The Korean daily media headlines and humor
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015
Your Excellency:
Here are a roundup of important headlines from all major Korean-language dailies, TV and other news media of Korea this morning:
Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher-Chairman
Korea Post Media
P.S.: 1. To see the desired site, press down the Control key and click the blue URL of the media.
2. If received by a person other than the intended recipient, please kindly convey the mail to His/Her Excellency.
A round-up of the latest news published by the Korean media:
KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
Deputy PM-Nominee Concerned of Similar Conditions to 1997 Crisis
The nominee for deputy prime minister for economic affairs has called for preemptively dealing with difficulties the...
Opposition Party Criticizes Cabinet Reshuffle
Ruling Party: Nominees Right for Reform
Pres. Park Conducts Partial Cabinet Reshuffle
Credit Card Spending Rises 9.8%
CNN: Canadian Diplomats Meet Pastor Detained in N. Korea
S. Korean Police Arrive in Philippines to Investigate Murder
Rival Parties, Speaker to Discuss Pending Bills
Opposition Party Criticizes Cabinet Reshuffle
Busan to Build Innovation Cluster with Germany
Credit Card Spending Rises 9.8%
Moody's Upgrades Credit Ratings of S. Korean Public Firms to Aa2
Unification Chief: Not to be Swayed by Recent Inter-Korean Disagreements
Seoul: Safety of Mt. Geumgang Tourists Must be Discussed at Gov't-Level
Koreas at Odds over Land Use Fees in Gaeseong Park
CNN: Canadian Diplomats Meet Pastor Detained in N. Korea
Another S. Korean Killed in Philippines
S. Korea's T-50 Crashes in Indonesia, Killing 2 Pilots
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
Park taps ruling party lawmaker as new finance minister
The nominee to lead South Korea's economy vowed Monday to take preemptive steps to help overcome the current economic difficulties.
"We should fully brace for" for things that are similar to the situation of the financial crisis that hit South Korea in 1997, Yoo Il-ho told reporters shortly after being tapped by President Park Geun-hye to be in charge of government policy on Asia's fourth-largest economy.
Trade commission recommends slapping antidumping duties on Chinese plywood
South Korea's trade commission said Tuesday that it will recommend slapping antidumping duties on Chinese plywood made with needle leaf trees.
Lippert meets with great-grandson of soldier involved in massive evacuation
U.S. ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert said Monday he has met with a great-grandson of a late U.S. soldier who was involved in a massive evacuation operation in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Samsung official sentenced to 3½ years in Vietnam
A Vietnamese court sentenced a Samsung official to three and a half years in prison over a scaffolding collapse that killed 13 workers, the South Korean embassy said Monday.
N. Korea, China sign accord on sports exchanges for next year
North Korea and China have signed an accord on sports exchanges for next year, a Chinese state-run media reported on Monday, in a sign that the allies push ahead with exchanges despite canceled concerts by an all-female North Korean band.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
Samsung bets big on biotechnology
Samsung BioLogics broke ground on its third production plant in Songdo, Incheon, Monday, drawing clos...
Saenuri lawmaker Yoo tapped as finance minister
President Park Geun-hye tapped Saenuri Party Rep. Yoo Il-ho to lead the Ministry of Strategy an...
Household debt burden grows in 2014
An average Korean household spends nearly 24 percent of its total disposable income on meeting ...
Ahn reveals new party plan
Former opposition presidential candidate Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on Monday announced his plan to for...
With biotech, Samsung heir aims to emulate f...
Samsung Electronics vice chairman and heir apparent Lee Jae-yong is betting big on biotechnology, a move ...
For-profit hospitals
The government has approved the establishment of Korea’s first foreign-owned for-profit hos...
Timely upgrade
Global rating agency Moody’s upgrading of Korea’s sovereign credit rating last weekend cou...
Genesis EQ900: Car is good, work to do on market positioning
There was much hype surrounding the Genesis EQ900, the first flag...
