The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Your Excellency:

Here are The Korea Post notices and a roundup of important headlines from all major Korean-language dailies, TV and other news media of Korea today:

Very Respectfully Yours

/s/

Lee Kyung-sik

Publisher-Chairman

Korea Post Media

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Authored by Ambassador Lajciak of Slovakia in Seoul

'East and West: Manifestation of Ancient Thought Paradigms in Modern Times'

By Lee Kyung-sik, publisher of The Korea Post media

For the first time in 32 years of operation, The Korea Post had the great luck yesteday (Nov. 14, 2017) of meeting with an ‘author ambassador’ in Seoul. He was Ambassador Milan Lajciak of the Slovak Republic in Seoul. Ambassador Lajciak has written a book entitled East and West: Manifestation of Ancient Thought Paradigms in Modern Times published by Lambert Academic Printing.

See The Korea Post article and photos at http://www.koreapost.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=5427

Author Ambassador Milan Lajciak (right) and Mrs. Lajciak

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What’s ticking in Korea today? Here is a quick roundup of important news stories from the major Korean news media today:

The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.

U.N. panel adopts resolution condemning N.K. human rights abuses

A United Nations panel adopted a resolution Tuesday calling for stepped-up efforts to improve serious human rights abuses in North Korea. The Third Committee, which oversees humanitarian issues, approved the text for the 13th consecutive year with new emphasis on the need to resume reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and provide assistance to foreign nationals detained in the North.

The resolution is expected to be put to a full U.N. General Assembly vote next month.

S. Korea's jobless rate drops to 10-month low in Oct.

South Korea's jobless rate dropped to the lowest level in 10 months in October, but the rate of the fall slowed down, government data showed Wednesday. The unemployment rate stood at 3.2 percent last, down 0.2 percentage point from the same month last year, according to the report compiled by Statistics Korea. From a month earlier, it also fell 0.2 percentage point. It marked the lowest rate since December last year, when it hit 3.2 percent. The number of employed people reached 26.85 million in October, up 279,000 from a year earlier, slowing down from the previous month's rise of 314,000.

Algerian National Day luncheon begins with sorrowful remembrance of 1.5 million martyrs

The luncheon reception hosted by Ambassador Mohammed El Amine Derragui and Mrs. Derragui at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul to mark the National Day of Algeria on Nov. 4, 2017 is entirely different from other diplomatic functions. While speaking to the guests, Ambassador Derragui was so emotion-stricken that he could not continue his speech in the Algerian language while the audience, mostly members of the Algerian community in Seoul, completely shared the sorrow feelings of the speaker (Ambassador Derragui).

Fiscal self-reliance of local gov'ts worsens over 13 years

The financial self-reliance of South Korea's local administrations has deteriorated over the past 13 years due to increasing dependence on subsidies from central government, a report showed Tuesday.

The so-called financial independence ratio of the nation's municipalities was 52.5 percent in 2016, down from 56.3 percent in 2003, according to the report from the Korea Institute of Local Finance. The figure measures the portion of money local governments raise on their own to finance their operations and administrative projects.

'East and West: Manifestation of Ancient Thought Paradigms in Modern Times'

For the first time in 32 years of operation, The Korea Post had the great luck today (Nov. 14, 2017) of meeting with an ‘author ambassador’ in Seoul. He was Ambassador Milan Lajciak of the Slovak Republic in Seoul. Ambassador Lajciak has written a book entitled East and West: Manifestation of Ancient Thought Paradigms in Modern Times published by Lambert Academic Printing. “After 23 years of my postings in East Asian countries,” said Ambassador Lajciak at a recent meeting with The Korea Post media, “I tried, in the end, to put my experience and knowledge about this region into a written form.”

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

UN Committee Adopts N. Korea Human Rights Resolution

A UN panel has passed a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights abuses and calling on the regime to immediately stop the violations and improve its human rights conditions. The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, which oversees humanitarian issues, adopted the resolution by consensus on Tuesday. The resolution condemned the "long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights in North Korea." It expressed deep concerns over the North's human rights abuses, pointing to the UN Commission of Inquiry's 2014 report which details abuses ranging from torture and rape to public executions and retaliation against asylum seekers repatriated from abroad.

