Headlines, August 22, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Thursday, August 22, 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.

N. Korea says it has no interest in talks as long as military threats continue

North Korea said Thursday it has no interest in denuclearization talks as long as South Korea and the United States maintain their hostility toward Pyongyang. A spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry issued the warning in a statement, also denouncing South Korea for violating inter-Korean agreements to reduce cross-border tensions by introducing high-tech weapons from the U.S, calling such an act a "grave provocation."

Kang maintains uncertainty over renewal of military pact with Japan in talks with Kono

During her 35-minute talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono in Beijing, Kang said that Seoul is still reviewing whether to renew the pact seen as a rare case of bilateral security cooperation. Seoul should determine whether to retain it by Saturday. With the bilateral trade row showing no signs of abating, South Korea has hinted that it could consider withdrawing from the pact, called the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The pact is to be automatically renewed each year unless either side voices an intent to terminate it.

Trump vows again to help Apple against Samsung

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed again Wednesday to help Apple in its competition against Samsung, citing the issue of tariffs. Trump told reporters on Sunday that Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed concern about the impact U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods could have on his company's products, parts of which are manufactured in China. The president said he was "thinking about it" after Cook made a "very compelling argument" that Samsung won't have to pay tariffs because it is based in South Korea.

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

Seoul-Tokyo Tensions Continue after Ministers Fail to Iron Out Differences

Anchor: The latest foreign ministers’ meeting between South Korea and Japan has ended without any agreement or progress on resolving their acrimonious dispute over trade and long-standing historical issues. During the short-lived talks in Beijing on Wednesday, the two sides only confirmed their differences, fanning concerns about the future of bilateral ties. Moon Gwang-lip has more. Report: Ministers Kang Kyung-wha and Taro Kono sat down together for the first time in three weeks.

Trump Vows to Help Apple Against Samsung

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to help U.S. tech giant Apple in its competition against Samsung Electronics, following a recent dinner with Apple CEO Tim Cook. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said the problem is that Samsung, a “good competitor,” wouldn't be paying tariffs and Cook’s company would, adding he will “help him out short-term with that problem.” Trump then said that Cook is a great executive “because he calls me and others don’t." The remarks come days after Trump and Cook dined together late last week. The two reportedly discussed the impact that a new round of tariffs on China would have on Apple.

Vice Foreign Minister Meets US Officials to Discuss Japan's Export Curbs

South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho met with U.S. officials in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the trade row between Seoul and Tokyo and other issues. After the meetings, Lee said that the U.S. side understands “very well” Seoul's position regarding Tokyo's export curbs. The vice minister said he expressed regret over Tokyo's apparent reluctance to resolve the issue through talks despite President Moon Jae-in's recent offer of "dialogue and cooperation.” He added that Washington also agrees on the need to resolve issues through dialogue.

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

Top diplomats of S. Korea, China, Japan converge on call for trilateral cooperation

The top diplomats of South Korea, China and Japan agreed on the need for trilateral cooperation among their countries despite a rancorous spat between Seoul and Tokyo over trade and history. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Wang Yi and Taro Kono, held a three-way meeting in Beijing, the first such gathering since August 2016. "Cooperation among the three countries should proceed without wavering and being influenced by the bilateral relations," Kang said during the talks. "It should contribute to peace on the Korean Peninsula and a strengthening of free trade."

Kang maintains uncertainty over renewal of military pact with Japan in talks with Kono

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday maintained uncertainty over the renewal of a bilateral military information pact with Japan, in an apparent move to raise pressure on Tokyo to retract its recent export curbs. During her 35-minute talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono in Beijing, Kang said that Seoul is still reviewing whether to renew the pact seen as a rare case of bilateral security cooperation. Seoul should determine whether to retain it by Saturday.

Trump vows again to help Apple against Samsung

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

Kang, Kono fail to mend fences

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan remained at odds in their bilateral meeting held in China on Wednesday, reiterating their respective stances on Tokyo’s wartime forced labor and trade curbs. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, met for 35 minutes on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting with their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Gubei Water Town near the Great Wall in northern Beijing.

N. Korea says it has no interest in talks as long as military threats continue

North Korea said Thursday it has no interest in dialogue as long as South Korea and the United States keep up military threats against it, a day after two F-35 stealth fighters arrived in the South. A spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry issued the warning in a statement, also denouncing South Korea for violating inter-Korean agreements to reduce cross-border tensions by introducing high-tech weapons from the US, calling such an act a "grave provocation."

