Headlines, February 13, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

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

U.S., N. Korea covered more than 12 items in pre-summit talks: envoy

The United States and North Korea covered more than a dozen items in their pre-summit talks last week, the top U.S. negotiator was quoted as saying, as the two sides prepare an action-for-action deal to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program. In a meeting with a visiting South Korean parliamentary delegation on Feb. 11, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun shared some details of his talks with North Korean officials in Pyongyang last week.

S. Korea ranks 2nd in global ship orders

South Korean shipbuilders came in second worldwide in total new orders last month, outpaced by Chinese rivals, industry data showed on Feb. 13, 2019. According to the data compiled by industry tracker Clarkson Research Institute, local shipyards garnered new orders worth a combined 580,000 compensated gross tons (CGTs) in January to build 12 ships.

Women executives almost nonexistent at public companies: survey

Only one of the 163 senior executives at public firms is a woman, and such a dearth is not likely to end soon due to a lack of women who are in a position to be promoted to the C suite, an analysis showed on Feb. 13, 2019. Corporate appraiser CEO Score surveyed 35 state firms and found only one female executive, equal to 0.6 percent of the total.

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

US Military Commander: N. Korea Unlikely to Give up All of its Nukes

A top U.S. military commander said that North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons or production capabilities, but may seek to negotiate partial denuclearization in exchange for international concessions. Admiral Philip Davidson, chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, gave his assessment in a written statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of a hearing on Tuesday. He said the assessment is in line with that of the U.S. intelligence community.

S. Korea's Unemployment Rate Hits 9-Year High in January

South Korea's unemployment rate rose to a nine-year high and the number of people without a job hit a 19-year high in January due to sluggish employment in the manufacturing sector. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of employed people last month stood at 26-point-23 million, a 19-thousand increase from a year earlier. The monthly job growth is the lowest in five months since August of last year when a mere three-thousand jobs were created. This is significantly slow growth given that the government is aiming to create 150-thousand jobs this year.

Biegun: US, N. Korea Covered More Than 12 Issues in Pre-Summit Talks

The U.S. special envoy for North Korea said on Monday that Washington and Pyongyang covered more than a dozen items during their pre-summit talks last week. In a meeting with a visiting South Korean parliamentary delegation in Washington, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun shared some details of his talks with North Korean officials in Pyongyang.

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

U.S. military commander voices optimism about N. Korea summit, doubts denuclearization

A top U.S. military commander on Tuesday expressed optimism ahead of this month's second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but he also questioned the regime's seriousness about abandoning its nuclear weapons. Trump and Kim are set to meet in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, Feb. 27-28 to flesh out measures to achieve North Korea's denuclearization in return for U.S. security guarantees.

S. Korea deploys new counter-fire simulator

South Korea's military has fielded an indigenous high-tech counter-fire simulator aimed at reducing training costs and enhancing combat readiness, Seoul's state arms procurement agency said Wednesday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said that the Army installed the Joint Fire Training Simulator at a field artillery school of the Training & Doctrine Command in Jangseong, some 300 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday.

Russia considering shipping 50,000 tons of wheat to N. Korea as humanitarian aid: report

Russia is considering providing North Korea with 50,000 tons of wheat as humanitarian assistance at the request of Pyongyang, the chief of the Russian Senate's foreign affairs committee was quoted as saying. Konstantin Kosachev, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, made the remark during a meeting with North Korean Ambassador to Russia Kim Hyong-jun on Monday, Tass news agency reported.

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

Bangladesh, UK envoys inspire Korean students to achieve dreams

The Korea Herald Young Diplomats Academy and the Young Opinion Leaders’ Knowledge Forum -- youth camps tailored for interaction with foreign diplomats, business leaders and renowned scholars -- have inspired future generations of leaders. The event at Yonsei International Campus in Songdo, Incheon, from Jan. 25-27 attracted over 100 students from the country’s elementary, middle and high schools, providing a platform for differentiated learning, discussion and communication in English.

Korean defense companies selected to maintain F-35 stealth fighters

Korean companies have been selected for the maintenance of F-35 stealth fighters, the acquisition administration here said Tuesday. According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Ellen Lord, US undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, has announced that a consortium of Korean defense companies, Team ROK, has been officially selected for the maintenance of F-35 stealth fighter parts.

Vietnam's top diplomat arrives in Pyongyang

Vietnam's top diplomat arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for talks over a possible state visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the Southeast Asian country ahead of his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, a foreign report said. Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who doubles as Vietnam's deputy prime minister, flew into Pyongyang in the afternoon on a three-day visit, according to Japan's Kyodo News.

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

Korean defense firms will provide maintenance service for F-35 jet

A consortium of Korean defense companies has won a license to provide maintenance services for key parts of F-35 fighter jets, the nation's defense procurement agency said Tuesday. Under the contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, five local defense and aerospace companies will perform maintenance and repairs for F-35 avionics, electronics and aircraft injection systems components.

