The Korean daily media headlines and humor

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Tuesday, November 21, 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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Ambassador Alharthy (9^th from left, front row) and Vice Minister Son Byeong-seok (on his left) pose with the foreign mission chiefs in Seoul attending the reception.

Mrs. Konul Teymurova (spouse of ambassar of Azerbaijan and doyenne of the Association of the Spouses of the Ambabassdors in Seoul), eighth from left, poses with the spouses of other ambassadors in Seoul attending the Omani National Day reception. They are, from left, Mrs. Bustillos (spouse of the Chargé d'Affaires of Bolivia), Mrs. Zhanna Baigaziyeva (spouse of the ambassador of Kazakhstan), Mrs. Natalia Timonin (spouse of the ambassador of Russia), Mrs. Lena Lajciakova (spouse of the ambassador of Slovakia), Mrs. Mah Manesh Taherian (spouse of ambassador of Iran), Mrs. Kloos Flavia Athena Ciompec (spouse of the ambassador of Romania), Mrs. Azza Alharthy (spouse of the ambassador of Oman, the host of the reception), Mrs. Eman Aldomur (spouse of the ambassador of Jordan), Mrs. Datin Rohana Ering (spouse of the ambassador of Brunei Darussalam), Mrs. Beatrice Simuusa (spouse of the ambassador of Zambia), and Mrs. Majd Mohammed S. Al-Moadhadi (spouse of the ambassador of Qatar).

At Omani National Day reception at Four Seasons in Seoul on Nov. 11

Omani ambassador stuns guests with almost impeccable Korean-language ability

Ambassador Mohamed Alharthy of the Sultanate of Oman in Seoul stunned the Korean audience with an almost impeccable Korean speech to some 500 distinguished guests, at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul at noon on Nov. 11, 2017, which was in celebration of the 47^th National Day of Oman, the 77th birthday anniversary of H.M. Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said and the 42^nd year of establishment of diplomatic relations between Oman and Korea.

He said: “Yeoreobun annyeong haseyo, gamsa hamnida. Areumdaun nal imnida. Jeojui Haengsae-e wajusyeoseo jeongmal gamsa deurimnida.” It translates: “All the distinguished guests, my sincere greetings and thank you for your kind attendance. It is a beautiful day and I am so grateful to all the guests who grace us today with their kind attendance.”

Almost all the Korean guests at the party whispered among themselves, “Why, he speaks Korean just like a Korean!”

Perhaps, a nice comment is in order for Ms. Park Myung-hee, the old-timer Korean secretary to the ambassador, who might have been responsible for the almost perfect Korean remarks made by the ambassador.

Meriting attention among the remarks made by Ambassador Alharthy that day were references to the bilateral economic cooperation. He said in part: “Oman’s economic strategy is based on economic principles of openness to global markets and economic diversification. The investment opportunities and incentives offered by Oman have enabled to attract local and foreign investors. Among these advantages are security, political stability and a climate of economic freedom that permits foreigners to own projects, beside other facilities in varies industrial areas and free economic zones.”

Regarding Korea, he said that Omani-Korean relations cooperation has witnessed development in varies areas and that Korean companies’ participation in the development of many projects has increased to cover constructions, industry, petrochemical and others.

“The Oman embassy in Korea,” he assured, “is keen to widening and deepening the way of cooperation to include energy, technology, culture, healthcare, education, tourism, manufacturing, logistics, and other areas.” He then reminded the audience that there were wide projects, opportunities and incentives that encouraged such collaboration and partnership between Oman and Korea.

(See full text and pictures on www.koreapost.com.)

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Ambassadors and their family members are invited to show off the traditional

costumes of their country at a prestigious Hanbok show

At Seoul Plaza Hotel on Thursday December 12

The Daehan News and The Korea Post media co-host the 6th Annual Hanbok Festival on the theme of “Faithfulness to the Nation, the Family and the World” at the Diamond Hall on the 22nd floor of the Seoul Plaza Hotel on Dec. 7, 2017. This year, unlike in the past, the Festival was expanded to include the traditional National Costumes of all the different countries of the world diplomatically represented in Korea. In this regard, all the Embassies of the world in Seoul are cordially invited to represent their country at the Festival with their wonderful traditional costumes. (See relevant photos at the end of this letter.)

