The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

We express our deepest apology for our mistake made in our letter of yesterday, Invitation to the World Peace Summit.

In the letter, we inadvertently mentioned Wednesday 18 Aug. 2019 for the date of the Tour of the HWPL.

It is a wrong date. The correct date is Wednesday Sept. 18, 2019 as was mentioned in the lead part of the letter.

We are very sorry for the mistake. Here is re-run of the corrected Letter of Invitation:

Invitation to the 2019 HWPL World Peace Summit on Sept. 18, 2019

In our last transmission of Invitation to the World Peace Summit, there was a partial typographical error with the date of Invitation. The correct date is: Wednesday Sept. 18, 2019. Here is re-run of the Invitation:

I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that Chairman Lee Man-hee of HWPL, an International Peace organization registered with the UN ECOSOC and DGC, invites Your Excellency and Madam to attend the 2019 HWPL World Peace Summit on Wednesday Sept. 18, 2019, and participate in the global movement conducted in 130 locations in 87 countries around the world.

To see The Korea Post article related to the event, please visit:

http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=9829

The schedule of the day is as follows:

11:00 hours: Wednesday 18 Sept. 2019: Meet at the Grand Hyatt Seoul at the Fountain Site

11:15-12:15 hours: Move from Grand Hyatt by a 28-seat Deluxe Limousine Bus to the Ramada Hotel in Suwon.

12:30-14:30 hours: Attend luncheon (deluxe buffet luncheon) at Ramada Hotel hosted by Chairman Lee Man-hee of the HWPL.

14:30-15:30 hours: Brief introduction to the Peace Festival, presentation of introduction video.

15:30-15:45 hours: Move from Ramada Hotel to the Main Event Hall by bus

16:00-17:00 hours: Main Event

17:00-18:00 hours: Move from the Main Event Hall to Grand Hyatt Seoul by 28-seat Deluxe Limousine Bus.

Dress: Business suit, casual

Note: Please advise us of Your Excellency’s convenience at 010-5161-0350 (VC Madam Cho Kyung-hee), 010-5201-1740 (Chairman Lee), 010-539-7087 (Reporter Paul Kim)

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

Top diplomats of S. Korea, China, Japan to hold talks in Beijing

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for meetings with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts over three-way cooperation and a possible summit among their leaders. Her trip drew keen attention as she plans to meet bilaterally with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday afternoon amid heightened tensions between the two countries over trade and history.

S. Korea, U.S. wrap up summertime combined exercise

South Korea and the United States wrapped up their weekslong combined military exercises on Tuesday, raising hopes for a halt in a series of missile launches by North Korea and a possible resumption of nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang. The North has strongly bristled at the Combined Command Post Training and Crisis Management Staff Training, ratcheting up tensions with six rounds of missile or projectile launches and bellicose rhetoric over about three weeks.

Biegun to hold talks with Seoul officials over resumption of nuke talks with N.K.

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun was set to hold a series of meetings with South Korean officials in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss joint efforts to resume and make progress in nuclear talks with North Korea. The U.S. envoy plans to meet South Korea's top nuclear negotiator, Lee Do-hoon, at 10:30 a.m. and pay a courtesy call on Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul at 4 p.m. He arrived here from Japan on Tuesday for a three-day visit.

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

Chinese Foreign Minister Urges S. Korea, Japan to Resolve Issues through Dialogue

The top diplomats of South Korea and China held talks on Tuesday to discuss strengthening bilateral relations. South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday for talks with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for an hour on Tuesday. In the meeting, the Chinese minister stressed cooperation among the three nations and hoped South Korea and Japan will resolve their issues through dialogue and negotiation.

S. Korea, Japan Hold Director-General Level Talks in Beijing

South Korean and Japanese senior officials held a meeting on Tuesday in China to discuss colonial-era disputes and the intensifying trade row between the two nations. The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said that Kim Jeong-han, director general of the ministry's Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau, met with his Japanese counterpart Kenji Kanasugi in Beijing for about 40 minutes. Kim is accompanying Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha for a meeting with top diplomats of China and Japan in the Chinese capital.

Pompeo Urges N. Korean Leader to Return to Talks

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday expressed concern about North Korea's recent short-range ballistic missile launches, urging the North to return to the negotiating table for nuclear talks with the U.S. Pompeo made the remark during an interview with CBS, saying that the U.S. hopes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will “come to the table and get a better outcome.” The secretary also said that the two sides haven't gotten back to the table as quickly as the U.S. would have hoped, but that Washington understands “there will be bumps along the way.”

