yna--2020-09-18--Yoo enters second round of WTO selection process for new leader

In the next round , three out of five candidates will be removed , leaving just two runners in the @ @ @ @ @ the top post of the global trade body .

By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee has passed the first stage of the selection process for the new head of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Yoo is competing with candidates from Nigeria, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Britain in the second round of the elimination process, set to begin next Thursday and run through Oct. 6.
Three candidates from Mexico, Egypt and Moldova were eliminated from the list in the first round, according to the Geneva-based trade body.
"Yoo was able to advance into the second round, as she proved her qualification and talent as an incumbent trade minister," the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy said in a statement.
In the next round, three out of five candidates will be removed, leaving just two runners in the third and final stage for the top post of the global trade body.
The final result -- which is to be selected through consensus among 164 member countries -- is widely expected to be delivered in early November.
Earlier in the day, Yoo returned home from her trip to Washington, where she met with government officials to try to win support for her bid to lead the WTO. She also recently visited other countries, including Switzerland and France.
U.S. support is widely seen as crucial in winning the top post of the WTO, as the United States is the biggest contributor to the WTO in terms of budget.
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee arrives at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, on Sept. 15, 2020, before her departure for Washington to win support for her bid to become the new head of the World Trade Organization. (Yonhap)
Yoo has vowed to focus on rebuilding trust in the multilateral trading system by making it more relevant, resilient and responsive if she gets picked as the new leader.
Her bid comes amid escalating trade tension between the U.S. and China, and a frayed relationship between South Korea and Japan.
Yoo was appointed as trade minister in February last year, becoming the first woman to take the top-ranking position in the 70-year history of the trade ministry.
During her campaign, Yoo said she wishes to reform the body to become more resilient to never-before-seen hurdles, such as the virus pandemic.
She added the WTO needs to normalize its role of handling negotiations and settling disputes under a multilateral regime and that the COVID-19 pandemic gave an opportunity to look at the pending issues.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--(LEAD) Airbus to relocate helicopter production line to S. Korea: ministry

Airbus will transfer its EC155B1 helicopter production line in Marseille , France , to South Korea 's sole aircraft manufacturing @ @ @ @ @ Industries Co. ( KAI ) in Sacheon , 440 kilometers south of Seoul , by @ @ @ @ @ official said over the phone .

(ATTN: CHANGES headline; ADDS ministry and KAI comments in paras 4-5)
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- Airbus SE, Europe's giant aircraft maker, will shift one of its helicopter production lines to South Korea by 2021, Seoul's transport ministry said Friday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it signed a pact with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to support relocation of Airbus' helicopter assembly line.
Airbus will transfer its EC155B1 helicopter production line in Marseille, France, to South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturing facility operated by Korea Aerospace Industries Co. (KAI) in Sacheon, 440 kilometers south of Seoul, by next year, a ministry official said over the phone.
"Airbus and KAI will set up a joint company within this year in South Korea to manage the production and delivery of the EC155B1 helicopters," the official said.
KAI and Airbus are jointly developing the light civil helicopter and the light armed helicopter based on the EC155B1 platform to replace aging choppers in the Army, a KAI spokeswoman said.
The ministry said the partnership with the European aviation watchdog includes support of helicopter production and test flights.
The two sides also agreed to join forces for the urban air mobility sector, including drones, and seek ways to support air transport businesses amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
This photo, provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Sept. 18, 2020, shows Kim Sang-do (L), who heads aviation policy at the ministry, and Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, holding an agreement that supports relocation of Airbus SE's helicopter assembly line to South Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--Moon appoints defense minister, state tax service chief

In talking with Defense Minister Suh Wook right after the ceremony held at Cheong Wa Dae , Moon pointed out @ @ @ @ @ military power and the transition of wartime operational control ( OPCON ) , based on @ @ @ @ @ are key undertakings related to the military , according to Cheong Wa Dae 's deputy @ @ @ @

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in bestowed certificates of appointment Friday on South Korea's new defense minister and state tax service chief.
In talking with Defense Minister Suh Wook right after the ceremony held at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon pointed out that defense reform, strengthening military power and the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON), based on the South Korea-U.S. alliance, are key undertakings related to the military, according to Cheong Wa Dae's deputy spokesperson Lim Se-eun.
Suh pledged the military's support for "peace for the sake of the people," she added.
President Moon Jae-in (C) walks toward a Cheong Wa Dae room to converse with Defense Minister Suh Wook (L) and the National Tax Service Commissioner after presenting them with certificates of appointment on Sept. 18, 2020. (Yonhap)
Citing a growing income gap and "polarization" in the midst of an economic crisis, Moon instructed Kim Dae-ji, head the National Tax Service, to strive for fair taxation and related support for the vulnerable, Lim said.
Earlier in the day, the president gave Lee Heung-ku, a new Supreme Court justice, a letter of appointment.
President Moon Jae-in (C) poses for a commemorative photo with New Supreme Court Justice Lee Heung-ku (R) and Kim Myeong-soo, its chief justice, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Sept. 18, 2020. (Yonhap)
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


Yonhap News Summary

The civic task force working for the rights of delivery workers and associated with the progressive Korean Confederation of Trade @ @ @ @ @ the decision was made in line with the government 's steps to solve the issue @

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday.
---------------------------
(LEAD) New defense chief vows efforts for firm readiness posture for peace, OPCON transfer
SEOUL -- New Defense Minister Suh Wook was sworn in Friday, vowing to maintain a staunch readiness posture and fully implement an inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement in order to buttress the government's efforts for a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
In his inauguration speech, Suh also vowed to strive for expediting the envisioned transfer of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from Washington to Seoul based on the strong alliance with the United States.
---------------------------
Kia to halt 2 domestic plants until weekend on COVID-19 cases
SEOUL -- Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's No. 2 carmaker, said Friday it will suspend two plants near Seoul until this weekend following the confirmation of COVID-19 cases there days earlier.
A total of 13 coronavirus cases have been traced to the plants in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, including four family members of the workers.
---------------------------
Delivery workers retract plan to suspend parcel sorting amid gov't support pledge
SEOUL -- Some 4,000 parcel delivery workers backtracked from a plan to stop sorting parcels in protest of heavy workloads ahead of the Chuseok holiday, a civic advocacy group said Friday.
The civic task force working for the rights of delivery workers and associated with the progressive Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) said the decision was made in line with the government's steps to solve the issue.
---------------------------
(3rd LD) New virus cases under 200 for 16th day; untraceable infections at worrisome level
SEOUL -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 200 for the 16th straight day Friday, but health authorities remained alert as sporadic cluster infections continued to rise and untraceable cases hit a fresh record high.
The country added 126 more COVID-19 cases, including 109 local infections, raising the total caseload to 22,783, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Five more patients died, raising the death toll to 377.
---------------------------
Tech competition heats up over remote work in S. Korea during pandemic
SEOUL -- South Korean tech firms are joining the race for the growing remote work market, industry officials said Friday, as businesses brace for a drawn-out fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country's workplaces have been reshaped this year as many companies opt to keep their workers out of offices to avoid infection risks.
---------------------------
Airbus to shift helicopter production line to S. Korea by next year: ministry
SEOUL -- Airbus SE, Europe's giant aircraft maker, will shift one of its helicopter production lines to South Korea by next year, Seoul's transport ministry said Friday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it signed a pact with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to support relocation of Airbus' helicopter assembly line.
---------------------------
Nat'l Assembly Secretariat recommends COVID-19 guidelines for annual audit
SEOUL -- The National Assembly Secretariat has recommended guidelines to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus during next month's audit of government agencies, parliamentary sources said Friday.
Under the new guidelines, the total number of people attending an audit at any given time should not exceed 50. The number of people waiting outside the audit halls should also be kept at a maximum 50. And the number of people attending a session from any given government agency should not exceed 50 in a day.
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--Record-low share of Koreans to visit hometowns during Chuseok: poll

In the survey of 1,000 adults nationwide conducted by Gallup Korea earlier this week , 81 percent said they do @ @ @ @ @ leave their homes for more than one night during the Chuseok holiday , the Korean @ @ @ @ @ runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 this year .

