yna--2020-01-18--(LEAD) BTS to showcase new single on CBS' 'The Late Late Show' this month

Joining the famous U.S. talk show on Jan. 28 ( U.S. time ) , BTS will stage `` Black Swan @ @ @ @ @ the bands ' upcoming `` Map of the Soul : 7 '' album , according @ @ @ @ @ BTS previously appeared on the show in 2017 and 2018 .

(ATTN: ADDS more info in 2nd to last para)
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- K-pop super band BTS will appear on U.S. broadcaster CBS' "The Late Late Show with James Corden" later this month to showcase their new single, the band's management agency said Saturday.
Joining the famous U.S. talk show on Jan. 28 (U.S. time), BTS will stage "Black Swan," a track from the bands' upcoming "Map of the Soul: 7" album, according to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS previously appeared on the show in 2017 and 2018.
The song hit major South Korean and overseas online music streaming services on Friday ahead of the full release of the band's fourth full-length album and second "Map of the Soul" album on Feb. 21.
As of 9 a.m., the new song topped the iTunes Top Songs charts of 93 countries, the highest tally for any K-pop song, the agency said.
Pre-orders for the new album have topped 3.42 million copies in the first week since pre-sales began last week, the biggest pre-order volume ever for a South Korean album.
These images, provided by Big Hit Entertainment on Jan. 17, 2020, show scenes from the art video of "Black Swan," a track from K-pop group BTS' upcoming album titled "Map of the Soul: 7." The group dropped the song on the day, ahead of the album's official release on Feb. 21. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--Icefish festival kicks off in northeastern county

The centerpiece of the festival is catching smelt out of roughly 20-centimeter-wide ice holes .
Called `` bingeo '' in @ @ @ @ @ water colder than 10 C and are most active between December and February .

INJE, South Korea, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- An annual ice fishing festival kicked off in a northeastern county on Saturday, organizers said.
The Inje Icefish Festival opened for a run till Feb. 2 on the vast frozen Soyang Lake in the mountainous county of Inje, 165 kilometers northeast of Seoul.
The centerpiece of the festival is catching smelt out of roughly 20-centimeter-wide ice holes. Called "bingeo" in Korea, smelt live in water colder than 10 C and are most active between December and February.
To that end, a 66,100-square-meter fishing zone was created on the ice, with some 2,000 holes bored for anglers to use.
Visitors can also enjoy other activities, ranging from tasting icefish and other foods to ice skating and sledding.
The festival, which dates back to 1998, has developed into one of the country's most famous festivals over the past two decades.
Citizens enjoy fishing for smelt during the annual Inje Icefish Festival in Inje, 165 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Jan. 18, 2020. The festival, which opened on the day, will continue until Feb. 2. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--(3rd LD) 4 S. Korean trekkers go missing after avalanche hits Annapurna

The incident took place at an altitude of 3,230 meters at around 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. ( local time ) @ @ @ @ @ the ministry .
Five other South Korean members of the crew are safe and taking @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with latest info; ADDS 2nd photo)
SEOUL/NEW DELHI, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- Four South Korean trekkers have gone missing after an avalanche hit the circuit trekking route of Annapurna in Nepal, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.
The incident took place at an altitude of 3,230 meters at around 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday, according to the ministry. Five other South Korean members of the crew are safe and taking shelter in a lodge.
Bad weather conditions are hampering search operations using helicopters, according to the ministry.
As of Saturday morning, Nepalese police were moving to the site of the incident on foot, and a helicopter is on standby to transfer the surviving people to Pokhara.
This EPA-Yonhap file photo shows Annapurna in Nepal in 2017. (Yonhap)
The missing trekkers -- two women in their 30s and 50s and two men in their 50s -- are teachers who were staying in Nepal for volunteer work.
The South Chungcheong Province Office of Education said a total of 11 teachers from 10 schools left South Korea on Monday to take part in the program which was scheduled to run until next Saturday.
The other two teachers were staying at accommodations due to health issues.
According to foreign media, three Nepalis also went missing due to the incident.
A South Korean emergency team comprised of officials at the foreign ministry and the education office, as well as those from the tourist agency, left for Nepal earlier in the day. Six members of the affected people's families accompanied the officials.
The South Korean mission in Nepal has requested active search operations in the area to the local authorities and vowed utmost efforts to provide necessary support to the families of the victims, the ministry said.
This photo, taken on Jan. 18, 2020, shows officials at the South Chungcheong Province Office of Education gathered at the headquarters in Hongseong, 150 kilometers south of Seoul, after four South Korean teachers went missing while trekking in Annapurna, Nepal, the previous day due to an avalanche. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--(LEAD) N. Korean ambassadors to China, U.N. head home: source

`` The ambassadors ' abrupt trip to Pyongyang could indicate a new development regarding the North 's negotiations with the @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` They could also discuss the issue of procuring foreign currency , which @ @ @ @ @ ''

(ATTN: ADDS photos, more info in 3rd para)
BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's top envoys to China and the United Nations returned to Pyongyang on Saturday, a source in Beijing said, spurring speculation the North could review its nuclear negotiating strategy with the United States.
Pyongyang's Ambassador to China Ji Jae-ryong and Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song left the Chinese capital on an Air Koryo flight from the Beijing international airport in the morning, the source said.
North Korean ambassadors to Angola and Singapore were also seen at the airport, indicating a possible meeting of North Korea's overseas diplomatic mission chiefs in Pyongyang. Some 10 other North Korean diplomats accompanied the top envoys on the flight.
North Korea's top envoy to China Ji Jae-ryong (L) arrives at the Beijing international airport on Jan. 18, 2020, to head to Pyongyang. (Yonhap)
The exact purpose of their trip was not immediately clear, but they could brainstorm the North's negotiating strategy with the U.S. during the possible meeting, the source said.
Denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang remain stalled since the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi collapsed without a deal in February last year.
North Korea has said it will not return to dialogue until the U.S. fully accepts its demands and withdraws what it calls a "hostile policy" against the North.
"The ambassadors' abrupt trip to Pyongyang could indicate a new development regarding the North's negotiations with the U.S.," another source said. "They could also discuss the issue of procuring foreign currency, which is increasingly running out."
North Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song is seen at the Beijing international airport on Jan. 18, 2020, before taking a flight to Pyongyang. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history

1968 -- Thirty-one North Korean commandos infiltrate Seoul in an attempt to assassinate President Park Chung-hee .
The North Koreans @ @ @ @ @ the presidential office , Cheong Wa Dae .
Twenty-eight were killed , one was captured @ @ @ @ @ to have returned to the North across the border .
The only survivor , Kim @ @ @ @ @ nationally televised news conference that he had come `` to cut the throat of Park @ @ @

Jan. 19
1946 -- Rightist and leftist Korean students clash over whether the Korean Peninsula should be placed under a U.N. trusteeship.
1949 -- The South Korean government applies for membership in the U.N.
1967 -- A South Korean patrol boat is sunk by artillery fired by the North Korean army while protecting South Korean fishing boats operating near the inter-Korean maritime border in the East Sea.
1979 -- South Korean President Park Chung-hee calls for inter-Korean dialogue during a press conference for the new year.
1994 -- James Woolsey, the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, makes a secret visit to Seoul for talks with South Korean President Kim Young-sam on ways to prevent North Korea's development of nuclear weapons.
2004 -- North Korea proposes an inter-Korean meeting to discuss ways of reunifying the peninsula "independent of foreign intervention." North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly Vice President Yang Hyong-sop, speaking to a joint conference of government, party and civilian representatives, says the meeting could be held in Pyongyang, Seoul, Mount Geumgang or any place agreed upon by the two sides.
2006 -- South Korean slugger Lee Seung-yuop joins the Yomiuri Giants in Japanese professional baseball after his two-year deal with the Chiba Lotte Marines expires.
2010 -- The Korean Olympic Committee announces a delegation of 45 athletes to compete at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
2014 -- China opens a memorial hall honoring Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun in Harbin Station, Harbin. Ahn shot dead Hirobumi Ito, the first Japanese governor-general of Korea, in the Chinese city in October 1909 prior to the beginning of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Ahn was executed at a Japanese prison in the northern Chinese city of Ryojun, now called Lushun, in 1910.
2015 -- South Korea and Japan hold talks on Tokyo's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, one of the most knotty issues for bilateral ties, without producing a breakthrough.
2016 -- South Korea's environment ministry asks the prosecution to investigate the local unit of Volkswagen over its plan to recall diesel-powered vehicles sold here, claiming the measure is insufficient.
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--N. Korean ambassadors to China, U.N. head home: source

The purpose of their trip was not immediately clear , but it could be aimed at attending a meeting of @ @ @ @ @ mission chiefs , during which the North could brainstorm its negotiating strategy with the U.S. @ @ @ @ @

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's top envoys to China and the United Nations returned to Pyongyang on Saturday, a source in Beijing said, spurring speculation the North could review its nuclear negotiating strategy with the United States.
Pyongyang's Ambassador to China Ji Jae-ryong and Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song left the Chinese capital on an Air Koryo flight from the Beijing international airport in the morning, the source said.
Some 10 other North Korean diplomats accompanied the top envoys on the flight.
The purpose of their trip was not immediately clear, but it could be aimed at attending a meeting of North Korea's overseas diplomatic mission chiefs, during which the North could brainstorm its negotiating strategy with the U.S., the source said.
Denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang remain stalled since the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi collapsed without a deal in February last year.
North Korea has said it will not return to dialogue until the U.S. fully accepts its demands and withdraws what it calls a "hostile policy" against the North.
"The ambassadors' abrupt trip to Pyongyang could indicate a new development regarding the North's negotiations with the U.S.," another source said. "They could also discuss the issue of procuring foreign currency, which is increasingly running out."
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--(2nd LD) 4 S. Korean trekkers go missing after avalanche hits Annapurna