Defense minister dismisses N. Korea’s taunts, highlights strong defense posture

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said it was not worth listening to North Korea’s criticism of South Korea’s joint military exercises with the United States, and vowed that defense posture would remain strong. At a parliamentary defense committee meeting, Jeong also spoke of the usefulness of the controversial military intel-sharing agreement with Japan.

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

Moon hit by trusted aide's scandal

President Moon Jae-in is facing growing calls to withdraw his nomination of Cho Kuk as justice minister due to a widening scandal involving one of his most trusted aides. The allegations of irregularities regarding his daughter's academic history, in addition to the possible evasion of military service and the dual nationality of his son, who also holds U.S. citizenship, have produced a huge public backlash. A recent poll showed that almost 50 percent of respondents thought Cho was an inappropriate choice for justice minister.

Gov't urged to take action against fake Korean brands

The government has been urged to act against fake Korean brands that have thrived in other countries over the past few years. In a report last week, the National Assembly Budget Office asked the Korea Customs Service (KCS) to take stronger action against sellers of "low-quality, fake Korean products" overseas, mostly in Southeast Asia, where K-pop and K-dramas have become wildly popular. The report specifically mentions Mumuso, which claims to be a Korean retailer, even without a sales office in Korea. Mumuso is headquartered in Shanghai and most of its products are made in China.

Seoul moves to block high-emission vehicles from city cente

Seoul Metropolitan Government will issue a 3-week administrative notice starting Thursday, in a move to warn and prepare drivers for an impending high-emission vehicle ban from the city center. Air pollution is a growing problem for the South Korean capital each winter. Earlier this year, the country saw record concentrations of fine dust particles, setting off a flurry of preventive policy initiatives. One of those policies is blocking the worst emission grade vehicles from the city center. Old diesel or gasoline cars with the lowest emission control grade ― 5 ― will be banned from what is known as the Green Transport Promotion Zone, a 16.7 square kilometer area encompassing parts of Jongno and Jung-gu inside the old fortress walls of the city.

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

2 More Stealth Fighter Jets Arrive in Seoul

Two more F-35A stealth fighter jets were delivered from the U.S. without fanfare to Cheongju on Wednesday. Earlier, two F-35A stealth fighters arrived on March 29 and July 15 each, so the Air Force now has a fleet of six. Another five are expected in November and December. They will be deployed warfare-ready within this year but no date has been set for the kind of handover ceremony the military is usually fond of for fear of irking the North.

Most Child Abuse Deaths Involve Infants

Some 64 percent of child abuse fatalities involve infants less than a year old, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Last year, 18 out of 28 children who died due to abuse last year were not yet one year old, and half of the 18 were killed by their own parents. Many were inexperienced and uneducated parents who battered their crying children due to stress.

Bankers' Salaries Soar Despite Recession

The figure comes from half-year performance reports released by KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Woori Bank, KEB Hana Bank, Citibank Korea and Standard Chartered Bank Korea on Tuesday. It marks a whopping 8.4 percent rise from W47.5 million in the same period last year despite GDP growth of barely over two percent and is the highest increase rate since 2013's 19.1 percent. Citibank was the most bountiful with W58 million per worker, followed by KEB Hana (W57 million), KB Kookmin (W52 million), Standard Chartered (W48 million), and Shinhan and Woori (W47 million). KEB Hana and KB Kookmin hiked their wages by an eye-watering 26.7 percent and 20.9 percent on-year.

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

S. Korea-Japan-China foreign ministers’ meeting hopefully leads to Seoul-Tokyo dialogue

The top diplomats from South Korea and Japan will be meeting in Beijing on Aug. 21, their first meeting in 20 days since the ASEAN Regional Forum in Bangkok on Aug. 1. The meeting is attracting attention because it comes shortly before South Korea decides whether to remain in the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) on Aug. 24 and before Japan’s removal of South Korea from its white list of trusted trading parties goes into effect on Aug. 28. We hope this meeting will lead to a breakthrough in the South Korea-Japan conflict, which was triggered by Japanese measures taken in retaliation for a South Korean Supreme Court ruling about forced labor during the Japanese colonial occupation.

