yna--2020-06-29--Retail sales up 2 pct in May on higher demand for online shipping

SEOUL , June 29 ( Yonhap ) -- Retail sales in South Korea increased 2 percent in May from a @ @ @ @ @ more sanitary items and foodstuffs through online platforms in the face of the new coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ .

By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Retail sales in South Korea increased 2 percent in May from a year earlier as people purchased more sanitary items and foodstuffs through online platforms in the face of the new coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday.
The combined sales of 26 major offline and online retailers reached 11.63 trillion won (US$9.65 billion) last month, up from 11.4 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The increase was attributable to a rise in sales at online platforms, which enjoyed a 13.5 percent hike in their revenue over the period.
Sales of foodstuffs from online shops increased nearly 39 percent, with those of daily items and furniture also rising 22.7 percent.
Shipments of electronic goods from online shops advanced 20 percent as well, in line with a new rebate scheme on energy-efficient products.
Due to the global virus pandemic, sales of tourism services and packages, however, dipped 19 percent over the period.
A woman shops for groceries at a department store in Seoul on June 28, 2020. (Yonhap)
Local consumers continued to shun offline stores last month in sync with the country's social-distancing guidelines and fears of catching the virus.
Thirteen offline store operators saw their sales dip 6.1 percent in May from a year earlier, with convenience stores being sole winners.
Sales from supermarkets and department stores decreased 9.7 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively, over the period as more people avoided crowded places while purchasing daily necessities online.
Convenience stores, on the other hand, saw their sales edge up 0.8 percent on the rising demand for sanitary items.
South Korea has reported more than 12,700 COVID-19 cases, with lingering cluster infections from the Seoul metropolitan area sparking concerns over yet another wave of the major pandemic in the country.
In 2019, retail sales in South Korea rose 4.8 percent on-year. Revenue at online shopping malls advanced 14.2 percent, while that of offline stores shed 0.9 percent over the period.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Army to decide on possible reinstatement of transgender soldier

Byun was the first South Korean active-duty officer to have sex reassignment surgery while in service .
Currently , no @ @ @ @ @ to handle cases of soldiers who have sex reassignment operations while in service .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- The Army was to make a decision Monday on whether to reinstate a former noncommissioned officer forced to leave the military following sex reassignment surgery, officials said.
Byun Hee-soo, 22, filed the petition with the Army Headquarters, in February, after a military committee ruled the previous month, based on a medical examination, that the staff sergeant is unable to continue to serve.
Byun underwent the transition surgery late last year in Thailand and has expressed a desire to keep serving in the military as a female soldier.
"The petition review session will take place later in the day, and a seven-member panel is expected to make a judgment today," an Army officer said.
Byun earlier said if the petition is rejected, she will bring her case to court, according to the Military Human Rights Center.
Byun was the first South Korean active-duty officer to have sex reassignment surgery while in service. Currently, no specific regulations exist on how to handle cases of soldiers who have sex reassignment operations while in service.
Under South Korea's conscription system, all able-bodied men must carry out compulsory service for about two years in a country that faces North Korea across a heavily fortified border. Those who change their gender are automatically exempted from this service.
Noncommissioned officers are volunteers, and the country has no rules prohibiting transgender people from entering the military. But chances are high such individuals would be eliminated through a physical exam, according to officers.
South Korea has no transgender soldiers, and the decision on the unprecedented case is expected to have an effect on the overall rights of transgender South Koreans.
Byun Hee-soo, a noncommissioned officer, speaks during a press conference in Seoul on Jan. 22, 2020, after the Army's discharge review committee decided to discharge her by force as the officer underwent gender transition surgery.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--N.K. paper lauds Kim on his leadership anniversary

Monday marks the fourth anniversary of Kim being designated as the commission 's chairman , but the North appears to @ @ @ @ @ amid coronavirus concerns .
This year 's anniversary also does not fall on a five-year @ @ @ @ @ North usually celebrates with major events .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's official paper lauded leader Kim Jong-un on Monday on the occasion of the anniversary of his fourth year as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, the communist state's highest decision-making body, in an apparent effort to bolster internal unity.
Monday marks the fourth anniversary of Kim being designated as the commission's chairman, but the North appears to have skipped any celebratory events amid coronavirus concerns. This year's anniversary also does not fall on a five-year or 10-year anniversary when the North usually celebrates with major events.
Last year, a national meeting was held to celebrate the anniversary.
"Our solidarity and united allegiance towards our leader has gotten tougher through the fierce storms and ruthless fights with our enemies and has grown into an irresistible force," said the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party.
The paper praised Kim's accomplishments in strengthening military power and the economy, stressing that he prioritized the people in his policies and saying he "raised the status and power of our nation to the highest during the worst hardships."
"War threats by the hostile forces and their madness to suppress us is not simply aimed at destroying our economy and hindering progress. It is aimed at disintegrating us and overthrowing the regime by bringing extreme pain and discontent," it added.
Kim took over as leader of the North after his father and former leader Kim Jong-il died in late 2011.
In 2016, North Korea's parliament bestowed a new state title upon Kim and appointed him as the chairman of the newly created state apparatus, the State Affairs Commission, in a move aimed at bolstering his one-man rule.
Kim's father, Kim Jong-il, ruled the North as chairman of the National Defense Commission.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--'#Alive' posts highest weekend box office in 5 months amid pandemic

Thanks to the strong weekend rally , `` # Alive '' topped 1 million admissions on Sunday , the fifth @ @ @ @ @ It became the first film to achieve the feat since the homegrown comedy `` Honest @ @ @ @ @

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- The new zombie thriller "#Alive" posted the highest weekend box office total in five months since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday.
According to the data by the Korean Film Council, "#Alive" attracted 702,000 moviegoers over the Friday-Sunday period, far outnumbering runner-up "Innocence" with 98,000 and No. 3 "Onward" with 87,000.
It is the highest box office recorded by a single flick during a weekend since the drama "The Man Standing Next" sold 2.01 million tickets from Jan. 24-26, the Lunar New Year holiday.
Thanks to the strong weekend rally, "#Alive" topped 1 million admissions on Sunday, the fifth day of its run. It became the first film to achieve the feat since the homegrown comedy "Honest Candidate" in February.
Directed by Cho Il-hyung, known as Il Cho abroad, the new film starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye is a story about two survivors isolated in an apartment complex infected by a mysterious virus.
A scene from "#Alive" from Lotte Entertainment (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The South Korean film industry has been struggling with a sharp drop in moviegoers for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea reported its first coronavirus case in January, and its daily infections peaked in late February.
Daily box office admissions plunged to a record low of 15,000 in April, while film distributors postponed their release schedules.
But the number of moviegoers has been on a slight rise since May on the back of relaxed social distancing and state-led promotional efforts, including discount coupons.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Samsung tipped to log robust Q2 earnings on chip biz: analysts

Samsung was expected to log 53.39 trillion won ( US $ 44.4 billion ) in sales in the April-June period @ @ @ @ @ a year earlier , while operating profit was estimated to drop 2.3 percent on-year to @ @ @ @ @ period , according to data compiled by Yonhap Infomax , the financial news arm of @ @ @ @

By Joo Kyung-don
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co.'s second-quarter earnings could be better than expected, analysts here said Monday, as its robust chip business is likely to offset losses in its smartphone and display businesses amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Samsung was expected to log 53.39 trillion won (US$44.4 billion) in sales in the April-June period, down 5.5 percent from a year earlier, while operating profit was estimated to drop 2.3 percent on-year to 6.44 trillion won over the period, according to data compiled by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.
Samsung, the world's largest memory chip and smartphone vendor, earlier expected weak second-quarter earnings, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on advanced markets like the United States and Europe. The South Korean tech titan is scheduled to announce its second-quarter earnings guidance next week.
This photo taken on Jan. 30, 2020, shows outdoor signage of Samsung Electronics Co. at the company's office building in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Analysts have been raising their earnings outlook for Samsung in recent weeks, however, as the pandemic-driven stay-at-home economy apparently sparked more demand for server chips.
In the first two weeks of June, analysts expected Samsung to post only 50 trillion won in sales and operating income around 6 trillion won.
"Despite earnings decline from its mobile business and widened losses from its display business, Samsung could post estimate-beating earnings results due to a rise in memory chip prices," Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at Eugene Securities, said.
According to market tracker TrendForce, global server shipments in the second quarter are expected to post a 9 percent increase from three months earlier due to increased non-face-to-face activities including teleconferencing and media streaming.
Data from DRAMeXchange, a research division of TrendForce, also showed the contract price for 8-gigabit DDR4 DRAM, a benchmark price for the category, rose for five straight months, from $2.84 in January to $3.31 in May.
This photo provided by Samsung Electronics Co. on Feb. 20, 2020, shows the company's chip plant in Hwaseong, south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
Analysts predicted that operating profit from Samsung's chip business will exceed 5 trillion won in the second quarter, up from 4 trillion won three months ago.
However, Samsung's display business was expected to stay in the red, with its losses further widened due to a decline in smartphone and TV demand.
Analysts also estimated a sharp earnings drop in Samsung's mobile business in the second quarter due to sluggish sales of the company's high-end Galaxy S20 smartphone series.
Some industry watchers have expected operating income of Samsung's mobile business in the second quarter to fall by at least 1 trillion won from the previous quarter.
But the earnings forecast for Samsung's mobile business was still better than analysts' early estimates as they pointed out global smartphone demand has shown signs of a recovery from June.
"We are raising Samsung's smartphone sales estimate from 50 million units to 55 million units in the second quarter," Kim Kyung-min, an analyst at Hana Financial Investment, said. "This is mainly because of demand recovery after the coronavirus outbreak."
This photo taken on April 29, 2020, shows Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S20 smartphones displayed at a store in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Samsung was estimated to have sold 59 million smartphones in the first quarter, according to industry tracker Counterpoint Research.
Samsung's consumer electronics business was expected to stay flat from the first quarter, with some predicting a slight increase in operating profit as TV sales could be above expectations.
Analysts said Samsung is likely to see a big jump in the third quarter, with operating profit reaching 9 trillion won, as its mobile and display businesses will rebound.
"Samsung's set business is expected to increase sales from the third quarter as it enters the peak season," Kim Dong-won, an analyst at KB Securities, said. "The rise of non-face-to-face activities will also lead to solid demand for server DRAM chips and enterprise solid state drive products in the second half."
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--New virus cases dip to below 50; cluster infections traced to churches in focus

