yna--2020-01-21--(EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on Jan. 21)

The prosecution 's indictments of former Justice Minister Cho include several pieces of circumstantial evidence that show that he was @ @ @ @ @ treatment for Yoo together with South Gyeongsang Gov .
Kim Kyung-soo and Baek Won-woo , @ @ @ @ @ for civil affairs under Cho when he was serving as a senior presidential secretary for @ @ @ @ @ ordered one of his aides to stop investigating Yoo `` because he has decided to @ @ @ @ @ charges against Yoo even when a court judge in charge of issuing arrest warrants specified @ @ @ @ @ make any sense .

Going against the rules
In a surprising development, a senior prosecutor from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office vehemently — and publicly — protested the way his immediate superior dealt with a criminal case involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. The shocking episode reflects the brewing internal divisions at the top law enforcement agency after a massive reshuffle of top prosecutors under new Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae. Choo called it a "deplorable happening." However, more important are the reasons the situation has reached this point.
Prosecutor Yang Suk-jo, the senior researcher at the top prosecution office, lambasted Shim Jae-cheol — his senior prosecutor and new head of its anticorruption department — with derogatory remarks at a funeral of the father-in-law of one of their colleagues last Saturday. Yang asked Shim, "Are you really a prosecutor?" after Shim insisted on letting former Justice Minister Cho go despite a plethora of evidence showing his involvement in dropping the Blue House's investigation into alleged corruption of former Vice Busan Mayor Yoo Jae-soo. Shim even allegedly ordered his junior prosecutors to prepare a report justifying his decision to clear Yoo of all charges against him.
An act of discourtesy to a prosecutor higher on the chain of command can hardly be condoned. It is "inappropriate and lamentable behavior," as Choo said. But we wonder if she really can make such a point, as it all started with her reshuffle of top positions in the prosecution to help block its investigations into apparent abuse of power by the presidential office.
It was Choo who proposed to President Moon Jae-in a plan for a colossal revamping of senior prosecutors across the board. As a result, senior prosecutors and heads of district prosecutors' offices who have been probing allegations against the Blue House were suddenly replaced with prosecutors friendly to the government. The complaint from Yang comes from new top prosecutors' overly generous attitudes toward the Blue House.
The prosecution's indictments of former Justice Minister Cho include several pieces of circumstantial evidence that show that he was involved in asking for special treatment for Yoo together with South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyung-soo and Baek Won-woo, a former Blue House secretary for civil affairs under Cho when he was serving as a senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. Cho allegedly ordered one of his aides to stop investigating Yoo "because he has decided to resign." Clearing all charges against Yoo even when a court judge in charge of issuing arrest warrants specified his criminal charges does not make any sense.
The Ministry of Justice announced a new plan for reorganizing the prosecution followed by a reshuffling of mid-level prosecutors soon. If Choo presses ahead with another "massacre," who will believe in the integrity of law enforcement? Is that really what the government seeks in the name of reform? That must start with reasonable appointments. Otherwise, public outrage is certain.
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Jan. 21)

(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Jan. 21)

Now the South and the U.S. need to step up cooperation to keep up the momentum for dialogue with the @ @ @ @ @ their differences over Moon 's push for individual tours to the North by South Koreans @ @ @ @ @ and exchange projects .
Most of all , Trump and Moon must work out new @ @ @ @ @ .
( END )

Taking 'new path'
: North Korea reportedly names hard-liner as top diplomat
North Korea is likely to shift further away from dialogue and return to brinkmanship in the face of the U.S.'s firm policy of maintaining pressure and sanctions against Pyongyang. Media reports about the North's appointment of a hard-liner as its top diplomat are raising concerns that it may withdraw from stalled talks with both Seoul and Washington.
On Monday, the Ministry of Unification said it was trying to confirm press reports that the North recently named Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, as foreign minister. The North reportedly notified foreign envoys based in its capital of the appointment.
Ri's appointment, if confirmed, could signal a tougher stance on the North's denuclearization negotiations with the U.S., and inter-Korean dialogue. There was the possibility that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might have held the current diplomatic team responsible for failing to extract concessions, including sanctions relief, from the U.S.
Ri, a former army officer, has been widely known as a hawk with little experience in diplomacy. That is why pessimism could prevail further over the deadlocked denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington. The Kim regime has put greater pressure on the U.S. to lift major sanctions since the summit between President Donald Trump and Kim in Hanoi collapsed in February 2019.
Pyongyang has threatened to take a "new path," hinting at retracting its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and ICBM testing. In a report to the ruling Workers' Party meeting at the end of December, Kim even spoke of a plan to reveal a new strategic weapon in the near future.
Some North Korea experts expect the North to return to its "byeongjin" policy of completing its nuclear arms program and pushing for economic development. The North has vowed to make a "frontal breakthrough" and wage an arduous march to overcome difficulties in the process. This may imply that Pyongyang will not give up its nuclear arsenal unless Washington accepts its demands.
The North's negotiations with the U.S. had so far been led by Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, a longtime diplomat. His reported replacement by Ri Son-gwon could be seen as a move to play hardball with the U.S. It was also reported that Ri Su-yong, director in charge of international relations at the Workers' Party, has been replaced with a former ambassador to Russia.
The worsening situation certainly bodes ill for efforts by Seoul and Washington to find a peaceful solution to the nuclear showdown with Pyongyang. The North's tougher position represents a setback for Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has spearheaded a policy of active engagement.
Now the South and the U.S. need to step up cooperation to keep up the momentum for dialogue with the North. They should narrow their differences over Moon's push for individual tours to the North by South Koreans, and other inter-Korean cooperation and exchange projects. Most of all, Trump and Moon must work out new strategies to break the impasse.
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(EDITORIAL from Korea Herald on Jan. 21)