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

S. Korea's exports set to fall for 9th straight month in August

South Korea's exports are set to extend their slump to a ninth month in August, hurt by a decline in outbound shipments of semiconductors, data showed Wednesday. The country's exports declined 13.3 percent in the first 20 days of August from a year earlier to US$24.9 billion, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. Exports of semiconductors slipped 29.9 percent on-year in the first 20 days of August, the data showed. By destination, South Korea's exports to China and Japan fell 20 percent and 13.1 percent, respectively.

Top diplomats of S. Korea, China, Japan to hold talks in Beijing

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for meetings with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts over three-way cooperation and a possible summit among their leaders. Her trip drew keen attention as she plans to meet bilaterally with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday afternoon amid heightened tensions between the two countries over trade and history. Their meeting comes at a delicate time when Seoul is mulling whether to renew a bilateral military intelligence-sharing accord with the deadline for its decision set for Saturday.

Biegun to hold talks with Seoul officials over resumption of nuke talks with N.K.

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun was set to hold a series of meetings with South Korean officials in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss joint efforts to resume and make progress in nuclear talks with North Korea. The U.S. envoy plans to meet South Korea's top nuclear negotiator, Lee Do-hoon, at 10:30 a.m. and pay a courtesy call on Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul at 4 p.m. He arrived here from Japan on Tuesday for a three-day visit.

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

Seoul takes time mulling renewal of military intel-sharing pact with Japan

Nearly six decades have passed since South Korea and Japan signed a treaty to normalize diplomatic ties in 1965, but their relationship has been fraught since then with continued bitterness over the history of Korea’s colonization. Now, as the relationship of the “frenemies” hits a new low with a budding trade war, Seoul has hinted at scrapping a military intel-sharing pact with Tokyo.

Top diplomats of S. Korea, China, Japan to hold talks in Beijing

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for meetings with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts over three-way cooperation and a possible summit among their leaders. Her trip drew keen attention as she plans to meet bilaterally with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday afternoon amid heightened tensions between the two countries over trade and history. Their meeting comes at a delicate time when Seoul is mulling whether to renew a bilateral military intelligence-sharing accord with the deadline for its decision set for Saturday.

Top 3 memory chip makers' sales fall over 30% in H1

The world's big three memory chip makers saw their revenues decline over 30 percent in the first half of the year due to weak demand and steep price declines following a two-year boom, a report said Wednesday. The Big 3 memory suppliers -- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix of South Korea and Micron of the United States -- grappled with slumping sales in the first six months of the year compared with a year ago amid weak memory chip markets, according to the report from IC Insights.

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

Korean deaf player falls in 2nd round on ATP Tour

South Korean deaf tennis player Lee Duck-hee has been eliminated in the second round of an ATP Tour event, less than 24 hours after notching a historic victory. Lee, world No. 212, fell to the 41st-ranked Hubert Hurkacz in three sets at the Winston-Salem Open on the ATP Tour in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Tuesday (local time). Lee won the first set 6-4, before the Polish player battled back to win the next two, 6-0, 6-3. On the previous day, Lee knocked off Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland 2-0 (7-6(4), 6-1) to become the first deaf tennis player to win on the top men's tour.

'Asian Tigers' struggling amid US-China trade feud

The four "Asian Tigers," which previously benefited the most from free trade and globalization, are going through a turbulent period as their economies are reeling from an escalating U.S.-China trade war and several other threats to the global free trade order, according to economic experts, Tuesday. The Asian Tigers refer to Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, which maintained exceptionally high growth rates in the last few decades of the 20th century. Economists said Korea and Singapore have suffered the most from the recent trade dispute, while Taiwan has seemingly overcome the difficulty by capitalizing on it.

'Abe's motivation is more personal'

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's handling of the ongoing trade friction with South Korea is "short-sighted" as his primary motivation is personal interest, the chief Korea analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. "I do not think that Abe's primary motivation is driven by the desire for domestic political gain. I think it is more personal than that, especially because Abe has had the experience of reaching an agreement with (former president) Park that the Moon administration failed to honor. Any time someone experiences a break-up or a breach of contract of this sort, it is bound to leave a bad taste in one's mouth," Scott Snyder said in the written interview.