Kazakhstan, Korea deepen partnership
The Kazakh Embassy on Tuesday marked the country’s founding on Dec. 16, 1991, and burgeoning t...
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Park replaces five ministers
President Park Geun-hye nominated five new Cabinet minister candidates Monday to replace incumbents who are expected to step down in order to run in the general election scheduled for April 13. Rep. Yoo Il-ho of the ruling Saenu...
4 bidders vying for KDB Daewoo
Four bidders have submitted a final bid to acquire a controlling stake in KDB Daewoo Securities to...
More Seoul residents unhappy with incomes
More Seoul citizens are unsatisfied with their incomes, figures show.
Samsung to build world's largest biopharmaceutical plant
Samsung BioLogics will invest 850 billion won in establishing the world’s largest biopharmaceutica...
Officers sent to Philippines to investigate murder involving Korean
Korean police have dispatched a team of investigators to the Philippines to help solve a murder involving a Korean national there.
Economic zones face major surgery
The government is facing mounting calls for a drastic restructuring of special economic zones across the nation as they have failed to attract foreign investm...
Leadership vacancy plagues airports
The heads of the nation’s two airport systems have tendered their resignations at the same time so...
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DongAIlbo (http://english.donga.com)
Samsung bets big on biotechnology
Samsung BioLogics held a groundbreaking ceremony of its third plant on Monday at its headquarters in the Incheon Songdo Free Economic Zone. The plant will start commercial operations in September 2018, and is expected...
Ahn Cheol-soo officially declares to form a new party on Monday
Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo officially declares on Monday that he will form a new party. It has been two years and a month since November 2013 when he declared to found a new party. Ahn plans to reveal that he...
Star Wars sets box office records in U.S. after 10-year hiatus
Star Wars that has made a comeback for the first time in 10 years is rocking the entire U.S. continent. As the movie has returned as ‘classic’ created by America, rather than a Hollywood blockbuster for the year-end...
Shenzhen landslide caused by mountain of garbage
A massive "landslide" that occurred on Sunday at a site near Shenzhen industrial complex in Guangdong Province China, the origin of China’s reform and opening, is found to have been a man-made disaster rather than...
Yoo Il-ho chooses to complete reform drive instead of parliamentary seat
The highlight of the cabinet shuffling announced on Monday was Yoo Il-ho, the candidate for the deputy prime minister and finance minister. Yoo resigned from the position as minister of land, infrastructure, and...
‘Golden Culture of Shilla’ exhibition opens in Chuncheon
A special exhibition dubbed "Golden Culture of Shilla," which will showcase glory of gold culture in the Shilla Kingdom, recently opened at the Chuncheon National Museum, and will continue through January 24. The...
Ambassador Lippert attends KCRC event to keep promise
Breach of trust is more dangerous than anthrax spores
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ChosunIlbo (http://english.chosun.com)
Workers' Wages Decline in Their 50s
Korean workers' wages peak when they are in their 40s and start declining when they are in their 50s, a study says. The reason is that many are forced to take early retirement and move to low-wage jobs because the seniority-based wage system makes them unaffordable for their long-time employer. >> Full Text
More Toxic Haze from China Blankets Korea
The onslaught of thick smog from China has begun once again. The toxic haze started moving downwind from Beijing to the West Sea on Monday afternoon, the Environment Ministry said, and almost all of Korea is expected to come under its influence on Tuesday. >> Full Text
Airlines Begin Promotions for Year-End Holidays
Airlines are offering various discounts and promotions ahead of Christmas and the New Year holiday. Jeju Air is selling discounted tickets for flights from Incheon to Hanoi and Danang departing from Dec. 21 to Feb. 29. The sale started on Monday and will continue until Dec. 31. >> Full Text
Household Debt Load Soars to Fresh Record
Ahn Cheol-soo to Launch New Party in February
Best Goal of the Year Goes to Son Heung-min
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HankyorehShinmoon (http://english.hani.co.kr)
Cold, hunger, discrimination: remembering the Korean laborers conscripted by Japan
Imperial Japan Conscript Labor History Museum opens in Busan, telling the stories of those forced to work as miners, soldiers, and comfort women
Witness 1: Hwang Sam-bong, 87, born in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, in 1928. In Feb. 1943, when he was 15 years old, he was conscripted as a worker along with about 100 other students his age. A ship brought him to Japan, where he received education and training for six months. He was then sent to a steel refinery on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Police charge union leader with sedition, first such charge in 29 years
Police have asked prosecutors to charge Han Sang-gyun, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU), with sedition, an additional charge. The decision to charge leaders of the KCTU with sedition .