The costumes of all the different countries modeled by the members of the embassies will be covered by all the five media outlets of The Korea Post (3 in English and 2 in the Korean-language) following the end of the Festival.

In principle, the Ambassadors, Madams and their children are invited to introduce their traditional national costumes. However, they may be represented by their deputies if necessary.

The representative of each participating country is presented with a prestigious plaque of citation in memory of the occasion.

A detailed schedule of the Festival is as follows:

(For further details and inquiries concerning participation, please call Ms. Sua Kim (010-7584-5873, English) or Ms. Kim Jung-mi (010-3388-1682, Korean).

Participants in the 4th Hanbok Fashion Contest

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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.

NK leader: Sanctions make our workers' spirit stronger

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a local car industry complex and emphasized its role in efforts to foster the communist nation's economy, according to Pyongyang's state media Tuesday. The report of Kim's visit to the Sungri Motor Complex came amid mounting pressure on the North from U.N.-led sanctions. It also came hours after the Donald Trump administration put Pyongyang back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism."The hostile forces' desperate efforts to block the advance of (North Korea) make the indomitable spirit of the Korean workers stronger and make them produce a great miracle startling the world," Kim was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Samsung sales expected surpass Intel this year

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to outpace U.S.-based Intel Corp. in terms of sales this year and emerge as the world's No. 1 chipmaker, data showed Monday. According to the data compiled by industry tracker IC Insights, Samsung will likely post sales of US$65.6 billion in the chip segment to account for 15 percent of the global market. Intel, on the other hand, is anticipated to rake in $61 billion and take up 13.9 percent of all sales worldwide. "For the first time since 1993, the semiconductor industry is expected to witness a new No. 1 supplier," IC Insight said, attributing Samsung's rise to an "amazing" increase in the average sales price of DRAM and NAND flash products.

Lotte makes solo bid for duty-free license in Seoul

Lotte Duty Free, South Korea's No. 1 duty-free operator, has submitted a bid to renew its license to run a store in Seoul, authorities said Monday, amid growing hopes for a return of Chinese tourists. Lotte Duty Free applied to win the license to continue its operation at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in the southern part of the capital city, as it has been doing since 2010. The Seoul customs office opened the process as Lotte's current contract is set to expire at the end of next month. Lotte needs approval from the authorities to secure the right to continue operations in the affluent Gangnam district. The license would be valid for the next five years.

KT&G launches sales of new tobacco-heating device

KT&G Corp. South Korea's leading cigarette maker, on Monday officially began selling its new tobacco-heating device, amid growing popularity of heat-not-burn (HNB) products in the country. The new product, dubbed lil, heats up tobacco leaves without generating smoke using battery power, according to the company. KT&G said the 10,000 units it put on the market via pre-order were sold out in just two days last week. The consumers who purchased the items during the period can pick up the devices starting Monday.

S. Koreans want far fewer children than 60 yrs ago

The number of children that South Korean parents want in their lifetimes has more than halved in the past 60 years amid the country's low birth trend, government data showed Monday.Married couples in the country said they want 2.07 kids on average in the 2010-2015 period, compared with 4.49 children tallied between 1950 and 1954, according to the data by Statistics Korea. The figure has been on a steady decline since 1950, before making a modest turnaround. It hit a record low of 1.88 in the 2005-2009 time span.

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

Trump Declares N. Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. has designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, placing the regime back on the list after nine years. Trump made the announcement on Monday during a meeting with his Cabinet at the White House, saying that it should have happened a long time ago. "In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil." Trump said that this designation will impose further sanctions and penalties on North Korea and support the U.S.' maximum pressure campaign to isolate the murderous regime.

Top Office Official: President will Appoint Venture Minister Nominee Tuesday

President Moon Jae-in is expected to appoint venture minister nominee Hong Jong-haak on Tuesday. A top office official said that Moon will appoint Hong Tuesday morning and have him attend the Cabinet meeting. Opposition parties had called Hong unfit to lead the newly created Ministry of SMEs and Startups, taking issue with his family's property inheritance and controversial remarks made in the past.