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- A record-low number of South Koreans are expected to visit their hometowns or travel during the upcoming Chuseok holiday amid the lingering coronavirus fears, a poll showed Friday.
In the survey of 1,000 adults nationwide conducted by Gallup Korea earlier this week, 81 percent said they do not have any plan to leave their homes for more than one night during the Chuseok holiday, the Korean version of Thanksgiving, which runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 this year.
Koreans will enjoy five days off when the Oct. 3 National Foundation Day and Sunday are included. Chuseok, one of the country's biggest traditional holidays, serves as a chance for family members to visit their hometowns.
This composite file photo provided by Yonhap News TV shows traffic jams on expressways on the eve of the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)
According to Gallup Korea, only 16 percent of the survey's participants revealed plans to visit their hometowns for longer than one night during this year's Chuseok, the lowest percentage since the pollster began such a poll in 1989.
Merely 1 percent said they plan to travel for more than one day during the upcoming holiday, the company noted.
Local quarantine authorities have expressed fears that massive population movement during Chuseok might pave the ground for further spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
"In the previous polls conducted over the past 30 years since 1989, more than 30 percent of Koreans spoke of plans to visit their hometowns for longer than one night. But this year, the ratio halved, possibly reflecting citizens' willingness to take part in the ongoing social distancing campaign over COVID-19," said a Gallup Korea representative.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--Nat'l Assembly Secretariat recommends COVID-19 guidelines for annual audit

Under the new guidelines , the total number of people attending an audit at any given time should not exceed @ @ @ @ @ people waiting outside the audit halls should also be kept at a maximum 50 .
@ @ @ @ @ attending a session from any given government agency should not exceed 50 in a day @

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly Secretariat has recommended guidelines to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus during next month's audit of government agencies, parliamentary sources said Friday.
Under the new guidelines, the total number of people attending an audit at any given time should not exceed 50. The number of people waiting outside the audit halls should also be kept at a maximum 50. And the number of people attending a session from any given government agency should not exceed 50 in a day.
"The guidelines are not mandatory," an official at the secretariat said, noting that each standing committee will come up with its own specific rules following consultations among its ranking members.
The guidelines also recommend the use of video links in addition to in-person question-and-answer sessions. If lawmakers are required to travel out of the city to inspect a local government agency, the guidelines recommend that transparent screens be installed in the audit hall.
Unlike previous years, the audits can also be held on Wednesdays in addition to the other four weekdays.
This year's annual audit is scheduled for Oct. 7-26.
The parliamentary foreign affairs committee said earlier that it will not conduct on-site audits of overseas diplomatic missions in consideration of the coronavirus pandemic.
It said the audits will be conducted via video instead but that the ambassadors to the United States, China, Japan and Russia may be asked to return home to attend in-person audits due to the four countries' importance in South Korea's foreign relations.
This will be the first time for overseas audits to be canceled since they were first introduced in 1995.
A computer-generated image of the National Assembly complex and its annual audit (Yonhap)
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--(LEAD) Army unveils monument commemorating West Point graduates killed in Korean War

That is in addition to two monuments already set up at the Korea Military Academy campus to honor U.S. service @ @ @ @ @ 1949 and 1950 killed in the war , officials said .

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead with end of ceremony; ADDS former USFK commander's comment at bottom; CHANGES photo)
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- The Army unveiled a monument Friday to commemorate U.S. Military Academy graduates who were killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, officials said.
The monument, erected at the Korea Military Academy in Seoul, bears the names of 17 fallen officers from the West Point Class of 1948, Army officials said.
That is in addition to two monuments already set up at the Korea Military Academy campus to honor U.S. service members from the Classes of 1949 and 1950 killed in the war, officials said.
The Army plans to build four more for those from the Classes of 1945, 1946, 1947 and 1951 by 2023, and turn the area into a zone to remember the fallen U.S. soldiers.
"The freedom and peace on this land that the young heroes wanted to protect 70 years ago have become the foundation of South Korea's economic prosperity and vibrant democracy today," the Korean academy's superintendent Lt. Gen. Chung Jin-kyung said.
In a video message, former U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Walter Sharp paid respect to the soldiers, saying their sacrifice became the basis for the alliance between South Korea and the United States.
Participants in an unveiling ceremony of a monument to commemorate U.S. Military Academy graduates killed in the 1950-53 Korean War pose for a photo at the Korea Military Academy in Seoul on Sept. 18, 2020, in this photo provided by the Army. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--S. Korea urges ADB to step up efforts for transformation in post-pandemic era

In April , the ADB pledged a US $ 20 billion package to help its developing members address COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ it has committed about $ 11.2 billion in financial and technical assistance to fight the @ @

SEJONG, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's finance minister called Friday called for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to take a leading role in green and digital transformation in a post-pandemic era.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki made the remarks during an online conference of ADB members earlier in the day, the ministry said in a statement.
Hong emphasized that the Asia-Pacific region must promote a "green and digital transformation to cope with the COVID-19 and climate change," according to the statement.
Throughout the transformation, the region could create jobs and achieve its goals of economic recovery from the pandemic, Hong said.
In a separate speech, ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa said the regional lender is committed to joining hands with developing economies in Asia and the Pacific to help the region's economies recover from the pandemic.
"ADB will continue to earn your trust as a steadfast partner during the uncertain times we still face in our region as we build for a strong and lasting recovery," Asakawa said.
In April, the ADB pledged a US$20 billion package to help its developing members address COVID-19. So far, ADB said it has committed about $11.2 billion in financial and technical assistance to fight the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the ADB formally endorsed a plan by South Korea to host 56th annual
meeting of the ADB in the western port city of Incheon in 2023.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki (R) speaks during an annual conference of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which is being held online, at the government complex in Seoul on Sept. 18, 2020, in this photo released by the finance ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--Airbus to shift helicopter production line to S. Korea by next year: ministry

According to the ministry , Airbus will transfer its EC155B1 helicopter production line in Marseille , France , to Sacheon @ @ @ @ @ of Seoul , by next year under an agreement with Korea Aerospace Industries Co. , @ @ @ @ @ manufacturer .

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- Airbus SE, Europe's giant aircraft maker, will shift one of its helicopter production lines to South Korea by next year, Seoul's transport ministry said Friday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it signed a pact with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to support relocation of Airbus' helicopter assembly line.
According to the ministry, Airbus will transfer its EC155B1 helicopter production line in Marseille, France, to Sacheon, some 430 kilometers south of Seoul, by next year under an agreement with Korea Aerospace Industries Co., South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer.
The ministry said the partnership with the European aviation watchdog includes support of helicopter production and test flights.
The two sides also agreed to join forces for the urban air mobility sector, including drones, and seek ways to support air transport businesses amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
This photo, provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Sept. 18, 2020, shows Kim Sang-do (L), who heads aviation policy at the ministry, and Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, holding an agreement that supports relocation of Airbus SE's helicopter assembly line to South Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--(LEAD) Seoul stocks snap two-day losing streak on massive foreign buying

Leading chemical company LG Chem jumped 3.26 percent to 666,000 won , a day after it announced its decision to @ @ @ @ @ in December to further strengthen its leading position in the sector amid growing demand for @ @ @ @

(ATTN: ADDS bond yields at bottom, photo)
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks snapped a two-session losing streak on Friday, helped by strong foreign buying that offset individuals' profit-taking rush. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 6.23 points, or 0.26 percent, to close at 2,412.40.
Trading volume was moderate at about 744 million shares worth some 13.7 trillion won (US$11.8 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 433 to 416.
Electronic signboards at a Hana Bank dealing room in Seoul show the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,412.4 on Sept. 18, 2020, up 6.23 points, or 0.26 percent, from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)
After a 1.22 percent drop in the previous session, the KOSPI switched between gains and losses multiple times around the 2,400-level.
Investor sentiment was divided over tech valuation worries, roiled by the Nasdaq Composite's 1.27 percent fall overnight.
"Strong foreign buying of chemicals, tech and manufacturing eventually bolstered the KOSPI (against individuals' profit-taking)," said Kiwoom Securities analyst Seo Sang-young.
Foreign investors bought a net 144 billion won, while retail investors sold a net 140 billion won and institutions offloaded a net 17 billion won.
In Seoul, battery large caps closed higher, while auto-related shares dipped.
Leading chemical company LG Chem jumped 3.26 percent to 666,000 won, a day after it announced its decision to spin off its battery business in December to further strengthen its leading position in the sector amid growing demand for electric vehicle batteries.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor lost 1.63 percent to 181,000 won, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors shed 1.44 percent to 47,800 won. Auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis retreated 0.83 percent to 240,000 won.
Tech top cap Samsung Electronics slid 0.34 percent to 59,300 won, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix added 1.82 percent to 83,700 won.
Pharmaceutical giant Samsung Biologics edged up 0.13 percent to 758,000 won, while Celltrion closed flat at 291,500 won.
Internet portal giant Naver fell 0.83 percent to 298,000 won, but its rival Kakao hiked 0.54 percent to 373,000 won.
The local currency closed at 1,160.30 won against the U.S. dollar, up 14.1 won from the previous session's close.
It is the first time that the U.S. greenback has plunged to the 1,160-won level since late January.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed mixed. The yield on three-year Treasurys lost 0.7 basis point to 0.907 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bond added 0.1 basis point to 1.198 percent.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--(LEAD) Moon says Korea peace possible without giving up hope for dialogue

