Headlines, February 28, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Thursday, February 28, 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.

Kim, Trump hold sincere, in-depth discussion for epochal results: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump held in-depth discussions during their first day of meetings in Hanoi to produce "epoch-making results" at this week's summit, Pyongyang's official news agency reported on Feb. 28, 2019. "Considerable progress made in the bilateral relations after the Singapore summit were highly appreciated and sincere and deep opinions were exchanged with a view to making comprehensive and epoch-making results in the talks in order to meet the interest and expectation of the whole world for the successful Hanoi summit," the Korean Central News Agency said.

We will look forward to expanding our cooperation with Korea

On the occasion of the Dominican Republic’s Independence Day, Ambassador Humberto Salazar of the Dominican Republic and Mrs. Elizabeth Llauger hosted a reception at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Feb. 27, 2019. Speaking to the guests, Ambassador Humberto Salazar said, “We were honored to have the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Lee Nak-Yeon, make and official visit to the Dominican Republic, where he met with President Danilo Medina to support ongoing cooperation and investment projects in the sustainable energy, construction and manufacturing sectors, just to name a few of the areas.”

Trump, Kim to sign Hanoi declaration, wording matters

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S President Donald Trump were set to continue talks in Hanoi on Feb. 28, 2019, having exchanged what Pyongyang's state media called "sincere and deep" views on their denuclearization and peace efforts a day earlier. They are scheduled to meet again at 9 a.m. at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi in the Vietnamese capital for one-on-one bilateral talks before expanding the meeting 45 minutes later to include aides and other officials, according to the White House.

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

'N. Korea, US Discuss Allowing Inspectors to Observe Dismantling of Yongbyon Reactor'

North Korea and the United States reportedly discussed partial denuclearization measures, such as allowing inspectors to observe the dismantling of the North's Yongbyon nuclear reactor, during the first part of the second summit between their leaders. Quoting U.S. and South Korean officials, Reuters issued the report on Thursday while covering the initial meeting and dinner between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, Vietnam on the first day of their second summit.

Moon, Trump to Talk on the Phone after Trump-Kim Summit

President Moon Jae-in is expected to hold phone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday after Trump's second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam. A presidential official told reporters on Tuesday that Trump and Kim are scheduled to have a series of talks, a luncheon and a news conference on Thursday, after which Trump and Moon are expected speak on the phone.

Trump Says 'Great Meeting, Very Good Dialogue' with Kim in Hanoi

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had a "great meeting and dinner" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi on the first day of their second summit. Trump tweeted that he had "very good dialogue" with Kim and he's looking forward to continuing discussions on Thursday. He also posted a video of his meeting with Kim.

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

Trump heads for Day 2 of nuclear talks with Kim

U.S. President Donald Trump headed Thursday for intensive negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. After brief talks and a dinner Wednesday evening, the two men are set for a full day of talks in various formats, starting with a one-on-one at 9 a.m. at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel.

S. Korea central bank freezes key rate at 1.75 pct for Feb.

The South Korean central bank on Thursday held its policy rate unchanged at 1.75 percent for February amid widespread concerns over an economic slowdown. The monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea (BOK) voted to leave the base rate steady for the third straight month after raising it by a quarter percentage point in November. The BOK's wait-and-see stance has been widely expected as Asia's fourth-largest economy shows some signs of a downturn in exports and employment amid protracted U.S.-China trade tensions.

S. Korea, Turkey to implement customs pact to facilitate trade

South Korea's customs agency said Thursday that a customs pact with Turkey will go into effect this week that can help facilitate bilateral trade. The Korea Customs Service (KCS) said the two nations' Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) deal and Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) are set to take effect in March. The arrangements call for both sides to speedily clear products from the other country and give priority in customs processing, as well as to set up dedicated contact points to deal with complications in clearance.

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

BIGBANG's Seungri denies drug, sex-for-favors allegations in police questioning

Seungri of the popular boy group BIGBANG denied drug use and sex-for-favors allegations during a questioning, police said Thursday. An investigation team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent him back home after grilling him overnight. The 29-year-old singer, during the questioning, denied all suspicions surrounding him ranging from narcotics use to attempting to buy sex services for potential foreign investors.

More people fall victim to phone scams in 2018

Nearly 50,000 people were victims of phone financial scams last year, amounting to 444 billion won ($396.78 million) in lost money, regulator data showed Thursday. The amount of money lost to scams increased 82.7 percent from 2017 as people fell victim to phone calls coaxing them to reveal their passwords and other security information on their financial accounts, a crime known as "voice phishing."