The South Chungcheong Province Office of Education said a total of 11 teachers from 10 schools left South Korea on @ @ @ @ @ the program .
The other two teachers were staying at the accommodations due to health @ @

(ATTN: RECASTS dateline; ADDS photo, more info in paras 3-7)
SEOUL/NEW DELHI, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- Four South Korean trekkers have gone missing after an avalanche hit the circuit trekking route of Annapurna in Nepal, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.
The incident took place at around 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday, according to the ministry. Five other South Korean members of the crew are safe.
The missing trekkers -- two female and two male -- are known to be teachers who were staying in Nepal for volunteer work.
The South Chungcheong Province Office of Education said a total of 11 teachers from 10 schools left South Korea on Monday to take part in the program. The other two teachers were staying at the accommodations due to health issues.
The site of the incident is known to be some three days' distance from Pokhara on foot.
Local police dispatched officials to the scene early in the morning but are known to be having difficulties in carrying out search operations due to bad weather conditions.
"There is no road connectivity in the incident site and aerial rescue operation also could not be possible due to bad weather throughout the day," China's Xinhua News Agency quoted a local police officer as saying on Friday evening.
The South Korean mission in Nepal has requested active search operations in the area to the local authorities and informed the missing people's families of the incident.
The government will dispatch an emergency team to handle the case and provide necessary support to the families of the victims, the ministry said.
This EPA-Yonhap file photo shows Annapurna in Nepal in 2017. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--Inter-Korean cooperation will occur within framework of denuclearization: official

Amid concerns about the allies ' friction over a possible mismatch in the progress of inter-Korean cooperation and denuclearization , @ @ @ @ @ cooperation will `` not be pushed in a way that undermines the bargaining power of @ @ @ @

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's push for inter-Korean cooperation will be done in a way that can facilitate the denuclearization negotiations between the United States and North Korea, a senior presidential official said Saturday.
The official made the remark one day after the office of President Moon Jae-in openly reproached U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris for his remarks on Moon's plans to resume inter-Korean cooperation, calling them "very inappropriate."
Amid concerns about the allies' friction over a possible mismatch in the progress of inter-Korean cooperation and denuclearization, the presidential official said the cooperation will "not be pushed in a way that undermines the bargaining power of either side."
"President Moon's blueprint unveiled at the New Year's press conference, such as the individual tours to the North, will in the end be carried out within the framework of denuclearization," the official said.
On Thursday, Harris reportedly urged Seoul to hold prior consultations with Washington in its pursuit of allowing its nationals to make individual tours of Mount Kumgang on North Korea's east coast.
Harris' remarks were viewed by many as a thinly veiled warning and an attempt to put pressure on the Moon administration as it seeks to jump-start inter-Korean projects that are unaffected by U.N. sanctions on the communist neighbor in a bid to help facilitate Pyongyang-Washington nuclear talks.
The presidential official, however, said it is an "exaggeration" to understand the ambassador's remarks as the U.S. official viewpoint.
"If Harris' remarks reflected the official stance of the U.S., they wouldn't have conveyed it through the media," the official said.
In Washington, the State Department said Friday "the U.S. supports inter-Korean cooperation and coordinates with our Republic of Korea ally to ensure inter-Korean cooperation proceeds in lockstep with progress on denuclearization."
Lee Do-hoon, Seoul's chief nuclear envoy, who is visiting Washington, also said the U.S. has reaffirmed its support for improvement in inter-Korean relations.
"The U.S. reaffirmed its support for improved South-North relations," Lee told reporters at a briefing, without offering details on Washington's stance on specific inter-Korean projects, such as Moon's interest in allowing individual tours to North Korea.
South Korea has said that individual tours do not fall under the scope of United Nations sanctions against North Korea.
While the U.S. hasn't expressed its position on the individual tours publicly, it has been wary of any flow of resources to North Korea that could undermine its "maximum pressure" campaign against the regime.
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--(LEAD) 4 S. Korean trekkers go missing after avalanche hits Annapurna

The missing trekkers are known to be teachers who were staying in Nepal for volunteer work .
The South Chungcheong @ @ @ @ @ a total of 11 teachers left South Korea on Monday to take part in the @ @ @

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS more info)
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- Four South Korean trekkers have gone missing after an avalanche hit the circuit trekking route of Annapurna in Nepal, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.
The incident took place at around 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday, according to the ministry. Five other South Korean members of the crew are safe.
The missing trekkers are known to be teachers who were staying in Nepal for volunteer work. The South Chungcheong Province Office of Education said a total of 11 teachers left South Korea on Monday to take part in the volunteer work.
The South Korean mission in Nepal has requested active search operations in the area to the local authorities and informed the missing people's families of the incident.
The government will dispatch an emergency team to handle the case and provide necessary support to the families of the victims, the ministry said.
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--BTS to showcase new single on CBS' 'The Late Late Show' this month

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- K-pop super band BTS will appear on U.S. broadcaster CBS' "The Late Late Show with James Corden" later this month to showcase their new single, the band's management agency said Saturday.
Joining the famous U.S. talk show on Jan. 28 (U.S. time), BTS will stage "Black Swan," a track from the bands' upcoming "Map of the Soul: 7" album, according to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS previously appeared on the show in 2017 and 2018.
The song hit major South Korean and overseas online music streaming services on Friday ahead of the full release of the band's fourth full-length album and second "Map of the Soul" album on Feb. 21.
Pre-orders for the new album have topped 3.42 million copies in the first week since pre-sales began last week, the biggest pre-order volume ever for a South Korean album.
These images, provided by Big Hit Entertainment on Jan. 17, 2020, show scenes from the art video of "Black Swan," a track from K-pop group BTS' upcoming album titled "Map of the Soul: 7." The group dropped the song on the day, ahead of the album's official release on Feb. 21. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--4 S. Korean climbers go missing in Himalayas due to snowslide

The incident took place at the famous Annapurna trekking route at around 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. ( local time ) @ @ @ @ @ the ministry .
Five other members of the crew are safe .

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- Four South Korean climbers have gone missing in Nepal's Himalayas due to a snowslide, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.
The incident took place at the famous Annapurna trekking route at around 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Friday, according to the ministry. Five other members of the crew are safe.
The South Korean mission in Nepal has requested active search operations in the area to the local authorities and informed the missing people's families of the incident.
The government will dispatch an emergency team to handle the case and provide necessary support to the families of the victims, it said.
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--Korea's exports feared to be squeezed by U.S.-China trade deal: report

`` Under the agreement , China will import more manufactured goods from the United States than from South Korea within @ @ @ @ @ said in the report .
`` Thus , South Korea needs to keep a watchful @ @ @ @ @ impact on local industries . ''

By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- Washington and Beijing's interim trade deal is hailed as a big boost to improve overall global economic activities, but it is not that good for South Korea's exports of manufactured goods, a local trade agency said Saturday.
Early this week, the United States and China signed the phase-one trade deal, marking a major breakthrough in their yearlong trade row.
Under the deal, China will purchase US$200 billion worth of additional U.S. products through 2021, while the U.S. will not implement further tariffs on its counterpart's products and ease existing barriers as well.
Of the additional products to be imported by China, manufactured goods will account for $77.7 billion, followed by the energy segment with $52.4 billion and agricultural goods of $32 billion.
The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said in its report that South Korea's outbound shipments of manufactured goods may face a tumble as the U.S. goods may replace its products in the Chinese market.
"Under the agreement, China will import more manufactured goods from the United States than from South Korea within two years," KITA said in the report. "Thus, South Korea needs to keep a watchful eye on the deal's impact on local industries."
In 2017, China's imports of South Korean manufactured goods were estimated at $125.5 billion, while those from the U.S. were at $78.8 billion.
Manufactured goods cover a wide scope of products, including electrical equipment, pharmaceutical goods, aircraft, vehicles and steel products.
KITA said the U.S. will account for 18 percent of China's imports of manufactured goods after two years, sharply up 8.9 percentage points from 9.1 percent posted in 2017, hinting that South Korean firms and other rivals will face tougher competition in the world's second-largest market.
South Korea's overall outbound shipments plunged 10.3 percent on-year in 2019, with exports dipping for 13 consecutive months as of December.
Seoul earlier projected its outbound shipments to rebound in 2020 by rising 3 percent on the back of a recovery in its mainstay chip segment and a base effect.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-18--Number of traffic fatalities in Seoul drops 19 pct on-yr in 2019

The data also showed that 0.78 people died for every 10,000 vehicles on the road of the South Korean capital @ @ @ @ @ from the previous year 's 0.96 .
At the same time , about 2.4 fatalities @ @ @ @ @ by car crashes .