Arrest Warrant Sought for Ex-NIS Chief Lee byung-kee

The prosecution has requested an arrest warrant for former chief of the National Intelligence Service(NIS) Lee Byung-kee over allegations that the spy agency delivered money to key aides of ex-President Park Geun-hye while she was in office. The move comes a day after arrest warrants were requested for the other two ex-NIS chiefs under Park. The three former spy agency chiefs are accused of illegally providing a total of around four billion won of the agency's funds to close aides of Park between 2013 and mid-2016. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Wednesday requested the arrest warrant on charges of loss of state funds, bribery and misappropriation.

Moon: All will be Possible if N. Korea Freezes Nuke

President Moon Jae-in says that South Korea and the international community may begin discussions on possible rewards if North Korea decides to freeze its nuclear program and engage in dialogue. The president made the remark on Tuesday in a meeting with reporters in the Philippine capital of Manila. He was responding to a reporter asking if he is considering rewards for the North's nuclear freeze and dismantlement. Moon refused to answer when asked whether South Korea and the U.S. may consider halting their joint military exercises as possible rewards.

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

U.N. panel adopts resolution condemning N. Korean human rights abuses

A United Nations panel adopted a resolution Tuesday calling for stepped-up efforts to improve human rights conditions in North Korea.The Third Committee, which oversees humanitarian issues, approved the text for the 13th consecutive year, with new emphasis on the need to resume reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and provide assistance to foreign nationals detained in the North.

The resolution is expected to be put to a full U.N. General Assembly vote next month.

Seoul allows N. Korean bottled water to be brought in for first time in 7 years

South Korea has permitted the shipment of bottled water produced in North Korea to the South, officials said Wednesday, the first such move since Seoul's 2010 imposition of sanctions on Pyongyang aimed at banning inter-Korean exchanges. Seoul's unification ministry said that it has approved a local civic group's request to bring in 46,000 bottles of mineral water produced in North Korea, as they will be used for religious events, not for sale. "The government gave the greenlight to the shipment because Seoul seeks to spur inter-Korean civilian exchanges within the boundaries of international sanctions," a ministry official said.

Moon says 'all' will be possible following nuclear freeze of N. Korea

South Korea and the international community may begin discussions on possible rewards for North Korea if the reclusive state decides to at least freeze its nuclear program and come to the denuclearization dialogue, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday."I believe it will not be easy realistically to move on to complete dismantlement of North Korean nukes in the near future, considering recent advances in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs," the president said at a press conference.

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

NK fired 40 shots at fleeing soldier: military

Around 40 gunshots were fired from the North at a North Korean soldier who defected to South Korea via the Joint Security Area, South Korea’s military said Tuesday. He remains in critical condition at a hospital in South Korea, where he has received surgery for his injuries. Five bullets – including those from an AK-47 assault rifle – were found on his body, according to South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Will hologram be next bonanza for Samsung?

From the hologram rally by Amnesty International held near Cheong Wa Dae in 2016 to the late Michael Jackson’s hologram performance at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, one may think hologram technology has come to fruition.However, most holograms we can commonly see today are only pseudo-holograms that can only be seen from one side without 3-D effects. For real holograms like those we can see imagined in science-fiction movies, we still have a long way to go, according to experts.

What NIS is accused of doing

The ongoing investigation into the National Intelligence Service is offering a hint of how the nation’s spy agency may have been serving those in power. From shady deals to secret surveillance of political opponents and a cyber campaign to sway voter sentiment ahead of elections, here are some things that South Korea’s intelligence service is accused of doing.

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

Moon calls for co-prosperity with ASEAN

President Moon Jae-in has called on the leaders of Southeast Asia and China and Japan to make efforts to form a regional community for peace and co-prosperity. He made the remarks during the 20th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) +3 summit in Manila, the Philippines, Tuesday. Leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries as well as Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took part in the meeting.

Essay awardees propose fresh ideas for 4th Industrial Revolution

College writers of award-winning English economic essays suggested fresh ideas in their writing about Korea's preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and for the economic success of the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.On Monday, The Korea Times held an awards event for the 13th English Economic Essay Contest, sponsored by Woori Bank. Six winners of the contest were invited to the ceremony at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, alongside Korea Times President-Publisher Lee Chang-sup and Woori Bank Executive Vice President Kwon Kwang-seok.