The authorities have prohibited some conservative activist groups from staging street rallies in downtown Seoul on the Oct. 3 National @ @ @ @ @ of participants in the Aug. 15 Liberation Day protest rally in Gwanghwamun were confirmed later @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
The government has also faced public controversies over its decisions to toughen or @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES with press briefing from 10th para; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea will be able to reach the path of peace and unification unless it gives up hope for dialogue with North Korea.
Speaking at a meeting with a group of Buddhist community leaders at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon noted the two Koreas will mark the second anniversary on Saturday of his Pyongyang summit deal with the North's leader Kim Jong-un.
"If (we) don't give up hope for meetings and dialogue, we will surely move on to the path of peace and unification," the president said.
President Moon Jae-in meets with a group of South Korea's Buddhist community leaders at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Sept. 18, 2020. (Yonhap)
Moon pointed out that he and Kim had declared their commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula in front of 80 million Koreans and the world.
He requested the Buddhist sector's support, saying the religion has been a "force" for South Korea to overcome hardships.
He requested that the Buddhist community help efforts to open the way for inter-Korean exchanges and advance the path of peace on the peninsula.
Moon also expressed his gratitude to the local Buddhist community for helping the government's campaign against the novel coronavirus.
The community has suspended regular worship services and even canceled the Lotus Lantern Festival in spring, a decision that came amid a push for the annual event to be inscribed as UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage, Moon said.
He asked for its continued support for the government's anti-virus efforts, which are turning into a "prolonged fight" with no end in sight.
President Moon Jae-in (C) speaks during a meeting with a group of South Korean Buddhist community leaders at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Sept. 18, 2020. (Yonhap)
In the closed-door meeting following the opening remarks in front of pool reporters, Moon expressed regret over political disputes on the government's measures to curb the spread of the virus, according to his spokesman Kang Min-seok.
Promoting cooperative politics and national unity is a task to be done by the political community but it's not going well, Moon was quoted as saying.
"Due to the escalation of conflicts in politics, even the anti-virus issue has become politicized," Moon added, citing some people's acts of "refusing or distorting" it.
"Basically, it's a phenomenon attributable to continued political conflict," Moon said, adding that he will move toward politics of cooperation and unity, according to Kang.
The president was apparently responding to an assertion by critics that his government is using the virus fight to suppress political opponents.
The authorities have prohibited some conservative activist groups from staging street rallies in downtown Seoul on the Oct. 3 National Foundation Day. A number of participants in the Aug. 15 Liberation Day protest rally in Gwanghwamun were confirmed later to be infected with the coronavirus. The government has also faced public controversies over its decisions to toughen or ease social distancing guidelines.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-18--S. Korean Bond Yields on Sep. 18, 2020

S. Korean Bond Yields on Sep. 18, 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


yna--2020-09-19--(LEAD) S. Korea reports 110 new virus cases as rise in local infections persists

From earlier this week , the government relaxed the tougher virus curbs for the next two weeks , allowing smaller @ @ @ @ @ hours and restaurants and cafes to operate as usual in the face of growing concerns @ @ @ @ @ further hurt the economy already blighted by the pandemic .

(ATTN: ADDS more info, gov't official's comment, background in paras 7, 9, 12-13, 15-16)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed in the 100s for the 17th consecutive day on Saturday, with local infections unabated in the greater Seoul area.
The country added 110 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 22,893, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The new cases mark a decline from 126 reported Friday but are higher than Tuesday's 106.
Of the new cases, 106 were locally transmitted and the rest came from overseas.
The death toll rose by one to 378.
A visitor consults with a medical worker at a COVID-19 testing station at a community health center in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, when the number of new cases stood at 109, including 11 entrants from abroad, marking the 12th consecutive day the figure had stayed in the 100 level. (Yonhap)
Authorities are still struggling to bring the outbreak under control amid little signs of a significant slowdown in sight, as sporadic cluster infections tied to offices, churches, a nursing home and an auto factory continue to occur in the metropolitan areas.
Of the new 106 local cases, 38 came from Seoul, 41 from the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and 11 from Incheon, west of the capital. The cumulative caseload from the capital region is nearing 10,000.
The country's outbreak trend has been on a downward trajectory due to tougher social distancing rules that had been enforced until last week to contain the resurgence sparked by church gatherings and political rallies in mid-August.
The daily new cases peaked at 441 on Aug. 27, before gradually falling below 200. New case numbers are still far higher than 30-50 counted prior to the resurgence. The daily caseload dropped to single digits in early May.
From earlier this week, the government relaxed the tougher virus curbs for the next two weeks, allowing smaller businesses to run till late hours and restaurants and cafes to operate as usual in the face of growing concerns that the tougher measures will further hurt the economy already blighted by the pandemic.
The biggest task for the health authorities now is to prevent a potential rebound in new virus cases around the upcoming Chuseok fall harvest holiday that falls later this month, a tradition that entails mass movements of people and family gatherings.
The government again urged citizens Saturday to refrain from gathering and traveling during the holiday.
"Making contact at crowded tourist sites raises transmission risks. I ask everyone to refrain from visiting your hometowns and traveling so as not to turn this Chuseok into a trigger for more infection spread," Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said in a government response meeting.
A poll showed Thursday that only 16 percent of the respondents said they will travel to their hometowns for this year's Chuseok.
A total of 19,970 people have been released from quarantine after making full recoveries, up 199 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 2,219,162 coronavirus tests since Jan. 3.
Children chat in front of a reopened private education institute in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, the first day of the easing of toughened social distancing guidelines, as new COVID-19 cases noticeably declined. Such private institutions were shut down over the previous two weeks amid a resurgence of the virus. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(LEAD) Pyongyang summit deal should be fulfilled, Moon says in anniversary message

`` There has since been not a single armed clash between South and North , '' Moon noted .
`` @ @ @ @ @ , which would have been impossible without the wish of the people desiring peace and @ @ @ @ @ . ''

(ATTN: UPDATES with N. Korea's silence on anniversary in last 2 paras; ADDS byline)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in said Saturday that his Pyongyang summit accord with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should be implemented despite restraints at home and abroad, marking the second anniversary of its signing.
He stressed that Seoul's commitment to peace remains firm, while the agreement has not been fulfilled speedily due to "internal and external restraints."
In a message posted on Facebook, the president recalled his historic speech in front of 150,000 Pyongyang citizens at May Day Stadium in the North's capital two years ago.
"Together with Chairman Kim Jong-un, I declared denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula," he wrote.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un raise their hands after watching a mass gymnastics performance at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Sept. 19, 2018, in this file photo. (Yonhap)
A "concrete and practical" agreement was reached in the military field, which has led to the demilitarization of Panmunjom, a truce village and excavation of remains on Arrowhead Hill, a key battlefield during the 1950-53 Korean War, he added.
"There has since been not a single armed clash between South and North," Moon noted. "It's very valuable progress, which would have been impossible without the wish of the people desiring peace and the international community's support."
But the "clock" of such a peace move has stopped, with the summit deal not being implemented fast due to a failure to move beyond "internal and external restraints," he wrote.
Nonetheless, he emphasized, "Our commitment to peace is firm. The Sept. 19 South-North agreement should be implemented without fail."
A "seed sown in history" is certain to bear fruit no matter when or how, he added.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pose for a commemorative photo after signing a summit agreement in Pyongyang on Sept. 19, 2018, in this file photo. (Yonhap)
North Korea stayed mum on the summit anniversary. Its state-controlled media and other propaganda outlets have not mentioned it as of Saturday morning, while continuing to release reports on measures against the novel coronavirus and typhoon damage recovery work.
The South Korean government had no official government ceremony to commemorate it either.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Moon vows full efforts to promote fairness in Youth Day message

`` Trial and error as well as conflicts are likely .
However , we must have conviction to take the @ @ @ @ @ he said .
`` Whenever unfair practices show up , we must work together to @ @ @ @ @ one . ''

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in pledged his administration's every effort to enhance fairness in South Korea's society and economy, as he addressed the country's inaugural Youth Day ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday.
"We still hear the rage of young people who complain that unfairness still persists" despite the government's campaign for fairness and justice as well as an egalitarian society, Moon said during the event held at Nokjiwon, a verdant garden inside the presidential compound.
Present at the event were young adults of various ages, jobs and residential areas, including the seven members of BTS, which achieved No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with "Dynamite."
Moon said his government is "keenly aware of young people's strong demands for even further fairness and will surely meet them."
"We will further strengthen our efforts to investigate military service-related irregularities and tax evasion as well as root out violence in the sports community," he added.
President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech in this file photo. (Yonhap)
His remarks came amid heated controversies over allegations that Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's son received special favors in connection with sick leave during his 2017 military service.
Last year, Moon also faced a strong public backlash against his appointment of Cho Kuk, one of his key aides, as justice minister in spite of suspicions that his daughter had been granted unjust, or illicit, perks over her schooling.
A growing number of youth are struggling to find quality jobs, with housing prices in Seoul and nearby regions having skyrocketed in recent years.
"We can see the examples of unfairness that seem to repeat themselves endlessly. Some cases of unfairness only reveal themselves in the process of working hard for fairness," Moon said without mentioning any specific examples. "This pertains to systemic unfairness, customary preferential treatment and the like."
The president pointed out that it will take more time for fairness take root as a "common practice" in South Korean society.
"Trial and error as well as conflicts are likely. However, we must have conviction to take the path toward fairness," he said. "Whenever unfair practices show up, we must work together to clearly address them one by one."
He also stressed the importance of a fair economy, saying it's about providing young adults with impartial opportunities and encouraging them to make "innovative" attempts with fewer worries about the consequences of failure.
"The government will boldly rectify unfairness that exists throughout the lives of the people to ensure that fairness takes root in our society. I hope our young people will take the lead and come together," Moon said.
The government designated the third Saturday in September of each year as Youth Day under the Framework Act on Young Adults enacted last month.
Meanwhile, BTS presented Moon with a purple-colored box as a "Year 2039 Gift" that will be stored at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Seoul, and the contents of it will be unveiled at the 20th Youth Day event.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--S. Korea reports 110 new virus cases as rise in local infections persists