It is not right to take the issue uniformly with public officials resigning for political activities .
But the ruling @ @ @ @ @ for giving the impression that it has mobilized many public officials as its potential candidates @ @ @ @ @ , too , deserve to be criticized for treating public service as a bridge to @ @ @ @ @ it is up to voters to separate the gems from pebbles .
( END )

Candidacy rush
: Public officials, including suspected offenders, quit jobs for ruling party nomination in general election
Many public servants have resigned to run in the April 15 general election. They include former Cheong Wa Dae officials, high-ranking officials of the government and public organizations. Even some judges have quit their jobs in pursuit of National Assembly seats. Most of them are seeking the candidacy of the ruling party
Reportedly about 130 public officials resigned to register with the National Election Commission as aspiring candidates of the Democratic Party of Korea. The number is much higher than four years ago when some 40 public officials resigned to run in the general election. About 70 this time came from Cheong Wa Dae under President Moon Jae-in.
A vice minister of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry, who was in charge of measures regarding the Tada ride-hailing service and taxis, resigned last month. His resignation came seven months after his appointment, at the height of controversies over whether to ban Tada.
A former ruling party lawmaker appointed by Moon as National Pension Service chairman and CEO stepped down 10 months before the expiry of his term to seek Democratic Party candidacy.
A three-time former lawmaker appointed in October 2017 by the president as chief executive of Korea Expressway Corp. resigned last month. His term was to end in November this year.
Another former Democratic Party lawmaker named as president of Korea SMEs and Startups Agency in March 2018 resigned last week. His term was scheduled to end in March 2020. He was accused by the election commission on suspicions of violating campaign law by sending holiday gifts to residents in his former electorate last year.
They did not complete their terms to run in the elections. To them, public office served as a stepping stone to decorate their political career. It is questionable if they may have worked both in body and in spirit.
Some were shameless. The head of the Police Human Resources Development Institute, who was the Ulsan police chief before that, offered his resignation last week to seek Democratic Party candidacy. He is suspected of abusing power in the presidential office's alleged intervention in the election of a Moon's crony as Ulsan mayor in June 2017.
A figure dismissed as Ulsan vice mayor in connection with the election meddling suspicions rejoined the Democratic Party last week, apparently to run in the elections.
A former Cheong Wa Dae official suspected of being involved in covering up its inspections into corruption allegations against another confidant of Moon left the presidential office this month to run on the Democratic Party ticket.
It is conscionable of public servants to stay at their jobs until they are cleared of suspicions if they want to join an election race. But they criticized prosecution investigations and quit their jobs to run as ruling party candidates. It is questionable if they seek to be lawmakers for protecting themselves from investigations rather than for the sake of voters.
Judges who resigned were progressives who criticized the Supreme Court in the days of the previous conservative government. Undoubtedly, judges can prefer political parties as individuals, but concerns about the judicial branch being politicized are inevitable.
A judge who raised power abuse allegations against the previous chief justice of the Supreme Court joined the ruling party Sunday. A senior judge who led a council of progressive judges resigned last week, and the ruling party reportedly asked him to join it.
Considering the judges urged judicial reform strongly in step with Moon's drive to find fault with past governments, it is questionable if their calls were unbiased.
It is not right to take the issue uniformly with public officials resigning for political activities. But the ruling party deserves to be condemned for giving the impression that it has mobilized many public officials as its potential candidates. The former civil servants, too, deserve to be criticized for treating public service as a bridge to their political career. Now it is up to voters to separate the gems from pebbles.
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--Top headlines in major S. Korean newspapers

Korean-language dailies -- S. Korea reports 1st confirmed China coronavirus case , raises alert level ( Kyunghyang Shinmun ) -- S. Korea reports 1st confirmed China coronavirus case , authorities on alert ahead of Lunar New Year 's Day ( Kookmin Daily ) -- '430,000 tons each day , ' mountains of trash we have built ( Donga llbo ) -- Justice minister hints at large-scale reshuffle of prosecutors ( Seoul Shinmun ) -- 'Dokdo is Japan 's inherent territory , ' Japanese FM again makes thoughtless remarks ( Segye Times ) -- S. Korea pushes for individual tours to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or any safety measures ( Chosun Ilbo ) -- LKP leader Hwang : 'Should a new integrated party be created , leader change may be needed ' ( JoongAng Ilbo ) -- Gov't unveils 3 cards to avoid sanctions for individual tours to N.K .
( Hankyoreh ) -- Gov't even unveils card of individual tours to N.K .
across inter-Korean border ( Hankook Ilbo ) -- Samsung Electronics makes 'change amidst stability , ' keeps existing 3-CEO system ( Maeil Business Newspaper ) -- S. Korea reports 1st confirmed China coronavirus case @ @ @ @ @

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- The following are the top headlines in major South Korean newspapers on Jan. 21.
Korean-language dailies
-- S. Korea reports 1st confirmed China coronavirus case, raises alert level (Kyunghyang Shinmun)
-- S. Korea reports 1st confirmed China coronavirus case, authorities on alert ahead of Lunar New Year's Day (Kookmin Daily)
-- '430,000 tons each day,' mountains of trash we have built (Donga llbo)
-- Justice minister hints at large-scale reshuffle of prosecutors (Seoul Shinmun)
-- 'Dokdo is Japan's inherent territory,' Japanese FM again makes thoughtless remarks (Segye Times)
-- S. Korea pushes for individual tours to N.K. without any consultations with U.S. or any safety measures (Chosun Ilbo)
-- LKP leader Hwang: 'Should a new integrated party be created, leader change may be needed' (JoongAng Ilbo)
-- Gov't unveils 3 cards to avoid sanctions for individual tours to N.K. (Hankyoreh)
-- Gov't even unveils card of individual tours to N.K. across inter-Korean border (Hankook Ilbo)
-- Samsung Electronics makes 'change amidst stability,' keeps existing 3-CEO system (Maeil Business Newspaper)
-- S. Korea reports 1st confirmed China coronavirus case (Korea Economic Daily)
English-language dailies
-- Samsung's smartphone business gets new boss (Korea JoongAng Daily)
-- S. Korea vows to bolster economic cooperation with Russia, Mongolia (Korea Herald)
-- NK signals tougher stance against US (Korea Times)
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--Banks' loan delinquency rate inches up in Nov.