North Korea soldier's injuries not life-threatening: JCS

A North Korean soldier who suffered gunshot wounds while escaping to the South through the Joint Security Area has not fully regained consciousness, but the prognosis is positive, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Tuesday.A medical team led by Lee Guk-jong from Ajou University Hospital, has removed bullets from the soldier's body."The hospital will decide on whether to conduct additional surgery after seeing how he recovers over the next two to three days," JCS Chief Director of Operations Suh Wook said in a report to the National Assembly National Defense Committee.

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DongA Ilbo (http://english.donga.com)

N. Korea opens fires at a defecting soldier

North Korean troops reportedly fired some 40 rounds at a defecting low-ranking solider as he crossed to the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the village of Panmunjom on Monday. South Korea’s military authority also confirmed that the country’s Air Force immediately deployed its fighter jets to fly over the unit in charge of the JSA and kept its readiness posture while the artillery’s firepower readiness was escalated to the highest level.

LS Cable & System to build power cable factory in Myanmar

Korean power cable producer LS Cable & System will begin the construction of a production plant in Myanmar. This is its third time establishing a new production corporation in 2017, following LS Cable & System Poland and LS Cable & System U.S.A. The company has been accelerating in expanding the overseas market, in order to find a breakthrough from the electric wire cable market, which is saturated in Korea.

Barbie unveils hijab-wearing doll inspired by Olympian fencer

A photograph of the doll Barbie wearing a hijab, a scarf that Muslim women wear on their heads, has been revealed for the first time.CNN Money reported that Mattel, a toy manufacturing company in the United States that manufactures Barbie dolls, has revealed Barbie wearing a hijab for the first time at Monday night's Women of the Year Awards hosted by famous fashion magazine “Glamour.” This doll was modeled after Ibtihaj Muhammad, an American fencer who played at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games while wearing a hijab and won a bronze medal. The main points of this Barbie doll are that it is wearing a black scarf, long robe and white coat.

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

S.Korean Soldiers Did Nothing About Heavy Firing at Defector

North Korean soldiers fired around 40 rounds from their AK-47 assault rifles at a soldier who fled to South Korea on Monday, but South Korean soldiers did nothing in response. The United Nations Command is investigating whether any North Korean troops crossed over the Military Demarcation Line, which is under its control, during the chase. Under the rules of engagement, South Korean troops are required to fire warning shots if North Korean soldiers shoot their weapons across the MDL.

Korea Leads in Treating Cancer But Lags in Disease Prevention

Korea ranks at the top of the world when it comes to treating cancer, stroke and heart attack but trails behind in terms of preventing chronic illnesses. According to the annual OECD "Health at a Glance" report out Monday, only 6.2 percent of Korean patients over 45 die within 30 days of being hospitalized with ischemic stroke, the lowest fatality rate in the group of rich countries.

Sales of Electric Vehicles Soar Past 10,000

More than 10,000 electric vehicles have been sold in Korea so far this year, the most ever. According to sales data released Monday by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, some 10,075 electric cars were sold between January and October. Sales of electric vehicles started to take off in 2015, when some 2,917 EVs were sold, marking a dramatic increase from a mere 16 in 2010. Last year some 5,099 EVs were sold. The best-selling model was Hyundai's Ioniq with 6,203 units, accounting for 61.6 percent of the market, followed by Renault Samsung's SM3, Kia's Soul and GM Korea's Chevrolet Bolt.

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

President Moon asks for Chinese Premier’s help in restoring bilateral relationship

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang agreed to do their best to bring exchange and cooperation efforts between their two sides back on track as soon as possible. The two leaders met on Nov. 13 at the Sofitel Hotel in downtown Manila, where they are attending the ASEAN+3 Summit and East Asia Summit.Seated across from Li, Moon requested his attention and cooperation in helping to relieve issues for South Korean businesses [in China] and promote economic, cultural, and tourism exchange between the two sides.

US-North Korean stalemate likely to continue, says Mansfield Foundation CEO

Frank Jannuzi is the President and CEO of the Mansfield Foundation, a think tank in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, he served as the Deputy Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, where he worked to advance legislation and policies in order to promote universal human rights. In an e-mail interview with the Hankyoreh, Jannuzi discussed the outcomes of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Asia, and the prospects for finding a resolution to the North Korean nuclear crisis. “The US-North Korea stalemate is likely to continue,” he wrote. “It means that we have not found a way to find a breakthrough for a solution.”