South Korea has been dogged by rises in sporadic cluster infections since it relaxed strict social distancing on May 6 @ @ @ @ @ flattened virus curve .
The greater Seoul area accounted for most of the newly added @ @ @ @

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases fell back to below 50 on Monday, but a continued rise in cluster infections, mostly tied to churches, put to the test the country's capability to fight the virus.
The country added 42 cases, including 30 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,757, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a sharp fall from 62 new cases of COVID-19 reported Sunday and 51 additional cases identified Saturday, which might be due to less testing over the weekend.
The country's health authorities remain concerned about sustained rises in local infections and imported cases, which may trigger another wave of virus outbreak in the summer.
The total global virus caseload topped 10 million Sunday, less than seven months since the first reported outbreak in China late last year, as the virus is spreading at an alarming pace.
Health officials disinfect areas surrounding a church in Suwon, south of Seoul, on June 28, 2020, as at least three cases tied to the Baptist church were reported. (Yonhap)
Of the locally transmitted cases, 21 cases were reported in densely populated Seoul and the surrounding area. Two cases were newly reported in the central city of Daejeon and three in Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, the KCDC said.
Cluster infections tied to churches in the greater Seoul area have emerged as the bane of the country's efforts to contain further virus spread.
Cases traced to a major church in Seoul's southwestern ward of Gwanak reached 27 as of noon Sunday. The infections were connected to close contacts via choir activities and a two-day workshop program, the KCDC said.
More small-scale mass infections were also reported in the capital and adjacent areas.
South Korea has been dogged by rises in sporadic cluster infections since it relaxed strict social distancing on May 6 on the back of the flattened virus curve. The greater Seoul area accounted for most of the newly added cases this month.
Health officials warned that they may consider expanding tougher infection preventive measures -- currently in place only in the Seoul metropolitan area -- across the country if virus situations get worse.
Health authorities unveiled a three-level social distancing scheme on Sunday, saying that it could strengthen the degree of social distancing depending on the severity of the virus outbreak.
The country is currently in the Level 1 social distancing scheme, under which the number of daily virus infections, mostly below 50, is manageable under the current medical system.
Level 2 will be applied when daily infections exceed 50 for the 14th straight day, but remain below 100. Level 3 means there is an outbreak of mass infections, under which daily virus cases exceed 100, according to the KCDC.
The country also decided Sunday to allow spectators to start attending sports events, albeit in a limited number, as early as this week under the condition that strict infection prevention measures are taken.
Students and teachers receive coronavirus tests at a middle school in Mokpo, 410 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on June 28, 2020, in this photo provided by the Mokpo city government. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The country is also struggling to stem cases coming in from overseas. It reported 12 additional imported cases.
Recently, cases coming from Asia have spiked mainly because the number of foreign migrant workers has risen. Of 22 new imported cases reported Sunday, 18 cases came from Asian countries, including four from Saudi Arabia and two from Pakistan.
At least 19 cases were connected to cluster infections on Russia-flagged cargo ships docked at a port in the southeastern city of Busan.
Imported cases, once the main source of virus cases here, fell to a single-digit figure early this month after the country strengthened quarantine measures on all international arrivals in April.
But such cases have bounced back to double-digit numbers since mid-June.
South Korea, meanwhile, reported no additional deaths, bringing the total death toll to 282. The fatality rate was 2.21 percent.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,429, up 65 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 1,259,954 tests since Jan. 3.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--(URGENT) 65 more people released after full recoveries from coronavirus, total cured patients at 11,

(URGENT) 65 more people released after full recoveries from coronavirus, total cured patients at 11,429: KCDC

(URGENT) N. Korea says Travis King decided to come over to N. Korea because he harbored ill feeling within the U.S. Army: KCNA


yna--2020-06-29--(URGENT) S. Korea reports no additional coronavirus death, total death toll at 282: KCDC


yna--2020-06-29--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 42 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 12,757: KCDC


yna--2020-06-29--No changes at top and bottom of K League 1 table after wild weekend

`` I told the players to keep their composure and not to rush , '' he said .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ not our players , that would feel the pressure .
So I said we should @ @ @ @ @ have fun .
I think the guys responded well on the pitch . ''

By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- When the dust settled after the weekend, there were no changes at the top and the bottom of the table in South Korean football.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors blanked Ulsan Hyundai FC 2-0 on Sunday in a battle of the two best clubs in the K League 1. Jeonbuk extended their lead over Ulsan to 24-20, while handing their rivals their first loss of the season.
At the opposite end, Incheon United suffered their seventh consecutive loss on Saturday, falling to FC Seoul 1-0. With two draws and seven losses, Incheon remain the only winless club this season. They've fallen six points behind Busan IPark in 12th and last place.
Han Kyo-won of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (C) celebrates his goal against Ulsan Hyundai FC during the clubs' K League 1 match at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 28, 2020. (Yonhap)
The loss also turned out to be the final one for head coach Lim Wan-sup, who resigned on Sunday. Lim became the first coaching casualty of 2020.
Jeonbuk entered Sunday's highly-anticipated showdown nursing a one-point lead over Ulsan, who, by most measures, had been the better team.
But stars didn't quite align for Ulsan in this one. About 40 minutes before the match, midfielder Shin Jin-ho, slotted into the starting lineup, was taken to hospital for sudden spells of dizziness. And 26 minutes into the contest, defender Kim Kee-hee was sent off with a direct red card for a violent tackle on Jeonbuk star Kim Bo-kyung.
Han Kyo-won scored the opener in the 44th, and Takahiro Kunimoto scored the dagger during injury time in the second half.
The winning coach Jose Morais said afterward Jeonbuk pulled out the victory thanks to their poise and patience.
"I told the players to keep their composure and not to rush," he said. "I knew it was Ulsan, not our players, that would feel the pressure. So I said we should stay calm and try to have fun. I think the guys responded well on the pitch."
Son Jun-ho of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (front) and Won Du-jae of Ulsan Hyundai FC battle for the ball during the clubs' K League 1 match at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 28, 2020. (Yonhap)
Ulsan coach Kim Do-hoon shrugged off the result as "just one loss."
"The players did the best they could, and we've only lost this one match all season," Kim said. "We just have to be better prepared the next time."
A day earlier, FC Seoul ended their five-match losing streak while sending Incheon further into a spiral.
Yun Ju-tae scored the match's lone goal in the 62nd minute, and FC Seoul outshot the opponents 12-4.
Combined with Busan IPark's draw on Saturday Suwon Samsung Bluewings' loss on Sunday, Seoul climbed from 11th to ninth on the table. But they're not out of the woods yet.
Before the win, Seoul announced that they would part ways with Serbian striker Aleksandar Pesic after his loan deal from the Saudi club Al-Ittihad expired, rather than acquiring him on a permanent deal.
Yun Ju-tae of FC Seoul (2nd from R) embraces Han Seung-gyu in celebration of his goal against Incheon United during the clubs' K League 1 match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on June 27, 2020, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
With six goals after nine matches, Seoul are very much in the market for goal scoring, and Pesic, who only had one goal in the second half of 2019 and none in 2020, wasn't providing that.
"I've been in talks with our front office, and we absolutely need a new striker," Seoul head coach Choi Yong-soo said. "We've been going through some adversity, and the players were really determined to win this one."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Heavy rain, strong winds hit S. Korea

Heavy rain, strong winds hit S. Korea

The southern port city of Busan recorded up to 62.5 millimeters of rainfall per hour at its popular Haeundae beach @ @ @ @ @ .
The central and eastern regions were forecast to record up to 150 mm and @ @ @ @ @ respectively .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Heavy rain and strong winds lashed South Korea on Monday, prompting authorities to issue weather alerts and call for citizens to take caution against possible damage.
Heavy rain hit the central and eastern parts of the country, including the Chungcheong region and Gangwon Province, and the southernmost island of Jeju, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
The southern port city of Busan recorded up to 62.5 millimeters of rainfall per hour at its popular Haeundae beach area as of 9 p.m. The central and eastern regions were forecast to record up to 150 mm and 300 mm of rain, respectively.
No damage has been reported. Several flights bound for Jeju have been suspended.
Authorities issued advisories for heavy rain and strong winds for Busan and a heavy rain alert for Jeju's mountainous areas. Similar advisories have also been issued for South Jeolla Province in the country's southwest.
The weather agency predicted that the heavy rain will likely continue through Tuesday afternoon.
Heavy rains pound a street in Seogwipo city, south of Jeju island, on June 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--(LEAD) WTO to decide on opening panel on Seoul-Tokyo trade row next month

Japan says that the measures came on the grounds that South Korea did not effectively control sensitive materials that could @ @ @ @ @ .
South Korea believes that it was retaliation against a local court 's decision that @ @ @ @ @ Korean victims for their forced labor during its 1910-45 colonial rule .