Pakistan says 2 Indian warplanes downed, 2 pilots captured

Pakistan’s military said Wednesday it shot down two Indian warplanes in the disputed region of Kashmir and captured two pilots, raising tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals to a level unseen in the last two decades. India acknowledged one of its air force planes was “lost” in skirmishes with Pakistan and that its pilot was “missing in action” on a chaotic day, which also saw mortar shells fired by Indian troops from across the frontier dividing the two sectors of Kashmir kill six civilians and wound several others.

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

A break-in at North Korean embassy in Spain; computers stolen

Spain is probing an incident linked to the North Korean embassy in Madrid, the interior ministry and police said Wednesday, which Spanish media described as a break- in by people who stole computers. "We are investigating," a ministry spokesman told AFP, saying the probe centred around "mild injuries to a North Korean citizen in the street." A police source, who refused to be named, said the mysterious incident had taken place "near the embassy," describing the incident as "unusual."

Kim, Trump hold sincere talks for 'epoch-making results': KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump held in-depth discussions during their first day of meetings in Hanoi to produce "epoch-making results" at this week's summit, Pyongyang's official news agency reported Thursday. "Considerable progress made in the bilateral relations after the Singapore summit were highly appreciated and sincere and deep opinions were exchanged with a view to making comprehensive and epoch-making results in the talks in order to meet the interest and expectation of the whole world for the successful Hanoi summit," the Korean Central News Agency said.

Ex-Prime Minister Hwang elected new leader of main opposition party

Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn was elected as the new leader of the largest opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Wednesday, pledging to unify conservatives and stand against the Moon Jae-in administration. "From the moment I step down from this podium, I will start to fight against the tyranny of the Moon Jae-in administration to protect the country and its people. I will start a journey to win a landslide victory in the 2020 general elections and seize the power in 2022," Hwang said in his acceptance speech.

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

Korea, UAE Leaders Vow Deeper Ties at Meeting in Seoul

Korea and the UAE agreed to strengthen their partnership and expand their economic cooperation at a meeting on Wednesday. The de facto UAE leader, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, was on a two-day official visit to Seoul at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in.

Moon, Trump to Talk on the Phone Right After Hanoi Summit

President Moon Jae-in is expected to talk with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on the phone on Thursday evening, after Trump's second day of meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Tuesday. "The leaders of the North and the U.S. are going to have a meeting in the morning, a lunch, another meeting in the afternoon, and a press conference on Thursday," the official told reporters, and Moon and Trump will highly likely talk afterwards.

Korea's Engineering Schools Lose Luster

The global ranking of top universities in Korea is dropping because of fewer research exchanges with foreign talents and a lack of investment in research. In the annual World University Rankings by Subject for this year released by Quacquarelli Symonds of the U.K. on Tuesday, only seven Korean universities made it into the world's top 20, compared to 15 last year.

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

Hanoi summit hopefully ends Cold War order

On Feb. 27, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump sat down together in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi for the “talk of the century.” The meeting came eight months after the North Korea-US summit held in Singapore on June 12, 2018. During that time, the Korean Peninsula has rapidly transformed from a scene of confrontation to a place for dialogue.

Kim and Trump kick off Hanoi summit with one-one-one meeting and dinner

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump kicked off their two-day second summit with a dinner in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 27. In contrast with their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, which was a single-day affair, they’re likely to meet at least five times during the two-day affair. Considering that Kim and Trump have taken a top-down approach to pushing forward the talks, the whole world is watching to see whether they can forge a sweeping deal on denuclearization and a peace regime through their extensive contact in Hanoi.

Japan to refrain from engaging in humanitarian aid or economic cooperation with N. Korea

Ahead of the second North Korea-US summit in Hanoi, the Japanese government informed the US that it would not be engaging in humanitarian aid to or economic cooperation with North Korea for the time being, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported on Feb. 26. Tokyo is also reported to have conveyed a similar message to international organizations that are considering humanitarian aid to the North.

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

N. Korea deserves sanctions relief if it dismantles Yongbyon facility: official

Moon Chung-in, special advisor to South Korean President Moon Jae-in for unification, foreign affairs and national security, said Tuesday (local time) that if North Korea agrees to permanently dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear complex, it would deserve partial lifting of sanctions that would allow the resumption of the inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong or Mount Kumgang tours.

Samsung begins mass production on first 512GB eUFS 3.0 memory chip

Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday that it has begun mass production of 512-gigabyte (GB) embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) 3.0 (picture), its next generation mobile memory chip. The solution is twice as fast as the existing eUFS 2.1, boasting sequential read speed of 2,100MBps. Users will be able to transfer a full HD movie (3.7GB) to a computer in three seconds. Along with the mass production of 512GB and 128GB models this month, the tech giant is planning to produce 1TB and 256GB versions in the latter half of this year.