The rate for bank loans more than 30 days overdue stood at 0.48 percent at the end of November , @ @ @ @ @ a month earlier , according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service ( FSS @ @

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- The delinquency rate for South Korean banks' won-denominated loans edged up in November from a month earlier due to a slight hike in bad loans extended to firms and households, data showed Tuesday.
The rate for bank loans more than 30 days overdue stood at 0.48 percent at the end of November, up 0.02 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).
But compared with a year ago, the rate was down 0.11 percentage point, it said.
The delinquency rate for loans extended to companies increased 0.02 percentage point on-month to 0.63 percent in November, while that for loans to households rose 0.02 percentage point on-month to 0.31 percent, according to the data.
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--Korea's producer prices snap 5-month losing streak in Dec.

The producer price index for all commodities and services came to 103.71 in the month , up 0.7 percent from @ @ @ @ @ , according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea ( BOK ) .

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's producer prices rose from a year earlier in December, marking a sharp turnaround from a month earlier and possibly indicating a recovery in consumer prices, central bank data showed Tuesday.
The producer price index for all commodities and services came to 103.71 in the month, up 0.7 percent from the same month in 2018, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The file photo, taken on Dec. 31, 2019, shows local consumers shopping at a grocery store in Seoul. The South Korean government has said the country's consumer prices rose at a new record of 0.4 percent on-year in 2019, the lowest on-year growth since the country began compiling such data in 1965. (Yonhap)
The on-year gain in December marked the first of its kind since July.
The reading also marks a 0.3 percent increase from the revised 103.41 registered the month before.
Producer prices are a key barometer of future inflation.
South Korea's consumer prices have been growing at record low levels throughout 2019, gaining only 0.4 percent from a year earlier in 2019, the lowest since the country began compiling such data in 1965.
Still, the producer price index for industrial goods continued to dwindle last month, slipping 0.2 percent from a year earlier to 102.06.
The index for farmed goods, on the other hand, jumped 2.1 percent on-year to 117.94, with the index for the service industry advancing 1.3 percent to 105.47 over the cited period.
The BOK has predicted the country's annual consumer price growth to reach 1.3 percent in 2020, sharply up from that of 2019 but still short of its long-term target of 2 percent.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--S. Korea vows stable trade ties with Britain

During a meeting with officials from the British Embassy in Seoul , Chun Yoon-jong , director general for free trade @ @ @ @ @ 's trade ministry , said the two countries will continue their preferential ties on the @ @ @ @ @ trade agreement ( FTA ) .

By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Tuesday it will prepare fully to maintain its trade with Britain amid London's planned departure from the world's largest economic bloc.
During a meeting with officials from the British Embassy in Seoul, Chun Yoon-jong, director general for free trade agreement policy at South Korea's trade ministry, said the two countries will continue their preferential ties on the back of their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
In 2019, South Korea and Britain signed an FTA that will be implemented in 2021 after a transition period for leaving the European Union that will run through the end of this year.
The FTA centers on maintaining the benefits enjoyed by the two countries under the South Korea-EU FTA, which went into effect in July 2011.
South Korea has already revised customs-related regulations ahead of Brexit and is ready to implement the FTA with Britain without delay, the ministry said.
Seoul will continue to closely monitor updates in the relationship between Britain and the EU and carry out a close analysis of Brexit's impact on Asia's No. 4 economy, it added.
Before the end of the transition period, South Korean exporters will continue to enjoy benefits of the FTA signed with the EU when trading with the United Kingdom.
Britain is South Korea's 18th-largest trading partner, accounting for less than 2 percent of its overall trade.
Despite this small proportion, the ministry said the FTA is still significant as it lifts uncertainties stemming from Brexit for local exporters.
South Korea mainly exports automobiles, ships and marine facilities to Britain. In return, key import products from the European country include crude oil and pharmaceutical goods.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


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(END)


yna--2020-01-20--(6th LD) S. Korea reports 1st confirmed China coronavirus case, raises alert level