(ATTN: UPDATES headline, lead with latest on WTO decision; ADDS paras 2-4)
By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL/GENEVA, June 29 (Yonhap) -- The World Trade Organization (WTO) will decide next month whether to set up a panel to look into South Korea's complaint against Japan's export restrictions, officials said Monday.
The Geneva-based trade body held discussions on the issue that day but stopped short of reaching an agreement because of Japan's rejection.
The matter will be dealt with in the next Dispute Settlement Body session slated for July 29. According to WTO rules, the panel will be set up automatically, even with Japan's opposition, unless there is an unanimous rejection from all members.
Early this month, Seoul reopened the case over Japan's export curbs with the WTO after Tokyo remained unresponsive to Seoul's call for the removal of export restrictions it imposed one year ago on three key display materials vital to South Korea's tech industry.
In July last year, Japan announced that it would regulate South Korea-bound exports of photoresist, etching gas and fluorinated polyimide that are critical for the chip and display industries, the backbone of Asia's No. 4 economy.
Japan says that the measures came on the grounds that South Korea did not effectively control sensitive materials that could be diverted for military use. South Korea believes that it was retaliation against a local court's decision that ordered Japanese firms to compensate Korean victims for their forced labor during its 1910-45 colonial rule.
South Korea and Japan removed each other from their lists of trusted trading partners last year, reflecting their escalating tension.
Seoul initially filed the complaint with the WTO in September 2019, but it decided to suspend the suit two months later in a goodwill gesture to settle the trade war.
The country, which also had warned of scrapping a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, decided to keep the agreement.
Amid the lack of progress in their talks, Seoul in May renewed its call for Tokyo to lift export regulations, but Japan did not provide answers that "meet expectations."
Disappointed by Japan's response, South Korea earlier this month went ahead to resume its lawsuit at the international body.
Tokyo has immediately expressed deep regret over South Korea's decision to reopen the case at the WTO, but reiterated that its export restriction policies were legal and reasonable.
South Korea has argued that Japan "fails to administer its laws, regulations, decisions, and rulings of general application relating to the restrictions on exports in a uniform, impartial, and reasonable manner," according to a WTO document.
The trade row has not yet had a significant impact on South Korea's production of affected goods, as the country made efforts to diversify suppliers while fostering its own technologies.
Asia's No. 4 economy, however, fears that any trade uncertainties may lead to more jitters on its exports which already have been hurt by the new coronavirus pandemic. A poll showed last week South Korea's exports are anticipated to drop 9 percent in June from a year earlier.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--FM Kang says Bolton's memoir reveals 'far-right' perspective

In the book , Bolton described much of the diplomacy with North Korea as an event for a show that @ @ @ @ @ bear fruit .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday described former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton's memoir as being fraught with a "far-right" perspective.
She made her first comment on the publication during a parliamentary session amid growing controversy here over Bolton's accounts of nuclear diplomacy with North Korea.
Kang said "The Room Where It Happened" is "a book that clearly displays a far-right perspective."
"It is clear that Bolton had advised the president through the prism of the far-right wing," she said, answering a lawmaker's question.
"It appears that his viewpoint has influenced the U.S. policy on North Korea to a considerable extent," she said.
In the book, Bolton described much of the diplomacy with North Korea as an event for a show that lacked substance and could never bear fruit.
The Moon Jae-in government has openly criticized the book, saying many of his accounts are inaccurate and distorted.
Bolton defended himself saying it would be a "disservice" to the South Korean people if he did not write the truth.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha speaks during a parliamentary session at the National Assembly in Seoul on June 29, 2020. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Prosecutors drop charges against Elliott in connection with Samsung mergers

Elliott notified of the stake increase within two days , but the financial regulator suspected that it knowingly withheld the @ @ @ @ @ already expecting the stake increase from a total return swap ( TRS ) deal it @ @ @ @ @ ( END )

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean prosecutors have dropped charges against U.S. hedge fund Elliott Management Corp. suspected of violating its duty to report a stake increase in Samsung C&T Corp prior to its 2015 merger with another Samsung unit, prosecution officials said Monday.
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict the company because its probe has found no grounds to bring charges, they said.
South Korea's financial regulator filed a complaint in early 2016 seeking a probe into Elliott on suspicions that it belatedly disclosed in a regulatory filing that its stake in Samsung C&T had risen to 7.12 percent from 4.95 percent.
Under local capital market law, stakeholders with a 5 percent stake or more must make the change in stock ownership public through a regulatory filing within five days of the change in the stock holding.
Elliott notified of the stake increase within two days, but the financial regulator suspected that it knowingly withheld the information even though it was already expecting the stake increase from a total return swap (TRS) deal it had clinched weeks before.
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Air Force to procure 20 upgraded homegrown trainer jets

TA-50 Block-2 is an upgraded version of KAI 's T-50 trainer jet , which is now in service .
The @ @ @ @ @ fighters , according to DAPA officials .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- The state-run arms procurement agency has signed a deal to procure 20 new homegrown trainer jets for the Air Force, officials said Monday.
Under the 688.3 billion-won (US$573.34 million) deal, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) will supply 20 TA-50 Block-2 aircraft, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said. They will be deployed by 2024, the agency added.
TA-50 Block-2 is an upgraded version of KAI's T-50 trainer jet, which is now in service. The new planes will replace KF-16 fighters, according to DAPA officials.
TA-50 trainer jets fly in formation during the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2019. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--(2nd LD) Embattled ex-MLB player Kang Jung-ho abandons KBO comeback bid

Because Kang was n't a free agent and he went through the posting process to sign with the Pirates , @ @ @ @ @ `` voluntarily retired '' list in 2015 .
If the Heroes choose to activate him @ @ @ @ @ will be able to sign with other KBO teams .
But if the Heroes keep @ @ @ @ @ n't be able to join another KBO club , but he will still be eligible @ @ @ @ @ chooses to or if he can find a suitor .

(ATTN: ADDS comments in paras 11-12)
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Besieged by mounting criticism over his past drunk driving cases, embattled former big leaguer Kang Jung-ho has abandoned his comeback bid with the top South Korean league.
In an Instagram post, Kang, 33, announced Monday that he has informed the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) that he will not attempt to rejoin the team.
Former major league player Kang Jung-ho listens to a question during a press conference at a Seoul hotel on June 23, 2020, as he apologizes for his past drunk driving cases in a bid to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. (Yonhap)
Kang, who was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates last August, was seeking a return to the Heroes, a franchise for whom he'd played from 2006 to 2014 before going to the majors.
Kang had been grilled in the court of public opinion over his three drunk driving incidents, the last of which led to a suspended jail term in May 2017. Kang held a press conference last Tuesday in Seoul to apologize for his mishaps, but his detractors questioned the timing and sincerity of his apology. They argued that he was only hoping to extend his playing career and that if he were truly sorry, the apology should have come three years earlier.
Kang's repeated pledges to work with children also drew scoffs, with critics saying Kang's mere presence in the KBO after getting caught three times for drunk driving sends a wrong message to youths. Kang had also offered to donate his entire first-year salary if he returned.
In the social media post, Kang said he had thought long and hard about his future after last week's press conference, and concluded that he had only caused those around him much trouble.
"I realized once again that I had committed too big of a mistake to be asking fans for their forgiveness," Kang wrote. "I wanted to show people that I had changed, and I wanted to play baseball with the Heroes again. But I see that I was just being greedy and that I was being a burden to the KBO, the Heroes and my fellow baseball players."
Kang said he has always considered the Heroes his home and he wanted to be reunited with his former club to begin his career makeover. He acknowledged that he only belatedly realized he had put the team and its players in a "difficult situation."
"I'd like to apologize from the bottom of my heart to anyone that I've hurt during my comeback attempt," Kang added.
Former major league player Kang Jung-ho bows before the start of a press conference at a Seoul hotel on June 23, 2020, as he apologizes for his past drunk driving cases in a bid to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. (Yonhap)
The Heroes had retained rights to Kang when he left for the Pirates, and if Kang had signed with them, he would have had to serve a one-year suspension handed down by the KBO last month.
Heroes' general manager Kim Chi-hyun said he spoke with Kang Sunday night and the player apologized to him and the team.
"We had a lot of internal discussions on Kang's status, and we respect his decision," Kim said.
Because Kang wasn't a free agent and he went through the posting process to sign with the Pirates, Kang was placed on the "voluntarily retired" list in 2015. If the Heroes choose to activate him from that list, Kang will be able to sign with other KBO teams. But if the Heroes keep him there, Kang won't be able to join another KBO club, but he will still be eligible to go overseas if he chooses to or if he can find a suitor.
Kang wrote on Instagram that he has yet to decide on his future.
"No matter what I do, I will continue to try to become a better person and to take care of my family and people around me," Kang said. "I will give back to the community and become a contributing member of society."
Kang made his big league debut in 2015 and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, thanks to a .287/.355/.461 line, 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 126 games.
Then in 2016, Kang posted a .513 slugging percentage while setting career highs with 21 home runs and 62 RBIs in 103 games.
In this Associated Press file photo, from July 28, 2019, Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts after striking out against the New York Mets in a Major League Baseball regular season game at Citi Field in New York. (Yonhap)
But Kang's big league career went into a spiral in December 2016, when he drove into a guardrail in Seoul while under the influence of alcohol, and then fled the scene. He received a suspended jail term for that offense in 2017.
The former KBO All-Star shortstop missed the entire 2017 season because he was unable to obtain his U.S. work permit. Then he appeared in only three games at the end of the 2018 season.
Kang's four-year deal with the Pirates expired in 2018, but they gave him a second chance by handing him a new one-year deal for 2019
Kang led the majors with seven home runs in spring training in 2019, but in the regular season, he stumbled to a .169/.222./.395 line in 65 games with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs. The Pirates released him on Aug. 4.
Kang briefly worked out with the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A team, but no new deal came out of it.
Kang had been among the premier sluggers in the KBO. In 2014, his last season before moving to the majors, Kang established a new KBO record for the most home runs in a season by a shortstop with 40.
Former major league player Kang Jung-ho speaks at a press conference at a Seoul hotel on June 23, 2020, as he apologizes for his past drunk driving cases in a bid to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Jecheon music film fest to be held online this year due to coronavirus