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed in the 100s for the 17th consecutive day on Saturday, with local infections unabated in the greater Seoul area.
The country added 110 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 22,893, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The new cases mark a decline from 126 reported Friday but are higher than Tuesday's 106.
Of the new cases, 106 were locally transmitted and the rest came from overseas.
The death toll rose by one to 378.
A visitor consults with a medical worker at a COVID-19 testing station at a community health center in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, when the number of new cases stood at 109, including 11 entrants from abroad, marking the 12th consecutive day the figure had stayed in the 100 level. (Yonhap)
Authorities are still struggling to bring the outbreak under control amid little signs of a significant slowdown in sight, as sporadic cluster infections tied to offices, churches, a nursing home and an auto factory continue to occur in the metropolitan areas.
The country's outbreak trend has been on a downward trajectory due to tougher social distancing rules that had been enforced until last week to contain the resurgence sparked by church gatherings and political rallies in mid-August.
From earlier this week, the government relaxed the tougher virus curbs for the next two weeks, allowing smaller businesses to run till late hours and restaurants and cafes to operate as usual in the face of growing concerns that the tougher measures will further hurt the economy already blighted by the pandemic.
The biggest task for the health authorities now is to prevent a potential rebound in new virus cases around the upcoming Chuseok fall harvest holiday that falls later this month, a tradition that entails mass movements of people and family gatherings.
The government has urged citizens to refrain from group gatherings and advised against traveling during the holiday. A poll showed Thursday that only 16 percent of the respondents said they will travel to their hometowns for this year's Chuseok.
Children chat in front of a reopened private education institute in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, the first day of the easing of toughened social distancing guidelines, as new COVID-19 cases noticeably declined. Such private institutions were shut down over the previous two weeks amid a resurgence of the virus. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Russia to resume flights to and from S. Korea this month

Russia banned the entry of foreign nationals and international flights in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and has @ @ @ @ @ since August .

MOSCOW, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- Russia plans to allow the resumption of flights to and from South Korea late this month, Russia's state coronavirus crisis center said.
Russia banned the entry of foreign nationals and international flights in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and has been lifting the ban gradually since August.
The government body announced Friday that flights between Moscow and Incheon, west of Seoul, will restart on Sept. 27 on a weekly basis.
Operations to and from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan will resume starting Sept. 21, it said.
Moscow offered the flight resumption to Seoul in July, according to Russian news reports. South Korea reportedly replied recently, suggesting that the reopening take place in late September.
Moscow has reported about 1.09 million coronavirus cases, while about 22,890 cases have been confirmed in South Korea.
This file photo taken on June 10, 2020, shows the arrival lobby of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, almost deserted amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--DMZ trail in Paju to reopen to tourists next week

The Paju trail is one of three hiking routes that opened to the public last year under the DMZ Peace @ @ @ @ @ visitors to experience inter-Korean peace and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula .
Two @ @ @ @ @ Cheorwon , both of Gangwon Province , have also been closed due to the outbreak @ @ @ @ @

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- A western border hiking trail along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas will reopen to the public next week, about 11 months after its closure due to the outbreak of African swine fever, authorities said Saturday.
The municipality of Paju of Gyeonggi Province, about 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul, said it will reopen its DMZ hiking trail to tourists next Tuesday.
In consideration of the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus, however, the municipal government said it will limit the number of daily hiking tour programs to 10, while allowing only a maximum of 20 people to join the course at one time. Group tours will be operated by reservation only.
Participants in a DMZ peace trail program visit the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this file photo taken and provided by the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy in August 2019. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The DMZ, which is about 250 km long and 4 km wide, is one of the world's most heavily fortified borders, with the rival Koreas technically in a state of conflict as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
The Paju trail is one of three hiking routes that opened to the public last year under the DMZ Peace Trail program intended to allow visitors to experience inter-Korean peace and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. Two other trails in Goseong and Cheorwon, both of Gangwon Province, have also been closed due to the outbreak of African swine fever.
The Paju course, which is around 20 km for a round trip, starts from the Imjingak Pavilion and leads to a demolished guard post via the Dorasan Observatory.
The Paju government said it has already completed joint field inspections and quarantine measures, together with relevant central government agencies, to prevent the recurrence of the infectious disease of domestic and wild pigs.
The municipality also said it has worked out all possible countermeasures, including installation of fever screening equipment, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among tourists.
In particular, it and the Army jointly conducted a tourism simulation for 20 people earlier this week to check the density of the trail facilities.
The city said it will take additional quarantine measures depending on the situations of the African swine fever and coronavirus outbreaks and hire a number of senior workers to ensure anti-coronavirus guidelines are thoroughly observed along the trail route.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Home appliance makers go head-to-head in kimchi refrigerator market

Samsung Electronics Co. last month launched new models of its Bespoke Kimchi Plus line , which allows consumers to customize @ @ @ @ @ .
The latest refrigerator line offers 19 door panel colors and comes with three types @ @ @ @ @ users to make their own fridge .

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's major home appliance makers are going head-to-head in the kimchi refrigerator market after they released new models with improved designs and advanced food preservation technologies.
Kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish normally made of fermented cabbage, salt and hot peppers, is eaten with almost all meals for South Koreans.
Local electronics firms have been producing specialty refrigerators for kimchi since many Koreans still make large volumes of kimchi for all-year consumption just before winter. As kimchi boxes also occupy a large amount of space in their family refrigerators, local consumers buy kimchi refrigerators to store the fermented food separately.
This photo provided by Samsung Electronics Co. on Aug. 31, 2020, shows the company's new Bespoke Kimchi Plus kimchi refrigerator. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Samsung Electronics Co. last month launched new models of its Bespoke Kimchi Plus line, which allows consumers to customize the design of the refrigerator. The latest refrigerator line offers 19 door panel colors and comes with three types of door designs, allowing users to make their own fridge.
Samsung said its new product offers various cooling modes to make kimchi taste fresh. Since kimchi refrigerators are also used as secondary refrigerators to store other foods, such as fruits and meats, Samsung said its offers 17 different food preservation modes.
The prices of the new Bespoke Kimchi Plus products range from 1.4 million won (US$1,200) to 5.99 million won depending on sizes and options.
LG Electronics Inc. launched 40 upgraded models of the Dios Kimchi Toktok refrigerator last month.
LG said its kimchi refrigerators are equipped with its advanced cooling technology that boosts the production of lactic acid bacteria, which plays a key role in kimchi fermentation, by 57 times compared to normal storage modes.
LG also applied artificial intelligence (AI) technology to its new kimchi refrigerators that can detect packaged kimchi from CJ Cheiljedang Corp., the country's leading food processing firm.
This photo provided by LG Electronics Inc. on Aug. 23, 2020, shows the company's new LG Dios Kimchi Toktok kimchi refrigerator. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
When users scan a barcode of CJ Cheiljedang's Bibigo kimchi products via the LG ThinQ app and insert the manufacture date, LG's kimchi refrigerators will automatically set the optimal temperature and cooling time.
The company said it will cooperate with other packaged kimchi producers to expand the function.
LG said its kimchi refrigerators offer compartments that can be individually controlled with various temperature presets, allowing users to keep other foods in addition to kimchi. Each compartment has a deodorizing filter to minimize the mixing of food odors, it added.
Winia Dimchae Co. introduced its 2021 edition of the Dimchae kimchi refrigerator last month that provides optimal fermentation storage modes for 10 different types of kimchi.
The latest product can also store various foods by setting up separate compartments, and it is particularly focused on storing alcoholic beverages due to the rising number of home drinkers amid the pandemic.
Its new Dimchae kimchi refrigerator also features a soju slush cooling mode, allowing people to enjoy the country's popular alcohol in frosty ice.
The company said the 2021 edition of the Dimchae kimchi refrigerator comes in 92 models, with 71 of them being standing-type fridges. The prices for the latest refrigerators range from 690,000 won to 4.6 million won depending on type and features.
This photo provided by Winia Dimchae on Aug. 27, 2020, shows the company's 2021 editions of the Dimchae kimchi refrigerators. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Seoul shares to move in tight range in coming week: analysts

SEOUL , Sept. 19 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korean shares are likely to trade in a tight range in @ @ @ @ @ tech valuation concerns linger heavily despite ample liquidity in the local stock markets , analysts @ @ @

