned because Min-hyeok's father, A, was denied refugee status this day. They could not release their statement, titled, "A Decade-Long Dream Comes True," which they had written expecting A to be recognized as a refugee. They could not deliver the words in the statement, either. "Congratulations on being recognized as a refugee." "He (Min-hyeok) finally found a place to lean on after ten years."

Government to Put Price Cap on Initial Housing Prices and Ban the Resale of Apartments for Up to 10 Years in 31 Speculation Prone Zones

As early as October, a price ceiling will be enforced on the initial prices of apartments in privately owned housing sites in the 31 speculation prone zones nationwide--including all of Seoul, Gwacheon and Bundang in Gyeonggi-do--where housing prices have soared. The government will also apply the price cap on apartment compounds set for reconstruction and redevelopment earlier to when the developers request to launch sales. Homeowners will be banned from reselling homes with a price cap on the initial price for up to ten years in order to prevent speculation targeting short-term profits from market margins and will be bound to reside in the house for up to five years.

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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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The Korea Post is running video clips from the different embassies.
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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