The festival 's music programs will also proceed without the audience and can be enjoyed both on YouTube and the @ @ @ @ @ explained , adding the opening ceremony will be held in the form of proclamation ceremony @ @ @ @ @ people , including judges , on hand .

JECHEON, South Korea, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest international festival of music films, annually hosted by the central city of Jecheon, will be held online this year, due to the coronavirus outbreak, its organizing committee said Monday.
The 16th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF) will take place in the North Chungcheong city, about 170 kilometers southeast of Seoul, from Aug. 13-17 but without the presence of spectators, according to Mayor Lee Sang-cheon, who serves as the chief of the festival's organizing committee.
"This year's JIMFF will be held online on a sharply reduced scale, without the audience," Lee said in a news conference.
"Nevertheless, the festival's key events, such as support for film productions, film music academy, screening in the competition sector and moveable theaters for Jecheon citizens, will proceed faithfully. Such events will be attended by festival-related officials alone in consideration of citizens' health and safety," the mayor said.
Jecheon Mayor Lee Sang-cheon, the chief organizer of the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF), speaks during a news conference in the city, about 170 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 29, 2020, to announce plans for the 16th edition of the festival. (Yonhap)
All films selected for the 16th JIMFF will be screened on the festival's official online platform, the organizing committee said in a news release.
The festival's music programs will also proceed without the audience and can be enjoyed both on YouTube and the official online platform, it explained, adding the opening ceremony will be held in the form of proclamation ceremony with the minimum number of people, including judges, on hand.
"The decision to shift to an online festival has been made in light of growing concern about the new wave of COVID-19 infections and the central government's strengthened distancing efforts," the organizing committee said.
The committee said it plans to launch a long-term screening program for an offline introduction of films in competition, if the coronavirus situation stabilizes in the future.
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--(LEAD) Ruling party takes all assembly committee chairman seats in unprecedented unilateral voting

The chairman seat of the Intelligence Committee was only left empty due to the need for approval by deputy speakers @ @ @ @ @ main opposition party .
The seat is also on course to go to the DP @ @ @ @ @ Future Party ( UFP ) refused to take any chairman posts .

(ATTN: UPDATES with details in paras 8-9, 19-21; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Ending a month-long standstill of the National Assembly, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) took all but one of parliament's 18 standing committee chairman seats Monday in unilateral voting boycotted by the main opposition and minor parties.
A parliamentary plenary session, led by the DP, elected 11 representatives from the ruling party to chair the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, the National Policy Committee as well as nine other parliamentary standing committees.
The chairman seat of the Intelligence Committee was only left empty due to the need for approval by deputy speakers from both the ruling and main opposition party. The seat is also on course to go to the DP after the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) refused to take any chairman posts.
It will put all the leadership seats of the 18 parliamentary standing committees in the hands of the DP after six DP lawmakers were initially elected to head six key committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, in mid-June.
It is the first time since 1988 that the ruling party monopolizes all the standing committee chairman seats. Since that year, the biggest rival parties have distributed the committee leadership seats between them, breaking from the previous winner-take-all practice.
As they did with the previous voting earlier this month, the UFP boycotted the election voting of the plenary session, accusing the ruling party of sidestepping the main opposition party.
Taking issue with the DP taking the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which has customarily been reserved for the main opposition party, the UFP has vehemently resisted the ruling party's efforts to expedite the formation of the standing committees.
On Monday morning, the two rival parties' floor leaders sat down for last-minute negotiations at the mediation of National Assembly Speaker, Rep. Park Byeong-seug, only to see the meeting fall through without an agreement.
UFP floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young suggested that the chairman post of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee be reserved for his party for the second half of the current four-year parliamentary term which kicked off a month earlier.
The main opposition United Future Party's floor leader Joo Ho-young speaks during a press meeting in Seoul on June, 29, 2020. (Yonhap)
While being disposed to distribute seven of the 18 committee chairman seats to the UFP as is the custom, however, the DP rejected the UFP's proposal, saying that the legislation committee chair for the second half should go to the next ruling party.
Without any concessions from the ruling party, Joo said in protest that "the UFP decided not to take (any) committee chairman seats ... because (doing otherwise) would only make us a sidekick at the National Assembly that is unilaterally run by the DP."
Joo accused the DP of shattering the time-honored custom of leaving the legislation committee chairman seat to the main opposition while vowing to perform a role as a thorough watchdog against the ruling party.
The minor left-wing Justice Party also boycotted the parliamentary voting, accusing the DP of "one-party monopoly." The minor People's Party also skipped the voting.
Amid continued bipartisan wrangling on the issue, the National Assembly has been at a standstill since its new term began on May 30.
Completing the committee formation, the chamber is to immediately kick off the process to pass a new COVID-19 response special budget bill, which has been pending at the assembly nearly for a month.
"Today marks the first full month since the 21st National Assembly began, but its opening ceremony, as well as the formation of standing committees, have yet to be done. And for that, I feel very sorry," Assembly Speaker Park said at the start of the Monday plenary session.
"The country is in a state of emergency due to the new coronavirus, its economic fallout and inter-Korean tensions," Park said, adding that the National Assembly can no longer be left inactive.
Ending the month-long standstill, the DP and the government are determined to pass the budget bill, the third round of South Korea's virus response extra spending, within this week.
National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug presides over a plenary meeting in Seoul on June 29, 2020, where 11 representatives from the ruling Democratic Party were elected to chair 11 parliamentary standing committees. (Yonhap)
Addressing the National Assembly, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called for swift parliamentary approval of the pending extra budget bill.
"Economic uncertainties are continuing as (we remain unaware of) the start and end of the COVID-19-driven crisis," Chung said. "Only timely injection of sufficient funds can create the virtuous circle ... through which the economy should make a V-shaped rebound," Chung said.
The Monday parliamentary decision put DP floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon at the chairmanship of the House Steering Committee, Rep. Youn Kwan-suk the National Policy Committee and Rep. Jung Sung-ho the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, among others.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun gives a speech during the National Assembly's plenary session in Seoul on June 29, 2020. (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Probe on reporter's blackmailing to get public assessment

They said a panel of civilians , formed by the prosecution , concluded Monday that the case was worth a @ @ @ @ @ check the investigation 's neutrality and fairness .
The review system was introduced in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ great public interest .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- A blackmail case involving a reporter will be referred to the country's top prosecution's external committee for a review over the probe's validity, the prosecution said Monday.
They said a panel of civilians, formed by the prosecution, concluded Monday that the case was worth a review by outside experts to check the investigation's neutrality and fairness. The review system was introduced in 2018 for cases that are of great public interest.
The case centers on the reporter from the cable channel Channel A, who is suspected of pressuring a jailed financier to divulge corrupt acts by a pro-government commentator. He allegedly tried to leverage his ties with a senior prosecutor deemed powerful enough to influence the inmate's case.
The prosecution in April launched the probe into the incident, which was first reported by the broadcaster MBC on March 31.
According to the MBC report, the Channel A journalist coaxed and blackmailed the businessman, named Lee Cheol, to tip him off about Rhyu Si-min, a popular writer and chief of a public foundation in memory of former President Roh Moo-hyun.
Lee, formerly the largest shareholder of ShillaJen, a struggling biotech company, was sentenced to 12 years for fraud last year and received an additional 2 1/2 years in February.
The reporter was digging up rumors that Lee paid inappropriately large lecture fees to the liberal pundit a few years ago. Rhyu denied that claim.
MBC revealed the reporter's letters to Lee and a recorded conversation between the journalist and an associate of Lee, in which he warned Lee to cooperate or face a longer prison sentence, further financial losses and new charges against his family.
Lee's associate told MBC that the reporter offered to use his close ties with the prosecution to help Lee and his family avoid more punishment.
The reporter played to him a recorded conversation with a senior prosecutor, Han Dong-hoon, believed to be close to Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, to show his connection with the prosecution. Han denied he had such a conversation.
MBC claimed the journalist and the prosecution plotted to deal a blow to the ruling Democratic Party (DP) ahead of the April 15 parliamentary elections.
The Moon Jae-in administration has pushed to transfer some investigative powers from the prosecution to police and establish a separate body to probe corruption and power abuse by high-level officials.
After the MBC report, a media NGO filed a complaint accusing the reporter and the prosecutor of blackmail.
On June 14, the reporter filed a petition with the prosecution to call for an outside panel to review the ongoing probe into him, a separate review system from the 2018 one.
To respond to the request, the jailed Lee requested for a public assessment of the investigation. The prosecution should form an independent committee made up of outside experts within two weeks.
Last week, such a committee recommended the prosecution not to indict Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong in a high-profile succession case. A finding by the committee is not legally binding, but it has played an important role in determining the course of the prosecution's investigation.
The file photo, taken in the southeastern port city of Busan on Feb. 13, 2020, shows prosecutor Han Dong-hoon (L) and Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl (R). (Yonhap)
jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--S. Korea to spend 36 billion won to help developing countries' pandemic responses