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares are likely to trade in a tight range in the coming week, as tech valuation concerns linger heavily despite ample liquidity in the local stock markets, analysts said Saturday.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,412.40 points on Friday, up 0.66 percent from 2,396.69 a week ago.
The KOSPI wavered the entire week, roiled by more investors questioning whether stock prices had risen too far beyond their proper values.
The index shot up to the highest since June 2018 on Tuesday, generating a profit-taking rush for the rest of the week.
Electronic signboards at a Hana Bank dealing room in Seoul show the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,412.4 on Sept. 18, 2020, up 6.23 points, or 0.26 percent, from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)
Yet local analysts predicted another week of high uncertainties.
"The tech uncertainties (on Wall Street) are likely to keep the KOSPI from large gains," NH Investment & Securities analyst Noh Dong-kil said.
Upcoming large initial public offerings (IPOs), on the other hand, are expected to direct larger inflows of cash to the local stock markets, he added.
The IPO of Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop superstars BTS, is set to make a splash next month, analysts said.
South Korea will release its import-export data for the first 20 days of September on Monday.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 1 additional coronavirus death, total now at 378: KDCA


yna--2020-09-19--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 110 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 22,893: KDCA


yna--2020-09-19--Pyongyang summit deal should be fulfilled, Moon says in anniversary message

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in said Saturday that his Pyongyang summit accord with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should be implemented despite restraints at home and abroad, marking the second anniversary of its signing.
He stressed that Seoul's commitment to peace remains firm, while the agreement has not been fulfilled speedily due to "internal and external restraints."
In a message posted on Facebook, the president recalled his historic speech in front of 150,000 Pyongyang citizens at May Day Stadium in the North's capital two years ago.
"Together with Chairman Kim Jong-un, I declared denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula," he wrote.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un raise their hands after watching a mass gymnastics performance at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Sept. 19, 2018, in this file photo. (Yonhap)
A "concrete and practical" agreement was reached in the military field, which has led to the demilitarization of Panmunjom, a truce village and excavation of remains on Arrowhead Hill, a key battlefield during the 1950-53 Korean War, he added.
"There has since been not a single armed clash between South and North," Moon noted. "It's very valuable progress, which would have been impossible without the wish of the people desiring peace and the international community's support."
But the "clock" of such a peace move has stopped, with the summit deal not being implemented fast due to a failure to move beyond "internal and external restraints," he wrote.
Nonetheless, he emphasized, "Our commitment to peace is firm. The Sept. 19 South-North agreement should be implemented without fail."
A "seed sown in history" is certain to bear fruit no matter when or how, he added.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pose for a commemorative photo after signing a summit agreement in Pyongyang on Sept. 19, 2018, in this file photo. (Yonhap)
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Sept. 19)

The government has been calling on the people to refrain from visiting relatives during Chuseok , which will likely accelerate @ @ @ @ @ more than ever .
The workers have been desperate in coping with such demand , @ @ @ @ @ hours threatens their health and even life .
As a matter of fact , 12 @ @ @ @ @ during the first half of this year .
And five of them have not be @ @ @ @ @ the industrial disaster insurance .

More manpower for delivery workers
: Firms should offer additional workers to sort parcels
Some 4,000 parcel delivery workers announced Thursday they would boycott the sorting of parcels starting Sept. 21. They account for 10 percent of the employees of major delivery companies. Should they embark on collective action, the delivery market will suffer chaos ahead of the busy Chuseok holiday period. The workers have been calling for additional workers to lessen workload in sorting parcels.
The delivery workers have been struggling, working 12.7 hours on average per day, 25.6 days a month. Their workload has continued to increase amid growing demand, prompted by burgeoning online shopping. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown no signs of slowing down, leading to a 30 percent growth in delivery volume year-on-year. But the workers have failed to get due payment despite the steady rise in their workload mainly in sorting parcels.
According to a civic organization advocating for the rights of the delivery workers, they spend half of their working hours sorting parcels. It says they need at least one more employee to be hired per five delivery workers. In previous years, orders for the parcel delivery increased about 20 percent ahead of the Chuseok holidays and the volume is expected to further increase this year as more people prefer online shopping than ever.
The government has been calling on the people to refrain from visiting relatives during Chuseok, which will likely accelerate the demand for delivery services more than ever. The workers have been desperate in coping with such demand, while the soaring of working hours threatens their health and even life. As a matter of fact, 12 delivery workers lost their lives during the first half of this year. And five of them have not be able to receive cover from the industrial disaster insurance.
Albeit belatedly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Employment and Labor came with measures to tackle the possible shortage of manpower in the parcel delivery sector. The steps feature, among others, employing of 10,000 more workers a day for sorting on average until Oct. 16. The government needs to provide detailed measures to protect the delivery workers from long work hours.
Boosted by the ever increasing orders, delivery companies are enjoying a huge amount of revenue while their workers are suffering from a worsening work environment. The firms have come under growing criticism for failing to submit a solution to the manpower shortage, despite the government's repeated calls to that end. The companies as well as the government should pay more heed to the human rights of the delivery workers.
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Top headlines in major S. Korean newspapers

Korean-language dailies -- DP expels Rep. Kim Hong-gul over dubious amassing of properties ( Kyunghyang Shinmun ) -- S. Korea @ @ @ @ @ over Chuseok holiday , as 'distancing fatigue ' weighs on people ( Kookmin Daily ) @ @ @ @ @ from ruling party for under-declaring properties ( Donga llbo ) -- Upcoming Chuseok holiday puts @ @ @ @ @ spread ( Segye Times ) -- Son of late ex-President Kim Dae-jung kicked out of @ @ @ @ @ ( Chosun Ilbo ) -- Rep. Kim Hong-gul expelled from ruling DP ( JoongAng Ilbo @ @ @ @ @ Kim Hong-gul over dubious property investment ( Hankyoreh ) -- DP dumps late ex-President Kim @ @ @ @ @ Ilbo ) -- Ruling party expels Rep. Kim Hong-gul ( Maeil Business Newspaper ) -- @ @ @ @ @ to erode e-commerce market ( Korea Economic Daily ) ( END )

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- The following are the top headlines in major South Korean newspapers on Sept. 19.
Korean-language dailies
-- DP expels Rep. Kim Hong-gul over dubious amassing of properties (Kyunghyang Shinmun)
-- S. Korea on alert for virus spread over Chuseok holiday, as 'distancing fatigue' weighs on people (Kookmin Daily)
-- Rep. Kim Hong-gul expelled from ruling party for under-declaring properties (Donga llbo)
-- Upcoming Chuseok holiday puts nation on alert over virus spread (Segye Times)
-- Son of late ex-President Kim Dae-jung kicked out of party founded by his father (Chosun Ilbo)
-- Rep. Kim Hong-gul expelled from ruling DP (JoongAng Ilbo)
-- DP expels Rep. Kim Hong-gul over dubious property investment (Hankyoreh)
-- DP dumps late ex-President Kim Dae-jung's son (Hankook Ilbo)
-- Ruling party expels Rep. Kim Hong-gul (Maeil Business Newspaper)
-- Increasing paid fake reviews feared to erode e-commerce market (Korea Economic Daily)
(END)


Saturday's weather forecast

SEOUL , Sep. 19 ( Yonhap ) -- The following is the weather forecast for South Korea 's 12 major @ @ @ @ @ .


yna--2020-09-19--Annual silver grass festival canceled amid COVID-19 woes

The festival , which draws around 600,000 visitors to Haneul Park in Mapo Ward every year , will instead be @ @ @ @ @ on a YouTube channel and a website run by the city government , it said @

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- A silver grass festival that takes place at a park in western Seoul every fall has been canceled this year amid concerns over the new coronavirus, the Seoul city government said Saturday.
The festival, which draws around 600,000 visitors to Haneul Park in Mapo Ward every year, will instead be showcased through photos and videos on a YouTube channel and a website run by the city government, it said.
In addition to the festival cancellation, the city said it will be closing down Haneul Park from Sept. 26 to Nov. 8 to prevent crowds of people gathering.
The park, whose name means "sky," is a popular weekend spot, with some 100,000 visiting the park daily during fall to see its vast silver grass fields that span 185,000 square meters.
The city government said Noeul Park, a park adjacent to Haneul Park and named after "sunset" in Korean, will also run on a reduced schedule from Sept. 26.
Peace Park and Nanjicheon Park, also near Haneul Park, will remain open.
Visitors are advised to wear face masks and keep a distance from one another, it added.
This photo, from Oct. 20, 2019, shows visitors walking through silver grass fields at Haneul Park in western Seoul. (Yonhap)
This image, provided by the Seoul city government, shows a map of parks in the western ward of Mapo. Haneul Park, shaded in orange, will be closed from Sept. 26 to Nov. 8 this year amid concerns over the new coronavirus. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--U.S. to call for joint efforts to denuclearize N. Korea at IAEA meeting: state

North Korea quit the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1993 and again in 2002 .
It granted IAEA inspectors access to its @ @ @ @ @ in October 2008 , but only to kick them out in April 2009 , a @ @ @ @ @ second nuclear test .