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- The number of traffic deaths in Seoul fell 19.1 percent last year from a year earlier, data showed Saturday.
A total of 246 people died in traffic accidents in Seoul in 2019, down from 304 tallied a year earlier, with a daily 0.67 deaths, according to the data compiled by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
The annual number of traffic deaths has been declining since it peaked at 1,371 in 1989 and has hit record lows every year since 2015.
The data also showed that 0.78 people died for every 10,000 vehicles on the road of the South Korean capital city last year, down from the previous year's 0.96. At the same time, about 2.4 fatalities per 100,000 people were caused by car crashes.
The number of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents fell 22 percent on-year to 144 from 184 over the one-year period in Seoul.
The deaths of those aged 65 or over reached 103 last year, accounting for 42 percent of the total traffic fatalities in the city.
The Seoul municipal government said it is aiming to reduce the road traffic fatality ratio per 100,000 people to 2.1 in 2020 and 1.8 in 2021 from the current 2.4.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--Samsung to boost image sensor output amid rising demand: analysts

`` In addition to the DRAM chip production line 11 , Samsung plans to convert the line 13 to produce @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Doh Hyun-woo , an analyst at NH Investment & Securities Co. `` @ @ @ @ @ production capacity , based on wafer input , can be expanded from the current 55,000 @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 . ''

By Joo Kyung-don
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. may boost the production capacity of its complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor by nearly 20 percent this year, analysts here said Sunday, as the South Korean tech giant tries to meet soaring demand.
CMOS image sensor converts light into electrons, thus creating a digital image in an electronics device.
Demand for CMOS image sensor has been sharply rising as smartphones with multiple cameras became increasingly popular in the market, while developing internet of Things (IoT) and mobility technologies prompted the need of such semiconductor.
This image provided by Samsung Electronics Co. on Aug. 12, 2019, shows the company's high-end mobile image sensor, ISOCELL Bright HMX, that features 108 megapixel for high-resolution photographs. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Market researcher IC Insights estimated the global CMOS image sensor market at US$16.8 billion in 2019, up 19 percent from a year earlier.
Against this backdrop, local analysts said Samsung is expected to expand its CMOS image sensor production capacity by converting its DRAM memory chip production lines in South Korea. The fabrication process of CMOS image sensor is known to be similar to that of DRAM.
Samsung, the world's largest memory chipmaker, announced in 2017 that DRAM chip production line 11 at the company's fab in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, will be retooled to produce CMOS image sensors.
"In addition to the DRAM chip production line 11, Samsung plans to convert the line 13 to produce CMOS image sensors this year," said Doh Hyun-woo, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities Co. "Samsung's CMOS image sensor production capacity, based on wafer input, can be expanded from the current 55,000 to 65,000 sheets per month in 2020."
Samsung is the No. 2 player in the global CMOS image sensor market dominated by Sony Corp. As of May last year, Sony accounted 51 percent of the global image sensor market in terms of revenue, industry data showed, with Samsung making up less than 20 percent.
Market watchers said Samsung's efforts to beef up CMOS image sensor production capacity will reduce volatility in its earnings.
This photo taken on July 5, 2018, shows Samsung Electronics Co.'s image sensor products displayed at the company's exhibition hall in Seoul. (Yonhap)
"CMOS image sensors are usually supplied in long-term contracts, meaning there's low risk of price changes," said Kim Dong-won, an analyst at KB Securities. "In the long term, it could surpass the profitability of DRAM."
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


Sunday's weather forecast

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

(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--2020-01-19--Ahn set to return home to resume political activity ahead of April elections

But experts cast doubts on whether his return will be welcomed by voters as public support for Ahn has been @ @ @ @ @ as he has failed to bring about political reforms as he earlier promised .

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- With fewer than 100 days before the April parliamentary elections, Ahn Cheol-soo, a former presidential candidate, was set to return home Sunday to resume his political career after a year-long hiatus.
Ahn, once popular with his "new politics" mantra, retreated from politics following his defeat in the Seoul mayoral race in June 2018. He left for Germany to study in September 2018 and then moved to the United States.
Early this month, he made a surprise announcement of his plan to return to the political scene.
The time of his arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, is not known.
"After I return (to politics), I'll consider how to change Korean politics and how the Republic of Korea should move toward the future," Ahn wrote on his Facebook page on Jan. 2.
This file photo shows Ahn Cheol-soo, co-founder of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party. (Yonhap)
Ahn's move is expected to expedite ongoing discussions of integration in the conservative bloc in the run-up to the April 15 general elections.
But experts cast doubts on whether his return will be welcomed by voters as public support for Ahn has been on the wane, apparently as he has failed to bring about political reforms as he earlier promised.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is discussing ways to merge with the minor opposition New Conservative Party in an effort to consolidate conservative votes to challenge the ruling Democratic Party (DP).
The minor party was launched on Jan. 5 by eight lawmakers who defected from the minor Bareunmirae Party (BP), which Ahn previously co-founded and headed.
LKP chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn publicly voiced hope that Ahn could join his drive for the unified conservative bloc.
But Ahn made it clear that he has no interest in joining "reckless" integrations, as he wants to play a role in revamping "out-of-date" politics.
Ahn, a doctor-turned-computer expert, gained popularity among young Koreans when he entered politics in 2011 with a relatively clean image.
He was a front-runner ahead of the 2011 by-election for Seoul mayor but later dropped his bid and supported Park Won-soon, who is now the Seoul mayor.
He also withdrew from the presidential race in November 2012, less than a month before the election and gave his support to Moon Jae-in, then candidate of the main opposition party. He ran for the presidential election in May 2017 but lost.
Ahn co-founded the minor central-left People's Party in February 2016 ahead of the 2017 presidential election.
The party merged with the central-right Bareun Party in 2018 to create the BP, the third-largest party here. It was a marriage of political groups with opposite support bases, harboring the sources of internal tensions.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


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yna--2020-01-19--S. Korea defeat Jordan to move closer to Olympic men's football berth

Cho , who 'd scored once against Iran in the second group match last Sunday , had a couple of @ @ @ @ @ half to double that lead .
In the 35th , Cho volleyed a Kim Dae-won @ @ @ @ @ About five minutes later , Cho received a pretty diagonal pass from Lee Dong-jun and @ @ @ @ @ Al-Fakhouri , but ended up airmailing the shot with his left foot .

RANGSIT, Thailand, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea got past Jordan 2-1 on Sunday to move within one victory of qualifying for the 2020 Olympic men's football tournament.
Midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong scored a gorgeous free kick to break a 1-1 tie in the dying seconds, giving South Korea a narrow win in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand.
This AFC event is also the qualifying competition for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the top three nations here advancing to the quadrennial competition. South Korea are chasing their ninth straight appearance in the Olympics.
Forward Cho Gue-sung opened the scoring for South Korea in the first half with his second goal of the tournament. Jordan got a second-half equalizer from Yazan Al-Naimat but they came within seconds of forcing extra time.
Cho Gue-sung of South Korea (R) watches his header go into the net against Jordan in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand, on Jan. 19, 2020. (Yonhap)
South Korea will face Australia in the semifinals on Wednesday, back at Thammasat Stadium. The kickoff is 8:15 p.m. local time, and 10:15 p.m. in Seoul.
A win there will send South Korea to the Tokyo Olympics. A loss will relegate them to the third-place match, where South Korea would be in a must-win situation against the other semifinals loser.
Before the South Korea-Australia tilt on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia will play either the United Arab Emirates or Uzbekistan in the semifinals.
Cho put South Korea on the board with his 16th-minute header, following some chaotic goalmouth scramble. Lee Dong-jun bumped into goalkeeper Abdallah Al-Fakhouri as he tried to head home a Jeong Tae-wook pass. With Al-Fakhouri caught out of position after the collision, Cho had a wide open net in front of him, and the forward won the aerial battle against Ward Al-Barri to give South Korea a 1-0 lead.
Cho, who'd scored once against Iran in the second group match last Sunday, had a couple of chances late in the first half to double that lead. In the 35th, Cho volleyed a Kim Dae-won cross right at Al-Fakhouri. About five minutes later, Cho received a pretty diagonal pass from Lee Dong-jun and found himself in alone on Al-Fakhouri, but ended up airmailing the shot with his left foot.
Other than Omar Hani's shot that went straight into the arms of Song Bum-keun, Jordan didn't generate any dangerous scoring chances. South Korea outshot Jordan 6-1 in the opening 45 minutes.
Kim Dae-won of South Korea (C) tries to dribble past Ward Al-Barri of Jordan (L) during the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand, on Jan. 19, 2020. (Yonhap)
South Korea pressed hard for an insurance goal in the second half. Kim Jin-kyu hit the right post with a free kick in the 52nd minute, and Kim Jin-ya rang one off the left post from close range in the 69th.
Jordan made South Korea pay for those close calls, as they evened the score in the 75th minute.
Mohammad Bani Atieh's shot attempt from outside the box landed on the feet of Yazan Al-Naimat, who turned and rolled the ball into the bottom left corner.
Cho had an open chance at the net in the 81st minute thanks to a nifty Lee Dong-gyeong setup, but Al-Fakhouri was up for the challenge with a kick save.
Al-Fakhouri made a desperate save in the 89th minute, when he got a piece of a hard shot by Kim Dae-won to keep it out of the net.
Just when extra time seemed inevitable, Lee Dong-gyeong drew a foul from Ibrahim Sadeh just outside the box. Lee then took the free kick himself and curled it just inside the right post for the dramatic go-ahead goal.
South Korea head coach Kim Hak-bum instructs his players during the quarterfinals match against Jordan the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand, on Jan. 19, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--'Parasite' wins top prize from American Cinema Editors

Since winning the top prize at this year 's Cannes Film Festival , `` Parasite '' has emerged as a @ @ @ @ @ trophy in the U.S. awards season .
It has collected a number of prizes from @ @ @ @ @ brought home best foreign language film at the Golden Globe Awards .