`` Our government has selected the beneficiaries based on the comprehensive considerations of its policy priorities , the needs to @ @ @ @ @ and bilateral relations , '' the ministry said in a press release .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to spend 36 billion won (US$29.9 million) this year on a new aid program to help developing countries fight the new coronavirus and support their efforts for sustainable development, the foreign ministry said Monday.
The official development assistance (ODA) program aims to strengthen Korea's humanitarian support for the countries and health care cooperation with them through various projects, such as enhancing medical facilities and ensuring stable supplies of quarantine goods.
The beneficiaries include Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Colombia, Vietnam and Cambodia.
"Our government has selected the beneficiaries based on the comprehensive considerations of its policy priorities, the needs to strengthen their health care capacity and bilateral relations," the ministry said in a press release.
"It will consider whether to increase the number of countries depending on the demand for such cooperation," it added.
The ministry plans to proceed with the new ODA program in close collaboration with other agencies, including the health ministry, Korea International Cooperation Agency and Korea Foundation for International Healthcare.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--(LEAD) Army to decide on possible reinstatement of transgender soldier

`` But the decision will not be made public at least until it is delivered to Byun , '' another @ @ @ @ @ are supposed to notify the former officer of the result within 15 days . ''

(ATTN: RECASTS lead as session begins; ADDS more details, comments in paras 4-5)
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- The Army held a personnel affairs committee session Monday to decide whether to reinstate a former noncommissioned officer forced to leave the military following sex reassignment surgery, officials said.
Byun Hee-soo, 22, filed the petition with the Army in February, after a military committee ruled the previous month, based on a medical examination, that the staff sergeant is unable to continue to serve.
Byun underwent the transition surgery late last year in Thailand and has expressed a desire to keep serving in the military as a female soldier.
The petition review session took place at the Army Headquarters located in the central city of Gyeryong, which was also attended by Byun, an Army officer said, adding that the seven-member panel is to make a judgment after this session.
"But the decision will not be made public at least until it is delivered to Byun," another officer said. "We are supposed to notify the former officer of the result within 15 days."
Byun earlier said if the petition is rejected, she will bring her case to court, according to the Military Human Rights Center.
Byun was the first South Korean active-duty officer to have sex reassignment surgery while in service. Currently, no specific regulations exist on how to handle cases of soldiers who have sex reassignment operations while in service.
Under South Korea's conscription system, all able-bodied men must carry out compulsory service for about two years in a country that faces North Korea across a heavily fortified border. Those who change their gender are automatically exempted from this service.
Noncommissioned officers are volunteers, and the country has no rules prohibiting transgender people from entering the military. But chances are high such individuals would be eliminated through a physical exam, according to officers.
South Korea has no transgender soldiers, and the decision on the unprecedented case is expected to have an effect on the overall rights of transgender South Koreans.
Byun Hee-soo, a noncommissioned officer, speaks during a press conference in Seoul on Jan. 22, 2020, after the Army's discharge review committee decided to discharge her by force as the officer underwent gender transition surgery.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--(LEAD) Embattled ex-MLB player Kang Jung-ho abandons KBO comeback bid

(ATTN: ADDS details, background throughout, photos)
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Besieged by mounting criticism over his past drunk driving cases, embattled former big leaguer Kang Jung-ho has abandoned his comeback bid with the top South Korean league.
In an Instagram post, Kang, 33, announced Monday that he has informed the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) that he will not attempt to rejoin the team.
Former major league player Kang Jung-ho listens to a question during a press conference at a Seoul hotel on June 23, 2020, as he apologizes for his past drunk driving cases in a bid to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. (Yonhap)
Kang, who was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates last August, was seeking a return to the Heroes, a franchise for whom he'd played from 2006 to 2014 before going to the majors.
Kang had been grilled in the court of public opinion over his three drunk driving incidents, the last of which led to a suspended jail term in May 2017. Kang held a press conference last Tuesday in Seoul to apologize for his mishaps, but his detractors questioned the timing and sincerity of his apology. They argued that he was only hoping to extend his playing career and that if he were truly sorry, the apology should have come three years earlier.
Kang's repeated pledges to work with children also drew scoffs, with critics saying Kang's mere presence in the KBO after getting caught three times for drunk driving sends a wrong message to youths. Kang had also offered to donate his entire first-year salary if he returned.
In the social media post, Kang said he had thought long and hard about his future after last week's press conference, and concluded that he had only caused those around him much trouble.
"I realized once again that I had committed too big of a mistake to be asking fans for their forgiveness," Kang wrote. "I wanted to show people that I had changed, and I wanted to play baseball with the Heroes again. But I see that I was just being greedy and that I was being a burden to the KBO, the Heroes and my fellow baseball players."
Kang said he has always considered the Heroes his home and he wanted to be reunited with his former club to begin his career makeover. He acknowledged that he only belatedly realized he had put the team and its players in a "difficult situation."
"I'd like to apologize from the bottom of my heart to anyone that I've hurt during my comeback attempt," Kang added.
Former major league player Kang Jung-ho bows before the start of a press conference at a Seoul hotel on June 23, 2020, as he apologizes for his past drunk driving cases in a bid to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. (Yonhap)
The Heroes had retained rights to Kang when he left for the Pirates, and if Kang had signed with them, he would have had to serve a one-year suspension handed down by the KBO last month.
Because Kang wasn't a free agent and he went through the posting process to sign with the Pirates, Kang was placed on the "voluntarily retired" list in 2015. If the Heroes choose to activate him from that list, Kang will be able to sign with other KBO teams. But if the Heroes keep him there, Kang won't be able to join another KBO club, but he will still be eligible to go overseas if he chooses to or if he can find a suitor.
Kang wrote on Instagram that he has yet to decide on his future.
"No matter what I do, I will continue to try to become a better person and to take care of my family and people around me," Kang said. "I will give back to the community and become a contributing member of society."
Kang made his big league debut in 2015 and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, thanks to a .287/.355/.461 line, 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 126 games.
Then in 2016, Kang posted a .513 slugging percentage while setting career highs with 21 home runs and 62 RBIs in 103 games.
In this Associated Press file photo, from July 28, 2019, Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts after striking out against the New York Mets in a Major League Baseball regular season game at Citi Field in New York. (Yonhap)
But Kang's big league career went into a spiral in December 2016, when he drove into a guardrail in Seoul while under the influence of alcohol, and then fled the scene. He received a suspended jail term for that offense in 2017.
The former KBO All-Star shortstop missed the entire 2017 season because he was unable to obtain his U.S. work permit. Then he appeared in only three games at the end of the 2018 season.
Kang's four-year deal with the Pirates expired in 2018, but they gave him a second chance by handing him a new one-year deal for 2019
Kang led the majors with seven home runs in spring training in 2019, but in the regular season, he stumbled to a .169/.222./.395 line in 65 games with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs. The Pirates released him on Aug. 4.
Kang briefly worked out with the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A team, but no new deal came out of it.
Kang had been among the premier sluggers in the KBO. In 2014, his last season before moving to the majors, Kang established a new KBO record for the most home runs in a season by a shortstop with 40.
Former major league player Kang Jung-ho speaks at a press conference at a Seoul hotel on June 23, 2020, as he apologizes for his past drunk driving cases in a bid to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Ruling party takes all assembly committee chairman seats in unprecedented unilateral voting