Seoul said that it will significantly tighten quarantine inspections on airplane travelers arriving from Wuhan and other areas affected by @ @ @ @ @ cooperation with China to be kept up to date on developments there .
It said @ @ @ @ @ will be mobilized to quickly find people who have been in contact with people confirmed @ @ @ @ @ , with the foreign ministry to do its utmost to inform South Korean nationals to @ @ @ @ @ infections and to swiftly notify foreign embassies in Seoul if one of their people have @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: EXPANDS dateline; ADDS details in paras 13, 15)
SEOUL/BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Monday reported the first confirmed case of the China coronavirus amid concerns that a pneumonia-like illness is set to spread across China and Asia.
A Chinese woman who arrived at Incheon International Airport on China Southern Airlines flight CZ6079 at 12:11 p.m. Sunday has tested positive for the virus, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Upon arrival, the woman was running a fever, experiencing respiratory problems and other symptoms, KCDC said.
"She tested positive in the pancoronavirus polymerase chain reaction test that checks a person's DNA," the country's public health and safety agency said.
A quarantine official (R) checks passengers arriving at South Korea's Incheon International Airport for signs of fever and other symptoms in this file photo taken on Jan. 9, 2020. (Yonhap)
The 35-year-old resident arrived from the Chinese central city of Wuhan in Hubei Province -- where the virus appears to have originated -- on Sunday while en route to Japan in tune with the Lunar New Year holiday this week.
The patient has since been quarantined at a designated isolation ward in Incheon, west of Seoul, for treatment after being detected during the quarantine inspection process at the airport.
The agency said the cabin crew on the plane and the other passengers are being monitored for any symptoms, with 14 people being checked by medical personnel. Three other people who were placed in quarantine as a precautionary measure all tested negative for the pancoronavirus and were released.
The agency said it has elevated the country's infectious disease alert level by one notch from "blue" to "yellow" and ordered local governments to strengthen monitoring.
KCDC strongly advised people who visited China showing symptoms like fever and shortness of breath to visit nearby clinics or hospitals so they can be checked.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun instructed his Cabinet to take all possible countermeasures to contain the spread of the virus, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
Chung ordered Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo and the chief of the KCDC to completely quarantine and treat the patient after being briefed by Park on the situation, the office said.
"Prime Minister Chung ordered that epidemiological investigations be quickly and thoroughly conducted to verify the movement and contact routes of the patient and contain the spread of the infectious disease," the PMO said.
The prime minister also instructed his Cabinet to take all countermeasures in accordance with the government's manual and to make swift and transparent disclosures of all relevant information to help ease public anxiety.
Seoul said that it will significantly tighten quarantine inspections on airplane travelers arriving from Wuhan and other areas affected by the illness, and expand cooperation with China to be kept up to date on developments there. It said the police and justice ministry will be mobilized to quickly find people who have been in contact with people confirmed to have contracted the illness, with the foreign ministry to do its utmost to inform South Korean nationals to be on guard against the infections and to swiftly notify foreign embassies in Seoul if one of their people have contracted the pneumonia-like sickness.
South Korea reported a suspected case earlier in the month, but that person was released after tests showed she was not infected with the same virus spreading in China.
The Beijing government has reported a total of 218 infected patients, with the death toll at three. It said most of the incidents were centered on Wuhan, although five and 14 cases have been confirmed in Beijing and Guangdong Province, respectively, along with one person getting sick in Shanghai. Outside the country, there have been two pneumonia-like cases in Thailand and a single case in Japan.
Beijing had initially said the new strain of the coronavirus was not contagious between people, but the World Health Organization (WHO) is not ruling out person-to-person transmission under certain conditions, the center said.
This photo, provided by the KCDC on Jan. 19, 2020, shows the coronavirus linked the the pneumonia-like illness spreading in China. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-20--(5th LD) S. Korea reports 1st confirmed China coronavirus case, raises alert level

Seoul said that it will significantly increase quarantine inspections on planes arriving from Wuhan , and expand cooperation with China @ @ @ @ @ date on developments there .
It said the police and justice ministry will be mobilized @ @ @ @ @ have been in contact with people confirmed to have contracted the illness , with the @ @ @ @ @ utmost to inform South Korean nationals to be on guard against the infections and to @ @ @ @ @ Seoul if one of their people have contracted the pneumonia-like sickness .

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in paras 12-15; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Monday reported the first confirmed case of the China coronavirus amid concerns that a pneumonia-like illness is set to spread across China and Asia.
A Chinese woman who arrived at Incheon International Airport on China Southern Airlines flight CZ6079 at 12:11 p.m. Sunday has tested positive for the virus, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Upon arrival, the woman was running a fever, experiencing respiratory problems and other symptoms, KCDC said.
"She tested positive in the pancoronavirus polymerase chain reaction test that checks a person's DNA," the country's public health and safety agency said.
A quarantine official (R) checks passengers arriving at South Korea's Incheon International Airport for signs of fever and other symptoms in this file photo taken on Jan. 9, 2020. (Yonhap)
The 35-year-old resident arrived from the Chinese central city of Wuhan in Hubei Province -- where the virus appears to have originated -- on Sunday while en route to Japan in tune with the Lunar New Year holiday this week.
The patient has since been quarantined at a designated isolation ward in Incheon, west of Seoul, for treatment after being detected during the quarantine inspection process at the airport.
The agency said the cabin crew on the plane and the other passengers are being monitored for any symptoms, with 14 people being checked by medical personnel. Three other people who were placed in quarantine as a precautionary measure all tested negative for the pancoronavirus and were released.
The agency said it has elevated the country's infectious disease alert level by one notch from "blue" to "yellow" and ordered local governments to strengthen monitoring.
KCDC strongly advised people who visited China showing symptoms like fever and shortness of breath to visit nearby clinics or hospitals so they can be checked.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun instructed his Cabinet to take all possible countermeasures to contain the spread of the virus, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
Chung ordered Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo and the chief of the KCDC to completely quarantine and treat the patient after being briefed by Park on the situation, the office said.
"Prime Minister Chung ordered that epidemiological investigations be quickly and thoroughly conducted to verify the movement and contact routes of the patient and contain the spread of the infectious disease," the PMO said.
The prime minister also instructed his Cabinet to take all countermeasures in accordance with the government's manual and to make swift and transparent disclosures of all relevant information to help ease public anxiety.
Seoul said that it will significantly increase quarantine inspections on planes arriving from Wuhan, and expand cooperation with China to be kept up to date on developments there. It said the police and justice ministry will be mobilized to quickly find people who have been in contact with people confirmed to have contracted the illness, with the foreign ministry to do its utmost to inform South Korean nationals to be on guard against the infections and to swiftly notify foreign embassies in Seoul if one of their people have contracted the pneumonia-like sickness.
South Korea reported a suspected case earlier in the month, but that person was released after tests showed she was not infected with the same virus spreading in China.
The Beijing government has reported a total of 217 infected patients, with the death toll at three, with most of the incidents centered on Wuhan, although five have been confirmed in Beijing, with suspected cases in Shanghai. There have been two pneumonia-like cases in Thailand and a single case in Japan.
Beijing had initially said the new strain of the coronavirus was not contagious between people, but the World Health Organization (WHO) is not ruling out person-to-person transmission under certain conditions, the center said.
This photo, provided by the KCDC on Jan. 19, 2020, shows the coronavirus linked the the pneumonia-like illness spreading in China. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(3rd LD) S. Korea on high alert amid possible human-to-human spread of new coronavirus