2.0 Magnitude Aftershock Detected in Pohang Tuesday Morning

A minor earthquake was detected in the southeastern city of Poyang 24 hours after two aftershocks in the mid-three magnitude range stuck the region. The Korea Meteorological Administration said that the shock with a magnitude of two occurred six kilometers north of the city's Buk district at 5:58 a.m. Tuesday. The latest tremor came about 24 hours after two relatively powerful quakes with magnitudes of around three-point-five rattled the city on Sunday night and Monday morning.

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

China's special envoy to N. Korea returns to Beijing

China's special envoy to Pyongyang returned to Beijing on Monday, ending his four-day visit, while it was immediately unknown whether he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Song Tao, the head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China, departed to North Korea on Friday. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent Tao as his special envoy to inform Pyongyang of the outcome of the party's recent congress. China's Xinhua News Agency reported that the envoy exchanged "views on the Korean Peninsula issue" with North Korean officials during the visit. North Korean ambassador in China Ji Jae-ryong was seen greeting the envoy's return at Beijing Capital International Airport.

U.S. designates N. Korea as state sponsor of terrorism

The United States on Monday designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in a symbolic move aimed at increasing pressure on the regime over its nuclear weapons program. President Donald Trump made the announcement at the White House, returning North Korea to a list of nations it was removed from nine years ago."It should have happened years ago," Trump said at the start of a Cabinet meeting. "In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil." The designation is the latest in a series of steps Washington has taken to isolate the North and force it to come to the negotiation table over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

N.K. leader: Sanctions make our workers' spirit stronger

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a local car industry complex and emphasized its role in efforts to foster the communist nation's economy, according to Pyongyang's state media Tuesday.The report of Kim's visit to the Sungri Motor Complex came amid mounting pressure on the North from U.N.-led sanctions.It also came hours after the Donald Trump administration put Pyongyang back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move to impose further sanctions on the Kim Jong-un regime which the U.S. president described as "murderous.""The hostile forces' desperate efforts to block the advance of (North Korea) make the indomitable spirit of the Korean workers stronger and make them produce a great miracle startling the world," Kim was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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

US declares NK a terror sponsor; new sanctions expected

President Donald Trump announced Monday the US is putting North Korea's ``murderous regime'' on America's terrorism blacklist, despite questions about Pyongyang's support for international attacks beyond the assassination of its leader's half brother in February.Trump said the designation as a state sponsor of terror was long overdue, and he promised a new wave of sanctions as part of a ``maximum pressure campaign'' over North Korea's development of nuclear weapons that could soon pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland.

Ex-presidential aide denies wrongdoing

Jun Byung-hun, a former presidential secretary for political affairs, denied the bribery allegations against him as he arrived at the prosecutors’ office for questioning on Monday. Jun is suspected of receiving 330 million won ($300,000) in kickbacks from cable channel Lotte Homeshopping in 2015 in exchange for wielding influence to have the channel’s broadcasting license renewed. He resigned over the scandal Thursday.

Kosdaq roars to 10-year high on biotech boom

South Korea‘s second-tier Kosdaq market hit a 10-year high in its closing mark Monday, riding on a biopharma boom. Kosdaq closed at 785.32 Monday, up 1.22 percent from the previous session Friday. The index jumped by 16.7 percent for the month. The closing mark was the highest in over a decade since Kosdaq, designed in its birth to benchmark US’ tech-heavy Nasdaq, closed at 794.08 on Nov. 7, 2007.

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

US designates North Korea as state sponsor of terrorism

Pohang designated as special disaster zone

President Moon Jae-in declared the southeastern city of Pohang a special disaster zone Monday, five days after a 5.4-magnitude quake jolted the city.

"The government will muster all of its administrative capabilities to swiftly repair the damage and for the college entrance exams to take place without any setback," Moon said in a meeting with senior secretaries and aides at Cheong Wa Dae.