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Ending a month-long standstill of the National Assembly, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) took all but one of parliament's 18 standing committee chairman seats Monday in unilateral voting boycotted by the main opposition and minor parties.
A parliamentary plenary session, led by the DP, elected 11 representatives from the ruling party to chair the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, the National Policy Committee as well as nine other parliamentary standing committees.
The chairman seat of the Intelligence Committee was only left empty due to the need for approval by deputy speakers from both the ruling and main opposition party. The seat is also on course to go to the DP after the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) refused to take any chairman posts.
It will put all the leadership seats of the 18 parliamentary standing committees in the hands of the DP after six DP lawmakers were initially elected to head six key committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, in mid-June.
It is the first time since 1988 that the ruling party monopolizes all the standing committee chairman seats. Since that year, the biggest rival parties have distributed the committee leadership seats between them, breaking from the previous winner-take-all practice.
As they did with the previous voting earlier this month, the UFP boycotted the election voting of the plenary session, accusing the ruling party of sidestepping the main opposition party.
Taking issue with the DP taking the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which has customarily been reserved for the main opposition party, the UFP has vehemently resisted the ruling party's efforts to expedite the formation of the standing committees.
On Monday morning, the two rival parties' floor leaders sat down for last-minute negotiations at the mediation of National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, only to see the meeting fall through without an agreement.
UFP floor leader Joo Ho-young suggested that the chairman post of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee be reserved for his party for the second half of the current four-year parliamentary term which kicked off a month earlier.
The main opposition United Future Party's floor leader Joo Ho-young speaks during a press meeting in Seoul on June, 29, 2020. (Yonhap)
While being disposed to distribute seven of the 18 committee chairman seats to the UFP as is the custom, however, the DP rejected the UFP's proposal, saying that the legislation committee chair for the second half should go to the next ruling party.
Without any concessions from the ruling party, Joo said in protest that "the UFP decided not to take (any) committee chairman seats ... because (doing otherwise) would only make us a sidekick at the National Assembly that is unilaterally run by the DP."
Joo accused the DP of shattering the time-honored custom of leaving the legislation committee chairman seat to the main opposition while vowing to perform a role as a thorough watchdog against the ruling party.
The minor left-wing Justice Party also boycotted the parliamentary voting, accusing the DP of "one-party monopoly." The minor People's Party also skipped the voting.
Amid continued bipartisan wrangling on the issue, the National Assembly has been at a standstill since its new term began on May 30.
Completing the committee formation, the chamber is to immediately kick off the process to pass a new COVID-19 response special budget bill, which has been pending at the assembly nearly for a month.
"Today marks the first full month since the 21st National Assembly began, but its opening ceremony, as well as the formation of standing committees, have yet to be done. And for that, I feel very sorry," Assembly Speaker Park said at the start of the Monday plenary session.
"The country is in a state of emergency due to the new coronavirus, its economic fallout and inter-Korean tensions," Park said, adding that the National Assembly can no longer be left inactive.
Ending the month-long standstill, the DP and the government are determined to pass the budget bill, the third round of South Korea's virus response extra spending, within this week.
National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug presides over a plenary meeting in Seoul on June 29, 2020, where 11 representatives from the ruling Democratic Party were elected to chair 11 parliamentary standing committees. (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Sunmi goes hopelessly romantic in summer dance number 'Pporappippam'

`` I do n't think results can turn out well if you do n't have pressure .
I always think @ @ @ @ @ pressure .
If you think about it , I think being asked about whether I @ @ @ @ @ that I 've doing well so far , '' Sunmi said .

By Chang Dong-woo
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Since her full-fledged solo departure from Wonder Girls in 2017, K-pop songstress Sunmi has taken on striking concepts of feminist empowerment in her summer tracks, from "Gashina" to "Noir."
For 2020, Sunmi is taking on a totally new facade: a woman hopelessly in love in the early days of summer. "Pporappippam," which means "purple-hue night" in Korean, is about the heart-pounding emotions one feels when falling in love, according to the singer.
"For me, this is the first true love song. From 'Lalalay,' 'Noir' to 'Siren,' my music largely carried cynicism or ridicule of love," the singer said Monday at a press conference for her new song at Yes Live Hall in eastern Seoul.
This photo provided by Makeus Entertainment shows K-pop singer Sunmi (C) performing on stage showcasing new single "Pporappippam" at Yes Live Hall in eastern Seoul on June 29, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The media event was streamed live on a closed YouTube channel. "Pporappippam" was set to be released at 6 p.m.
Sunmi has again partnered with her long-time collaborator Frants, co-writing the retro-style city pop number with the producer. As usual, Sunmi was in charge of the lyrics.
Conceptually and musically, "Pporappippam" is in many respects an unapologetic summer party song, with the music video saturated in a purple hue filled with imagery of young partiers having a blast around a beach bonfire with fireworks, without the usual biting commentaries associated with Sunmi.
The singer said she had something else in mind when initially working on the album. But amid weighty recent real-world incidents, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunmi said she wanted to deliver a sense of relief and escapism to her fans.
"Honestly I was working on a different song as the title song. Then I had the realization, that everyone nowadays were going through difficult times emotionally, with stuff weighing down on their hearts," said Sunmi.
She added, "My songs largely had a weighty feel in the past. I wanted to deliver as sense of emotional relief to fans. 'Pporappippam' is such a heart-pounding song."
This photo provided by Makeus Entertainment shows K-pop singer Sunmi (2nd from R) performing her new single "Pporappippam" at Yes Live Hall in eastern Seoul on June 29, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"That feeling during early summer, of the breeze that dries away the sweat near dusk. That sense of excitement when you're watching the sky while sitting at an outside terrace cafe. I wanted to sonically create that," Sunmi said.
As of now, Sunmi remains a largely uncontested icon in the solo female K-pop dance scene, with many up-and-coming newbies citing her as a career role model.
Sunmi said her biggest advice to new comers to K-pop was to "geek out" to yourself as much as possible -- as in becoming your very own super fan.
"I did always ponder becoming a role model to someone else. I'm grateful that many newcomers consider me their role model, relieved from the fact that I've been doing fairly okay."
Sunmi elaborated, "From the start, I wasn't really someone that stood out. Since my solo debut, the most frequent advice I made during interview was people to geek out at themselves. I think that resonated a lot from younger artists."
About the pressures of meeting expectations, Sunmi said she relishes the pressure.
"I don't think results can turn out well if you don't have pressure. I always think that one has to have pressure. If you think about it, I think being asked about whether I have pressure is a sign that I've doing well so far," Sunmi said.
This photo provided by Makeus Entertainment shows K-pop singer Sunmi (C) performing her new single "Pporappippam" at Yes Live Hall in eastern Seoul on June 29, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--S. Korea to extend crackdown on mask hoarders to Sept. amid prolonged pandemic

The country accordingly introduced a rationing scheme for protective masks , which allowed people to purchase two masks on designated @ @ @ @ @ , was later partially lifted in sync with the country 's efforts to beef up @ @ @ @ @ being allowed to buy 10 masks a week starting in mid-June .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Monday it will extend tough measures against face mask hoarders through September as sporadic cluster infections continued to haunt the country.
The country adopted crackdown measures on mask hoarders in February that center on punishment with a jail term of up to two years or fines of up to 50 million won (US$41,715). The measures were scheduled to end this month.
The order bans any "act of cornering and hoarding" of sanitary items and is applied both to producers and sellers, according to the finance ministry.
"We have decided to extend the deadline, considering that the new coronavirus pandemic has not yet ended and that any market-violating actions can happen anytime," the ministry said in a statement.
A consumer purchases protective masks at a pharmacy in central Seoul on June 18, 2020. (Yonhap)
South Koreans formed long lines at pharmacies and supermarkets during the peak of the pandemic between late February and early March to purchase face masks, with the products' prices also skyrocketing on online sales platforms.
The country accordingly introduced a rationing scheme for protective masks, which allowed people to purchase two masks on designated days. This, however, was later partially lifted in sync with the country's efforts to beef up the supply, with people being allowed to buy 10 masks a week starting in mid-June.
The country reported its first COVID-19 patient on Jan. 20.
On Monday, South Korea added new 42 cases, including 30 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,757.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--(4th LD) New virus cases dip to below 50, cluster infections traced to churches in focus

The government unveiled a three-level social distancing scheme Sunday , saying that the country is currently at Level 1 , @ @ @ @ @ daily new virus cases , mostly below 50 , is manageable with the current medical @ @