Ahn Cheol-soo’s defection dividing the ruling party and the opposition
Ahn Cheol-soo’s defection from the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) is having an unintended consequence: Instead of just triggering the expected divisions in the opposition, it appears to be dividing the ruling Saenuri Party (NFP) as well. Many are now watching to see if the lawmaker and software mogul’s defection will usher in the arrival of a new “third way” moderate party to challenge the deeply rooted two-party political terrain. .
Ruling party leader tells African student he “the same color as coal”
Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung was seen by several people on Dec. 18 telling a black exchange student carrying charcoal briquettes as part of a volunteer activity that the student’s face “is the same color as that coal.”The comment toward the African student was made around noon during a “caring coal delivery” service activity organized by the party’s youth committee in the Samseong neighborhood of Seoul’s Gwanak district that day. .
Speaker of the House has harsh words for Blue House bullying
The speaker of the National Assembly delivered a harsh criticism of the Blue House’s repeated efforts to pressure him into ex officio proposals of contentious legislation, which he described as “undermining parliamentary democracy and the separation of powers.”Meanwhile, President Park Geun-hye continued her demands for the National Assembly to pass her pet legislation, including five labor-related bills.
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JoongAngIlbo(conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)
Samsung launches 850 billion won biotech plant
Samsung BioLogics broke ground on Monday on what will be the world’s largest biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Songdo, Incheon. The 850 billion won ($722 million) facility will be the company’s third biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant when it becomes operational in the fourth quarter of 2018. BioLogics is the biopharmaceutical manufacturing arm of Samsung Group...
Park reshuffles Cabinet to let ministers run in April
President Park Geun-hye named a former transportation minister, Yoo Il-ho, as the new deputy prime minister for the economy in a reshuffle on Monday…
Ahn vows Lunar New Year start for new party
Ahn Cheol-soo, the political maverick who co-founded the main opposition party last year and abandoned it last week, said on Monday that he will create…
Gov’t pins labor hopes on flexible work hours
By 2018, all public institutions and companies will adopt flexible working times. Flexible working hours, which were previously only offered to women employees…
Yoo picked to help move Park’s reforms into high gear
The nomination of economist-turned-lawmaker Yoo Il-ho as the third economy czar is seen as an attempt by President Park Geun-hye…
Mirae Asset may be early gift buyer for KDB Daewoo
KDB Daewoo Securities will likely enjoy a multi-trillion won Christmas gift this year. The winner of a bidding war to take over the company is expected…
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MaeilKyungje (neutral-oriented conservative, economic/business): (http://news.mk.co.kr/english/)
Mirae Asset Securities favored in Daewoo Securities deal
Mirae Asset Securities Co., South Korea’s leading asset management firm, will likely be the new owner of KDB Daewoo Securities Co. ...
A driving experience with Hyundai Motor’s new luxury brand EQ900 - truly
The new top-end brand EQ900 (G90 in overseas) on the luxury Genesis lineup Hyundai Motor has launched as a part of its campaign to ...
Park announces Cabinet reshuffle
South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday reshuffled the Cabinet, appointing ruling party lawmaker Yoo Il-ho as the new finance ...
Hanmi’s investigational drug wins breakthrough therapy designation from FDA
South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. Monday announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted a breakthrough designation to ...
