March 22, 2016
The Korean daily media headlines and humor
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Your Excellency:
Here are The Korea Post news and The Korea Post notice and roundup of important headlines from all major Korean-language dailies, TV and other news media of Korea today:
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.
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The Korea Post news:
Just in case there may be Excellencies who might have missed the important article on the Korean political situation, here is re-run of the article we published yesterday.?Ed.
Pundits see Saenuri winning 50%, Minjoo 32%, People’s Party 12%, Justice Party 6%
Who’ll win in the upcoming parliamentary elections on April 13?
By Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher, The Korea Post
The National Assembly general elections are only a little over three weeks away and Korea Gallup has recently disclosed an opinion survey on the prospects of the winning parties on the decisive day of April 13, 2016.
The results of the polls taken on March 15-17 showed the ruling Saenuri Party leading with a 41% victory followed by the Minjoo (Democratic) Party with 20%, the People’s Party with 8% and the Justice Party with 7%. Other surveys also show similar results with slight differences. They roughly average 40% for Saenuri, 25% for Minjoo, 10% for the People’s Party and 5% for the Justice Party. The remaining 20% indicate that they areundecided.
President Park Geun-hye’spopularity rating is not very high these days. However, it is higher than that of many of her predecessors in the latter half of their tenure of office.
Beginning on March 31, the ruling and opposition political parties start their election campaign.With the undecided 20% hypothetically included in the total number of voters,Saenuri might win 50%, Minjoo32%, People’s Party 12% and Justice Party 6%.
Considering the total 300 seats of the National Assembly, including the comparative representatives of the different parties, the final tally of the assemblymen by the competing parties would be Saenuri 150 seats, Minjoo 96, People’s Party 36 and Justice Party 18.
Both the ruling and opposition political parties are experiencing severe internal strive of the nomination of the candidates for the elections, which would seriously affect the actual results of the elections.
Main opposition Minjoo Party Chairman Kim Jong-in.
He recently got a ‘free-ride ticket #2’ of the Party to enter the National Assembly as a proportional representative member.
President Park Geun-hye is known to be trying to see her ‘own people’ to win the Saenuri Party nomination to run in the elections?as did most of her predecessors, especially former President Lee Myung-bak,who had his ‘own people’ nominated in the past election at the expense of the candidates of the then ruling Hannara Party.
In the latest Saenuri Party nomination for the upcoming elections, former President Lee Myung-bak’srighthand man, Rep. Lee Jae-oh, was dropped from the list of the Saenuri Party candidates.
The main opposition Minjoo Party is also in a similar situation. Many of the influential members of the party, the incumbent Assemblymen, were dropped from the list of the nominees to run in the race and some of them have declared that they would run in their capacity as independent candidates.
Chairman AhnCheol-soo of the second opposition People’s Party. Will he secure 20 seats? That is the ‘big’ question.
The second opposition People’s Party is relatively free from internal strife over the candidate nomination and this poses a measure of obstacle in the prediction of the winning parties in the elections.
So, what would be the actual results of the elections?in spite of the odds?
The decisive battle would be in Seoul and the surrounding areas of the capital zone where there are a total of 122 seats to be shared by the ruling and opposition parties. Traditionally, Seoul and the surrounding zone are the power-seat region of the opposition camp as the more educated population is there and is normally opposition-oriented politically. However, in the upcoming competition, the opposition camp is not necessarily in a very advantageous situation as it is split between the Minjoo Party of Moon Jae-in (now represented by Kim Jong-in), the People’s Party of AhnCheol-soo and the Justice Party of the progressive lady opposition leader Shim Sang-jeong.
Chairperson Shim Sang-jeong of the progressive Justice Party. The party’s chances of winning the Assembly seats are estimated at six to ten.
With the exception of Jeolla provinces, the provincial regions are normally pro-ruling camp, especially the power-seat southeastern region of the Gyeongsang provinces that have a total of 65 seats. The traditionally conservative inland Chungcheong provinces, also friendly with the ruling camp, have a total of 27 seats and the similarly pro-Saenuri northeastern province of Gangwon has a total of eight seats.
The opposition-strong southwestern Jeolla provinces have a total of only 28 seats that have to be shared by the opposition parties of Moon and Ahn.
Exerting a considerable extent of influence on the result of the elections is the people’s support rating of President Park Geun-hye. Recent surveys show that she has 40% supporting her and 45% against, which is pretty high in her favor in view of her predecessors. Perhaps this is why the main opposition party levels its point of attack on the poor economic policies of the Park government instead of downright ‘Change the Government!’ tactics.