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

More Young People Suffer Stress Amid Soaring Unemployment

Three out of every 10 adults suffer from considerable stress and people in their 20s and 30s are especially vulnerable, according to a survey. The survey by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that an alarming 37.9 percent of 20-somethings felt stressed, and among those in their 30s the proportion is 36 percent. It then tapers off to 27.5 percent for those in their 40s, 26.5 percent for people in their 50s, 20.9 percent for those in their 60s and 21.4 percent for over-70s. "Large numbers of youngsters seek help in stress clinics," said Shim Min-young at the National Center for Mental Health. "They come feeling exhausted both mentally and physically after searching for jobs, pursuing qualifications and doing part-time jobs."

Korea, U.S. Start Defense Cost Sharing Talks

Korea went with some trepidation into the 11th round of talks in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss Seoul's share of the upkeep cost of U.S. troops here. The U.S. is expected to lean heavily on Korea to satisfy demands for more money from U.S. President Donald Trump. Already last week Trump lied in a tweet to the nation that Korea "has agreed" to shoulder a bigger share of its defense costs. There is a rumor circulating in diplomatic circles that Washington is demanding US$5 billion from Seoul for the upkeep of the U.S. Forces Korea. That would also covers the indirect cost of the deployment of U.S. strategic weapons here.

Breast Implant Complications on the Rise in Korea

About 5,140 cases of side effects after having breast enlargement surgeries were reported from 2016 to 2018, which make up 3.4 percent of the total 150,136 breast implants over the period, according to a report by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Monday. Reported side effects skyrocketed in the last three years from 661 in 2016 to 3,462 last year. Some 1,389 or 27 percent were due to Allergan textured implants, which have now drawn a class-action lawsuit. Side effects from other companies' breast implants also rose sharply from 336 in 2016 to 2,942 last year.

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

S. Korea formulating response to Japan’s pending dump of contaminated water

The South Korean government's response to Japan's plan to dump contaminated toxic water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean is taking shape. In a Blue House Cabinet meeting on Aug. 13, the government decided on measures to actively address the problem of Fukushima's contaminated water. On the same day, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Kim In-cheol said, "With South Koreans' health and safety as our top priority, we will be requesting that Japan make a specific statement about this and disclose relevant information." On Aug. 19, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) summoned Tomofumi Nishinaga, minister for economic affairs at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and requested an official Japanese statement regarding plans to dump contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean.

S. Korean and Japanese foreign ministers to hold bilateral meeting in Beijing

An Aug. 19 report quoted an official from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs who spoke on condition of anonymity as saying that Kang Kyung-wha and Taro Kono would be sitting down together in Beijing. South Korea and Japan’s foreign ministries had announced on Aug. 16 that Kang and Kono would be joining Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for the ninth time in a series of regular meetings between their top diplomats, which is scheduled to be held in Beijing on Aug. 20-22. Aug. 21, the day that Reuters said Kang and Kono will be holding their bilateral meeting, is the same day that the trilateral meeting will be taking place.

Moon emphasizes need to resume inter-Korean dialogue after joint exercises with US

“Should this opportunity [for dialogue] be missed, we may not be able to create another opportunity,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Aug. 19. “Exercising caution is as essential as if carefully taking one step at a time while carrying fragile glassware.” Moon was emphasizing the need to sustain momentum for resuming dialogue resulting from the end of the South Korea-US joint military exercises on Aug. 20 and the visit to South Korea by Stephen Biegun, the US State Department’s special representative for North Korea.

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

Moon promises to support production of core strategic items

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that Korea should lower dependency on core materials imported from a particular nation in order to build a responsible economy that will never be shaken. His message emphasizes the need to overcome difficulties caused by Japan’s retaliatory economic measures. At an agreement ceremony for a new investment in carbon fiber held at Hyosung Advanced Materials’ factory in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Moon addressed that the Renaissance strategy on manufacturing will boost competitiveness of core industries and nurture new future industries such as system semiconductors, bio-health, future cars and the hydrogen economy to lead the 4th industrial revolution. He showed his determination to growing new industries by reforming industrial structures not succumbing to Japan’s retaliatory measures.

Lee Deok-hee becomes first deaf tennis player to win an ATP match

South Korea tennis player Lee Deok-hee got his first win at the ATP Tour, overcoming his hearing disability. Lee has become the first hearing-impaired player to win on the ATP Tour. Lee, who is ranked 212th in the men’s tennis rankings, beat Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland 2-0 with his nine serve aces in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open held in North Carolina, the U.S. on Monday. Before this tournament, Lee got eliminated in the knockout stages in five ATP tournaments. Accompanied by his fiancée Jeon Su-bin this time, Lee, who was on a standby, was allowed to compete in the main draw match, filling a vacant position.