Samsung Elec prepares series of next-generation chip products next year
South Korea tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. is said to be readying to launch a series of new innovations to stay way ahead in the ...
S. Korean Posco C&C to supply steel sheet to AP Emissions Technologies
South Korean coated steel sheet maker Posco C&C Co. landed on a deal with AP Emissions Technologies Inc., the U.S.-based auto parts ...
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The KyunghyangShinmoon(http://english.khan.co.kr/)
President Park Intervenes in Next Year's Elections Calling for 'Sweeping Changes' and Acts as 'Governor' of Ruling Party Calling for Lawmakers to Pass Bills
President Park Geun-hye is standing at the front line of politics as she celebrates the third anniversary of her presidential victory (Dec. 19). This is indeed ···
[Editorial] The Harsh Economic Reality Does Not Change Because of a Higher Credit Rating
?The international credit rating agency Moody's has raised South Korea's credit rating to Aa2, the highest ever. Aa2 is the third highest credit rating ···
[Former Sankei Chief Kato Acquitted] Court, 'No Intention to Slander President Park with False Information'
"It was not appropriate for the defendant (Tatsuya Kato) to caricature an individual with an article. However, since we are a democratic nation, the freedom of···
[U.S. Raises Base Rate: Impact on South Korean Economy] If Interest Rate Rises and Housing Prices Fall, It Can Impact Household Debt of 1.2 Qn Won
The U.S. has ended the "zero interest rate" era after seven years, and the South Korean economy now faces a new change. The base rate hike was pretty much alr···
No Special Treatment for Chaebol This Time Despite Plea for Mercy Due to Health Issues and Contribution to the Economy
On December 15, the Seoul High Court sentenced Chairman Lee Jay-hyun (55) of CJ Group to two years and six months in prison in a case that was remanded by the S···
[Editorial] Reality in the Labor Market Where 23-Year-Olds Are Pressured to Resign
Doosan Infracore, a key affiliate of the Doosan Group, asked its employees to consider a voluntary resignation, and in the process plainly revealed the "two fa···
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The Korea Economic Daily(http://english.hankyung.com/)
Samsung Group Breaks Ground for 850 Bil. Won Biosimilar Plant in Songdo
Samsung Group will build the world's largest biosimilar plant in Incheon's Songdo at the cost of 850 billion won. With this investment, it is likely that Samsung Biologics will become the world's No. 1 contract manufacturing organization for drugs. Samsung Biologics held a groundbreaking ceremony on...
Household Debt Balance Rises 2.1% to 61.81 Mil. Won
A survey said the average balance of household debt is continuously on the rise. According to a survey conducted jointly by the National Statistical Office, the Bank of Korea, and the Financial Supervisory Service, as much as 25 percent of disposable income is used to pay for principal and interest ...
National Pension Fund to Increase Its Alternative Investment Share to 35% by 2020
In order to improve the rate of return of the National Pension Fund whose balance has increased over 500 trillion won (US$423 billion), the government will allow the fund to invest more in overseas assets and alternative investment assets such as infrastructures, hedge funds, and private equity fund...
Samsung Engineering Clinches $550 Mil. Oil Refinery Project in Mexico
Samsung Engineering has won an oil refinery project worth US$550 million in Mexico. The company said on December 21 that it signed an EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) agreement with Pemex, Mexico's state-run oil company, to modernize a plant for ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel. T...
China's Hua'an Group to Invest $18 Bil. to Build Koreatown in Yantai
A large-scale Koreatown will be built in Yantai, a city of 7 million in northeastern Shandong Province, China. With residential complexes housing 200,000 inhabitants as well as 1,000 businesses and 10,000 commercial establishments, the town will play the central role in cementing the business relati...