Jim Rogers set to visit NK next month: report

Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers holdings and Beeland Interests, is set to visit to North Korea next month, according to a local report. The legendary U.S. investor earlier expressed interest in investing in the country. He was invited by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and the U.S. government approved the visit, according to a source cited by the Kyunghyang Shinmun. Rogers did not respond to an email query on the matter.

Ministry defends parliamentary chief's remarks on sex slaves against Japan's criticism

South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang's recent remarks on the issue of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women were intended to underscore the need for the neighboring country's "sincere attitude" in addressing the long-simmering issue. In an interview with Bloomberg last week, Moon urged Japanese Emperor Akihito to make a personal apology to Korean victims forced into sexual servitude during World War II, calling him the "the son of the main culprit of war crimes."

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

N.Korea Asks Russia for Free Wheat

North Korea has asked Russia to send 50,000 tons of wheat to solve a food shortage caused by natural disasters, a senior Russian lawmaker said Monday. According to the Interfax news agency, Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Federation Council, told North Korean Ambassador to Moscow Kim Hyong-jun that Moscow is reviewing the request.

Park Corruption Cases to Be Heard by Full Supreme Court Bench

A series of cases involving ex-President Park Geun-hye, her confidante Choi Soon-sil and Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong will be heard by a full bench of the Supreme Court, it said Monday. That means all 12 justices will deliberate the case. So far, the cases have been handled separately by a panel of four judges each. But any case that draws huge public attention or requires a unified interpretation of the law can be submitted to the full bench.

Korean Exports Fetch Ever-Dwindling Prices

Prices of Korean exports declined by the biggest margin among major exporters over the last 13 years. The main reason is the vulnerability of Korea's main exports like semiconductors, petrochemical products, steel and cars to oil price fluctuations and other external factors.

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

Civic groups call for punishments for distorting Gwangju Democratization Movement

Legal punishments should be instituted for distortions and disparagement of the Gwangju Democratization Movement of 1980 along the same lines as the punishments in European countries for denying the Holocaust and other crimes by Nazi Germany, South Korean civic groups are arguing. The calls reflect a growing sense that malicious examples of historical distortion can no longer be ignored in the name of “freedom of expression” – particularly at a time when even current National Assembly members from South Korea’s largest opposition party have echoed ultra-right wing claims of North Korean military involvement in the May 1980 movement in Gwangju.

Seoul selected as S. Korean city to co-host 2032 Olympics with North Korea’s Pyongyang

Seoul has been selected as South Korea’s candidate city to bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics jointly with North Korea. On the afternoon of Feb. 11, the city of Seoul announced that it had been selected at a general meeting of Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) representatives at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province as the South Korean city that will bid for the 35th Summer Olympics in 2032. Seoul had been in competition with Busan, but persuaded the representatives to favor it based on its symbolism as South Korea’s leading city, the competitiveness of its urban infrastructure, and its international capacity.

S. Korea pursues inter-Korean “international peace station” for DMZ

An “inter-Korean international peace station” providing integrated customs, immigration, and quarantine (CIQ) duties is being pursued for the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). If established, the integrated inter-Korean immigration office in the DMZ is expected to serve as a historic symbol of peace between the two sides. “For the sake of preparations for the linkage of the South and North Korean railways and the peaceful use of the DMZ, we are proposing to the central government that an inter-Korean international peace station be established within the DMZ,” said Gyeonggi Province Railway Bureau Director Hong Ji-seon in a Feb. 11 briefing at the provincial office.

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

Stephen Biegun brings up possibility of trilateral summit

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun has floated the possibility of holding a trilateral summit between the two Koreas and the United States, in an apparent indication that an actual declaration to end the Korean War can be made with Washington and Pyongyang working to include a formal end to the war and the partial provision of an inventory of the North’s Yongbyon nuclear facilities in an agreement to be made at the second summit in Vietnam. This is the first time that a key official in the Trump administration has mentioned the likelihood of declaring an end to the Korean War by the three sides.

Samsung's Lee Jae-yong discusses 5G with UAE crown prince

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in the capital of the United Arab Emirates to discuss areas of cooperation in IT and 5G technologies. The crown prince of Abu Dhabi posted a photo of his meeting with the de facto leader of South Korea’s top conglomerate on his Twitter account Monday (local time). According to industry sources and local media reports, the two discussed ways to expand cooperation between Samsung and UAE companies in 5G technology. Lee and the crown prince reportedly agreed on enhancing cooperation particularly in 5G network and future technologies in the IT sector.

Seoul city announces plan to build light rails in northern area

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday that it would soon disclose a plan to establish the third urban railway network based on the construction of a loop line that traverses the area north of the Han River. The city government aims to complete the construction of the loop line by 2021, through which subways travel from Mokdong in Yangcheon District to Cheongyangni in Dongdaemun District. The light rails will have around two to three cars, less than those of standard subways in Seoul. The line’s full length is expected to be 24.8 kilometers, with around 15 stations.

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

HHI in line to take over DSME

The final candidate to take over troubled Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) has been narrowed down to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). According to DSME’s largest-stakeholder, the Korea Development Bank (KDB), Samsung Heavy Industries officially pulled itself out of contention Monday. According to a statement Tuesday, the KDB said it will convene a meeting of its board early next month to begin serious negotiations with HHI on the acquisition of DSME.