Japanese strategist: North Korea remains preeminent issue on Trump’s trip to Asia

Hitoshi Tanaka, who was the leading strategist for Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is today the chair of the Institute for International Strategy at the Japan Research Institute, identified North Korea as the preeminent issue in US President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia. “Just because we keep putting pressure on North Korea doesn’t mean we’ll reach a solution,” Tanaka said. “At some point, our only choice is to open the way for negotiations.”Tanaka, who served as the Director-General of the Ministry’s Asian Oceanian Affairs Bureau and the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, was instrumental in preparing the Pyongyang statement delivered by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during his visit to North Korea in Sept. 2002. The Hankyoreh asked Tanaka about Trump’s trip to Asia in his office in Tokyo on Nov. 9.

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JoongAng Ilbo (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/)

Park’s ex-spy chief held in emergency arrest

A former head of the National Intelligence Service was put under emergency arrest Tuesday morning over suspicions that Korea’s main spy agency routinely diverted money from its special operations fund to the Blue House during the presidency of Park Geun-hye. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that Lee Byung-kee was put under emergency arrest without a warrant at the end of a questioning session. “Taking into account various circumstances, we took him into custody,” said a prosecution source. “We will decide whether or not we will seek a warrant to further detain him.”

Defector is in critical condition with 5 wounds

More details were released about the harrowing escape of a North Korean defector through the Joint Security Area (JSA) Monday, revealing that he drove to the location in a military vehicle and fellow North Korean soldiers fired around 40 rounds to prevent him from making it to the South. The defecting soldier sustained at least five gun wounds, including in his stomach and chest area - not merely in his elbow and shoulder as first reported - and is in critical condition.

Gov’t talks tough on workplace sexual abuse

The government on Tuesday announced a set of measures aimed at preventing sexual harassment in workplaces in the wake of a tawdry scandal at the country’s largest furniture maker. The labor and gender equality ministries said they will impose harsher penalties for sexual harassment in workplaces, although it stopped short of specifying how severe they will be. The government also said it will try to revise labor-related laws next year so that sexual harassment and violence in workplaces will be compulsory topics at regular management-labor union negotiations.

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

Citizens Clash over the Erection of a Park Chung-hee Statue

Citizens clashed over a statue of former President Park Chung-hee at the President Park Chung-hee Memorial Museum and Library. People for and against the statue condemned each other, tossing names, such as "reds" and "pro-Japanese collaborators," back and forth and even engaging in a physical fight. In the process, some people were arrested by the police.On the morning of November 13, a day before the 100th birthday of former President Park Chung-hee, a ceremony to celebrate the donation of the statue was held in the yard of the Park Chung-hee Memorial Museum and Library in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The “Group Promoting the Erection of the Statues of Rhee Syng-man, Truman and Park Chung-hee” handed a document stating that they would donate a 4.2-meter tall statue of former President Park to the representatives of the memorial.

NIS Will Change Its Name and Apologize to the People

On November 13, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) reform committee announced plans to amend the National Intelligence Service Korea Act, including a new name for the intelligence agency, within the year. The NIS will also apologize to the nation for the illegal activities the agency carried out under the conservative governments to protect them, including its intervention in politics and is monitoring of civilians.

Closer Relations Between South Korea and China and U.S. Comments on Dialogue with North Korea

On November 11, President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a summit meeting and agreed to quickly restore bilateral exchange and cooperation to previous levels in all areas. The leaders of South Korea and China also agreed to a stable management of the present security situation on the Korean Peninsula and ultimately resolve the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue. The two leaders decided that President Moon would visit Beijing next month and hold another summit. The two officially announced the restoration of relations between South Korea and China, which had been in conflict due to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

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The Korea Economic Daily (http://english.hankyung.com/)

Tourism and Duty-free Industries Hopeful about Improving Korea-China Relations

AsKorea and China are set to improve their relationship that was rocked by thecontroversy over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballisticmissile system, Korea's tourism and duty-free shopping industries are raisingtheir hopes of better days.Thetourism industry believes that the Chinese government's group tour ban to Koreawould be relaxed soon. A travel agency in Hebei posted an Internet ad recentlyfor a group tour program to Korea in November at the price of 1,480 yuan(US$223). China's largest online travel agency Ctrip also put out group tourprograms to Korea for the first time in seven months.