Former Chairman Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Minjoo Party. Many Koreans think that he is
still the ‘real’ boss the main opposition party.
Another important factor exerting a great extent of influence on the elections is the voter turnout.
It was 54.2% in the last (19th) National Assembly while it was 46.1% for the preceding 18th-term parliamentary elections. Normally, if the voting rate is high, it favorably affects the opposition camp. This is because the conservative-oriented voters in the 50s and older favor the ruling camp while those in the 20s and 30s support the oppositioncandidates. The old people tend to go to the polls while the young ones would rather go on picnic than to the polling stations.
Rep. Lee Jae-Oh of the ruling Saenuri Party. A prominent pro-Lee Myung-bak conservative statesman, Lee JO was dropped from the list of official Saenuri nominees to run in the upcoming National Assembly elections.
The Saenuri party leaders want to secure a total of 180 seats while the main opposition Minjoo Party insists on winning at least more than 100 seats.
Ahn’s People’s Party must win at least 20 seats to form a parliamentary negotiating body, which, however, does not look very easy at this time.
This is because the 20 seats would entitlethe People’s Party to the 8.5 billion won state subsidy. Otherwise, Ahn would have to be satisfied with only 2.5 billion won given to the parties with less seats.
Former President Lee Myung-bak. His followers in the ruling camp were substantially dropped from the list of nominees for the 20th-erm National Assembly elections. Reports say he did the same to the then main conservative party leader Park Geun-hye in the previous general elections.
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Your Excellency:
Very Respectfully Yours
/s/
Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher-Chairman of The Korea Post
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Invitation to the DagjinGijisi Tug-of-War Festival (UNSESCO Cultural Heritage)
Your Excellency:
I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that Mayor Kim Hong-jang of the Dangin City cordinally invites Your Excellency and Madam to theDangjinGijisi Tug-of-War Festival (UNESCO Cultural Heritagte) on Friday April 8, 2016. The Korea Post organizes the tour at the invitation of Mayor Kim, which also includes a visit to the famed Hyundai Steel Mill.
/news/view.html?smode=&skey=tug-of-war&x=11&y=9§ion=165&category=191&no=912
Schedule follows:
0830-1100 hours: Move by Limousine Bus to Dangjin by picturesque West Coast Expressway, visiting the Hyundai Steel Plant on the way to Dangjin.
1100-1140 hours: Visit the Gijisi Tug-of-War Museum.
1200-1340 hours: Luncheon at the Hyundai Steel Guest House hosted by Major and Mrs. Kim Hong-jang of the Dangjin City.
1400-1420 hours: Wear traditional Korean costumes of the King, General and Court ladies.
1430-1640 hours: Have hands-on experience in various local cultural events, including participation in the Gijisi Tug-of-War and Rice wine- and Sake-making.
Very Respectfully Yours
/s/
Lee Kyung-sik
Publisher-Chairman
The Korea Post phones: 2298-1745 or 2298-1740/2, mobiles 010-3388-1682 (Korean) and 010-5201-1740 (Chairman Lee Kyung-sik).
RSVP: Yes, my spouse and I will attend_______. I will attend alone_______.
Mobile phone of driver or secretary:_________________________. Regrets:_____.
(Please mark the blank spaces above and below with an X or Tick and revert to edt@koreapost.com.)
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A quick roundup of major news stories from Korean media:
KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)
First S. Korean Diagnosed with Zika
A case of the Zika virus infection has been confirmed in a South Korean national. The Centers for Disease Control and...
Ex-Finance Minister to Lead Ruling Saenuri Election Camp
Main Opposition Chief to Rejoin Meetings as Nomination Rights Recognized
Ex-Finance Minister to Lead Ruling Saenuri Election Camp
Main Opposition Chief to Rejoin Meetings as Nomination Rights Recognized
S. Korea, US Agree on Thorough Implementation of UN Sanctions
Foreign Credit Card Spending Records Biggest Drop in 2015 after MERS Outbreak
KOSPI, KOSDAQ Dip Monday
Exports Plunge Again in March
KCNA: N. Korean Leader Observed Missile Firings
N. Korea Unveils Footage of Mock Coast Invasion of South
RFA: State Security Department Growing Powerful in N. Korea
Reuters: UNSC Lifts Sanctions on 4 N. Korean Vessels
'Chinese Ministries Enter Stage of Implementing UNSC Resolution'
Chinese Expert Concerned of 5th Nuke Test
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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)
S. Korea reports first Zika virus-infected patient
South Korea has confirmed the first case of a patient here being infected with the South America-originated Zika virus, the health authorities said Tuesday, sparking fears that the brain-damaging virus will penetrate the country.