By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- The United States plans to call for international efforts to fully denuclearize North Korea at the upcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the State Department said Friday.
Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford will take part in the IAEA general conference in Vienna, Austria, Monday through Thursday, according to the department.
"We will urge nations to join us in striving for the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea," it said of the upcoming meeting.
The captured image from a report of the United Nations' North Korea sanctions committee shows a satellite image of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear site. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The move comes amid an impasse in denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
U.S. President Donald Trump has held three meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but their talks have stalled since their second bilateral summit, in Hanoi in February 2019, ended without a deal.
"The United States recognizes and supports the IAEA's important contributions toward international peace and security and the peaceful application of nuclear technology, and we are a committed member state of the IAEA," the department said in a statement.
North Korea quit the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1993 and again in 2002. It granted IAEA inspectors access to its main nuclear facility at Yongbyon in October 2008, but only to kick them out in April 2009, a month before it staged its second nuclear test.
The communist state has conducted six nuclear tests so far, with its latest and most powerful test in September 2017.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Trump vows continued to efforts to bring remains of POWs/MIAs

Still , Trump 's renewed pledge to work for the return of U.S. POWs and MIAs comes after news reports @ @ @ @ @ U.S. service members who have lost their lives as `` loosers '' and `` suckers @ @ @ @ @ denied by Trump .

By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump pledged relentless efforts Friday to bring home the remains of American soldiers who went missing in action (MIA) or kept prisoner of war (POW) in past conflicts, including the Korean War.
"On this day, we also reaffirm our unceasing global efforts to obtain the fullest possible accounting of our MIA personnel," Trump said in a released statement marking the National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
"That is why in 2018, I worked to secure the historic repatriation of remains from North Korea, and why we are continually working to bring more home from around the world," he added.
The file photo, taken Aug. 1, 2018, shows a ceremony in a hangar at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul, to mark the return of 55 sets of remains of American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War that were earlier returned by North Korea. (Yonhap)
North Korea returned the remains of 55 American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to the U.S. in July 2018, about one month after its leader, Kim Jong-un, held the historic first U.S.-North Korea summit with Trump in Singapore.
In a four-point agreement signed at the Singapore summit, the communist state agreed to the "immediate repatriation" of POW/MIA remains that have already been identified and to continue searching for others.
The U.S. has said its joint search efforts with the North were halted shortly after the second Trump-Kim summit, in Hanoi in February 2019, ended without a deal.
"My Administration will never waver in fulfilling our country's obligation to leave no service member behind," Trump said in the statement posted on the White House website.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established in 1979, and is observed on every third Friday of September.
Still, Trump's renewed pledge to work for the return of U.S. POWs and MIAs comes after news reports accused him of referring to U.S. service members who have lost their lives as "loosers" and "suckers," an accusation strongly denied by Trump.
More than 300,000 U.S. soldiers fought in the Korean War. More than 33,000 were killed in action and some 8,000 still remain missing.
In the photo, provided by South Korea's defense ministry, a member of the Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification is seen excavating the remains of a soldier killed in action during the 1950-53 Korean War in the town of Inje, Gangwon Province. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


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(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(4th LD) New virus cases under 200 for 17th day; untraceable infections hit record high

Untraceable cases accounted for 28.1 percent of all cases reported in the past two weeks , meaning authorities have been @ @ @ @ @ got infected in nearly three in every 10 cases .
It is the highest since @ @ @ @ @ related data in April .

(ATTN: CHANGES headline and lead; ADDS details in paras 17-19, last para)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 200 for the 17th straight day Saturday, but health authorities remain alert as untraceable cases hit a record high.
The country added 110 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 22,893, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The new cases mark a decline from 126 reported Friday but are higher than Tuesday's 106.
Of the new cases, 106 were locally transmitted and the rest came from overseas. The death toll rose by one to 378.
Untraceable cases accounted for 28.1 percent of all cases reported in the past two weeks, meaning authorities have been unable to determine how patients got infected in nearly three in every 10 cases. It is the highest since the government began to compile related data in April.
A visitor consults with a medical worker at a COVID-19 testing station at a community health center in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, when the number of new cases stood at 109, including 11 entrants from abroad, marking the 12th consecutive day the figure had stayed in the 100 level. (Yonhap)
Authorities are still struggling to bring the outbreak under control amid little signs of a significant slowdown in sight, as sporadic cluster infections tied to offices, churches, a nursing home and an auto factory continue to occur in the metropolitan areas.
Of the new 106 local cases, 38 came from Seoul, 41 from the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and 11 from Incheon, west of the capital. The cumulative caseload from the capital region is nearing 10,000.
Later in the day, the agency said as of noon, a total of 24 cases linked to a real estate company in Seoul's Gangnam district have been confirmed since the first related case was reported Tuesday.
Those traced to Yonsei Severance Hospital in western Seoul rose by two to 48, while a nursing home in Goyang, north of the capital, added one more new case to 19.
Cases tied to a Kia Motors Corp.'s plant in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, rose by two to 16.
Infections tied to last month's anti-government rallies came to 613, up four from the previous day. The Seoul city government said it will sue the pastor who led the demonstrations for exacerbating the outbreak and hampering authorities' tracing work by instructing followers to give false information.
The country's outbreak trend has been on a downward trajectory due to tougher social distancing rules that had been enforced until last week to contain the resurgence sparked by church gatherings and political rallies in mid-August.
The daily new cases peaked at 441 on Aug. 27, before gradually falling below 200. New case numbers are still far higher than 30-50 counted prior to the resurgence. The daily caseload dropped to single digits in early May.
Officials said health authorities are studying what may be the nation's first case of a coronavirus reinfection found in a woman in her 20s.
The patient was first diagnosed with COVID-19 in March and released from isolation after recovery. She tested positive again in early April, Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said in a press briefing.
The authorities believe the woman was likely infected through different routes, but more study is needed to reach a conclusion.
For two weeks from Monday, South Korea lowered the nation's social distancing scheme from Level 2.5 to Level 2 as the growth in the number of daily new virus cases, while still in the triple digit range, has shown a stable downward trajectory.
The eased virus curbs allow smaller businesses to run till late hours and restaurants and cafes to operate as usual in the face of growing concerns that the tougher measures will further hurt the economy already blighted by the pandemic.
On Sunday, the government plans to decide whether to extend the Level 2 social distancing scheme for Incheon and Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul.
The biggest task for the health authorities now is to prevent a potential rebound in new virus cases around the upcoming Chuseok fall harvest holiday that falls later this month, a tradition that entails mass movements of people and family gatherings.
The government again urged citizens Saturday to refrain from gathering and traveling during the holiday.
"Making contact at crowded tourist sites raises transmission risks. I ask everyone to refrain from visiting your hometowns and traveling so as not to turn this Chuseok into a trigger for more infection spread," Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said in a government response meeting.
A poll showed Thursday that only 16 percent of the respondents said they will travel to their hometowns for this year's Chuseok.
A total of 19,970 people have been released from quarantine after making full recoveries, up 199 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 2,219,162 coronavirus tests since Jan. 3.
The pandemic, which started in China late last year, has killed more than 952,000 people worldwide and infected over 30 million as of Saturday, a tally from Johns Hopkins University showed.
Children chat in front of a reopened private education institute in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, the first day of the easing of toughened social distancing guidelines, as new COVID-19 cases noticeably declined. Such private institutions were shut down over the previous two weeks amid a resurgence of the virus. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Seoul tests drone food delivery service amid pandemic

In a test held in the administrative city of Sejong , some 130 kilometers southeast of Seoul , five drones @ @ @ @ @ to people at homes two to three kilometers away across a lake and high-rise buildings @ @ @ @ @ Ministry of Land , Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement .

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has tested an autonomous drone food delivery service amid rising demand for non-contact services during the COVID-19 pandemic, the transport ministry said Saturday.
In a test held in the administrative city of Sejong, some 130 kilometers southeast of Seoul, five drones delivered meals and other products to people at homes two to three kilometers away across a lake and high-rise buildings within 10 minutes, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement.
"There are things to be improved before adopting the mid-to-long distance delivery services in urban areas. The government and companies need to address many challenges, such as delivery to high-rise buildings, maximum payload limits and weather-related issues," Jeong Yong-sik, director general in charge of aviation policy at the ministry, said.
The five drones used in the demonstration are multi-purpose drones made by Korean manufacturers with advanced technology. They include hydrogen fuel-cell drones suitable for long flights, as well as drones used in logistics and port surveillance, the statement said.
Korea aims to establish a presence in the drone delivery services markets, where competition is fierce among global logistics powerhouses, such as U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon.com, Inc. and German delivery services company DHL.
This photo taken on Sept. 19, 2020, shows a person receiving a food box delivery from a drone during a government-led test event at the administrative city of Sejong, some 130 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(LEAD) S. Korea reports suspected case of coronavirus reinfection

There have been hundreds of Korean patients who tested positive a second time after recovery .
Experts did not regard @ @ @ @ @ dead virus fragments remaining in the patients ' bodies were likely detected in the tests @

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 1, 3, 6)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean heath authorities are studying what may be the nation's first case of a coronavirus reinfection, found in a woman in her 20s, officials said Saturday.
"Research on a suspected reinfection case is under way in the country," Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said in a press briefing.
The patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March and released from isolation after recovery, but was confirmed to be infected again in early April. he said.
The authorities believe the woman was likely infected through different routes, but more study is needed to reach a conclusion, Kwon said.
"We believe that each infection came from a different cluster, as have happened in other reinfection cases in foreign countries," he said.
There have been hundreds of Korean patients who tested positive a second time after recovery. Experts did not regard them as reinfections, saying dead virus fragments remaining in the patients' bodies were likely detected in the tests.
South Korea reported 110 more virus cases on Saturday, with the majority tied to local cluster infections. The total caseload came to 22,893.
Medical staff and health officials talk to visitors at a treatment booth stationed at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul on Sept. 17, 2020. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(2nd LD) Hyundai Motor plant worker tests positive for coronavirus

He worked at the plant Wednesday when he began to show symptoms .
He traveled to Seoul and the southeastern @ @ @ @ @ and took a test on Friday , according to local health authorities .