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Bong Joon-ho's sensation "Parasite" won the top prize for best edited feature film at the 70th annual ACE Eddie Awards, U.S. media have reported.
It marked the first time that a foreign language film has won the top prize in ACE Eddie Awards history.
Parasite editor Yang Jin-mo said in an acceptance speech, "First of all, this all feels like a dream. I can't believe this is happening," according to Deadline Hollywood, an entertainment industry news site.
"It's such a huge honor to be nominated such amazing honors, and I'll do my best to work on great films with great directors," Yang said, according to Deadline Hollywood.
The film has also earned six nominations, including best picture, for the upcoming Academy Awards, becoming the first South Korean movie to compete at the world's biggest film event.
A poster of "Parasite" provided by CJ Entertainment (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The 92nd Oscars ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on Feb. 9.
Bong's seventh feature film is a family satire that depicts the entrenched social class system through the lives of two families, one rich and one poor, with Bong's humor and suspense.
Since winning the top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, "Parasite" has emerged as a serious contender for an Oscar trophy in the U.S. awards season. It has collected a number of prizes from U.S. film critics associations and brought home best foreign language film at the Golden Globe Awards.
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(2nd LD) Heavy snowfall hinders search efforts for 4 missing S. Korean trekkers in Himalayas

South Korea also dispatched an emergency response team of two government workers along with officials from an education body and @ @ @ @ @ , the capital of Nepal , to assist the search operations , while the South @ @ @ @ @ Nepalese capital departed for the accident scene to call for the continuation of the rescue @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES with suspension of search operation in 6th para)
SEOUL/KATHMANDU, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Heavy snowfall is delaying Nepalese rescue workers' efforts to search for four South Korean school teachers who went missing while trekking a circuit route of Annapurna in the Himalayas, officials here said Sunday.
The four South Koreans who went missing in an avalanche during a Annapurna Base Camp trek Friday morning remained unaccounted for as of Sunday even as South Korean and Nepalese authorities try to expand their search efforts.
Nepalese rescue workers have rampped up their ground and air searches, but heavy snowfall and the resulting five-meter-deep snow accumulated on the scene were posing major challenges to their search efforts, officials here said.
Officials said it takes around three days by car and foot to arrive at the scene of an accident from Pokhara, the nearest major city, which is about 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu.
"We have sent a rescue squad to the scene of the avalanche, but we were unable to land the chopper due to the weather conditions," an official from Nepal's tourism ministry said.
Rescuers suspended their search operation and left the area because new avalanches occurred at the scene of the accident around 3 p.m. local time (6:15 p.m. Seoul time), an official of the South Korean Embassy in Nepal said.
This photo of Deurali of the Himalayas' Annapurna taken on Jan. 18, 2020, was provided by the South Jeolla Province Office of Education. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
South Korea also dispatched an emergency response team of two government workers along with officials from an education body and a tourism agency to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to assist the search operations, while the South Korean consul based in the Nepalese capital departed for the accident scene to call for the continuation of the rescue operation.
Families of the victims also traveled to Pokhara to be kept updated about the rescue operation.
The South Korean officials said two more government workers will leave for Nepal later in the day to join the emergency response team at the scene.
"(The Ministry of Foreign Affairs) will continue to provide consular assistance for the swift rescue of (the trekkers) in coordination with the Nepalese government and other related bodies," according to the officials.
The four missing teachers -- two women in their 30s and 50s and two men in their 50s -- were trekking the Deurali part of the Annapurna Base Camp trek Friday morning as part of a team of nine trekkers when an avalanche engulfed them. Two Nepalese guides also went missing.
The five others, trailing behind the affected teachers, took shelter at a nearby lodge before being airlifted to a safe place by helicopters later.
The teachers were part of a 39-member volunteer team dispatched in three groups to Nepal by the education office of South Chungcheong Province.
President Moon Jae-in vowed the upmost efforts to find the missing trekkers in a Facebook message posted on Sunday.
"The government will do its best for the search and rescue (of the teachers) to the end in cooperation with the Nepalese government," Moon said.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(LEAD) Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho dies at age 99

In 2017 , he was on the brink of facing his last days in prison after he was sentenced to @ @ @ @ @ fined 3.5 billion won ( US $ 2.97 million ) for embezzlement and breach of @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES with statements of business community)
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Shin Kyuk-ho, founder and honorary chairman of South Korean retail giant Lotte Group, died on Sunday of a chronic illness, the group said. He was 99.
Shin died at about 4:30 p.m. at Asan Medical Center in eastern Seoul, the group said in a statement
Lotte, which started as a small chewing gum manufacturer in Japan in the late 1940s, is now South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, with its business portfolio ranging from retail and hotels to entertainment and chemicals across South Korea and Japan.
Shin is one of the first-generation founders of the country's chaebol, or family-controlled business groups, who went from rags to riches and saw their businesses flourish on the back of massive state support and a rapidly growing economy.
With his death, all the founders of South Korea's top five conglomerates -- Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Lotte and SK -- have died.
The Federation of Korean Industries, which represents South Korea's large businesses, offered a eulogy to Shin, calling him a pioneer of South Korea's economic growth.
Shin "made a big contribution to South Korea's economic development ... and his passion and spirit of challenge inspired many businessmen," the Korea Enterprises Federation, another business lobby, said in a statement.
This file photo provided by Lotte Group shows Lotte Group founder and honorary chairman Shin Kyuk-ho. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The late entrepreneur was born in the southern port city of Ulsan in 1921, during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
He then went to Japan in 1941 to seek a fortune and established Lotte there in 1948 as a chewing gum producer.
The group's business expansion began in 1967 when it moved to Shin's home country, where he established Lotte Confectionary. He then gradually diversified his business to other areas ranging from construction and retail to chemical industries.
Shin's image as a successful businessman was in part tarnished by a group leadership fight between his sons -- Dong-joo and Dong-bin.
The two brothers have been at the center of a high-profile family feud over succession at the group as the two had controlled the company's operations in Japan and South Korea, respectively.
Dong-bin officially became the successor to his father after defending a series of attempts by his elder brother to take the helm.
The late Shin later stepped down from all of his positions in Lotte's operations in both Japan and Korea.
In 2017, he was on the brink of facing his last days in prison after he was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 3.5 billion won (US$2.97 million) for embezzlement and breach of trust.
Shin, however, was allowed to remain free on health issues and has since suffered from various diseases of old age, including dementia.
Lotte Group has dozens of affiliates, including Lotte Shopping Co., Lotte Chemical Corp. and Lotte Engineering & Construction Co.
This undated file photo shows two sons of late Lotte Group Honorary Chairman Shin Kyuk-ho -- Dong-joo (R) and Dong-bin. (Yonhap)
Shin's assets are estimated at well over 1 trillion won.
Shin held a 3.1-percent stake in Lotte Corp., the holding firm of the conglomerate, along with stakes in Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., Lotte Shopping Co., and Lotte Confectionary Co.
He has a 6.87-percent stake in the non-listed affiliate Lotte Property & Development, as well as real estate assets in South Korea, estimated at around 450 billion won.
Shin also holds stakes in Japanese affiliates, including a 0.83-percent stake in the crucial Kojunsha Corp., the group's virtual holding firm.
It was not immediately known how Shin's assets will be inherited by his family.
Lotte Group said Shin's assets will be handled in accordance with the law, and the result will nevertheless not affect the governance structure of the conglomerate.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(LEAD) Ex-presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo says he will not run for April elections

(ATTN: RECASTS throughout with Ahn's comments)
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Ahn Cheol-soo, a former presidential candidate, vowed Sunday to create a new political party as he returned home to resume his political career after a 16-month-long hiatus.
Ahn also said he will spearhead efforts to correct misguided policies of the current government, though he said he will not run for the April parliamentary elections.
"I will create a political party that will realize a pragmatic and middle-of-the-road politics," Ahn said in a news conference upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.
Ahn, once popular with his "new politics" mantra, retreated from politics following his defeat in the Seoul mayoral race in June 2018. He left for Germany to study in September 2018 and then moved to the United States.
Early this month, he made a surprise announcement of his plan to return to the political scene.
This file photo shows Ahn Cheol-soo, co-founder of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party. (Yonhap)
Ahn's move is expected to expedite ongoing discussions of integration in the conservative bloc in the run-up to the April 15 general elections.
But experts cast doubts on whether his return will be welcomed by voters as public support for Ahn has been on the wane, apparently as he has failed to bring about political reforms as he earlier promised.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is discussing ways to merge with the minor opposition New Conservative Party in an effort to consolidate conservative votes to challenge the ruling Democratic Party (DP).
The minor party was launched on Jan. 5 by eight lawmakers who defected from the minor Bareunmirae Party (BP), which Ahn previously co-founded and headed.
LKP chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn publicly voiced hope that Ahn could join his drive for the unified conservative bloc.
But Ahn made it clear that he has no interest in joining "reckless" integrations, as he wants to play a role in revamping "out-of-date" politics.
Ahn, a doctor-turned-computer expert, gained popularity among young Koreans when he entered politics in 2011 with a relatively clean image.
He was a front-runner ahead of the 2011 by-election for Seoul mayor but later dropped his bid and supported Park Won-soon, who is now the Seoul mayor.
He also withdrew from the presidential race in November 2012, less than a month before the election and gave his support to Moon Jae-in, then candidate of the main opposition party. He ran for the presidential election in May 2017 but lost.
Ahn co-founded the minor central-left People's Party in February 2016 ahead of the 2017 presidential election.
The party merged with the central-right Bareun Party in 2018 to create the BP, the third-largest party here. It was a marriage of political groups with opposite support bases, harboring the sources of internal tensions.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(URGENT) Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo says he will not run for April elections


yna--2020-01-19--Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho dies at age 99