S. Korea develops 'nanotechnology patch' for diabetes therapy
A team of South Korean scientists announced Tuesday that they have developed a wearable device, based on nanotechnology, for more convenient diabetes monitoring and therapy.
S. Korean petrochemicals firms eye M&As
South Korean petrochemicals companies, backed by improved earnings, are pushing to take over foreign rivals that specialize in high-end products, in a bid to diversify their revenue sources and fend off rising competition from Chinese rivals, industry sources said Tuesday.
Samsung's Galaxy S7 series enjoys popularity in Israel
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday its latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S7 series, posted robust sales in Israel just a week after their launch.
S. Korea, Japan to hold talks on sex slavery
South Korea and Japan are set to hold working-level talks on Tuesday to discuss the enforcement of last year's agreement to settle their decades-long dispute over Tokyo's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women.
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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)
South Korea confirms first Zika case
South Korean health authorities said a man who recently returned home after spending 22 days in Brazil has been confirme...
Korea's household debt growth 2nd among emerging markets
Korea saw the second fastest increase in household debt among emerging economies in 2015, a new...
Samsung to learn from start-ups
Samsung Electronics will unveil a new vision called “Start-up Samsung” this week in a move to...
Korean shipbuilders' trouble deepens
It seems like yesterday that Korea’s shipbuilding trio conquered the world, leading in the num...
Obama trip aims to set new era in Cuba ties
Stepping into history, President Barack Obama opened an extraordinary visit to Cuba on Sunday, eager to p...
Unscrupulous carriers
The nation’s three mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- have been found to hav...
Missing children
Another tragic child abuse case was brought to light last weekend, only days after the body...
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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
N. Korea's 5th nuclear test appears imminent
The government said Monday that North Korea is apparently ready to conduct a fifth nuclear test. Defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a regular briefing that the North is “capable of carrying out an additional nuclear...
1st Zika virus-infected patient confirmed in Korea
South Korea has confirmed the first case of a patient here being infected with the South America-originated Zika virus, the health authorities said Tuesday, s...
Housewives increasingly returning to workforce
As more women are better educated and the economic slump hits households, the number of full-time housewives is decreasing. The employment rate of women, howe...
72% of career women call marriage 'obstacle'
Nearly seven out of 10 women believe marriage is an obstacle to their career development, while a ...
What to do with 7,000,000 baby boomers retiring?
Korea’s baby-boomer, those born between 1955 and 1963, have contributed much to industrializing and democratizing the nation. Now the 6.8 million baby boomers...
Seoul, Washington discuss enforcing N. Korea sanctions
Senior government officials of South Korea and the United States met in Seoul, Monday, to discuss ways of enforcing sanctions on North Korea, according to the...
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DongAIlbo (http://english.donga.com)
Obama becomes the first U.S. president to visit Cuba in 88 years
U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday had a historic summit meeting with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro, the President of the …
YooSeung-min’s constituency likely to be left as non-recommendation
Former floor leader’s constituency likely to be left as non-recommendation districtNeither the leadership of the ruling Saenuri P…
North Korea's major export items flow into Jangmadang
North Korea's major export items are known to have flown into its marketplace or Jangmadang as U.N. Security Council's strong san…
Why US could not stop China becoming communist in 1945?'