(ATTN: REWRITES lead; UPDATES with more details in paras 6,17-19; FIXES photo caption)
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases fell back to below 50 on Monday, but a continued rise in cluster infections, mostly tied to small-scale gatherings at churches, put further strain on the country's virus fight.
Health authorities urged citizens to avoid gatherings and proposed staggered vacations during the summer season to stem further virus spread.
The country added 42 cases, including 30 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,757, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a sharp fall from 62 new cases of COVID-19 reported Sunday and 51 additional cases identified Saturday, which might be due to less testing over the weekend.
The country's health authorities remain concerned about sustained rises in local infections and imported cases, which may trigger another wave of virus outbreak in the summer.
The total global virus caseload topped 10 million Sunday, less than seven months since the first reported outbreak in China late last year, as the virus is spreading at an alarming pace.
Citizens line up to receive new coronavirus tests at a screening center at a hospital in Seoul's southwestern ward of Gwanak on June 29, 2020, as at least 28 virus cases tied to a major church in the district were reported. (Yonhap)
Of the locally transmitted cases, 21 cases were reported in densely populated Seoul and the surrounding area. Three new cases were reported in Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, the KCDC said.
"Over the past two weeks, the portions of both cluster infections and imported cases remained high. That of cases whose infection transmissions are unknown has also risen to 11.8 percent," KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said in a briefing.
Cluster infections tied to churches in the greater Seoul area have emerged as the bane of the country's quarantine efforts.
Cases traced to a major church in Seoul's southwestern ward of Gwanak reached 28 as of noon, up one case from the previous day. Those tied to a church in Anyang, south of Seoul, rose by four to 22.
At least 12 cases linked to a Buddhist temple in Gwangju were reported. Health authorities are conducting virus tests on 76 people for potential transmission.
Those linked to a door-to-door retailer in southern Seoul reached 210, up three over the past 24 hours.
"Infections tied to small gatherings have increased, making it hard to contain virus transmission. It is worrisome that the virus is spreading in regions beyond the Seoul metropolitan area," Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health official, said in a briefing.
Yoon said the government is considering the adoption of measures to stem the virus spread at churches and other religious facilities.
The government remains cautious about designating religious facilities as "high-risk" places as critics regard the move as infringing on religious freedom.
This photo, taken June 29, 2020, shows the closed front gate of an elementary school in Seoul's central ward of Yongsan as the school has suspended students' off-line classes after virus cases were reported at a day care center run by the defense ministry in the vicinity of the school. (Yonhap)
South Korea has been dogged by rises in sporadic cluster infections in the greater Seoul area since it relaxed strict social distancing on May 6 on the back of the flattened virus curve.
Health officials warned that they may consider expanding tougher infection preventive measures -- currently in place only in the Seoul metropolitan area -- across the country if virus situations get worse.
The government unveiled a three-level social distancing scheme Sunday, saying that the country is currently at Level 1, under which the outbreak of daily new virus cases, mostly below 50, is manageable with the current medical system.
In an effort to stem the spread of the virus at vacation spots, health authorities plan to advise companies to let their employees extend the use of their summer vacation to early September.
They will also recommend that firms split lunch hours into two or three segments if they run in-house cafeterias.
Officials from a publishing company hold a videoconference with a publishing house in Indonesia at a book fair event held at COEX in southern Seoul on June 29, 2020. (Yonhap)
The country reported 12 additional imported cases, raising the total such cases to 1,562.
At least 19 cases were connected to cluster infections on two Russia-flagged cargo ships docked at a port in the southeastern city of Busan.
Imported cases, once the main source of virus cases here, fell to a single-digit figure early this month after the country strengthened quarantine measures on all international arrivals in April.
But such cases have bounced back to double-digit numbers since mid-June.
Imported cases accounted for 34.1 percent of the total new virus cases reported over the past two weeks, according to the KCDC.
South Korea, meanwhile, reported no additional deaths, bringing the total death toll to 282. The fatality rate was 2.21 percent.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,429, up 65 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 1,259,954 tests since Jan. 3.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Embattled ex-MLB player Kang Jung-ho abandons KBO comeback bid

Kang had been grilled in the court of public opinion over his three drunk driving incidents , the last of @ @ @ @ @ jail term in May 2017 .
Kang held a press conference last Tuesday in Seoul @ @ @ @ @ , but his detractors questioned the timing and sincerity of his apology .
They argued @ @ @ @ @ to extend his playing career and that if he were truly sorry , the apology @ @ @ @ @ earlier .

By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Besieged by mounting criticism over his past drunk driving cases, embattled former big leaguer Kang Jung-ho has abandoned his comeback bid with the top South Korean league.
In an Instagram post, Kang announced Monday that he has informed the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) that he will not attempt to rejoin the team.
Former major league player Kang Jung-ho listens to a question during a press conference at a Seoul hotel on June 23, 2020, as he apologizes for his past drunk driving cases in a bid to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. (Yonhap)
Kang, who was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates last August, was seeking a return to the Heroes, a franchise he'd played from 2006 to 2014 before going to the majors.
Kang had been grilled in the court of public opinion over his three drunk driving incidents, the last of which led to a suspended jail term in May 2017. Kang held a press conference last Tuesday in Seoul to apologize for his mishaps, but his detractors questioned the timing and sincerity of his apology. They argued that he was only hoping to extend his playing career and that if he were truly sorry, the apology should have come three years earlier.
The Heroes had retained rights to Kang when he left for the Pirates, and if Kang had signed with them, he would have had to serve a one-year suspension handed down by the KBO last month.
That's all moot now, but the 33-year-old infielder can still play overseas if he chooses to or if he can find a suitor.
Former major league player Kang Jung-ho bows before the start of a press conference at a Seoul hotel on June 23, 2020, as he apologizes for his past drunk driving cases in a bid to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--Three Korean blockbusters likely to lead summer box office race amid pandemic

The film revolves around a professional killer , who plans to retire after carrying out his last mission .
But @ @ @ @ @ incidents as an unidentified pursuer tries to kill him .
It is in the media @ @ @ @ @ collaboration between star actors Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae after their 2013 hit crime opera @ @ @ @ @ Hwang played the kingpin of a corporate crime syndicate , and Lee was a deep-cover @ @ @ @ @ .

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- This year's summer box office will highly likely be a three-way race among Korean movies as two Hollywood blockbusters -- "Mulan" and Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" -- delayed their July releases.
The summer peak season is when most box office hits come out in the country.
According to foreign press reports, Disney's "Mulan" postponed its release date from July 24 to Aug. 21 due to the worsening new coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Warner Brothers' "Tenet," which had already delayed its release from July 17 to late July, reportedly pushed the opening further back to Aug. 12.
The question now is whether three big-budget Korean films set to open this summer -- zombie thriller "Peninsula," action film "Deliver Us From Evil" and thriller "Steel Rain 2: Summit" -- will be able to save local cinemas hit hard by the pandemic.
Director Yeon Sang-ho's second zombie film after smash-hit "Train to Busan" (2016) is the first of the three films to arrive at the summer box office.
Starring silver screen star Gang Dong-won, "Peninsula" will hit the local screens on July 15, heralding the start of the summer vacation season. It is poised to repeat the feat of its predecessor, released on July 20, 2016, that attracted a total of 11.6 million admissions.
"Peninsula" is set in the same universe four years after its prequel, in which the whole country was hit by zombies except for the southern port city of Busan. Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), a former soldier who escaped the zombie-infested peninsula four years ago, is tasked with going back to the devastated land to retrieve something.
A scene from "Peninsula" by NEW (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
In early August, "Evil" will be released to target summer vacationers between end-July and early-August.
The film revolves around a professional killer, who plans to retire after carrying out his last mission. But he is embroiled in unexpected incidents as an unidentified pursuer tries to kill him. It is in the media spotlight for being the first collaboration between star actors Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae after their 2013 hit crime opera "New World." Hwang played the kingpin of a corporate crime syndicate, and Lee was a deep-cover cop and his right-hand man.
A scene from "Deliver Us From Evil" by CJ Entertainment (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
At the same time, "Steel Rain 2" is preparing to open in early August, with a poster and a teaser trailer released on social media.
Starring seasoned actor Jung Woo-sung, the film features a fictional kidnapping of leaders of the two Koreas and the United States in a North Korean nuclear-powered submarine.
Although it shares two of the main leads of the 2017 political action thriller "Steel Rain," "Steel Rain 2" is not a direct sequel of its predecessor, which drew around 4.5 million moviegoers at the box office, and does not share the same universe.
A scene from "Steel Rain 2: Summit" by Lotte Entertainment (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Insiders expect the virus-hit film industry, which is showing some signs of rebound in June after a monthslong slump, will be bolstered by the upcoming competition of the three summer tentpoles.
Due to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean box office has been in a deep slump for about four months, with its daily admissions slumping to 15,000 in April.
Dozens of big-budget titles, including the space opera "Space Sweepers," starring Song Joong-ki and Kim Tae-ri, postponed their releases to the latter half of this year.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--(LEAD) Seoul stocks sink nearly 2 pct on renewed virus fears

SEOUL , June 29 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korean shares closed sharply lower Monday , dipping to the lowest @ @ @ @ @ renewed fears over the new coronavirus prompted by a recent spike in the number of @ @ @ @ @ won rose against the U.S. dollar .

(ATTN: ADDS bond yields at bottom, photo)
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares closed sharply lower Monday, dipping to the lowest point in two weeks on renewed fears over the new coronavirus prompted by a recent spike in the number of new cases. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 41.17 points, or 1.93 percent, to close at 2,093.48. It marks the first time in two weeks since June 15 that the index finished below the 2,100 mark.
Trading volume was moderate at about 632 million shares worth some 8.9 trillion won (US$7.4 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 737 to 135.
Foreigners sold a net 468 billion won, while retail investors purchased a net 939 billion won. Institutions offloaded a net 456 billion won, extending their selling streak to a ninth session.
An electronic signboard at a KB Kookmin Bank trading room in Yeouido, Seoul, shows that the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 41.17 points, or 1.93 percent, to close at 2,093.48 on June 29, 2020. (Yonhap)
The drop in the index came amid rising investor concerns over the resurgence in new COVID-19 cases, analysts said.
"Investor sell-offs led the index's fall, as the soaring cases in the U.S. and globally fueled related concerns," Kiwoom Securities analyst Seo Sang-young said.
The worsening U.S.-China political friction over China's Hong Kong legislation also contributed to the selling mode, he added.
As of Sunday, the global toll has surpassed what experts have called two milestones -- 500,000 confirmed deaths and 10 million confirmed infections.
New cases in the United States, one of South Korea's largest trade partners, grew 1.7 percent. Florida reported a 6.4 percent increase in infections, with Arizona exceeding its weekly average for a fourth day.
South Korea added 42 cases, including 30 local infections Monday, raising the total caseload to 12,757.
The tally marked a drop from 62 new cases reported Sunday and 51 additional cases identified Saturday, but the authorities continued to warn against cluster infections.
Most large caps finished in negative terrain.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 1.69 percent to 52,400 won, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix retreated 1.18 percent to 83,600 won.
Leading pharmaceutical firm Samsung BioLogics plunged 3.21 percent to 784,000 won, and Celltrion slipped 0.48 percent to 311,000 won.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor tumbled 2.30 percent to 97,700 won, with its smaller affiliate Kia Motors falling 2.87 percent to 32,100 won.
The local currency closed at 1,198.60 won per dollar, up 2.00 won from the previous session's close.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys rose 3.1 basis points to 0.842 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bond added 2.4 basis points to 1.095 percent.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-29--S. Korean Bond Yields on Jun. 29, 2020