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Shin Kyuk-ho, founder and honorary chairman of South Korean retail giant Lotte Group, died on Sunday of a chronic illness, the group said. He was 99.
Shin died at about 4:30 p.m. at Asan Medical Center in eastern Seoul, the group said in a statement
Lotte, which started as a small chewing gum manufacturer in Japan in the late 1940s, is now South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, with its business portfolio ranging from retail and hotels to entertainment and chemicals across South Korea and Japan.
Shin is one of the first-generation founders of the country's chaebol, or family-controlled business groups, who went from rags to riches and saw their businesses flourish on the back of massive state support and a rapidly growing economy.
With his death, all the founders of South Korea's top five conglomerates -- Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Lotte and SK -- have died.
This file photo provided by Lotte Group shows Lotte Group founder and honorary chairman Shin Kyuk-ho. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The late entrepreneur was born in the southern port city of Ulsan in 1921, during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
He then went to Japan in 1941 to seek a fortune and established Lotte there in 1948 as a chewing gum producer.
The group's business expansion began in 1967 when it moved to Shin's home country, where he established Lotte Confectionary. He then gradually diversified his business to other areas ranging from construction and retail to chemical industries.
Shin's image as a successful businessman was in part tarnished by a group leadership fight between his sons -- Dong-joo and Dong-bin.
The two brothers have been at the center of a high-profile family feud over succession at the group as the two had controlled the company's operations in Japan and South Korea, respectively.
Dong-bin officially became the successor to his father after defending a series of attempts by his elder brother to take the helm.
The late Shin later stepped down from all of his positions in Lotte's operations in both Japan and Korea.
In 2017, he was on the brink of facing his last days in prison after he was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 3.5 billion won (US$2.97 million) for embezzlement and breach of trust.
Shin, however, was allowed to remain free on health issues and has since suffered from various diseases of old age, including dementia.
Lotte Group has dozens of affiliates, including Lotte Shopping Co., Lotte Chemical Corp. and Lotte Engineering & Construction Co.
This undated file photo shows two sons of late Lotte Group Honorary Chairman Shin Kyuk-ho -- Dong-joo (R) and Dong-bin. (Yonhap)
Shin's assets are estimated at well over 1 trillion won.
Shin held a 3.1-percent stake in Lotte Corp., the holding firm of the conglomerate, along with stakes in Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., Lotte Shopping Co., and Lotte Confectionary Co.
He has a 6.87-percent stake in the non-listed affiliate Lotte Property & Development, as well as real estate assets in South Korea, estimated at around 450 billion won.
Shin also holds stakes in Japanese affiliates, including a 0.83-percent stake in the crucial Kojunsha Corp., the group's virtual holding firm.
It was not immediately known how Shin's assets will be inherited by his family.
Lotte Group said Shin's assets will be handled in accordance with the law, and the result will nevertheless not affect the governance structure of the conglomerate.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(URGENT) Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho dies at age of 99


yna--2020-01-19--(LEAD) Nearly half of N. Korean party vice chairmen replaced in recent convention

The fate of Ri and the four others was brought into question after they did not appear at a photo @ @ @ @ @ meeting that ended on the last day of 2019 .

(ATTN: UPDATES with new info in last 4 paras)
SEOUL, Jan 19 (Yonhap) -- Ri Su-yong, former North Korean foreign minister and vice chairman of the ruling party's Central Committee, and four others seem to have been replaced in a recent plenary party meeting, according to a North Korean report on Sunday.
On Jan. 1, North Korea announced a major party personnel reshuffle, disclosing the results of a four-day plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party.
But the list of those who were dismissed in the reshuffle was not released at that time.
Details of the recent party reconfiguration came to light with North Korea's disclosure Saturday of the membership of the 70-strong committee established for the funeral ceremony for one of the country's independence fighters and national heroes.
According to the list, five of the party's central committee's 12 vice chairmen, including Ri, did not make it on the roll, indicating that they no longer retain their seats.
In addition to Ri, Pak Kwang-ho, party vice chairman and director of the party's propaganda and agitation department, as well as Kim Phyong-hae, Thae Jong-su and An Jong-su, were replaced.
This photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Jan. 1, 2020, shows a photo session during the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the North Korean ruling Workers' Party the previous day. [For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution] (Yonhap)
The fate of Ri and the four others was brought into question after they did not appear at a photo session of the four-day party meeting that ended on the last day of 2019.
According to the results of the party meeting, the 85-year-old Ri is believed to have been succeeded by former North Korean Ambassador to Russia Kim Hyong-jun, who was recently promoted to the seat of party vice chairman.
Having also been promoted to vice chairmanship, Ri Pyong-chol, who spearheaded North Korea's recent arms development, and Ri Il-hwan have taken over the roles of Thae and Pak, respectively.
An official at the South Korean Ministry of Unification said more information will be needed to confirm the reshuffle results.
"Not all high-ranking party officials were included on the list of the latest funeral committee," the South Korean official said.
This photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Jan. 1, 2020, shows a scene from the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the North Korean ruling Workers' Party the previous day. [For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution] (Yonhap)
North Korea also appears to have appointed Ri Son-gwon, the country's point man on relations with South Korea, as foreign minister to replace Ri Yong-ho.
North Korea notified foreign ambassadors based in Pyongyang of the recent appointment of Ri Son-gwon as the country's new foreign minister late last week, sources said.
Ri Son-gwon, if confirmed, will replace Ri Yong-ho, a seasoned career diplomat, probably signaling that the communist state may reshape its policy toward Washington and Seoul.
Ri Yong-ho was also absent from the final-day photo session of the recent party meeting, sparking speculation about his whereabouts.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(3rd LD) N. Korea picks new top diplomat, heralding policy shift

South Korea also said individual tours to the North do not violate U.N. sanctions and that it could eventually induce @ @ @ @ @ dialogue and win international support for partial relief of sanctions , which irked Washington which @ @ @ @ @ consult with the U.S. about its plans to engage with North Korea .

(ATTN: REWRITES lead, para 4)
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to have picked its point man for relations with South Korea as its new foreign minister, possibly heralding a shift in its policy toward the United States and South Korea.
According to informed sources here on Sunday, North Korea has notified foreign ambassadors based in Pyongyang of its recent appointment of Ri Son-gwon as the country's new top envoy.
The sources said the notification was made late last week, and his official appointment may be announced this week.
Ri Son-gwon, if confirmed, will replace Ri Yong-ho, probably signaling that the communist state may reshape its policy toward Washington and Seoul, although any drastic changes are unlikely at the moment.
Ri, a former army officer, has been serving as chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which is equivalent to the South's unification ministry.
The new foreign minister has been North Korea's key official for relations with South Korea.
He was the head of the North Korean delegation to recent high-level talks with South Korea, including the meeting in August 2018 that led to President Moon Jae-in's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang in September the same year.
Besides his career dealing with the South, however, little has been known about his professional experience in the field of foreign affairs.
His apparent appointment came as South Korea renewed its commitment to improving inter-Korean ties amid stalled negotiations between the U.S. and the North and a chasm between Seoul and Washington over approaches toward Pyongyang.
This undated photo shows Ri Son-gwon. (Yonhap)
In his New Year's address, South Korean President Moon Jae-in proposed that the two Koreas make concerted efforts to create the conditions for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit South Korea as agreed.
He also reaffirmed his administration's commitment to pushing for the resumption of two major inter-Korean projects -- the Kaesong industrial complex and Mount Kumgang tours -- as well as the reconnection of roads and railways.
Related efforts have made little headway as Seoul has abided by the U.N. Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang.
South Korea also said individual tours to the North do not violate U.N. sanctions and that it could eventually induce the North to return to dialogue and win international support for partial relief of sanctions, which irked Washington which in response said Seoul should consult with the U.S. about its plans to engage with North Korea.
The dismissal of Ri Yong-ho, a seasoned career diplomat well versed in diplomacy towards the U.S., as the country's foreign minister came amid the communist country's repeated stance that it will not sit down with the U.S. for denuclearization negotiations.
Denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi collapsed without a deal in February last year.
North Korea has said it will not return to dialogue until the U.S. fully accepts its demands and withdraws what it calls a "hostile policy" against the North.
As the negotiations with the U.S. have been in the doldrums, the North has internally and externally vowed a "long-term" battle on the front with the United States.
Early this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he sees no reason to stick to his commitment to suspend nuclear and long-range missile tests and will soon show off a "new strategic weapon," accusing the United States of stalling for time for its own political interests.
Kim, however, appeared to have left room for negotiations as he also said that how much the North will bolster its "nuclear deterrent" will depend on the future U.S. attitude.
The replacement of North Korea's foreign minister appears to be also linked with the recent return of some North Korean ambassadors back to the home country.
North Korean Ambassador to China Ji Jae-ryong and Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song were seen departing for Pyongyang on Saturday, sparking speculation of a possible gathering of overseas-based ambassadors in the North Korean capital.
The latest appointment capped the four-year career of Ri Yong-ho as foreign minister. Ri accompanied North Korean leader Kim to the second and third North Korea-U.S. summits between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the inter-Korean border city of Panmunjom in February and June last year, respectively.
The former foreign minister did not appear for the final-day photo session of a plenary meeting of the North Korean ruling party's Central Committee on Dec. 31, 2019, sparking questions about his whereabouts.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--BTS' modern art project, 'CONNECT, BTS' hits Berlin

Three more art shows will open in the run-up to the official album release , including the next leg in @ @ @ @ @ and two more in Seoul and New York .