Usually, your enemy's enemy is your friend. However, if your friends are ideally different from one another and yet pretending th…
Cheil Worldwide wins grand prize at AdFest
Cheil Worldwide said on Monday that it acquired the grand prize, and 12 main prizes including golf prizes at the Asia-Pacific Adv…
Korean police closely cooperates with Interpol
The Interpol department of the Korean National Police Agency travels around the world to track and catch criminals who fled to ot…
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ChosunIlbo (http://english.chosun.com)
N.Korea Fires Missiles Again
North Korea on Monday lobbed five short-range missiles into the East Sea, three days after it fired a medium-range Rodong missile into the same area. The Joint Chiefs of Staff here said the missiles were fired from 20 km south of Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province in the afternoon and flew about 200 km. >> Full Text
Waits of Up to 24 Hours in Big Emergency Rooms
It takes almost a whole day for patients to be seen by a doctor in the emergency rooms of the nation's biggest hospitals. The Ministry of Health and Welfare arrived at the conclusion in a recent review of 414 emergency rooms across the nation. >> Full Text
China to Allow Imports of Korean Chicken-Ginseng Soup
China will for the first time permit imports of samgyetang or chicken soup with ginseng during the first half of this year. China previously banned it because it classifies ginseng as a medicinal herb. >> Full Text
N.Korea 'Ready for Another Nuke Test'
N.Korea Conducts Amphibious Landing Drill
Tokyo Greenlights Textbooks Claiming Korean Islets
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HankyorehShinmoon (http://english.hani.co.kr)
For prestigious university admission, S. Korean students and parents in a war for information
With complex admission procedure, opportunities can be determined by access to info and money
“It was in the process of trying to build my extracurricular and make a stronger application that I really sensed how much of a ‘dirt spooner’ I was.”“Yu Si-yeol,” 19, used a popular coinage used in South Korea lately to describe people from underprivileged backgrounds. This year, he started at a private university in Seoul after graduating from a general high school in nearby Gyeonggi Province. He’s also from a single-parent household where finances are tight.
The first public fact-finding survey related to the Sewol
One night not long after the sinking of the Sewol ferry, in which 304 precious lives were lost (including those whose bodies have not been recovered), a lawyer named Oh Ji-won, 39, who was working in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, had a dream about the students from Danwon High School in Ansan. In her dream, smiling students in their school uniforms had gathered in front of Oh’s house.
The end of an era of dominance for S. Korea‘s big three shipbuilders
The global shipbuilding market once dominated by three major South Korean companies is undergoing rapid changes, with a Japanese competitor nudging its way into the top three as domestic builders struggle with a drought of new orders.
For first time, more divided family members dead than alive
Among South Korean members of families divided by the Korean War who have applied for a chance to meet their relatives in the North, the number of the dead has exceeded the number of the living for the first time. This reflects the rapidly increasing age of these family members.When the Hankyoreh checked a database of divided families managed by the Unification Ministry and the South Korean Red Cross on Mar. 20,
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JoongAngIlbo(conservative): (http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/)
Self-nomination stirs a revolt in the Minjoo Party
The largest opposition party was plunged into turmoil on Monday, as its interim head attempted to award himself a proportional representative seat in next month’s general election and the leadership tried to talk him out of it…
Pyongyang launches five missiles into the East Sea
North Korea fired five short-range projectiles Monday afternoon, all of which landed in the sea off its east coast…
Korea Inc. pleads with gov’t to reduce its electricity bills
Business associations pleaded with the government Monday to lower electricity prices to help industries stay competitive in the global market…
DPRK talks loud, and too much
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continues to crow about his country’s nuclear weapons and amphibious landing ship, but in doing so he has effectively shown his hand…
Police shut down giant online gambling site
The National Police Agency said Monday it arrested two major players in an illegal gambling website that they ran for one and a half years…
Government may group universities by region
As early as next year, national universities may be grouped by region, sharing classes, academic programs, credit systems and degrees…
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The KyunghyangShinmoon(http://english.khan.co.kr/)
The Minjoo's Controversial Nominations for Proportional Representation] A Number of Candidates with Ambiguous Positions and Moral Faults: Even Party Members Cl
The Minjoo Party of Korea released its list of candidates for proportional representation in the April 13 parliamentary election on March 20, triggering a heate···
[D-23 to Parliamentary Elections: Side Effects of Ruling Party's 'Nomination Massacre'] 'True' Pro-Parks Defeated: Party’s Candidate Race Passes Judgment First
On March 19 and 20, the Saenuri Party announced the candidate nominations of 98 constituencies (92 were decided through the party’s candidate race, 6 through p···
The Arrogance of the Pro-Parks Making Light of the Public
The arrogance and blind pursuit of power displayed by the pro-Park members of the Saenuri Party have gone too far. The ruling party is suffering internal discor···
Moon Jae-in 'Unexpected Profits,' AhnCheol-soo 'Good Defense,' Park Won-soon 'Sad Results'
Future opposition candidates for the presidency, Moon Jae-in, former leader of the Minjoo Party of Korea; AhnCheol-soo, co-leader of the People's Party; and P···
Kim Moo-sung and Lee Hahn-koo Collide Head-on over Candidate Nominations
On March 16, Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung said, "The decisions concerning some areas with single candidate recommendations and priority recommendations we···
[Editorial] Elections of the President, Candidate Nominations by the President, and a Country for the President
The Saenuri Party's candidate nominations for the April 13 elections have practically been concluded. The nomination of lawmaker YooSeong-min is yet to be det···
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The Korea Economic Daily (http://english.hankyung.com/)
Korea's Economically Active Population to Shrink from 2024...Study
A study said the number of workers available for sustaining the Korean economy will start shrinking from 2024 and the shortage would be as high as 9 million by the year 2060. According to a report "Policy Response to Secure Population Competitiveness" published by the Korea Institute for Health and ...