Hanoi summit: Trump and Kim begin dinner at Metropole

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un entered into the second round of nuclear negotiation with a one-on-one meeting on Wednesday afternoon (local time), following the first one in Singapore last year. The heads of the two states, who met in 260 days, were said to have determined the overall path of the Hanoi Statement that will be announced on Thursday through 120 minutes of meeting including 20 minutes of a private consultation.

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

Trump and Kim meet again, 8 months later

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump opened their two-day summit with one-on-one talks and a dinner in Hanoi Wednesday before entering in-depth meetings on a nuclear deal today. The two leaders reunited after eight months with a handshake at the French colonial-era Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi at around 6:30 p.m. amid heightened security in Vietnam’s capital. Trump arrived first to the hotel with his convoy at around 6:15 p.m. Kim’s motorcade arrived minutes later.

Hwang Kyo-ahn wins chairmanship of LKP

Hwang Kyo-ahn, who served as prime minister for impeached former President Park Geun-hye, won the chairmanship election of the conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) on Wednesday just 43 days after joining the largest opposition party. The LKP held a convention at the Kintex convention center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, and elected a new chairman and five members of the Supreme Council, ending a seven-month leadership vacuum. The new leadership will have a two-year tenure over the party and will be responsible for its campaign for next year’s general election. The LKP currently controls 113 seats in the 298-member National Assembly. Two more candidates ran for the chairman post. Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon came in second place and Rep. Kim Jin-tae was in third. Hwang received 68,713 votes, while Oh won 42,653 and Kim 25,924 votes.

Korea’s total fertility rate falls below 1

The total fertility rate in Korea has fallen to a record low, and the country is now the only OECD member where the rate is below 1. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the total fertility rate last year dropped to 0.98 in 2018, down from 1.05 a year earlier, the previous record low. The total fertility rate is the number of children born or likely to be born to a woman in her lifetime. A rate of 2.1 - the replacement rate - is needed to sustain a population. According to World Bank statistics, Korea has not been above 2.1 since 1982.

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

Second NK-US Summit to Begin: A Cornerstone for Peace and Prosperity on the Korean Peninsula

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived at Dong Dang Station in Vietnam on his private train on the morning of February 26. Chairman Kim attended a reception in a Mao suit and with a smile despite the long train ride, then headed for Hanoi. U.S. President Donald Trump also arrived in Hanoi this night on Air Force One. As the world's eyes focus on Hanoi, where a historic summit between North Korea and the United States will be held on February 27-28, the mood of the Vietnamese capital is also buzzing with excitement. We hope the two leaders will be able to place a cornerstone for peace and prosperity as well as for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in the upcoming summit.

President Moon, "Getting Rid of the Remnants of Pro-Japanese Collaborators Is the Beginning of Justice"

On February 26, President Moon Jae-in said, "Settling the issue of the pro-Japanese collaborators and properly honoring the independence movement is the starting point toward properly establishing the spirit of our people and heading toward a just country." This day, ahead of the centennial of the March 1 Independence Movement, President Moon chaired a cabinet meeting at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial in Hyochang-dong, Seoul and said, "The government has worked to refresh the state's attitude in remembering the independence movement and in honoring independence activists."

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

Trump, Kim get down to serious talk on second day of meeting in Hanoi

Leaders of U.S. and North Korea Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un on Thursday get down to serious business after exchanging ceremonious compliments for one another and ambiguous optimism about the outlook from the second summit meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, upon rendezvousing on Wednesday in nearly a year after their last summit in Singapore in June.

BOK sits tight on rates Feb amid deteriorating economic conditions

The Bank of Korea (BOK) sat tight in its second monetary policy meeting for 2019 on Thursday as the worsening economic conditions call for lower, not higher, interest rates. The central bank held the benchmark rate steady at 1.75 percent as widely expected, as the governor after last month’s policy meeting indicated a protracted pause following a hike in November. The BOK predicted the economy to grow 2.6 percent this year, slowing from last year’s estimated 2.7 percent.

Employer’s pay ability is not consideration in setting minimum wage: S. Korean gov’t

The South Korean government has retracted from its earlier plan of considering employers’ ability to pay wages in setting the country’s minimum wage, upsetting the business circle that argues excessive, rapid wage hikes beyond its ability would threaten its business sustainability. The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Wednesday announced a final revision to the criteria the government will consider when revising minimum wages. The final plan comes after the labor ministry revised and complemented a draft announced last month by collecting expert and public opinions through forums and online surveys.

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Lee Kyung-sik edt@koreapost.com