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- BTS' global contemporary art initiative, "CONNECT, BTS," has landed in Berlin, the second destination following London, the band's management agency said Sunday.
Big Hit said, "Rituals of Care," an exhibition of performances, kicked off at Martin-Gropius-Bau, a modern art museum in the German capital Wednesday as the second leg of the "CONNECT, BTS" art project.
The first "CONNECT, BTS" project opened at London's Serpentine Gallery Tuesday, an exhibition featuring "Catharsis," a series of recreated digital images by Danish media artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen, in the run-up to the band's release of new album, "Map of the Soul: 7," on Feb. 21.
Curated by Stephanie Rosenthal and Noemie Solomon, the Berlin exhibition, a performance series, spans "experimental choreography, healing practices, sonic installations and collective gatherings" to offer radical acts of care and repair, according to the description of the show by the German museum.
More than a dozen artists joined the performance show, including Jelili Atiku, Josh Johnson and Pan Daijing.
"CONNECT, BTS" is a global initiative spearheaded in collaboration with curators from five major cities -- London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul and New York -- to connect people from across the world through arts.
The art project was designed to dovetail with BTS' philosophy that centers around diversity, love and care for the periphery.
"By connecting with 22 contemporary artists (through the project), BTS is creating the opportunity for a fruitful and democratic cross-pollination between the worlds of rarefied visual art and pop music," according to the museum.
Three more art shows will open in the run-up to the official album release, including the next leg in Buenos Aires on Jan. 21 and two more in Seoul and New York.
Argentinian contemporary artist Tomas Saraceno will unveil his work, "Fly with Aerocene Pacha," in Salinas Grandes in northwestern Argentina, which is known for a vast white desert.
This image for "Rituals of Care," a Berlin show of BTS' global contemporary art initiative, "CONNECT, BTS," is provided by Ines Manai. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(2nd LD) N. Korea picks new top diplomat, heralding policy shift

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 10-13, 15-16, 18-19)
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea seems to have picked a high-ranking official who led inter-Korean relations as its top diplomat, possibly heralding a shift in its policy toward the United States and South Korea.
According to informed sources here on Sunday, North Korea has notified foreign ambassadors based in Pyongyang of its recent appointment of Ri Son-gwon as the country's new foreign minister.
The sources said the notification was made late last week, and his official appointment may be announced this week.
Ri Son-gwon, if confirmed, will replace Ri Yong-ho, probably signaling that the communist state may reshape its policy toward Washington and Seoul.
Ri, a former army officer, has been serving as chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which is identical to the South's unification ministry.
The new foreign minister has been North Korea's point man for relations with South Korea.
He was the head of the North Korean delegation to recent high-level talks with South Korea, including the meeting in August 2018 that led to President Moon Jae-in's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang in September the same year.
Besides his career dealing with the South, however, little has been known about his professional experience in the field of foreign affairs.
His apparent appointment came as South Korea renewed its commitment to improving inter-Korean ties amid stalled negotiations between the U.S. and the North and a chasm between Seoul and Washington over approaches toward Pyongyang.
This undated photo shows Ri Son-gwon. (Yonhap)
In his New Year's address, South Korean President Moon Jae-in proposed that the two Koreas make concerted efforts to create the conditions for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit South Korea as agreed.
He also reaffirmed his administration's commitment to pushing for the resumption of two major inter-Korean projects -- the Kaesong industrial complex and Mount Kumgang tours -- as well as the reconnection of roads and railways.
Related efforts have made little headway as Seoul has abided by the U.N. Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang.
South Korea also said individual tours to the North do not violate U.N. sanctions and that it could eventually induce the North to return to dialogue and win international support for partial relief of sanctions, which irked Washington which in response said Seoul should consult with the U.S. about its plans to engage with North Korea.
The dismissal of Ri Yong-ho, a seasoned career diplomat well versed in diplomacy towards the U.S., as the country's foreign minister came amid the communist country's repeated stance that it will not sit down with the U.S. for denuclearization negotiations.
Denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi collapsed without a deal in February last year.
North Korea has said it will not return to dialogue until the U.S. fully accepts its demands and withdraws what it calls a "hostile policy" against the North.
As the negotiations with the U.S. have been in the doldrums, the North has internally and externally vowed a "long-term" battle on the front with the United States.
Early this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he sees no reason to stick to his commitment to suspend nuclear and long-range missile tests and will soon show off a "new strategic weapon," accusing the United States of stalling for time for its own political interests.
Kim, however, appeared to have left room for negotiations as he also said that how much the North will bolster its "nuclear deterrent" will depend on the future U.S. attitude.
The replacement of North Korea's foreign minister appears to be also linked with the recent return of some North Korean ambassadors back to the home country.
North Korean Ambassador to China Ji Jae-ryong and Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song were seen departing for Pyongyang on Saturday, sparking speculation of a possible gathering of overseas-based ambassadors in the North Korean capital.
The latest appointment capped the four-year career of Ri Yong-ho as foreign minister. Ri accompanied North Korean leader Kim to the second and third North Korea-U.S. summits between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the inter-Korean border city of Panmunjom in February and June last year, respectively.
The former foreign minister did not appear for the final-day photo session of a plenary meeting of the North Korean ruling party's Central Committee on Dec. 31, 2019, sparking questions about his whereabouts.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(LEAD) N. Korea picks new top diplomat, heralding policy shift

The dismissal of Ri Yong-ho , a seasoned career diplomat well versed in diplomacy towards the U.S. , as the @ @ @ @ @ amid the communist country 's repeated stance that it will not sit down with the @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 4-12)
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea seems to have picked a high-ranking official who led inter-Korean relations as its top diplomat, possibly heralding a shift in its policy toward the United States and South Korea.
According to informed sources here on Sunday, North Korea has notified foreign ambassadors based in Pyongyang of its recent appointment of Ri Son-gwon as the country's new foreign minister.
The sources said the notification was made late last week, and his official appointment may be announced this week.
Ri Son-gwon, if confirmed, will replace Ri Yong-ho, probably signaling that the communist state may reshape its policy toward Washington and Seoul.
Ri, a former army officer, has been serving as chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which is identical to the South's unification ministry.
The new foreign minister has been North Korea's point man for relations with South Korea.
He was the head of the North Korean delegation to recent high-level talks with South Korea, including the meeting in August 2018 that led to President Moon Jae-in's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang in September the same year.
Besides his career dealing with the South, however, little has been known about his professional experience in the field of foreign affairs.
His apparent appointment came as South Korea renewed its commitment to improving inter-Korean ties amid stalled negotiations between the U.S. and the North and a chasm between Seoul and Washington over approaches toward Pyongyang.
This undated photo shows Ri Son-gwon. (Yonhap)
The dismissal of Ri Yong-ho, a seasoned career diplomat well versed in diplomacy towards the U.S., as the country's foreign minister came amid the communist country's repeated stance that it will not sit down with the U.S. for denuclearization negotiations.
As the negotiations with the U.S. have been in the doldrums, the North has internally and externally vowed a "long-term" battle on the front with the United States.
The replacement of North Korea's foreign minister appears to be also linked with the recent return of some North Korean ambassadors back to the home country.
North Korean Ambassador to China Ji Jae-ryong and Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song were seen departing for Pyongyang on Saturday, sparking speculation of a possible gathering of overseas-based ambassadors in the North Korean capital.
The latest appointment capped the four-year career of Ri Yong-ho as foreign minister. Ri accompanied North Korean leader Kim to the second and third North Korea-U.S. summits between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the inter-Korean border city of Panmunjom in February and June last year, respectively.
The former foreign minister did not appear for the final-day photo session of a plenary meeting of the North Korean ruling party's Central Committee on Dec. 31, 2019, sparking questions about his whereabouts.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--(LEAD) Heavy snowfall hinders search efforts for 4 missing S. Korean trekkers in Himalayas

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 4, 6, 8)
SEOUL/KATHMANDU, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Heavy snowfall is delaying Nepalese rescue workers' efforts to save four South Korean school teachers who went missing while trekking a circuit route of Annapurna in the Himalayas, officials here said Sunday.
The four South Koreans who went missing in an avalanche during a Annapurna Base Camp trek Friday morning remained unaccounted for as of Sunday even as South Korean and Nepalese authorities try to expand their search efforts.
Nepalese rescue workers have rampped up their ground and air searches, but heavy snowfall and the resulting five-meter-deep snow accumulated on the scene were posing major challenges to their search efforts, officials here said.
Officials said it takes around three days by car and foot to arrive at the scene of an accident from Pokhara, the nearest major city, which is about 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu.
On Sunday, the Nepalese government is set to mobilize a team of up to 10 more experienced police officers for the search efforts, resuming the rescue efforts that were put on hold early Saturday afternoon due to the dire weather conditions.
"We have sent a rescue squad to the scene of the avalanche, but we were unable to land the chopper due to the weather conditions," an official from Nepal's tourism ministry said.
This photo of Deurali of the Himalayas' Annapurna taken on Jan. 18, 2020, was provided by the South Jeolla Province Office of Education. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
South Korea also dispatched an emergency response team of two government workers along with officials from an education body and a tourism agency to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to assist the search operations, while the South Korean consul based in the Nepalese capital departed for the accident scene to call for the continuation of the rescue operation.
Families of the victims also traveled to Pokhara to be kept updated about the rescue operation.
The South Korean officials said two more government workers will leave for Nepal later in the day to join the emergency response team at the scene.
"(The Ministry of Foreign Affairs) will continue to provide consular assistance for the swift rescue of (the trekkers) in coordination with the Nepalese government and other related bodies," according to the officials.
The four missing teachers -- two women in their 30s and 50s and two men in their 50s -- were trekking the Deurali part of the Annapurna Base Camp trek Friday morning as part of a team of nine trekkers when an avalanche engulfed them. Two Nepalese guides also went missing.
The five others, trailing behind the affected teachers, took shelter at a nearby lodge before being airlifted to a safe place by helicopters later.
The teachers were part of a 39-member volunteer team dispatched in three groups to Nepal by the education office of South Chungcheong Province.
President Moon Jae-in vowed the upmost efforts to find the missing trekkers in a Facebook message posted on Sunday.
"The government will do its best for the search and rescue (of the teachers) to the end in cooperation with the Nepalese government," Moon said.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--Heavy snowfall hinders search efforts for 4 missing S. Korean trekkers in Himalayas