The KCDC said that three more people who showed pneumonia-like symptoms and were placed in quarantine earlier in the day @ @ @ @ @ the new type of coronavirus .
It said the three had common cases of influenza @ @ @ @ @ , and that they were released from isolation .

(ATTN: COMBINES suspected cases coronavirus results; UPDATES with more details in paras 7)
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's quarantine authorities said Tuesday they are ratcheting up efforts to contain a new type of Chinese coronavirus amid reports that the virus can spread among people, after the country reported the first confirmed case of the SARS-like disease early this week.
Multiple media reports indicated that two Chinese confirmed to have been infected with the new strain of the pneumonia-like illness spreading across China other parts of Asia have never been to the city of Wuhan -- where the virus appears to have originated.
This photo, provided by the KCDC on Jan. 19, 2020, shows the coronavirus linked to the pneumonia-like illness spreading in China. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"There are circumstances in which the new coronavirus was transmitted between humans," Lee Sun-kyoo, an official of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said. "We cannot give exact details as the matter is currently being judged."
The KCDC said it will take precautionary steps, such as requiring medical staff to wear masks and mandating that those who show pneumonia-like symptoms be subject to compulsory quarantine.
A Chinese national who arrived through South Korea's main gateway, Incheon International Airport, was confirmed with the disease on Monday, and the 35-year old woman from Wuhan is currently being quarantined at a designated isolation ward and is in a stable condition, with no pneumonia-like symptoms present, according to the KCDC.
An epidemiological investigation shows that 44 people, including 29 passengers and 5 flight crew members, had contact with the patient, the KCDC said. Nine of them already left the country, and the other 35 people have not shown any symptoms.
The KCDC said that three more people who showed pneumonia-like symptoms and were placed in quarantine earlier in the day have all tested negative from the new type of coronavirus. It said the three had common cases of influenza and acute respiratory virus infections, and that they were released from isolation.
A quarantine official (L) checks a traveller for fever and other symptoms at South Korea's Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, in this file photo taken on Jan. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
Earlier, the KCDC elevated the country's infectious disease alert level from "blue" to "yellow" and asked airports and sea ferry terminals nationwide to strengthen quarantine efforts.
Incheon International Airport, the country's main passenger transportation hub, said it expects to handle over a million people during the four day-long Lunar New Year holiday that kicks off on Friday. Airport authorities said that with such a large number of people using its facilities it will take every action to detect and isolate people showing symptoms and conduct sweeping quarantine and disinfection operations of public areas, including toilets, drinking fountains, phone booths and escalators.
It added that people getting off planes from Wuhan will be processed through a separate gate.
Gimhae International Airport, the gateway to Busan and southeastern South Korea, shifted to a heightened alert status. The Gimhae airport, which receives a large share of its international traffic from China, has no direct flight route to Wuhan of Hubei Province but operates a number of routes to other cities in China and Southeast Asia.
A KCDC official at the Gimhae airport said the agency is closely checking the body temperatures of international passengers arriving from China and other regions.
Cheongju International Airport, located in the central part of the country, has also stepped up inspections. Cheongju International Airport does not operate direct flights from Wuhan but has a high number of inbound travelers.
The airports have also been offering information and guidance on preventive measures for infectious diseases to China-bound travelers.
Beijing put the death toll from the coronavirus at six, with a total of 258 people testing positive for the virus associated with the illness, including some 15 medical personnel. It said over 700 people are being closely monitored.
The head of a Chinese government agency also said during a TV interview that human-to-human transmission has been confirmed in an outbreak of the coronavirus, adding to worries it could spread more quickly and widely. Beijing had initially said the coronavirus was not contagious between people.
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--People with pneumonia-like symptoms test negative for new coronavirus: KCDC

Beijing has put the death toll from the new strain of coronavirus at six , with a total of 258 @ @ @ @ @ virus associated with the illness , including some 15 medical personnel .
It said over @ @ @ @ @ monitored .

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- People who were held in quarantine after showing pneumonia-like symptoms have tested negative for a new coronavirus, South Korea's public health agency said Tuesday.
The three underwent so-called pancoronavirus tests starting earlier in the day and have complained of fever and sore throat after visiting the city of Wuhan in central China, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
"All three have tested negative and have been released from isolation," the KCDC said.
Seoul confirmed its first case of the disease that is similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on Monday, and has been on a heightened level of alert to quickly detect and treat people who have been affected.
Health authorities have called on people traveling to certain Chinese destinations to be particularly mindful of hygiene and report any signs, like fever, sore throat and shortness of breath, to authorities.
Beijing has put the death toll from the new strain of coronavirus at six, with a total of 258 people testing positive for the virus associated with the illness, including some 15 medical personnel. It said over 700 people are being closely monitored.
A quarantine official (R) checks travelers for symptoms of China coronavirus at South Korea's Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, in this file photo taken on Jan. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--S. Korean baseball to introduce salary cap in 2023

Beginning in this 2020 season , KBO teams will be able to play all three of their foreign players in @ @ @ @ @ , teams can have three foreign players on their roster but only two of them @ @ @ @ @ game .
For instance , if a foreign pitcher starts a game and a foreign @ @ @ @ @ lineup , the second foreign pitcher is not eligible to come out of the bullpen @ @ @ @ @ be an issue this year .