What’s necessary for mending inter-Korean relations

Aug. 20 marked the final day of the South Korea-US joint military exercise that North Korea criticized as a “dangerous prank, a rehearsal for an invasion through a preemptive attack on North Korea” on page six of the Aug. 20 edition of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper. Many experts are hopeful that the long-delayed North Korea-US working-level negotiations will now resume, thereby breathing new life into the choked inter-Korean relationship. But even if North Korea and the US resume working-level talks, numerous obstacles remain before inter-Korean relations can get back on track, the greatest of which is the abysmal lack of inter-Korean trust. The return of the distinctly North Korean style of invective — which had disappeared after the inter-Korean summit at Panmunjom on Apr. 27, 2018 — is an “indication of crisis,” according to a senior official in the area of foreign policy and security.

Biegun arrives in S. Korea to discuss Korean Peninsula issues

Stephen Biegun, the US State Department special representative for North Korea, arrived in South Korea for a visit on Aug. 20, the same day that combined command post exercises between the two sides were completed. Biegun was part of a US delegation that plans to meet with senior Blue House, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Unification officials over a three-day period to share views on Korean Peninsula issues including the swift resumption of working-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington. Observers are also watching to see whether North Korean and US working-level negotiation teams may end up meeting at Panmunjom or elsewhere during Biegun’s visit.

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

N. Korea blows up 12 billion won in launching missiles for 2 months

North Korea has spent at least 1 million dollars (some 1.2 billion won) in launching one short-distance ballistic missile, investing at least 10 million dollars (some 12 billion won) in shooting 12 ballistic missiles and multiple rocket launchers since July. According to a Radio Free Asia report on Tuesday, Dr. Markus Schiller of German military consulting firm ST Analytics said that “Generally it takes around 1 billion dollars (some 1.202 trillion won) in developing and manufacturing missile programs, developing its main body, war head, engines, guidance system, subsidiary vehicles, etc., which is a huge burden to North Korea, given its scale of economy.” He also explained that it would have taken at least 1- 1.4 million dollars in manufacturing a single missile, aside from development costs.” In other words, North Korea is assumed to have invested more than 10 million dollars in launching a total of 12 shots from new weapons over six rounds from July 25 to August 16.

Set-top box serves as AI assistant at home

A set-top box (STB), which has often been considered as something to be hidden under the TV, is starting to transform into an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, stereo speaker, and interior item. The utilization of STB has been improved with the development of voice recognition technology and businesses are launching STB that serves as a lifestyle platform with sleek design. SK Broadband held a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday and announced the launch of its new STB model “AI 2 Set-top Box.” It has been one and a half year since its previous model was unveiled in January last year.

Seoul City to participate in 2020 Consumer Electronic Show

The Seoul metropolitan government will join the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2020 for the first time. The CES is the largest trade show featuring consumer electronics and the event showcasing information and communications technology and artificial intelligence. The Seoul metropolitan government plans to open a booth at the CES held in Las Vegas in January while Mayor Park Won-soon will present a blueprint for “Smart City Seoul.” Twenty-four South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as venture companies, will accompany the mayor to the CES to find new business opportunities by promoting their technologies and meeting foreign investors.

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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/)

Korean govt to commit $3.9 bn 2020 to bolster high tech, bio sectors

The South Korean government readying a supersized 2020 budget of over 500 trillion won for next year against the downside risks of extended trade tensions with Japan and global-wide recession will earmark 4.7 trillion won ($3.9 billion) spending to strengthen future capabilities in fifth-generation (5G) network, artificial intelligence (AI), and future mobility to bio-health.

Korea’s Hyosung to invest $828 mn in carbon fibers amid govt promise of support

South Korea’s Hyosung Group pledged 1 trillion won ($828 million) over the next decade to expand its carbon fiber capacity to 24,000 tons a year from current 2,000 tons as the government vowed full support in grooming the material pivotal to hydrogen and future industries. Hyosung said it will add nine additional carbon fiber production lines at its current plant in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province by investing 1 trillion won until 2028, an upgrade that would make it the world`s third largest carbon fiber producer responsible for a 10 percent market share in 2028.

Foreign holdings in Korean stocks hit a 13-yr high in Aug amid timidity of local players

Foreign holdings in South Korean stocks hit the highest in 13 years as of August despite their selling spree amid the lackluster local market. According to Korea Exchange on Wednesday, offshore investors as of Tuesday held 501.67 trillion won ($414.95 billion) in Korean shares, accounting for 38.35 percent of the total market capitalization. Foreign ownership in Korea-listed stocks hovered around 35 percent in the beginning of this year and topped 37 percent in March and 38 percent in July. It then reached 38.68 percent on Aug. 5, the highest since August 2006.

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