Headlines, August 30, 2019

This is EXTRA to today’s Headlines.

Attached hereunder are our text of the Plaque of Citation and samples of the Plaque which the Mayor of the Pyongchang Country and the Publisher-Chairman of The Korea Post media jointly present to the participating Excellencies in the Buckwheat Blossom Festival in Pyeongchang on September 9, 2019.

We would appreciate Your Excellency's examination of the content and selection of one of the Plaques of Citation presented hereunder:

Plaque of Citation

H.E. Wylbur Chisiya Simuusa

Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia

Seoul, the Republic of Korea

This Citation is presented to the Honoree above mentioned in recognition of the unreserved interest and effort made in the promotion of relations, friendship and cooperation between Korea and the country represented by the recipient by attending the 2019 Pyeongchang Buckwheat Festival on September 9, 2019.

Attendance at the Festival by the Honoree will greatly contribute to the enhancement of the understanding of the Korean literature and culture by the countries diplomatically represented in Korea.

Monday September 9, 2019

Mr. Wang-ki Han

The Honorable Mayor _________________

The Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province

Mr. Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman ___________________

The Korea Post media

Very Respetfully Yours

Friday, August 30, 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.

Moon resumes overtures to Japan, hopes for N.K. leader's participation in ASEAN summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday he would "embrace" Japan if it shifts to dialogue to end diplomatic and trade rifts between the two sides, again extending an olive branch to Tokyo. "I'm ready to embrace and cooperate with Japan when it returns to the table for dialogue and cooperation, whenever that may be," he said in a written interview with the Bangkok Post. He's scheduled to visit Thailand next week in a Southeast Asian swing that will also take him to Myanmar and Laos. Moon voiced hope that Seoul and Tokyo will fulfill their responsibility "so that future generations in East Asia will be able to experience prosperity achieved through cooperation."

N. Korea amends constitution to cement Kim's grip on power

North Korea has amended its constitution to further solidify leader Kim Jong-un's "legal" power and authority, its state media reported Thursday, summing up the results of a rubber-stamp parliamentary session. The 2nd Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) convened on the day made "some amendments and supplements to the Socialist Constitution" of the communist nation, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim was apparently absent from the meeting, attended by 687 deputies, and KCNA cited a report by Choe Ryong-hae, president of the SPA Presidium.

Industrial output up 1.2 pct on-month in July

South Korea's industrial output rose 1.2 percent in July from a month earlier due to increased auto output and facility investment, government data showed Friday.The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed the production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries also went up 2.6 percent in July from a month earlier, while the output of the service sector increased 1 percent on-month. From a year earlier, industrial output grew 0.5 percent.

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

Moon Hopes for N. Korean Leader's Participation in ASEAN Summit

President Moon Jae-in said the attendance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a summit this year between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) would be meaningful for peace on the Korean Peninsula. The president made the remarks in an interview published in the Bangkok Post on Friday ahead of a weeklong trip to Thailand, Myanmar and Laos next week. He said it would be very meaningful for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia if Kim is given a chance to join the special summit scheduled for Nov. 25-26 in Busan.

Japan Grants First Shipment of Hydrogen Fluoride to S. Korea Since Curbing Exports

Japan has reportedly allowed the first shipment of hydrogen fluoride to South Korea since it tightened export controls on the key high-tech material in early July. An official at the Trade, Industry and Energy Ministry said Friday that the government confirmed that Japan allowed one shipment of hydrogen fluoride gas to Samsung the previous day. Hydrogen fluoride is one of three key materials used in the production of semiconductors and display panels that Japan restricts shipments of to South Korea. Fluorinated polyimide and photoresists are also restricted.

N. Korea Changes Constitution to Further Solidify Kim Regime

North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament has reportedly approved changes to the country's constitution that further solidify leader Kim Jong-un’s power and authority as head of state. Northern state media channel Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said on Thursday that the Second Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly(SPA) convened that day made amendments to the Socialist Constitution of the nation. KCNA quoted Choe Ryong-hae, president of the presidium of the SPA, as saying that Kim's legal status representing the state has been further solidified to firmly ensure the “monolithic guidance” of the supreme leader over all state affairs.

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

Moon resumes overtures to Japan, hopes for N.K. leader's participation in ASEAN summit

Industrial output up 1.2 pct on-month in July

South Korea's industrial output rose 1.2 percent in July from a month earlier, due mainly to increased production of cars, government data showed Friday.The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that auto output increased 6.3 percent last month, helped by recent launches of new models, including Hyundai Motor's entry-level Venue SUV and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors' all-new Seltos SUV.

U.S. withholds criticism of N.K. as it marks anti-nuke day

The United States withheld criticism of North Korea on Thursday as it marked an international day against nuclear tests, possibly showing restraint ahead of the expected resumption of denuclearization talks.The statement was notable because North Korea is the only country to have conducted a nuclear test in the 21st century, most recently in 2017. "On this International Day Against Nuclear Tests, we call on the international community to ensure that the world's most dangerous regimes, like the one in Iran, never attain the world's most dangerous weapons," the State Department wrote in a tweet.