Pope Francis to visit Thailand and Japan in November

Pope Francis makes a visit to Thailand and Japan for the first time in six years. According to Reuters’ reports on Monday, several Vatican Palace officials said that the 266th pope will make an official visit to Thailand around Nov. 20 before he visits Japan between Nov. 23 and 26 according to his overseas trip schedule issued in January. It is the first trip by a pope or the world’s Catholic leader to Thailand in 35 years since late Pope John Paul II (the 264th pope between 1920 and2005), paid a visit in 1984. Likewise, it is the first visit to Japan in 38 years since John Paul II visited the country in 1981.

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

"Any Plans to Release Radioactive Water from Fukushima into the Sea?" Government Officially Requests Japan for a 'Detailed Explanation'

On August 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned an official from the Japanese Embassy and officially requested a detailed explanation on the Japanese government's plans concerning the radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This day, Kwon Sei-joong, director-general of climate change, energy, environment, and scientific affairs at the foreign ministry called Tomofumi Nishinaga, a minister for economic affairs at the Japanese Embassy to the foreign ministry office and delivered a note verbale containing the South Korean government's position on the treatment of the contaminated water from Fukushima. In the note, the foreign ministry pointed out, "We realize that the treatment of the radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant will have an extremely serious impact on the health and safety of both our people and on the entire nation, connected by the sea,” and requested a reply on whether the Japanese government had any plans to release the radioactive water into the sea.

Demonstrating the Power of the Hong Kong Citizens ‘Flowing Like Water,’” Chan, Vice Convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front

"We can make China fear us with democratic and free ways," said Figo Chan (22, pictured), vice-convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, a civic group that is leading the Hong Kong demonstrations against China's criminal extradition law, on August 19. This was his evaluation of the previous day's demonstration, which ended in a peaceful march of umbrellas in the rain, without any tear gas and water cannons, despite heightened concerns of China's armed intervention. Chan said he was impressed with the Korean film 1987: When the Day Comes, which portrayed the June 10 pro-democracy movement.

Tenth Anniversary of the Death of Kim Dae-jung: Let Us Recall the DJ-Obuchi Declaration

On August 10, the tenth anniversary of the death of former President Kim Dae-jung (DJ), the top five government leaders (heads of the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, the prime minister, and the chief of the National Election Commission), including Moon Hee-sang, chairman of the National Assembly and the leaders of the five political parties remembered the former president at the Seoul National Cemetery. In his memorial address, Chairman Moon said, "Former President Kim presented a solution and future vision in bilateral relations with the Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration in 1988." He further said, "Our people will proactively and proudly overcome this difficulty." Ruling and opposition politicians including Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, in one voice, also remembered the former president's insights and courage, which had helped advance relations between South Korea and Japan. We agree with these evaluations of the politicians and hope the political pledges will to lead to action.

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

Japan grants second material export to Korea ahead of ministerial meeting

Japan granted its second clearance to a Japanese company to export a chip making material under a control list since July 4 to South Korea as foreign ministers of the two wrangling countries are expected to hold talks in Beijing as early as Tuesday. Japan’s trade ministry on Monday gave Japan’s JSR the green light to ship 3 million barrels, or six months worth of extreme ultraviolet photoresist to Samsung Electronics, according to Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

S. Korea’s mega OTT platform Wavve readies for launch next month

A union of South Korean telecom and media companies is set to launch the country’s largest video streaming service platform next month, throwing down the gauntlet to global giant Netflix that has rapidly expanded its presence in the local video streaming market. Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday approved the merger between over the top (OTT) service platform Pooq, which offers programs on the country’s three major terrestrial TV channels, and SK Telecom Co.’s mobile video streaming app Oksusu.

Korea-Japan conflict is biggest threat to Korean economy: economists

Fallout with Japan can do more harm to the South Korean economy than protracted trade tensions between the U.S. and China, a survey on economists showed. In the Maeil Business Newspaper poll on 265 economists under Korean Academic Society of Business Administration ahead of the annual conference held in Seoul on Monday, trade spat between Korea and Japan was cited the biggest danger for Korean enterprises (39.8 percent), beating deepening trade war between the U.S. and China (36.4 percent.)

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See what the world media around the world have to report:

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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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And many other countries.
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