'Seoul fails to position itself amid N. Korean crisis'

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― The Moon Jae-in government is not doing enough to resolve North Korea's nuclear issue, its foreign policy lacking clarity, says one NGO director. "The leadership of South Korea is not doing its people any favors by having a willy-nilly position in North Korea policy," Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Chairman Moon Hyun-jin said in an interview with The Korea Times, Nov. 15. He claimed Seoul has to position itself as a major partner with the U.S. and push its agenda forward in close coordination with the alliance.

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

‘China should talk with Korea and the U.S.,' says a Chinese scholar

A day before Song Tao, the head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China, visited North Korea as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy, a professor at one of China’s most prestigious universities earned people’s attention in Seoul by speaking about the need for trilateral dialogue in preparation for sudden changes in circumstances such as the possible collapse of the North Korean regime. His comment suggests that Chinese scholars are increasingly voicing their opposition to the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

Gov’t approves an individual request to visit North Korea

The South Korean government announced on Monday that it approved an individual request from Choi In-guk (71) to visit North Korea to attend the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death. His mother, Ryu Mi-young, was the director of the central committee of Chondoist Chungwoo Party of North Korea. This is the first that the government has allowed an individual visit to North Korea since the Moon Jae-in administration took office.

Daewoo clinches 863 million-dollar deal in Mumbai

South Korean construction company Daewoo Engineering & Construction has partially won a construction project to build the longest ocean bridge in India. Experts say the latest deal will add momentum to the company’s ongoing disposal process, on the strength of the series of overseas orders it recently won.

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

Most Young Salaried Workers Want Spouses to Have Jobs

More than eight out of 10 office workers want their spouses to have jobs, and seven out of 10 young married workers are part of double-income families. A poll by employment portal Job Korea of 964 salaried workers in their 20s and 30s found that 85.4 percent of respondents want their spouse to have a job. Some 70.9 percent of married respondents said they are part of a dual-income family, and 34.9 percent who said they would be happy to live on a single income nevertheless live on two. Among women, 90 percent of married ones favored double incomes, compared to 83.5 percent of single women.

Property Speculation Rife in Gangnam

Property speculation appears to be rife in in Seoul's affluent Gangnam district, where four out of 10 homes are owned by people who live in other parts of the country. According to Statistics Korea on Friday, only 61.6 percent of the 151,100 privately owned homes in Gangnam district are owned by people who live there, but the rest is owned by absentees. The situation is much the same in the other two rich districts south of the river, Seocho and Songpa, with 34.4 percent and 29.1 percent. The national average of absentee home ownership is 23.7 percent and the average for Seoul is 28.7 percent.

Earthquake Exposes Endemic Shoddy Construction

One apartment building in Pohang tilts to one side like the Leaning Tower of Pisa after the earthquake that rattled the southeastern port city last week. Experts who visited the site said it was not only not earthquake-proof but built with shoddy materials. Construction codes stipulate that apartments should be built with zigzag steel bars to bolster rigidity, but the rules had simply been ignored. The quake caused cracks as wide as 30 cm in the walls, which suggests both steel and cement were substandard.

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

Chinese special envoy yet to meet with Kim Jong-un

Song Tao, chief of the International Liaison Department for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has met with several top North Korean leaders while visiting North Korea as a special envoy for Chinese President Xi Jinping. But as of late afternoon on Nov. 19, there were no reports of him meeting with leader Kim Jong-un, the main focus of attention during his visit. APTN video footage showed Song visiting the Sino-Korean Friendship Tower in Pyongyang’s Moranbong district on Nov. 19 and making a flower offering and paying respects at the fallen Chinese soldiers’ cemetery in Hoechang, South Pyongan Province. The cemetery is a final resting place for Chinese soldiers who died during the Korean War, including Mao Zedong’s oldest son Mao Anying. It is also seen as a symbol of the “blood alliance” between China and North Korea.