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

Top court sends back Park Geun-hye corruption cases

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered retrials for former President Park Geun-hye, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil. The top court ruled that the ruling in Park’s appeal trial was unlawful as the lower court had not considered the bribery charge separately from other crimes of which she was convicted. Park had been sentenced to a 25-year prison term, with 20 billion won ($16.4 million) in fines for various forms of corruption, including abuse of power and taking bribes from businesses.

Moon reverts to hard line as Japan rejects dialogue

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday renewed his criticism of the Japanese government, calling on Tokyo to face history, returning to his earlier hard-line stance after weeks of calling for dialogue. “Japan must be honest. Japan has yet to even state an honest reason for its economic retaliation. The Japanese government is trying to rationalize its economic retaliation by baselessly shifting its rhetoric as frequently as necessary,” Moon said, referring to Tokyo’s removal of South Korea from its list of trusted trade partners the previous day.

Gloom hangs over Samsung again

As South Korea’s top court on Thursday ordered a review of the second ruling on the bribery case involving Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Electronics is again put at risk of losing its de facto leader at a critical time for the tech giant to push forward with new investments in technologies and jobs, amid harsh global trade and market conditions. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals court’s ruling that had cut Samsung heir Lee’s sentence from five years to 2 1/2 years and suspended the jail term for four years in its verdict on the bribery case involving the Samsung chief, former President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Sun-sil.

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

North Korea changes constitution to solidify Kim's rule

North Korea's parliament has approved changes to the country's constitution to solidify leader Kim Jong-un's role as head of state, official state media said on Thursday. The move comes after Kim was formally named head of state and commander-in-chief of the military in a new constitution in July that analysts said was possibly aimed at preparing for a peace treaty with the United States. North Korea has long called for a peace deal with the United States to normalise relations and end the technical state of war that has existed since the 1950-1953 Korean War, which concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Koreans aren't having enough babies

The number of newborns in South Korea fell 8.7 percent in June from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, in the latest sign of the continuing low birthrate that has plagued Asia's fourth-largest economy for more than a decade. The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 24,051 babies were born in June, compared with 26,357 babies tallied in the same month of 2018. It marks the lowest number of newborns reported for any June since 1981, when the statistics agency started compiling data on newborns on a monthly basis.

Supreme Court orders reviews of Lee and Park cases

The Supreme Court overturned a high court ruling that freed Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong from jail last year with a suspended sentence, Thursday, saying it failed to take into account all the money the electronics giant gave to former President Park Geun-hye's confidante Choi Soon-sil. The ruling could likely lead to a heavier sentence for Lee in the re-evaluation by the appeals court, with the possibility of him being jailed again. The 13-member bench also sent the case of Park back to the high court, saying the lower courts did not separate her conviction for accepting bribes from other charges, which should have been dealt with separately according to the law on public officials.

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

Stop Meddling Over Intelligence Pact with Japan, Seoul Tells U.S.

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Se-young on Wednesday summoned U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris and urged U.S. officials to "refrain" from publicly criticizing Seoul's decision to scrap an intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo. After previously saying its two Northeast Asian allies must sort out their growing spat themselves, U.S. officials have recently complained about the looming termination of the General Security of Military Information Agreement. According to one diplomatic source, Cho told Harris that repeated public expressions of disappointment by U.S. officials "do not help," and that Seoul has given Washington ample explanations that the scrapping of GSOMIA was not aimed at negatively impacting the Seoul-Washington alliance.

Birthrate Hit Record Low in Q2

Korea's total fertility rate fell to an all-time low of 0.91 in the second quarter of this year, or less than one child likely to be born to every woman over her lifetime, Statistics Korea said Wednesday. With only 75,448 babies born nationwide between April and June, the fertility rate dropped in all 17 provinces and major cities except Gangwon Province. The worst was in Seoul with just 0.71. If the trend continues, the birthrate could drop below 0.9 this year.

More Students Rally Against Justice Minister Nominee

Student protests against the nomination for justice minister of the scandal-tainted former presidential secretary Cho Kuk are spreading to universities outside Seoul. Starting at Seoul National University and Korea University, protests are now spreading to Pusan National University, Kyungpook National University and Kongju National University. Cho's daughter is on a generous scholarship at PNU's medical school despite flunking twice, while Kongju and Kyungpook allowed her to be listed among the authors of a research paper when she was a teenage intern, which allowed her to get admission to Korea University.

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

Is the US siding with Japan on GSOMIA?

In the days following the South Korean government’s decision to terminate its intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan, the US government has continued to heap pressure on South Korea. On Aug. 27, a senior US official basically asked Seoul to reverse its decision to pull out of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which it claims impinges directly on US security interests. We can’t help but feel disappointed in the US for appearing to only pressure South Korea while turning a blind eye to Japan’s unfair economic retaliation, which triggered the GSOMIA decision.

Japan rejects dialogue, goes ahead with removing S. Korea from “white list”

The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ultimately went ahead on Aug. 23 with an amended Export Trade Control Order removing South Korea from its “white list” (Group A) of countries benefiting from expedited trade procedures. The South Korean government responded immediately with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s statement expressing “profound dismay and strong protest” and urging the decision’s “immediate withdrawal.” Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy chief of the Blue House National Security Office, also expressed “strong dismay” in a briefing that afternoon. A long and drawn-out economic war between the two sides is now looking inevitable.