(ATTN: UPDATES with company's confirmation and comment in 3rd para)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- A worker at a Hyundai Motor Co. plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan tested positive for the new coronavirus, the company said Saturday.
The man in his mid-30s was confirmed in the morning to have contracted COVID-19, a Hyundai spokesman said over the phone.
"The company expects no production losses from the latest infection at its plant for now as he belongs to the facility management department, not the assembly lines," the spokesman said.
Authorities are tracing his contacts and plan to test 25 people, including his co-workers, for the virus. His two family members took tests and are awaiting the results.
He worked at the plant Wednesday when he began to show symptoms. He traveled to Seoul and the southeastern city of Daegu on Thursday and took a test on Friday, according to local health authorities.
He is the second case at Hyundai Motor's factories in Ulsan. The first case occurred on Feb. 28, forcing the nation's biggest carmaker to shut down one of the plants.
A computer-generated image on the coronavirus crisis provided by Yonhap News TV (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Defense chief: inter-Korean agreement eases military tensions

The agreement also allowed the excavation of remains in the Demilitarized Zone , which was not possible for more than @ @ @ @ @ War , he said .

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new defense chief said Saturday inter-Korean military tensions have eased due to the implementation of the Sept. 19 agreement signed with Pyongyang two years ago.
"The inter-Korean agreement has contributed to eased military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and trust buildup between the two Koreas," Defense Minister Suh Wook said during his visit to the Arrowhead Hill, a key battlefield during the 1950-53 Korean War.
The agreement also allowed the excavation of remains in the Demilitarized Zone, which was not possible for more than 66 years after the Korean War, he said.
The defense minister hoped the two Koreas will jointly excavate war remains in Arrowhead Hill as soon as possible.
He asked troops to maintain a staunch readiness posture, while trying to implement the military agreement in line with the government's efforts for a lasting peace on the peninsula.
This photo taken on Sept. 19, 2020, shows Defense Minister Suh Wook during his visit to the Arrowhead Hill, a key battlefield during the 1950-53 Korean War, in Cheorwon, 90 kilometers north of Seoul. (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Seoul voices 'deep regret' over Abe's visit to Yasukuni Shrine

Instead of visiting the shrine , Abe had sent offerings around key festivals and on Aug. 15 , the anniversary @ @ @ @ @ World War II , which also angered neighboring countries , like South Korea and China @ @ @ @ @ in the early to mid-20th century .

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea voiced "deep concern and regret" after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo on Saturday visited a war shrine seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
Abe said in a tweet that he visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo and reported his resignation to the war dead. Abe ended his nearly eight-year tenure in office earlier this week due to health problems.
"We express deep concern and regret that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Yasukuni Shrine, a symbolic establishment that beautifies Japan's colonial plunder and war of aggression, right after his resignation," foreign ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said.
"The government once again sternly points out that the neighboring countries and international community can trust Japan only when Japanese leaders face history squarely and show by action they humbly reflect on and genuinely atone for the past history," he added.
This was Abe's first visit to the shrine in nearly seven years. He did not visit the shrine as prime minister after his last visit in 2013 sparked criticism.
Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's war dead, including 14 Class A war criminals. Visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders have been a key source of tension in the region as Asian neighbors view the visits as an attempt to beautify the country's militaristic past.
Instead of visiting the shrine, Abe had sent offerings around key festivals and on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, which also angered neighboring countries, like South Korea and China, that suffered Japanese aggression in the early to mid-20th century.
This image, captured from former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Twitter account on Sept, 19, 2020, shows him visiting the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(3rd LD) S. Korea reports 110 new virus cases as untraceable cases hit record high

From earlier this week , the government relaxed the tougher virus curbs for the next two weeks , allowing smaller @ @ @ @ @ hours and restaurants and cafes to operate as usual in the face of growing concerns @ @ @ @ @ further hurt the economy already blighted by the pandemic .

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; ADDS more details about cluster infections in paras 9-11, on suspected reinfection in paras 15-17)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed in the 100s for the 17th consecutive day on Saturday as local infections remained unabated around Seoul and untraceable cases hit a record high.
The country added 110 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 22,893, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The new cases mark a decline from 126 reported Friday but are higher than Tuesday's 106.
Of the new cases, 106 were locally transmitted and the rest came from overseas.
The death toll rose by one to 378.
Untraceable cases accounted for 28.1 percent of all cases reported in the past two weeks, meaning authorities have been unable to determine how patients got infected in nearly three in every 10 cases. It is the highest since the government began to compile related data in April.
A visitor consults with a medical worker at a COVID-19 testing station at a community health center in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, when the number of new cases stood at 109, including 11 entrants from abroad, marking the 12th consecutive day the figure had stayed in the 100 level. (Yonhap)
Authorities are still struggling to bring the outbreak under control amid little signs of a significant slowdown in sight, as sporadic cluster infections tied to offices, churches, a nursing home and an auto factory continue to occur in the metropolitan areas.
Of the new 106 local cases, 38 came from Seoul, 41 from the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and 11 from Incheon, west of the capital. The cumulative caseload from the capital region is nearing 10,000.
Later in the day, the agency said as of noon, a total of 24 cases linked to a real estate company in Seoul's Gangnam district have been confirmed since the first related case was reported Tuesday.
Those traced to Yonsei Severance Hospital in western Seoul rose by two to 48, while a nursing home in Goyang, north of the capital, added one more new case to 19.
Cases tied to a Kia Motors production plant also rose by two to 16.
Infections tied to last month's anti-government rallies came to 613, up four from the previous day. The Seoul city government said it will sue the pastor who led the demonstrations for exacerbating the outbreak and hampering authorities' tracing work by instructing followers to give false information.
The country's outbreak trend has been on a downward trajectory due to tougher social distancing rules that had been enforced until last week to contain the resurgence sparked by church gatherings and political rallies in mid-August.
The daily new cases peaked at 441 on Aug. 27, before gradually falling below 200. New case numbers are still far higher than 30-50 counted prior to the resurgence. The daily caseload dropped to single digits in early May.
Officials said health authorities are studying what may be the nation's first case of a coronavirus reinfection found in a woman in her 20s.
The patient was first diagnosed with COVID-19 in March and released from isolation after recovery. She tested positive again in early April, Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said in a press briefing.
The authorities believe the woman was likely infected through different routes, but more study is needed to reach a conclusion.
From earlier this week, the government relaxed the tougher virus curbs for the next two weeks, allowing smaller businesses to run till late hours and restaurants and cafes to operate as usual in the face of growing concerns that the tougher measures will further hurt the economy already blighted by the pandemic.
The biggest task for the health authorities now is to prevent a potential rebound in new virus cases around the upcoming Chuseok fall harvest holiday that falls later this month, a tradition that entails mass movements of people and family gatherings.
The government again urged citizens Saturday to refrain from gathering and traveling during the holiday.
"Making contact at crowded tourist sites raises transmission risks. I ask everyone to refrain from visiting your hometowns and traveling so as not to turn this Chuseok into a trigger for more infection spread," Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said in a government response meeting.
A poll showed Thursday that only 16 percent of the respondents said they will travel to their hometowns for this year's Chuseok.
A total of 19,970 people have been released from quarantine after making full recoveries, up 199 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 2,219,162 coronavirus tests since Jan. 3.
Children chat in front of a reopened private education institute in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, the first day of the easing of toughened social distancing guidelines, as new COVID-19 cases noticeably declined. Such private institutions were shut down over the previous two weeks amid a resurgence of the virus. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(2nd LD) S. Korea reports 110 new virus cases as rise in local infections persists