Groups from South, North meet at Kumgang

An entourage of South Korean civic group and religious leaders visited Mount Kumgang in North Korea Tuesday to take part in a two-day New Year’s ceremony in the first non-governmental exchange between the two Koreas this year. A total of 251 South Koreans crossed the border via a land route Tuesday morning to reach the resort at Mount Kumgang. The entourage, whose name loosely translates to a “New Year’s alliance to implement the inter-Korean joint declaration,” includes leaders of South Korea’s seven major religions and civic group members of diverse stripes, representing labor, women, youths and farmers.

Kim plans Hanoi state visit before U.S. summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is planning to take a state visit to Vietnam around Feb. 25, two days ahead of his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a South Korean intelligence source. During Kim’s first state visit to Vietnam, he could meet Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, as Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s leader and general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, will probably be out of the country, the souce exclusively told the JoongAng Ilbo Monday on condition of anonymity.

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

Prosecution of Yang Seung-tae Needs to Lead to Fundamental Judicial Reforms

Prosecutors will make Yang Seung-tae, former chief justice of the Supreme Court and the top person involved in the abuse of court authority, stand before a court of law. This is the first time that a former or incumbent head of the judiciary will stand in court on criminal charges. The prosecution of Yang practically concludes the investigation on the abuse of court authority, which had lasted for eight months. However, the conclusion of the investigation does not necessarily mean the end of punishment. Holding the single Yang responsible does not mean change in the entire judiciary. We need to reform the judiciary from its roots so that the dirty exchange of the right to a fair trial, a basic civil right, for personal interests never recurs.

“Wish to Invest Entire Fortune in North Korea” Jim Rogers to Visit North Korea Next Month

Internationally famed investor Jim Rogers (77, photo), chairman of Rogers Holdings received an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and will visit North Korea next month. Rogers had stressed investment in North Korea, supporting North Korea's denuclearization and willingness to open its economy. This has attracted interest on why North Korea invited Rogers ahead of the second summit with the United States, as well as on the outcome of his trip to the North.

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AJU Business Daily (http://www.ajudaily.com)

Hyundai put first hydrogen fuel cell generator into operation

South Korea's Hyundai auto group commercialized a hydrogen generation system that powers buildings with automobile fuel cell modules. The system was put into operation at the group's fuel cell plant as a backup generator. It's the first application of core parts for hydrogen fuels cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to power generation, Hyundai Mobis, the group's parts-making wing, said Wednesday. The generator was installed at Hyundai's fuel cell plant in Chungju, 115 kilometers (71 miles) south of Seoul.

Samsung's outdoor ad sparks speculation about foldable phone

At iconic landmarks in New York and other big cities, Samsung Electronics is evoking curiosity from passers-by with peculiar Korean-language advertising to tease an "exciting future" of its flagship smartphone line that would be unveiled this month.

Will N.K. leader use Chinese plane or his own to fly to Vietnam: Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un flew to Singapore on a rented Air China plane, instead of his aged official jet, last June for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. What he will use to travel to Vietnam's Hanoi for a second meeting with Trump is a point of speculation that will likely remain a mystery until his arrival there. Many say Kim is likely to fly on the state jet, codenamed "Chammae-1," this time because the distance of travel, about 2,760 km, is only slightly more than half of the 4,700 km flown last June, and the Soviet-era jet, even if it's aged, can sufficiently cover the flight.

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

Vietnamese firm makes steel products in Thilawa

With Myanmar rapidly opening up to development, steel is becoming increasingly important to various industries in the country. Steel structures can be seen springing up across Yangon. As such, a Vietnamese steel importer is operating a manufacturing unit in Myanmar. Despite being one of the essential materials for construction, Myanmar relies heavily on imports rather than local production as only 5pc of the consumption is produced locally and the rest 95pc is imported according to the Myanmar Iron and Steel Association.

Shinhan Financial net income hits highest ever in 2018

South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group Co. reported best-ever earnings in 2018 with its bottom line exceeding 3 trillion won ($2.7 billion) for the first time in seven years on the back of high interest income. Shinhan Financial Group said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it posted a net profit of 3.16 trillion won on a consolidated basis in 2018, up 8.2 percent from a year earlier. The record bottom line last year came above the market expectation of 3.15 trillion won.

Jeju Air joins 1 trillion-won sales club for the first time as LCCs in Korea

South Korea’s leading budget carrier Jeju Air Co. achieved annual revenue milestone of 1 trillion won ($890 million) in 2018 for the first time as a low-cost carrier and kept up an operating profit over 100 billion won for two straight years. Jeju Air said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that sales on a consolidated basis gained 26.4 percent year-on-year to 1.26 trillion won in 2018. The carrier’s operating income fell 0.1 percent to 101.2 billion won during the same period but it managed to raise more than 100 billion won in income for two straight years last year. Net profit plunged 8 percent to 70.9 billion won.

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