US Strategic Commander says an “illegal” command to use nuclear weapons can be refused

US Air Force General John Hyten, the Commander of the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM), said that he would reject nuclear strike orders from US President Donald Trump if he deemed the orders to be illegal. His remark is noteworthy considering that it comes as tensions are rising between the US and North Korea and as members of Congress are arguing that restrictions should be placed on Trump’s authority to use nuclear weapons. Hyten was quoted as making the remarks by CBS at an international security forum in Halifax in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Nov. 18. He was responding to a question about a statement made by former STRATCOM commander Robert Kehler on Nov. 14 that a president’s orders to use nuclear weapons could be refused if they are illegal. STRATCOM exercises authority over all the US’s strategic weapons, including its nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Demonstration to ban nuclear weapons held in Berlin

Despite the cold weather on Saturday, Nov. 18, people were busily preparing for a demonstration in Paris Square in front of Brandenburg Gate and in front of the adjacent American embassy. Yost, 46, a member of Greenpeace, was in the yellow protective garb of nuclear waste maintenance staff. Yost had placed placards atop a fake yellow barrel of nuclear waste that he was beating like a drum. The slogans read, “Stop polluting the environment with waste from nuclear weapons and reactors” and “What do we need? Courage!”

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

Moon allows South Korean to travel to North Korea

Seoul is allowing a South Korean to visit his mother’s grave in North Korea this week in time for her first death anniversary, the first such permission granted by the Moon Jae-in administration. The Ministry of Unification, which oversees inter-Korean relations, announced Monday that it is allowing the man, whose surname is Choi, to travel to North Korea Wednesday via China and return to the South by Saturday.

Gov’t tries to stop spread of highly pathogenic strain of AI

The government Monday imposed a seven-day freeze on movement of workers and vehicles from poultry farms in Gochang County in North Jeolla to try to stop the spread of a highly pathogenic strain of H5N6 avian influenza (AI). The authorities also imposed a 48-hour freeze on movement of poultry farmers and their vehicles nationwide, which took effect on Monday at midnight, and raised its avian influenza alert to the highest level.

SKT takes disaster relief to the hills of Gangwon

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon - “Victim spotted near top of Mount Bongeui in Chuncheon. Dispatch drones for patrol!” After an emergency was reported Monday morning to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters, a special mountain rescue team and two patrol drones - one with a thermal video camera and one with an optical zoom camera - were dispatched immediately. In less than five minutes, the patrol drones spotted the injured victim. Human rescuers moved directly to the accident scene via helicopter. The whole rescue process was streamed live to the fire headquarters from the cameras on the drones, an action camera inside the helicopter and body cameras worn by the rescuers. As the victim was safely moved onto the helicopter, rescuers held a direct video chat with a medical team on the ground, allowing the responders to give appropriate first aid care while the medical team was able to prepare for the helicopter’s arrival based on what they had seen on the video.

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

"Trump Never Mentioned a Preemptive Strike Against North Korea"

"You cannot solve the North Korean issue by dividing it into separate issues, such as the nuclear program, missiles, and human rights. That is why we have failed for the past two decades. We need to solve this comprehensively, and the only way to do that is to sign a peace treaty." If someone made this argument, it would be nothing new. After all, it is just an extension of direct engagement with North Korea, which South Korea and the U.S. have both argued for. But if the same person at the same place argued, "That doesn't mean we should exclude the possibility of the use of force against North Korea," then it becomes a whole new story, especially if that person is a former advisor to the U.S. Donald Trump administration.

1,313 Days Later, The Three Family Members Come Together as Pictures

Despite the bitter cold, an endless line of visitors continued to flow into the funeral parlor where a memorial altar was prepared for the five missing victims of the Sewol accident. President Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, and the leaders of each political party sent flowers to pay their respects. On November 19, a memorial altar for Gwon Jae-geun (51 at the time of the accident) and his son Hyeok-gyu (6) was prepared at the Asan Medical Center funeral parlor in Songpa-gu, Seoul. A picture of Gwon's wife, Han Yun-ji (29 at the time of the accident), who also died in the accident, was placed next to Gwon's portrait. Visitors wiped their tears at a "family reunion" held 1,313 days after the accident.

The Ground in Pohang Shifted 6.5 cm: Have Earthquakes Become a Regular Issue in the Southeast?