(ATTN: ADDS paras 6, 9 and 12 with more info)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed in the 100s for the 17th consecutive day on Saturday, with local infections unabated in the greater Seoul area.
The country added 110 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 22,893, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The new cases mark a decline from 126 reported Friday but are higher than Tuesday's 106.
Of the new cases, 106 were locally transmitted and the rest came from overseas.
The death toll rose by one to 378.
Untraceable cases accounted for 28.1 percent of all cases reported in the past two weeks, meaning authorities have been unable to determine how patients got infected in nearly three in every 10 cases. It is the highest since the government began to compile related data in April.
A visitor consults with a medical worker at a COVID-19 testing station at a community health center in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, when the number of new cases stood at 109, including 11 entrants from abroad, marking the 12th consecutive day the figure had stayed in the 100 level. (Yonhap)
Authorities are still struggling to bring the outbreak under control amid little signs of a significant slowdown in sight, as sporadic cluster infections tied to offices, churches, a nursing home and an auto factory continue to occur in the metropolitan areas.
Of the new 106 local cases, 38 came from Seoul, 41 from the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and 11 from Incheon, west of the capital. The cumulative caseload from the capital region is nearing 10,000.
As of Saturday, infection cases tied to last month's anti-government rallies came to 613, up four from the previous day. The Seoul city government said it will sue the pastor who led the demonstrations for exacerbating the outbreak and hampering authorities' tracing work by instructing followers to give false information.
The country's outbreak trend has been on a downward trajectory due to tougher social distancing rules that had been enforced until last week to contain the resurgence sparked by church gatherings and political rallies in mid-August.
The daily new cases peaked at 441 on Aug. 27, before gradually falling below 200. New case numbers are still far higher than 30-50 counted prior to the resurgence. The daily caseload dropped to single digits in early May.
Later in the day, health officials said there has been a suspected case of COVID-19 reinfection, found in a woman in her 20s, and authorities are working to trace the infection routes.
From earlier this week, the government relaxed the tougher virus curbs for the next two weeks, allowing smaller businesses to run till late hours and restaurants and cafes to operate as usual in the face of growing concerns that the tougher measures will further hurt the economy already blighted by the pandemic.
The biggest task for the health authorities now is to prevent a potential rebound in new virus cases around the upcoming Chuseok fall harvest holiday that falls later this month, a tradition that entails mass movements of people and family gatherings.
The government again urged citizens Saturday to refrain from gathering and traveling during the holiday.
"Making contact at crowded tourist sites raises transmission risks. I ask everyone to refrain from visiting your hometowns and traveling so as not to turn this Chuseok into a trigger for more infection spread," Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said in a government response meeting.
A poll showed Thursday that only 16 percent of the respondents said they will travel to their hometowns for this year's Chuseok.
A total of 19,970 people have been released from quarantine after making full recoveries, up 199 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 2,219,162 coronavirus tests since Jan. 3.
Children chat in front of a reopened private education institute in Seoul on Sept. 14, 2020, the first day of the easing of toughened social distancing guidelines, as new COVID-19 cases noticeably declined. Such private institutions were shut down over the previous two weeks amid a resurgence of the virus. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--S. Korea reports suspected case of coronavirus reinfection

`` We believe that each infection came from a different cluster , as have happened in other reinfection cases in @ @ @ @ @ said .

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean heath authorities are studying a possible case of a coronavirus reinfection found in a woman in her 20s, officials said Saturday.
"Research on a suspected reinfection case is under way in the country," Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said in a press briefing.
The patient, who was first diagnosed with COVID-19 in March, tested positive again in early April, he said.
The authorities believe the woman was likely infected through different routes, but more study is needed to reach a conclusion, Kwon said.
"We believe that each infection came from a different cluster, as have happened in other reinfection cases in foreign countries," he said.
South Korea reported 110 more virus cases on Saturday, with the majority tied to local cluster infections. The total caseload came to 22,893.
Medical staff and health officials talk to visitors at a treatment booth stationed at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul on Sept. 17, 2020. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--(LEAD) Hyundai Motor plant worker tests positive for coronavirus

(ATTN: ADDS new info in paras 4-5)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- A worker at a Hyundai Motor Co. plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan tested positive for the new coronavirus, local sources said Saturday.
The man in his mid-30s was confirmed in the morning to have contracted COVID-19 and is now in good health, the municipality said.
Sources said later he is a Hyundai Motor Co. employee and works at the facility management department, not at assembly lines.
Authorities are tracing his contacts and plan to test 25 people, including his co-workers, for the virus. His two family members took tests and are awaiting the results.
He worked at the plant Wednesday when he began to show symptoms. He traveled to Seoul and the southeastern city of Daegu on Thursday and took a test on Friday, according to local health authorities.
He is the second case at Hyundai Motor's factories in Ulsan. The first case occurred on Feb. 28, forcing the nation's biggest carmaker to shut down one of the plants.
A computer-generated image on the coronavirus crisis provided by Yonhap News TV (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--2 killed in fire at waste recycling facility

The incident occurred at around 4 a.m. inside a plastic waste recycling plant in Pyeongtaek , Gyeongggi Province .
The @ @ @ @ @ started by the explosion of a transverse kiln , firefighters said .

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- Two foreign workers were killed as a fire gutted a waste recycling facility located south of Seoul, authorities said Saturday.
The incident occurred at around 4 a.m. inside a plastic waste recycling plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeongggi Province. The blaze appears to have been started by the explosion of a transverse kiln, firefighters said.
The fire killed two foreign workers, whose identities were withheld, and burned down two buildings.
About 100 tons of plastic waste were apparently stored in the facility.
Authorities are working to find out the exact cause of the accident.
This photo, provided by a vernacular daily based in Gyeonggi Province, shows firefighters putting out a fire at a plastic waste recycling company in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Sept. 19, 2020. Two foreign workers were killed in the blaze. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--K-pop superstar BTS performs at iHeartRadio Music Festival

`` We should be there with real people and real audience .
That 's what makes us so sad .
@ @ @ @ @ going to do our best , '' BTS leader RM said in a pre-performance interview @ @ @ @ @ FM held in conjunction with the music festival .

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- K-pop superstar BTS has delivered a performance of its new single "Dynamite" and several of its past hits at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in the United States.
The seven-member boy band presented a prerecorded live stage performance of its new disco-pop single, along with its past hits -- "Make It Right," "Spring Day" and "Boy With Luv" -- at the event, which was streamed online Friday evening (U.S. time).
BTS was booked along with Alicia Keys, Migos, Thomas Rhett and Coldplay at the first day of the two-day festival.
"We should be there with real people and real audience. That's what makes us so sad. But still, we're going to do our best," BTS leader RM said in a pre-performance interview with U.S. radio station KIIS FM held in conjunction with the music festival.
This photo provided by Big Hit Entertainment on Sept. 19, 2020, shows K-pop group BTS posing for a photo at a set in South Korea where the band filmed a performance for the iHeartRadio Music Festival in the U.S. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
BTS also shared how "Dynamite" was conceptualized and created in the midst of the global chaos from COVID-19.
"We, too, felt desperate, to be honest with you, so we needed a breakthrough from that and focus on what we can do best and it was music and performance. We thought that the world needed some simple, positive energy," RM explained.
The band also shared some details of its upcoming album scheduled to drop within the year. "It's going to be a little different than the single, so stay tuned," RM said.
Meanwhile, "Dynamite" reached No. 21 on Britain's Official U.K. Singles Chart on Friday (U.K. time), dipping three notches from the previous week. The song debuted at No. 3 four weeks ago on the British singles chart, earning the group its career high on the British chart.
The South Korean boy band made history by becoming the country's first recording artists to top Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart with its latest single. The previous highest-charting South Korean artist was soloist PSY, whose 2012 viral hit "Gangnam Style" peaked at the No. 2 spot.
"Dynamite" took the top position on Billboard's main singles chart for the second-straight week last week, becoming the 20th song in history to have remained on top in its second week following a No. 1 debut. The track stood at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart this week.
This photo provided by Big Hit Entertainment on Sept. 19, 2020, shows K-pop group BTS performing "Dynamite" for the iHeartRadio Music Festival in the U.S. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-09-19--Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history

2018 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visit the North 's Mount Paekdu , @ @ @ @ @ that sits on the border with China , on the last day of their three-day @ @ @ @ @ summit was also the third meeting between the two leaders .
In a joint declaration @ @ @ @ @ Moon and Kim reaffirmed their commitment to completely ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons @ @ @ @

Sept. 20
1985 -- Fifty South Koreans travel to Pyongyang and an equal number of North Koreans come to Seoul to participate in the first temporary reunion of family members separated since the 1950-53 Korean War.
1986 -- The 10th Asian Games open in Seoul.
1995 -- The Gwangju Biennale, the largest arts festival in Asia, opens in the southwestern city of Gwangju. The event has since been held every two years, bringing the latest international developments in modern art to the city.
2000 -- South Korean male fencer Kim Young-ho wins the gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games, beating Germany's Ralf Bissdorf 15-14 in the final of the men's individual foil. Kim's victory marked the first time that South Korea took gold in an Olympic fencing event.
2004 -- South Korean gymnast Yang Tae-young, who was robbed of an Olympic individual all-around gold because of a scoring error, is awarded the same financial reward as gold medalists by the national Olympic committee.
2005 -- President Roh Moo-hyun calls for comprehensive plans to aid North Korea's economic development, amid signs of a peaceful resolution of a dispute over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
2013 -- Los Angeles County Museum of Art decides to return to Seoul a seal used by a queen of Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) after confirming it was stolen by an American soldier during the 1950-53 Korean War.
2018 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visit the North's Mount Paekdu, the tallest mountain in Korea that sits on the border with China, on the last day of their three-day summit in Pyongyang. The summit was also the third meeting between the two leaders. In a joint declaration issued during the summit, Moon and Kim reaffirmed their commitment to completely ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons.
(END)