By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top professional baseball league announced a series of sweeping changes on Tuesday, including implementation of the league's first salary cap in 2023.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) held its first board of governors meeting of 2020, with the 10 club presidents on hand to approve the salary cap and other changes.
According to the KBO, the salary cap will be set at 120 percent of the average salary of the 40 highest-paid players from each team, excluding rookies and foreign players, from the 2021 and 2022 seasons. That cap will be adjusted at a board meeting after the 2025 season.
This file photo from Oct. 22, 2019, shows a sellout crowd of 25,000 attending Game 1 of the Korean Series between the Doosan Bears and the Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Teams exceeding the cap will be fined and will have their first round draft picks drop by nine slots in the following year.
The KBO will also adopt changes to free agency. After the 2020 season, the league will divide free agents into three different classes based on their salaries over the three most recent seasons and to adjust compensation for signing those free agents accordingly.
Currently, a club that signs a free agent must pay the player's previous club twice the amount of that player's previous salary and send a player in compensation, or pay three times the amount of the player's salary from the previous season. Under the changes, financial compensation will be less of a burden for teams signing free agents in the lowest class.
Then after the 2022 season, the KBO will reduce the service time requirements for players to hit free agency by one year -- to eight years for those drafted out of high school, and to seven years for players coming out of a four-year university.
The minimum wage will be raised from 27 million won (US$23,120) to 30 million won starting in 2021.
Beginning in this 2020 season, KBO teams will be able to play all three of their foreign players in the same game. Currently, teams can have three foreign players on their roster but only two of them can get into the same game. For instance, if a foreign pitcher starts a game and a foreign position player is in the lineup, the second foreign pitcher is not eligible to come out of the bullpen. That will no longer be an issue this year.
KBO teams won't be allowed to spend more than $4 million on their three foreign players beginning in 2023. The current cap of $1 million on first-year foreign players will remain in place.
And from the 2023 season, clubs will be able to acquire up to two foreign players -- one pitcher and one position player -- to put on their minor league teams as backups to imports on the KBO rosters. The annual salary for these minor league foreign players may not exceed $300,000.
In another notable change, the injured list will be introduced in 2020. Teams can keep injured players sidelined for 10, 15 or 30 days.
Also starting in the upcoming 2020 season, all defensive players, except for pitchers, will be allowed to use positioning cards or wristbands on the field for information on positioning and, for catchers, sign sequences. In 2019, only outfielders were allowed to use those cards for shifting purposes.
If two teams are tied for first place at the end of the regular season, they'll square off in the one-and-done game to determine the regular season champion. But if three or more teams are tied at the top, then the head-to-head record will be used to break the tie.
In 2020, weekday games will start at 6:30 p.m., while Saturday games will begin at 5 p.m. Games on Sundays and holidays will start at 2 p.m.
In June, all weekend and holiday games will begin at 5 p.m. In July and August, Saturday games will start at 6 p.m., and Sunday and holiday games will do so at 5 p.m.
The Korean Series will switch from the 2-3-2 to 2-2-3 format, meaning the club with the home field advantage will host Games 1 and 2, and, if necessary, 5 to 7.
This file photo from May 5, 2019, shows a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game between the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins on the Children's Day holiday at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(2nd LD) S. Korea on high alert amid possible human-to-human spread of new coronavirus

Incheon International Airport , the country 's main passenger transportation hub , said it expects to handle over a million @ @ @ @ @ Lunar New Year holiday that kicks off on Friday .
Airport authorities said that with @ @ @ @ @ people using its facilities it will take every action to detect and isolate people showing @ @ @ @ @ and disinfection operations of public areas , including toilets , drinking fountains , phone booths @ @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in lead, paras 2, 8-10, 15; CHANGES photo)
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's quarantine authorities said Tuesday they are ratcheting up efforts to contain a new type of Chinese coronavirus amid reports that the virus can spread among people, after the country reported the first confirmed case of the SARS-like disease early this week.
Multiple media reports indicated that two Chinese confirmed to have been infected with the new strain of the pneumonia-like illness spreading across China other parts of Asia have never been to the city of Wuhan -- where the virus appears to have originated.
This photo, provided by the KCDC on Jan. 19, 2020, shows the coronavirus linked to the pneumonia-like illness spreading in China. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"There are circumstances in which the new coronavirus was transmitted between humans," Lee Sun-kyoo, an official of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said. "We cannot give exact details as the matter is currently being judged."
The KCDC said it will take precautionary steps such as requiring medical staff to wear masks and mandating that those who show pneumonia-like symptoms be subject to compulsory quarantine.
A Chinese national who arrived through South Korea's main gateway, Incheon International Airport, was confirmed with the disease on Monday, and the 35-year old woman from Wuhan is currently being quarantined at a designated isolation ward and is in a stable condition, with no pneumonia-like symptoms present, according to the KCDC.
An epidemiological investigation shows that 44 people, including 29 passengers and 5 flight crew members, had contact with the patient, the KCDC said. Nine of them already left the country, and the other 35 people have not shown any symptoms.
The KCDC said that as of 9 a.m., three more suspected cases were reported, with test results slated to come out later in the day.
A quarantine official (L) checks a traveller for fever and other symptoms at South Korea's Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, in this file photo taken on Jan. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
Earlier, the KCDC elevated the country's infectious disease alert level from "blue" to "yellow" and asked airports and sea ferry terminals nationwide to strengthen quarantine efforts.
Incheon International Airport, the country's main passenger transportation hub, said it expects to handle over a million people during the four day-long Lunar New Year holiday that kicks off on Friday. Airport authorities said that with such a large number of people using its facilities it will take every action to detect and isolate people showing symptoms and conduct sweeping quarantine and disinfection operations of public areas, including toilets, drinking fountains, phone booths and escalators.
It added that people getting off planes from Wuhan will be processed through a separate gate.
Gimhae International Airport, the gateway to Busan and southeastern South Korea, shifted to a heightened alert status. The Gimhae airport, which receives a large share of its international traffic from China, has no direct flight route to Wuhan of Hubei Province but operates a number of routes to other cities in China and Southeast Asia.
A KCDC official at the Gimhae airport said the agency is closely checking the body temperatures of international passengers arriving from China and other regions.
Cheongju International Airport, located in the central part of the country, has also stepped up inspections. Cheongju International Airport does not operate direct flights from Wuhan but has a high number of inbound travelers.
The airports have also been offering information and guidance on preventive measures for infectious diseases to China-bound travelers.
Beijing put the death toll from the coronavirus at six, with a total of 258 people testing positive for the virus associated with the illness, including some 15 medical personnel. It said over 700 people are being closely monitored.
The head of a Chinese government agency also said during a TV interview that human-to-human transmission has been confirmed in an outbreak of the coronavirus, adding to worries it could spread more quickly and widely. Beijing had initially said the coronavirus was not contagious between people.
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(5th LD) S. Korea to send troops to Hormuz Strait independently to safeguard people, vessels