Have the faults in the southeast region of the Korean Peninsula awakened from a deep sleep? Powerful earthquakes struck the region two years in a row. According to the unmanned detection system of the Korea Forest Service, the soil layer shifted 6.5 centimeters in an hour due to the earthquake on November 15. Pier 1 at Pohang New Port sank almost 7 cm. Experts are busy discussing the Gyeongju earthquake last year and the Pohang earthquake on November 15. Some argue that the stress that had been accumulating for a long time has begun to erupt; others claim these earthquakes are the result of the Great East Japan Earthquake; and still others argue that we are now entering an era of stronger earthquakes throughout the world.

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

Gov't Decides to Give $8 Mil. Aid to North Korea...Timing to Be Announced Later

The government has decided to give support to North Korea worth US$8 million in programs helping its vulnerable people including children and pregnant women indirectly through international organizations. It, however, has not decided when to start sending money and exactly how. This is interpreted as a choice to deflect criticism that it is undertaking an aid project at a time when North Korea is causing an international storm by launching a series of missile tests.

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)

S. Korea spy agency raises possibility of N. Korean missile test

South Korea's spy agency raised the possibility of North Korea's fresh ballistic missile test before the end of this year, citing brisk activities at its missile research center. The National Intelligence Agency (NIS) suggested in a report Monday to a parliamentary intelligence committee that brisk vehicle movements have been detected at the North's missile research center, according to lawmakers who attended the closed session. North Korea also appeared to have tested missile engines, the lawmakers said, adding the spy agency was closely watching. The North runs a missile engine test site in Magunpo southwest of the North's northeastern port of Hungnam as well as a missile assembly plant in Pyongyang.

Bird flu triggers temporary ban on nationwide poultry movement

South Korea imposed a temporary travel ban on poultry farm workers and their vehicles to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian flu that broke out in a duck farm after a four-month lull.The 48-hour ban took effect at midnight Sunday after health officials confirmed a bird flu outbreak caused by the H5N6 virus at a farm in the southwestern rural county of Gochang. Some 12,000 ducks in the farm were slaughtered and buried and a sanitary cordon line was set up in the region, according to the agriculture ministry.

Humble diplomacy for Moon's new 'southern policy'

In the late 1980s, we successfully tackled the post-Cold War era with the 'Northern Policy'. The impact of our experience was not limited to diplomacy. By changing consciousness and culture, we have come to believe in the possibility of separation from the Cold War era. Can we have such expectations from President Moon Jae-in's new 'Southern Policy? Can we open up a new horizon for diplomacy beyond the mere regional policy and wash out the last Cold War remnants? If so, it will remain in history as the 'Moon Jae-in Doctrine' worth of the name.

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

Samsung’s Lee family dethroned by Ambani as Asia’s richest family

The Lee founding family of Korea’s Samsung empire has been dethroned by India’s Ambani family of Reliance Group in Forbes’ annual Asia’s richest families rank with their net worth adding $19 billion to $44.8 billion. India’s Ambani family came first for the first time in 2017, stealing top rank from two-time first Lee family whose net worth reached $40.8 percent this year, up $11.2 billion from last year thanks to strong performance of its mainstay Samsung Electronics.

S. Korea’s transportation systems developer sTraffic plans IPO in December

South Korea’s sTraffic Co., a transportation infrastructure system solutions provider, plans to go public on the country’s secondary Kosdaq market next month with hopes to raise up to 21.3 billion won ($19.3 million). At a press conference in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday, sTraffic unveiled its initial public offering (IPO) price band of between 8,000 won and 10,000 won per share. The company plans to offer 2.13 million shares, which would allow it to earn up to 21.3 billion won based on the top end price. sTraffic plans to determine the IPO price after its book building on Monday and offer shares to retail investors on Nov. 23 and 24 ahead of the listing on Dec. 5. The IPO underwriter is Mirae Asset Daewoo Co.

S. Korea’s securities transaction tax revenue in 2017 to top 2016’s total

South Korea’s tax revenue collected from securities transactions in the primary Kospi market so far this year has already surpassed last year’s total thanks to the country’s buoyant stock markets. The government is projected to collect total 5 trillion won in securities transaction tax revenue from both Kospi and secondary Kosdaq markets by the end of this year, raising expectations for the government may consider cutting the tax levied on income from trading stocks in the second-tier stock market.

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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