SEOUL/KATHMANDU, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Heavy snowfall is delaying Nepalese rescue workers' efforts to save four South Korean school teachers who went missing while trekking a circuit route of Annapurna in the Himalayas, officials here said Sunday.
The four South Koreans who went missing in an avalanche during a Annapurna Base Camp trek Friday morning remained unaccounted for as of Sunday even as South Korean and Nepalese authorities try to expand their search efforts.
Nepalese rescue workers have rampped up their ground and air searches, but heavy snowfall and the resulting five-meter-deep snow accumulated on the scene were posing major challenges to their search efforts, officials here said.
On Sunday, the Nepalese government is set to mobilize a team of up to 10 more experienced police officers for the search efforts, resuming the rescue efforts that were put on hold early Saturday afternoon due to the dire weather conditions.
South Korea also dispatched an emergency response team of two government workers along with officials from an education body and a tourism agency to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to assist the search operations, while the South Korean consul based in the Nepalese capital departed for the accident scene to call for the continuation of the rescue operation.
The South Korean officials said two more government workers will leave for Nepal later in the day to join the emergency response team at the scene.
"(The Ministry of Foreign Affairs) will continue to provide consular assistance for the swift rescue of (the trekkers) in coordination with the Nepalese government and other related bodies," according to the officials.
The four missing teachers -- two women in their 30s and 50s and two men in their 50s -- were trekking the Deurali part of the Annapurna Base Camp trek Friday morning as part of a team of nine trekkers when an avalanche engulfed them. Two Nepalese guides also went missing.
The five others, trailing behind the affected teachers, took shelter at a nearby lodge before being airlifted to a safe place by helicopters later.
The teachers were part of a 39-member volunteer team dispatched in three groups to Nepal by the education office of South Chungcheong Province.
President Moon Jae-in vowed the upmost efforts to find the missing trekkers in a Facebook message posted on Sunday.
"The government will do its best for the search and rescue (of the teachers) to the end in cooperation with the Nepalese government," Moon said.
This photo of Deurali of the Himalayas' Annapurna taken on Jan. 18, 2020, was provided by the South Jeolla Province Office of Education. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history

1968 -- Thirty-one North Korean commandos infiltrate Seoul in an attempt to assassinate President Park Chung-hee .
The North Korean @ @ @ @ @ from the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul .
Twenty-eight are killed and @ @ @ @ @ two others are believed to have returned to the North across the border .
The @ @ @ @ @ , shouted in a nationally televised news conference that `` I came here to cut @ @ @ @ @ ! ''

Jan. 20
1919 -- Gojong, the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty, dies.
1968 -- Thirty-one North Korean commandos infiltrate Seoul in an attempt to assassinate President Park Chung-hee. The North Korean troops are stopped 300 meters from the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. Twenty-eight are killed and one is captured, while two others are believed to have returned to the North across the border. The only survivor, Kim Sin-jo, shouted in a nationally televised news conference that "I came here to cut the throat of Park Chung-hee!"
1974 -- South Korea and West Germany sign a visa waiver accord.
2000 -- The Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) kicks off with President Kim Dae-jung being elected as party president.
2005 -- A South Korean maritime police boat crosses the inter-Korean border in the East Sea on a search-and-rescue mission after a South Korean cargo vessel sank in North Korean waters. Only four members of the sunken vessel's 18-strong crew survived.
2009 -- Six people are found dead after a building in the central district of Yongsan in Seoul was engulfed in flames during a police raid on occupants protesting redevelopment of the area.
2011 -- The Supreme Court acquits Cho Bong-am, the leader of Korea's first left-leaning "Jinbo (Progressive) Party," of an espionage charge 52 years after he was executed by the government of then-President Rhee Syng-man.
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--S. Korea's first locally built space rocket on track for launch in 2021

KARI said that besides the rocket , it is in the process of building its own 45.6-meter-tall launch pad for @ @ @ @ @ have umbilical cables and arm braces that will detach from the space vehicle just prior @ @ @ @ @ pad built in cooperation with Russia was for the smaller 33-meter-long Naro rocket and could @ @ @ @

GOHEUNG, South Korea, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's first locally built satellite-carrying rocket is on track for a launch in early 2021, the state-run aerospace research institute said Sunday, opening a new chapter in the country's space exploration program.
The three-stage Nuri rocket that can carry a 1.5-ton satellite into low orbit is undergoing extensive tests at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 485 kilometers south of Seoul, with the so-called flight model that will be launched into space set to be assembled later this year, according to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).
The Nuri rocket is made up of a first stage that is a clustering of four 75-ton thrust liquid-fueled rockets. This is attached to a single 75-ton rocket forming the second stage. The third stage is a 7-ton thrust rocket that will place the payload into orbit 600-800 kilometers from the Earth.
A column of rocket exhaust and steam rises into the air over the Naro Space Center on Oenaro Island, 485 kilometers south of Seoul, during a test conducted on a 75-ton thrust engine by KARI on Jan. 15, 2020. South Korea aims to use the rocket to send its locally designed and built space vehicle into orbit in early 2021. (Yonhap)
Once the rocket is put together, the first rocket with a mock payload is scheduled to be shot into space in February next year, with the second, carrying a real satellite, to be launched in October.
Seoul has earmarked over 1.9 trillion won (US$1.6 billion) from March 2010 to design and develop the 200-ton, 47.2-meter-long Nuri, or Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2.
The country hopes that the latest launch project will allow it to acquire necessary expertise and know-how to build even more sophisticated rockets and launch support facilities.
Asia's fourth-largest economy sent the 140-ton Naro rocket into space and placed a 100-kilogram satellite into orbit in January 2013 after two failed attempts, but the first-stage, main rocket on that launch vehicle was built in Russia, with only the much smaller second stage being made in the country.
"We experienced some difficulties from late 2015 through early 2016 during the designing and prototype-building phase of the 75-ton rocket, but the program has been progressing in an orderly manner, with KARI successfully sending the new rocket into space as part of its verification test in November 2018," Ko Jeong-hwan, the head of the KSLV-2 program office, said.
The single-engine test vehicle that is equivalent to the second stage of the Nuri rocket reached an altitude of 209 kilometers from the surface of the Earth and flew 429 kilometers.
KARI said that besides the rocket, it is in the process of building its own 45.6-meter-tall launch pad for the Nuri rocket that will have umbilical cables and arm braces that will detach from the space vehicle just prior to liftoff. The previous pad built in cooperation with Russia was for the smaller 33-meter-long Naro rocket and could not be reused.
The engineering model of South Korea's Nuri rocket that will be used to check all critical internal functions of KARI's new 75-ton thrust space engine is checked by researchers at the Naro Space Center on Oenaro Island, 485 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--S. Korea to spend big on next-generation chip sector

On next-generation SoC , the ministry said it will center on making semiconductors for future vehicles , electronic appliances , @ @ @ @ @ and robotics , which will lead to the production of safer autonomous cars , compact @ @ @ @ @ and virtual reality chips and displays .

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Sunday that it will invest 1 trillion won (US$863 million) in the next 10 years to nurture the next-generation semiconductor sector.
According to the science ministry, cutting edge artificial intelligent (AI) and system-on-chip (SoC) technology, low energy consumption, high performance new devices and ultrafine fabrication processing will help the country to overcome its heavy dependence on memory semiconductors.
South Korea has already spent some 1 trillion won in the past five years on various research and development (R&D) programs and numerous preliminary feasibility studies.
In the field of AI chips, the country will focus on acquiring technology for platforms that incorporate neural processing units, super high-speed interfaces and related software.
The ministry said it plans to work with existing fabless companies from the outset by creating a so-called platform community that can speed up development, save money and reduce production time.
On next-generation SoC, the ministry said it will center on making semiconductors for future vehicles, electronic appliances, medicine and bio, energy and robotics, which will lead to the production of safer autonomous cars, compact communication chips, better augmented and virtual reality chips and displays.
For ultrafine fabrication processing, R&D will be focused on securing equipment and components for 10 nano chips and smaller, and in the area of software.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-19--N. Korea believed to pick new foreign minister

The decision puts Ri Son-gwon , chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country , in the @ @ @ @ @ Ri Yong-ho .

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has notified foreign ambassadors based in Pyongyang of its recent appointment of Ri Son-gwon as the country's new foreign minister, sources here said Sunday.
The sources said the notification was made late last week.
The decision puts Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, in the place of former Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-20--S. Korean shares open higher on upbeat U.S. data

Noh Dong-kil , an analyst at NH Investment & Securities Co. , said positive economic data in the U.S. boosted @ @ @ @ @ turn led to foreign buying in the South Korean markets .