Gloria Steinem, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, Mikis Theodorakis to take part in “Let’s DMZ”

World-renowned activists in the areas of peace and human rights are coming to South Korea early this autumn to call for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Scheduled attendees for the “Let’s DMZ” event taking place to commemorate the first anniversary of the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Statement between the South and North Korean leaders include Gloria Steinem, a social activist known as the “godmother of the global women’s rights movement”; Phan Thi Kim Phuc, a human rights campaigner known as the “napalm girl”; and Mikis Theodorakis, a Greek composer and democracy activist with a history of resistance fighting.

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

Chinese state media shares rare images of armored carriers entering Hong Kong

Following the Hong Kong government’s public announcement of the possibility to declare martial law over the continued protests by its citizens, Chinese armed forces, including armored carriers, arrived in Hong Kong at early hours on Thursday. The Chinese government said it was an annual replacement of Chinses troops resident in Hong Kong, but there is a growing concern over China’s armed intervention for an upcoming large demonstration on Saturday.

U.S. reiterates ‘disappointment’ over S. Korea’s termination of military pact with Japan

The United States reiterated its expression‎ of “disappointment” Wednesday despite South Korea’s request for refraining from riticizing Seoul’s decision to terminate the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), a military-intelligence sharing pact with Tokyo. “I was, and remain, very disappointed that both parties are engaged in (a dispute),” U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said during his first joint news conference at the Pentagon with Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Hyundai Motor reveals new truck Pavise

Hyundai Motor Company revealed on Thursday its new truck model “Pavise” at the Hyundai Truck and Bus Business Fair, a commercial car exposition, held at the Korea International Exhibition Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Pavise is an upper mid-sized truck, between Hyundai Motor’s mid-sized model “Mega Truck” and large model “Xcient,” with the load capacity of 5.5 to 13.5 tons. The new model has a 7-liter diesel engine with a maximum horsepower of 325. It also offers the options to have safety-related features, such as forward collision-avoidance assist and lane departure warning system, which used to be only available at select large trucks.

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

[Japan Excludes South Korea from "White List"] Kim Hyun-chong, "The One Rewriting History Is Japan"

The government criticized Japan saying, "It is Japan that is rewriting history," after Japan went ahead and excluded South Korea from the list of "white countries," allowed a simpler export procedure, on August 28 as it had notified. "The ball has been tossed to Japan," the government said, adding, "We hope to see Japan grab the hand that we have extended," and once again urged Japan to resolve the disputes between the two countries in a diplomatic manner.

Government Asks the U.S. to "Refrain from Publicly Expressing Concern on the Termination of GSOMIA"

First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Sei-young summoned U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry B. Harris Jr. (pictured) on August 28 and asked the U.S. government to refrain from publicly expressing concern on South Korea's decision to terminate the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan. A string of criticism on the government's decision led the government to convey its regret to the U.S. and take action to resolve the issue.

Prosecutors Launch Investigation of Cho Kuk: Let It Be a Rigorous Investigation for the Truth

On August 27, the Prosecution Service launched an investigation on the allegations of justice minister nominee Cho Kuk and his family. They assigned the case to Special Crimes Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which is dedicated to cases concerning corruption of people in power, and prosecutors conducted a search of Pusan National University Medical School, Korea University, Ungdong Academy, and Kolink Private Equity. Prosecutors explained the background of the swift initiation of the investigation and said, "We considered the fact that it's an issue of great public interest and that a delay in securing evidence could hinder our efforts to uncover the truth." The allegations raised against Cho, regardless of their accuracy, are driving a crack through and creating enmity between classes and have reproduced and amplified, so a swift investigation by the prosecutors was the right call.

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

Seoul proposes $422 bn supersized budget for 2020, raising SOC budget by 13%

South Korea has arranged another supersized budget – $422 billion – for 2020 to fend off recessionary risks as the economy is set for the smallest growth in a decade this year, earmarking a record 22.3 trillion won for social infrastructure projects to strengthen domestic demand and create jobs in the face of global trade uncertainties. The spending bill was announced Thursday as President Moon Jae-in proposed a record 513.5 trillion won budget for fiscal 2020 to offset the downside economic risks.

Korea’s top court orders retrial for ex-president Park, Samsung heir

Samsung Group’s de facto leader faces a prison term and former President Park Geun-hye a sentence longer than 25 years for bribery convictions, although earning a moratorium for now as the top court on Thursday sent back the cases involving Korea’s most powerful tycoon and former president to lower courts for retrial.

SK Hynix pulls out of bid for MagnaChip’s foundry biz

South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc. has bowed out of the race over the foundry business of Korea-based logic chipmaker MagnaChip Semiconductor Corp. as it has to watch its capital base amid flagging sales and uncertainties in the chip market. The world’s second-largest memory chipmaker chose not to hand in a binding offer after submitting its name in the preliminary bid earlier this year, according to investment banking sources Wednesday.

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