The 300-strong Cheonghae Unit , which has been on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia since @ @ @ @ @ mission areas into the Gulf of Oman , and further to the Persian Gulf , @ @ @ @ @ 31st batch of the rotational troops along with the 4,400-ton destroyer , the Wang Geon @ @ @ @ @ role on the day , according to the ministry .

(ATTN: ADDS foreign ministry's comment in 21st para)
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz by expanding operational areas of its anti-piracy unit deployed nearby to help protect its vessels passing through the strategic waterway, the defense ministry announced Tuesday.
The forces, however, will not join a U.S.-led coalition, but conduct independent operations, the ministry said, a move seen as reflecting Seoul's consideration of relations with Tehran and Washington's request for contribution to its campaign to secure the waters off Iran.
"In consideration of the current situation in the Middle East, the government has decided to temporarily expand the Cheonghae Unit's sphere of activity in order to guarantee safety of our people and the freedom of navigation of our vessels," the ministry said in a release.
The 300-strong Cheonghae Unit, which has been on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia since 2009, will broaden its mission areas into the Gulf of Oman, and further to the Persian Gulf, starting Tuesday, as the 31st batch of the rotational troops along with the 4,400-ton destroyer, the Wang Geon, is to assume the role on the day, according to the ministry.
While the Cheonghae Unit will act on its own, two liaison officers affiliated with the unit to the U.S.-led International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) "for cooperation such as information sharing," the ministry said. The IMSC is headquartered in Bahrain.
"Since May last year, when tensions began to heighten in the Middle East, we've been reviewing diverse options," a senior defense ministry official said, adding that the government prioritizes the safety of South Korean people and vessels.
As the world's most important oil passageway and a choke point between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the strait is the route to the open ocean for more than one-sixth of global oil production and 70 percent of South Korea's oil imports.
Some 25,000 South Koreans reside in the Middle East, and around 170 South Korean ships sail through Hormuz about 900 times per year, according to government data.
Tensions in the region have mounted since Iran launched missile attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq earlier this month in retaliation for a U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general.
The 300-strong 31st contingent of the Cheonghae Unit holds a send-off ceremony at a naval base in South Korea's largest port city of Busan on Dec. 27, 2019, before leaving for the Gulf of Aden to combat piracy in waters off Somalia over the next six months aboard the Wang Geon, a 4,500-ton destroyer. (Yonhap)
Before announcing the decision, the ministry had consultations with the U.S. and also explained reasons for the decision to Iran through diplomatic channels, according to the official.
"The U.S. side welcomed the move, and I've heard that Iran said it understands Seoul's stance," he said.
When the Seoul government notified Iran of its decision over the weekend, Teheran expressed concern as it is basically opposed to any deployment of foreign troops or vessels to the region, according to a foreign ministry official here.
"(We believe) efforts should be made to manage ties between South Korea and Iran, and the Iranian side has responded the same way on that," the official said, adding that Seoul has been reviewing various options to improve the relationship.
In order to carry out missions in broader zones, the military equipped the destroyer with additional arms such as anti-submarine weapons, anti-aircraft guns and sonar compared to its previous configuration, according to a military officer. The Cheonghae unit will increase the length of that route it patrols to around 4,000 kilometers from the original 1,350 kilometers.
"We've made preparations for possible missions in the Hormuz Strait. But Cheonghae's basic missions -- anti-piracy activities and escorting ships -- remain unchanged," the officer said.
As for the meaning of the "temporary" expansion of its role, the ministry official said it will be valid "until situations in the Middle East improve."
The decision does not require parliamentary consent, as the law stipulates that the unit shall carry out missions in the Gulf of Aden and its surrounding regions. It is also allowed to launch activities in "designated waters" to protect citizens in case of emergency.
It will be the first time since 2004 that South Korea has dispatched troops overseas upon the U.S.' request. That year, South Korea deployed the Zaytun unit as part of the U.S. campaign in Iraq.
Some experts say the decision could serve as a bargaining chip for South Korea in its negotiations with the U.S. on their sharing of the cost for the upkeep of American troops here. Washington has reportedly demanded a drastic increase in Seoul's payments this year.
South Korea has footed the bill for the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit that reaches around 32.5 billion won (US$27.8 million) per year, according to the officials.
But the foreign ministry here rejected any linkage between the two issues, with spokesperson Kim In-chul saying during a regular briefing that the dispatch "flatly has nothing to do" with the defense cost-sharing deal.
Currently, more than 1,100 South Korean troops are operating on overseas missions in 12 countries for reconstruction, armistice monitoring and other peacekeeping missions.
The troops include those in the Dongmyeong Unit operating as part of the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon; the Hanbit Unit for peacekeeping operations in South Sudan; and the Akh Unit in the United Arab Emirates, with a mission to train UAE troops and protect South Korean nationals in the Middle Eastern country in case of emergencies.
This photo, taken on Dec. 13, 2019, shows members of South Korea's anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit engaging in an exercise in waters off the southeastern island of Geoje. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--S. Korean Kwon Soon-woo knocked out in opening round at Australian Open