Oil Refiners See Good Times ahead due to Rising Oil Prices

International oil prices have hit a record high in seven months as they went up over US$50 a barrel. The domestic oil refining sector raised its hopes of improving their profitability in the third quarter after suffering poor results for two consecutive quarters.The spot price for Dubai crude as compiled by the Korea National Oil Corp. was $53.64 a barrel on September 16, up by 7 cents from the previous day. This is the highest level since February this year when the figure was $54.39.

Korea's MBI to Establish EV Plant in Vietnam

MBI, a Korean manufacturer specializing in making transmissions, will build an electric car plant in Hanoi, Vietnam, jointly with local firm N&G Group. The two companies will invest a total of US$1 billion for the next seven years.The companies said on September 21 that the heads of the two companies signed an agreement to establish a joint venture called Viko Motors in South Hanoi next month. Earlier in June this year, MBI was promised by the Vietnamese government and the Hanoi city government for a 20-year free land lease, high-tech investment incentive, preferential tariffs, and designation of MBI-held patented technologies as Vietnamese standards.

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AJU Business Daily (http://eng.ajunews.com/korea)

N. Korea found to have fired 40 shots at defector in truce village

North Korean border guards fired about 40 shots in an attempt to stop the defection of their apparent colleague aboard a jeep, creating a dangerous situation in a jointly guarded truce village in the middle of the heavily armed border, military authorities said. The run in the truce village of Panmunjom on Monday was watched closely by South Korean and U.S. troops using security cameras, and Defense Minister Song Young-moo praised their cool and restrained handling to prevent an escalation of the dangerous situation.

Moon cites reward for freeze on N. Korea's nuke program: Yonhap

South Korea and the international community may begin discussions on possible rewards for North Korea if the reclusive state decides to at least freeze its nuclear program and come to the denuclearization dialogue, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said. "I believe it will not be easy realistically to move on to complete dismantlement of North Korean nukes in the near future, considering recent advances in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs," the president said at a press conference.

S. Korea's financial industry benchmarks Britain's fintech knowhow

South Korea will benchmark Britain's fast-growing fintech industry to amend related regulations and boost the development of its industry, a top financial regulator said."Britain's fast-growing fintech industry was supported by the British government, backed by regulation innovation policy," Financial Services Commission (FSC) chairman Choi Jong-ku told a forum in Seoul on Tuesday.Financial technology, also widely known as fintech, involves smartphones and related devices to compete with traditional banking services. It includes services such as digital payment and digital currencies.

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

Foreign holding of Korean stocks and bonds hits record high of $672 bn

Foreign ownership in Korean stocks and bonds reached a new record last month as offshore investors’ appetite for local securities revived after a three-month-long selling spree from escalated geopolitical tensions. According to data released by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) on Tuesday, foreign investors as of the end of October held Korean securities worth 752.4 trillion won ($672 billion) - 651.2 trillion won in listed stocks, making up 33.9 percent of the total market capitalization, and 101.2 trillion won in listed bonds, accounting for 6.1 percent of the total.

Samsung Elec joins EdgeX Foundry to accelerate development of industrial IoT

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co., leading global manufacturer of consumer electronics and mobile devices, has joined a global project named EdgeX Foundry to step up its efforts to develop edge computing for industrial applications.Edge computing is a distributed computing technology that enables devices to process data near its sources rather than sending it to the cloud. It has been emerging as a new solution to complement cloud computing as the proliferation of robotic technology, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and autonomous cars requires faster data analysis and sound security.

Daewoo E&C sale draws 10 preliminary bidders

More than 10 bidders are vying for a 51 percent stake in Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. (Daewoo E&C), raising the prospects for state-run Korea Development Bank to pocket around 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) from the sale. According to investment banking sources on Monday, Korea’s Hoban Construction Co., TRAC Development Group and U.S. engineering consultancy Aecom were among the 10 candidates that submitted their preliminary bids for the country’s third largest builder.

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What’s ticking around the world at this second?

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

USA Today www.usatoday.com aallman@gannett.com

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.cnkf@people.cn

China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn circulation@chinadaily.com.cn

GwangmyeongDaily www.gmw.cn webmaster@gmw.cn