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened higher Monday on positive economic data from the United States.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 12.14 points, or 0.54 percent, to reach 2,262.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Foreign investors purchased a net 62.2 billion won (US$53.5 million) worth of stocks, giving a boost to the main index.
Noh Dong-kil, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities Co., said positive economic data in the U.S. boosted investor sentiment, which in turn led to foreign buying in the South Korean markets.
In Seoul, large-cap stocks were mixed.
Market kingpin Samsung Electronics rose 0.82 percent, and South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker, SK hynix, was up 0.91 percent.
Among decliners, top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. was down 0.42 percent, and Celltrion, a major biotech firm, shed 1.14 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,161.25 won against the U.S. dollar, down 1.85 won from the previous session's close.
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-20--Korean economy grows 1.89 pct in 2019, shy of estimate: poll

`` The improvement in exports too may not have been too great despite the phase one trade agreement between the @ @ @ @ @ global trade continued to remain subdued , '' Lee added .

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean economy is expected to have fallen far short of its growth target last year, marking the slowest growth in a decade, a poll showed Monday.
In a survey conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency, seven local experts polled estimated Asia's fourth-largest economy to have expanded 1.89 percent from a year earlier in 2019.
The Bank of Korea (BOK) earlier predicted a 2 percent on-year expansion in Asia's fourth-largest economy, which would have still marked the slowest on-year growth since 2009, when the economy expanded only 0.7 percent.
The central bank is set to offer its latest growth outlook for 2020 on Wednesday, along with its advance data on 2019 economic growth.
A protracted slump in exports in the face of a yearlong trade dispute between the United States and China, coupled with a drop in chip prices, were main drags on the economy.
Graphic A graph showing the growth in GDP from 2017 to 2019 (Yonhap)
Its outbound shipments plunged 10.3 percent on-year to US$542.4 billion in the year, marking the first double-figure drop since 2009. Exports had dropped for 13 consecutive months as of December.
Its consumer prices gained 0.4 percent from a year earlier in 2019, the slowest growth since the country began compiling such data in 1966.
Amid record low exports and inflation, the South Korean economy unexpectedly contracted 0.4 percent from three months earlier in the second quarter of 2019.
The central bank earlier said the local economy is needed to grow by at least 0.97 percent on-quarter in the fourth quarter to reach an annual on-year growth of 2 percent.
The experts surveyed expected the economy to have expanded by 0.73 percent on-quarter in the October-December period.
"The slump in the facility and construction investment continued in the fourth quarter, while the recovery in consumer spending remained weak due to a warmer winter than in previous years," said Lee Sang-jae, an analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities.
"The improvement in exports too may not have been too great despite the phase one trade agreement between the United States and China as global trade continued to remain subdued," Lee added.
Some insisted the government's anti-speculation measures may have also weighed on consumer sentiments to limit fresh investment.
"External uncertainties and the local real estate policies weighed on exports and investment," IBK Investment & Securities analyst Ahn So-eun said.
The file photo, taken Dec. 1, 2019, shows export-import containers sitting at South Korea's largest seaport in Busan, located some 450 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
For 2020, the experts expected South Korea's economic growth to climb back to the 2 percent range with its exports cautiously tipped to rebound 3 percent.
"In 2020, South Korea's consumer spending and investment will likely slow down from 2019, but its economy will likely grow at a 2 percent range with its continued current account surplus, policy easing by major economies and its own expansionary measures, such as extra budget spending working as upside factors," Kyobo Securities analyst Lee Young-hwa said.
The BOK earlier estimated the local economy to grow 2.3 percent this year.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-20--S. Korea to focus on promoting economic cooperation with Russia, Mongolia

SEJONG , Jan. 20 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korea will focus on promoting economic cooperation this year with Russia @ @ @ @ @ located north of the Korean Peninsula in line with the diplomatic initiative of its New @ @ @ @ @ Hong Nam-ki said Monday .

By Kim Deok-hyun
SEJONG, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will focus on promoting economic cooperation this year with Russia, Mongolia and other countries located north of the Korean Peninsula in line with the diplomatic initiative of its New Northern Policy, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Monday.
Hong made the remarks at a meeting with economy-related ministers earlier in the day.
South Korea "will bolster economic cooperation with northern countries to pull off accomplishments from the New Northern Policy," Hong told the meeting.
President Moon Jae-in set up the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation in May 2017 to spearhead a diplomatic campaign to strengthen economic and other cooperation with nations in the northern region, including those in Eurasia.
In 2020, South Korea celebrates the 30th anniversary of establishing its diplomatic relations with Russia and Mongolia.
Under the initiative, South Korea will expand its cooperative scheme with Russia in the sectors of railroad, electricity, gas, ports, agriculture and fisheries, the finance ministry said.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki speaks at a meeting with economy-related ministers on Jan. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
South Korea will also seek to sign bilateral free trade deals with countries located north of the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry.
South Korea will spare no efforts to help conclude a mega Asia-Pacific trade deal by the end of this year by forging deeper ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Hong said.
ASEAN and its dialogue partners -- South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- effectively reached an agreement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in November last year, with the goal of signing the pact within this year.
The agreement came after the participating nations launched their talks in 2013 on a deal that would create a mega economic bloc accounting for half of the global population and one-third of the world's gross domestic product.
The participation of India, which did not join the agreement, will be decided before the deal's formal signing slated for 2020.
Although nuclear diplomacy between the United States and North Korea has been stalled, South Korea will make full preparations to promote economic cooperation with Pyongyang if there is progress in nuclear diplomacy, Hong said.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


Monday's weather forecast

SEOUL , Jan. 20 ( Yonhap ) -- The following is the weather forecast for South Korea 's 12 major @ @ @ @ @ .

(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--2020-01-20--S. Korean Park In-bee loses LPGA season opener in playoff

While Park had a string of seven straight pars , Hataoka moved ahead with consecutive birdies at the 12th and @ @ @ @ @ 13-under .
Two groups in front of Hataoka , Lopez caught fire on the back @ @ @ @ @ the club house lead at 13-under with a birdie at the par-3 18th , the @ @ @ @ @ hole in the entire field Sunday .

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Park In-bee has lost the LPGA season opener in a three-way playoff, falling just shy of ending her two-year winless drought.
The LPGA Hall of Famer was eliminated in the third playoff hole at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Sunday (local time), after pulling her tee shot into the water.
Gaby Lopez of Mexico and Nasa Hataoka of Japan were still tied after five playoff holes, when play was suspended due to darkness. The two will be back at it Monday.
Park blew a two-stroke final round lead to fall into the playoff at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando, and Park, Lopez and Hataoka all finished their 72 holes at 13-under 271.
Park was trying to pick up her 20th career LPGA win and her first title since March 2018.
In this Associated Press photo, Park In-bee of South Korea watches her tee shot at the second hole during the final round of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Jan. 19, 2020. (Yonhap)
Park shot an even 71 in the final round, the first time she failed to break 70 in the tournament. Lopez had a bogey-free round of 66, and Hataoka had four birdies against one bogey to join the two others.
In the playoff, the three players all had pars on their first two trips to the 18th and went back to the par-3 hole for the third time.
And after Lopez and Hataoka put their tee shots short of the green, Park sent hers to the left side of the green, and the ball bounced into the pond.
Park took a penalty stroke and hit another tee shot that landed past the green. She didn't even get a chance to putt out, as the two other players finished with pars.
"I didn't think it was that bad of a shot. It just tailed a bit at the end," Park told a television interview afterward. "Today's round itself, it was a little bit disappointing. I didn't hit many shots close or make a lot of putts. But that's golf."
Park led fellow Korean Kim Sei-young by two at 13-under to start the final round but gave back those two strokes with bogeys at the second and third holes.
Park made her first birdie of the day at the eighth to reach 12-under, but by then, Hataoka, playing in a group ahead of Park, had closed to within one stroke.
While Park had a string of seven straight pars, Hataoka moved ahead with consecutive birdies at the 12th and 13th that took her to 13-under. Two groups in front of Hataoka, Lopez caught fire on the back nine. The Mexican took the club house lead at 13-under with a birdie at the par-3 18th, the only birdie on that 197-yard hole in the entire field Sunday.
Lopez was soon joined at 13-under by Park and Hataoka. Park was the first to blink, with her errant tee shot on the third trip to the 18th, and Lopez and Hataoka couldn't break the tie even after playing that hole two more times.
In this Getty Images photo, Park In-bee of South Korea watches her second shot at the fourth hole during the final round of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Jan. 19, 2020. (Yonhap)
This is the earliest start to a season for Park since 2016. She has opened recent seasons in late February or early March, but Park decided to jump right into the action this year, as she hopes to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
The Olympic field will feature 60 players, and those inside the top 15 in the world rankings at the end of June will automatically qualify. But there is a limit of four players per country, and South Korea, boasting among the deepest talent pools in women's golf, currently has five players inside the top 15, with Park sitting just outside at No. 16.
Park, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, has said she'll try to play in as many tournaments as she can in the first half of this year, in order to give herself a chance to defend her Olympic title.
The disappointing finish notwithstanding, Park said she's leaving Lake Buena Vista with "a lot of confidence."
"This is only my first event for 2020, and I've already played good golf this week," she said. "Just not great today, but it has been great for the last three days. I definitely feel a lot of confidence after playing this week. So I think it's going to be good."
Kim Sei-young came in as the third-best South Korea in the world rankings at No. 5. The top two from the country, Ko Jin-young (No. 1) and Park Sung-hyun (No. 2), skipped this tournament, as did No. 7 Lee Jeong-eun and No. 13 Kim Hyo-joo.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


KOSPI 2,261.40 UP 10.83 points (open)


KOSDAQ 690.85 UP 2.44 points (open)


yna--2020-01-20--Dollar opens at 1,161.5 won UP from 1,159.4 won