S. Korean Bond Yields on Jun. 29, 2020

(URGENT) N. Korea says Travis King decided to come over to N. Korea because he harbored ill feeling within the U.S. Army: KCNA


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yna--2020-07-01--(4th LD) New virus cases rebound; cluster infections simmering beyond capital area

In yet another worrisome sign , two elementary students in Daejeon tested positive Tuesday after coming in contact with a @ @ @ @ @ be the first spread of the virus at a school in the country .
Health @ @ @ @ @ an epidemiological study on the cases

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 13-15)
SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The number of new virus cases in South Korea bounced back Wednesday as cluster infections continued to increase in areas beyond the Seoul metropolitan area amid a sustained rise in imported cases.
The country added 51 cases, including 36 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,850, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a rise from 43 new cases of COVID-19 reported Tuesday and 42 cases on Monday.
Densely populated Seoul and the surrounding area accounted for most of the locally transmitted cases last month, but the virus outbreaks have been constantly reported in other parts of the country.
Officials at an elementary school in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, put up a sign on the front gate on July 1, 2020, that reads offline classes are temporarily suspended over the outbreak of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
Of local infections, 20 cases were reported in the greater Seoul area. Twelve cases were identified in the southwestern city of Gwangju, marking the first time that virus cases hit double-digit figures since the first outbreak in the city in February. Three cases were reported in the central city of Daejeon.
"Cluster infections at large-scale facilities subdued, but virus cases increased in connection to small-sized venues and gatherings," Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip said in a briefing.
Kim voiced concerns that the virus is spreading into the central and southwestern regions beyond the greater Seoul area.
In yet another worrisome sign, two elementary students in Daejeon tested positive Tuesday after coming in contact with a peer, in what could be the first spread of the virus at a school in the country. Health authorities said they are conducting an epidemiological study on the cases
"Health authorities suspect (the Daejeon cases) might be caused by virus spread at school," KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said in a briefing.
South Korea has been harried by rises in sporadic cluster infections in the greater Seoul area since it relaxed strict social distancing on May 6 on the flattened virus curve.
School reopening, completed in early June, is a key feature of the eased social distancing rules.
Cluster infections traced to small religious gatherings have emerged as the main cause for the latest spike in local infections.
Amid growing concerns of community spread, all schools in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, will be closed, with students taking online classes Thursday and Friday.
Local education authorities said for the next 10 days, schools will be required to reduce the number of students in classrooms by one-third or two-thirds.
Gwangju reported an additional 16 infections on Wednesday alone, most of which are linked to small religious gatherings.
This photo, taken July 1, 2020, shows a banner set up at Haeundae Beach in the southeastern city of Busan that calls for maintaining social distancing due to the new coronavirus as the beach publicly opens. (Yonhap)
Cases traced to a major church in Seoul's southwestern ward of Gwanak reached 32 as of noon, up one case from the previous day. Cases tied to church gatherings in Suwon, south of Seoul, came to nine, up one over the past 24 hours.
Those linked to a Buddhist temple in Gwangju rose by five to 19.
At least six residents at an apartment building in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, also tested positive.
"There are concerns that the virus could quickly spread through door-to-door retail establishments and business events," Jeong said.
The country, meanwhile, reported 15 additional imported cases, raising the total of such cases to 1,598.
It marked the sixth straight day that imported cases rose by a double-digit number.
Imported cases accounted for 35 percent of the 652 new virus cases reported over the past two weeks, according to the KCDC.
Health authorities said that starting today, they will strengthen on-board inspections of foreign ships arriving from 54 high-risk countries, after assessing the degree of risks.
The move came as cluster infections tied to Russia-flagged ships laid bare the need to beef up quarantine checks at ports.
On-board quarantine checks have been underway on vessels coming from several risk-prone countries including China, Iran, Italy and Russia.
The KCDC will also conduct coronavirus tests starting next Monday on sailors who get off ships coming into the country. They will be also required to self-isolate for two weeks.
A rise in cases coming in from overseas put further strains on health authorities' virus fights, with some calling for the need to implement restrictive entry measures selectively. On Wednesday alone, eight cases were traced to arrivals from Kazakhstan.
South Korea, meanwhile, reported no additional deaths, bringing the death toll to 282. The fatality rate was 2.19 percent.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,613, up 76 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 1,285,231 tests since Jan. 3.
Health officials explain quarantine measures to international arrivals at Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway west of Seoul, on July 1, 2020. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-01--Schools in Gwangju to close on Thu. and Fri. due to coronavirus scare

Based on data released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( KCDC ) , 12 cases were @ @ @ @ @ , marking the first time that virus cases hit double-digit figures since the first outbreak @ @ @ @ @ .

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- All schools in the southern city of Gwangju will be closed for the next two days amid a recent uptick in novel coronavirus cases in the region, authorities said Wednesday.
Students of elementary, middle and high schools in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, will stay at home and have online classes Thursday and Friday, according to the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education.
From July 6-15, schools are required to reduce the number of students in classrooms, capping the number of elementary and middle school students at one-third of the total student body and high schools at two-thirds.
It is the first all-out school closure in a metropolitan city in South Korea since the country's gradual reopening plan, which started with high school seniors on May 20.
The shutdown came as Gwangju, a city with a population of 1.5 million, has been experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases largely related to small gatherings in religious venues like churches in recent days.
Based on data released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 12 cases were identified in Gwangju for Tuesday, marking the first time that virus cases hit double-digit figures since the first outbreak in the city in February.
Still, an additional 16 infections, which were not yet included in the official tally, were reported in Gwangju alone on Wednesday. The official KCDC data will be updated Thursday morning.
South Korea reported a total of 12,850 virus cases Wednesday.
In this file photo, taken on June 22, 2020, quarantine officials disinfect a school in Gwaungju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-01--S. Koreans used over 82 pct of state emergency relief funds in one month

The ministry said that 62.4 percent of all the money used , or 4.94 trillion won , was spent on @ @ @ @ @ and medium-sized businesses with sales totaling less than 3 billion won per year .
Very @ @ @ @ @ than 300 million won per year got 1.99 trillion won worth of the relief funds @ @ @ @ @ all the money spent .

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Koreans used over 82 percent of the 9.61 trillion won (US$7.98 billion) worth of emergency disaster relief funds provided by the government in just one month, the interior ministry said Wednesday.
Seoul started receiving requests for the relief funds on May 11, with people allowed to spend the money, offered in the form of credit and debit card points, the following day, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.
The money has been handed out to prop up consumer spending and bolster the local economy that has been hard hit by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The ministry said that as of June 14, 7.92 trillion won of the funds given to households had been used, even though they have till the end of August to spend the money.
It said 25.5 percent of the money, or 2.02 trillion won, was spent at neighborhood supermarkets and shops to buy groceries. This was followed by 1.93 trillion won spent at restaurants and eateries and 844.2 billion won at hospitals and clinics. People also used the extra cash at gas stations, to purchase clothes and for education purposes, the latest findings showed.
The ministry said that 62.4 percent of all the money used, or 4.94 trillion won, was spent on products and services from small and medium-sized businesses with sales totaling less than 3 billion won per year. Very small shops that make less than 300 million won per year got 1.99 trillion won worth of the relief funds, or 25.2 percent of all the money spent.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-01--S. Korea to provide telemedicine service for overseas construction workers

The infrastructure ministry said construction workers can use the special platform to report their symptoms .
The information will then @ @ @ @ @ that can give a diagnosis .
Workers can even ask for a prescription issued by @ @ @

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is taking steps to provide telemedicine services to overseas South Korean construction workers amid heightened health concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the infrastructure ministry said Wednesday.
The move is part of a broader effort to better protect South Korean builders, as 87 have tested positive for COVID-19 and three have died after contracting the highly infectious disease, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.
There are estimated to be around 7,300 South Korean builders working in foreign countries at present.
Online medical care is part of a regulatory sandbox program being pushed by the industry ministry that aims to offer online health care service to South Koreans living abroad, it said.
A regulatory sandbox allows for small-scale testing of innovations in a controlled environment without changing existing rules. South Korean doctors have strongly opposed telemedicine in the country.
Inha University Hospital, in cooperation with online medical platform provider Life Semantics, already secured a two-year permit last month to give "untact checkups" to overseas South Koreans.
Life Semantics has also formed a consortium with Seoul National Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Asan Medical Center to advance online medicine.
The infrastructure ministry said construction workers can use the special platform to report their symptoms. The information will then be forwarded to local hospitals that can give a diagnosis. Workers can even ask for a prescription issued by local doctors.
It said the telemedicine system can facilitate talks to be carried out between companies and foreign governments in the event that a worker who has contracted COVID-19 needs to be evacuated for treatment in South Korea.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)