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AJU Business Daily(http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
Drunk driving kills over 700 a year
3,648 people died from drunk driving related accidents from 2010 until 2014. It’s an average of nearly 730 people killed every year, accordin…
South Korean president says bio-medicine industry to drive future economic growth
Park Geun-hye, the President of Korea [Courtesy of Blue House] ? South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday vowed to foster the bio-medicine industry as a key engine of the country’s futur…
South Korea president picks ex-land minister Yoo as new finance minister
Yoo Il-ho, new Minister of Ministry of Strategy and Finance[AJU NEWS DB] ? South Korean President Park Geun-hye named a former land minister as the new finance minister on Monday to succeed Ch…
South Korea’s first for-profit hospital to open in Jeju Island despite criticism
[Courtesy of Ministry of Health and Welfare] South Korea's health ministry has approved the project for a Chinese state company to run a for-profit hospital in Jeju Island despite critici…
Seoul City opens website for medical tourists
Seoul Metropolitan Government's medical website for medical tourists [http://medicaltourseoul.com/] ? Seoul Metropolitan government opened a website which provides information on medical t…
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ETNEWS(http://english.etnews.com/)
Daewoo Information Buys Samsung SDS’ Affiliate Nuri Solution
Daewoo Information System bought Samsung SDS¡? affiliate Nuri Solution that is a financial software (SW) business. By strengthening capabilities in financial ...
Your fingers are your earphones. The `Tip-Talk` goes to CES…commercializ...
A Korean start-up will commercialize the ¡®human body sound transmission technology¡? for using fingers as earphones next year. You can hear sound on...
ETRI Introduces 5G SNS Technologies for the First Time
5G SNS technologies are introduced for the first time. Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI, Director Lee Sang-hoon) made an announcement on t...
LG Chemicals Once Again Postpones Its Plan of Extending LCD Glass Substrate Factories
LG Chemicals is postponing its plan of extending LCD glass substrate factories due to global economy and worsened LCD market conditions. This is the second time it is putting off its plan of extension after it did so in 2014, and possibilities of withdrawal are also being brought up. According to industries on the 20th, LG Chemicals is temporarily postponing ...
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Special Notices:
Photo shows President Soon-Heung Chang of Handong Global University (fifth from left, front row) with ambassadors and other visiting members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps (SDC), including Ambassador Mme Natallia Zhylevich of Belraus (dean of the visiting members of the SDC), fourth from left the same row With Ambassador and Mrs. SylvestreKouassi Bile of Cote d’ Ivoire (third and second from left, front row).
And Ambassador Roballo of Argentina (sixth from left, same row) and Ambassadors Mohamed Abdi Gello of Kenya (on the right of the rear row).
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“Why not try to change the world?”
Ambassadors, senior diplomats visit Handong Global University in Pohang
Ambassadors NatalliaZhylevich of Belarus, Kouassi Bile of Cote d’Ivoire, Jorge Roballo of Argentina and Mohamed Abdi Gello of Kenya and 20 other senior diplomats, including the charges d’affaires, visited Handong Global University in Pohang City on the Southeast Coast of Korea on Nov. 12, 2015 at the invitation of President Soon-Heung Chang of the University.
The tour, organized by The Korea Post, included also a visit to POSCO and a cruise ride around the harbor of the Pohang City.
The Korea Post has been organizing tours for the ambassadors and other senior members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps for the past 30 years, but it must be said that the one hosted by Handong Global University is one of the most impressive in terms of the interest on the part of the host who met the guests with a true heart and warm welcome.
President Soon-Heung Chang of the University made such an excellent arrangement out of respect and special regard for the distinguished international guests by asking his Vice President Simon Kang(Administrative Affairs) and Professor JinwonAhn (School of Management and Economics) to come all the way from Pohang to Seoul to welcome and escort the ambassadors and other senior diplomats to comfortably visit his University.
The tour of the Handong Global University was a truly memorable one where many outstanding features of the University continuously surprised the visiting ambassadors and the other senior diplomats. For further details, visit:
/news/view.html?section=161&category=181&no=1119.
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(5) An English e-daily (/rankup_module/rankup_notice/notice_detail.html?no=327)
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