[Market Insight] Korea Post to Buy Landmark Building in Vienna
Korea Post will acquire the IZD (InternationalesZentrumDonaustadt) Tower, a landmark building in Vienna, Austria, at the cost of 270 million euros (US$303.5 million). According to investment banking industry sources on March 21, the national postal service and KORAMCO Asset Management are currentl...
China's Wanda Group to Build 5-star Hotel in Pohang
Chinese companies like Wanda Group will make investments of up to US$120 million in Korea's Pohang including a five-star hotel. It is the first time for Wanda Group to make a real estate investment in Korea. JooHyung-hwan, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy, said on March 21 in a press confere...
GM Korea May Not Produce Full Size Impala in Korea
GM Korea is believed to have concluded that it is virtually impossible to produce its full-size sedan Impala in Korea. At present, GM Korea relies on imports from the United States to sell the Impala in Korea. According to industry sources on March 20, GM Korea appears to have made up its mind not t...
TongyangMoolsan Named Prime Negotiator for Kukje Machinery
TongyangMoolsan, the No. 3 player in Korea’s agricultural machinery market, was named as the prime negotiator for acquisition of Kukje Machinery. According to industry sources on March 20, Dongkuk Steel, the largest shareholder of Kukje Machinery, and the deal's lead manger Ernst & Young Hanyoung ...
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AJU Business Daily(http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)
South Korea reports first Zika virus patient
South Korea on Tuesday reported the first case of a patient who appeared to have been infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus during his recent t…
North Korea fires short-range projectiles into sea
North Korea fired five short-range projectiles into the sea Monday in a show of force, military officials said, after its leader Kim Jong-un vowed to push for the lau…
North Korea's quiet but active push to develop SLBM: 38 North
With global attention chained to Pyongyang's long-range missiles, there has been a quiet but active push to develop a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in No…
North Korea test-fires medium-range missile
North Korea on Friday test-fired what appears to be a medium-range ballistic missile, days after its leader Kim Jong-un vowed to push for the launch of more rockets c…
North Korea sentences U.S. student to 15 years of hard labor
In a move seen to further escalate tension with the United States, North Korea's supreme court has sentenced a detained American student to 15
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ETNEWS(http://english.etnews.com/)
Accumulated sales of LG’s Washing Machines Surpasses 150 million
Accumulated sales of LG¡?s washing machines has surpassed 150 million. After releasing its first domestic washing machine called ¡®Swan (Model name: WP-181)...
Governor Won Hee-ryong Proclaims That Next Year Will Be a Tipping...
Governor Won Hee-ryong is confident that next year will be a tipping point for electric vehicle industry. In just Jeju Island, there will be total of 22,000 el...
Quiz Battle between a Human and South Korean Artificial Intelligence...
It is expected that one will be able to watch a quiz competition between a human and artificial intelligence (AI) program that is developed by South
LGD, JDI, and Foxconn to Compete Against Each Other to Win a Right to Supply OLEDs to Apple
Display businesses are competing each other to win a right to supply OLED panels to Apple for Apple¡?s next iPhone. As Samsung Display was chosen as the Apple¡?s primary partner, competition to becom..
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MaeilBusinessNewsKorea (http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/ )
GM Korea to sell 190,000 units this year, says CEO
GM Korea, the local unit of United States carmaker General Motors Co., aims to sell 190,000 units this year in Korea, 20 percent...
Hyundai Merchant Marine to sell Hyundai Pusan New-Port Terminal stake at $85.7
South Korea’s cash-strapped Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. is selling 40 percent plus one share in Hyundai Pusan New-Port Terminal...
Final bid for sale of Doosan DST to open on Mar. 25
South Korea’s large conglomerate Doosan Group will open a final tender for its defense unit Doosan DST, which is estimated...
Foreign visitors from Middle East spend the most in S. Korea
International visitors who flew to Korea in 2014 spent $1,606 per person on average, while those from the Middle East spent more...
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