In the second set , Kwon called a medical timeout to get his right shoulder treated while trailing 2-1 .
@ @ @ @ @ to go down 3-1 .
In the eighth game , Kwon wasted two break points @ @ @ @ @ and ended up conceding the second set 6-4 .

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Kwon Soon-woo crashed out of the first round at the Australian Open on Tuesday, after losing a five-set marathon that lasted nearly four hours.
Nikoloz Basilashvili, world No. 29 from Georgia, outlasted the 87th-ranked South Korean 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Kwon, 22, was the only South Korean man in this year's Australian Open.
He has yet to move past the first round at a Grand Slam event, having also lost his opening matches at the 2018 Australian Open, the 2019 Wimbledon and the 2019 U.S. Open.
In this AFP photo, Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea hits a return against Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia during their first-round men's singles match at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 21, 2020. (Yonhap)
Kwon rallied from a 5-2 deficit to take the first set in a tiebreak. He took a 6-5 lead in the tiebreak and claimed the opening set when Basilashvili's return went wide right.
In the second set, Kwon called a medical timeout to get his right shoulder treated while trailing 2-1. He lost the ensuing game to go down 3-1. In the eighth game, Kwon wasted two break points to go down 5-3, and ended up conceding the second set 6-4.
Kwon blew a 3-1 lead in the third set, as he suddenly looked gassed in the late stages of the frame.
The two players took turns breaking each other. Then with a 4-3 lead, Kwon saw his groundstrokes desert him and allowed Basilashvili to tie things up.
Kwon survived a break point to take a 5-4 lead, but he didn't win another game the rest of the set.
Kwon committed two double faults as Basilashvili took a 6-5 lead, and the South Korean stopped moving his feet and failed to win a point in the closing game of the third set.
But the South Korean somehow found a new source of energy in the fourth set, winning it handily at 6-3 and punctuating the win with his 13th ace of the match.
Ultimately, it was Basilashvili who had more left in his tank, as the Georgian recorded 10 of his 22 aces in the deciding fifth set.
The two players each held their serves, as Basilashvili took a 3-2 lead. Kwon blinked first in the sixth game, getting undone by three straight unforced errors to go down 4-2.
Kwon forced deuce in the next game, but Basilashvili recorded two straight aces to go up 5-2.
Kwon held his serve to keep the match alive, but Basilashvili won the clinching game without dropping a point.
This was Kwon's first fifth-set match.
In this AFP photo, Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea celebrates a point against Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia during their first-round men's singles match at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 21, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(4th LD) S. Korea to send troops to Hormuz Strait independently to safeguard people, vessels

(ATTN: ADDS foreign ministry official's comment on Iran's response in paras 12-13)
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz by expanding operational areas of its anti-piracy unit deployed nearby to help protect its vessels passing through the strategic waterway, the defense ministry announced Tuesday.
The forces, however, will not join a U.S.-led coalition, but conduct independent operations, the ministry said, a move seen as reflecting Seoul's consideration of relations with Tehran and Washington's request for contribution to its campaign to secure the waters off Iran.
"In consideration of the current situation in the Middle East, the government has decided to temporarily expand the Cheonghae Unit's sphere of activity in order to guarantee safety of our people and the freedom of navigation of our vessels," the ministry said in a release.
The 300-strong Cheonghae Unit, which has been on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia since 2009, will broaden its mission areas into the Gulf of Oman, and further to the Persian Gulf, starting Tuesday, as the 31st batch of the rotational troops along with the 4,400-ton destroyer, the Wang Geon, is to assume the role on the day, according to the ministry.
While the Cheonghae Unit will act on its own, two liaison officers affiliated with the unit to the U.S.-led International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) "for cooperation such as information sharing," the ministry said. The IMSC is headquartered in Bahrain.
"Since May last year, when tensions began to heighten in the Middle East, we've been reviewing diverse options," a senior defense ministry official said, adding that the government prioritizes the safety of South Korean people and vessels.
As the world's most important oil passageway and a choke point between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the strait is the route to the open ocean for more than one-sixth of global oil production and 70 percent of South Korea's oil imports.
Some 25,000 South Koreans reside in the Middle East, and around 170 South Korean ships sail through Hormuz about 900 times per year, according to government data.
Tensions in the region have mounted since Iran launched missile attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq earlier this month in retaliation for a U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general.
The 300-strong 31st contingent of the Cheonghae Unit holds a send-off ceremony at a naval base in South Korea's largest port city of Busan on Dec. 27, 2019, before leaving for the Gulf of Aden to combat piracy in waters off Somalia over the next six months aboard the Wang Geon, a 4,500-ton destroyer. (Yonhap)
Before announcing the decision, the ministry had consultations with the U.S. and also explained reasons for the decision to Iran through diplomatic channels, according to the official.
"The U.S. side welcomed the move, and I've heard that Iran said it understands Seoul's stance," he said.
When the Seoul government notified Iran of its decision over the weekend, Teheran expressed concern as it is basically opposed to any deployment of foreign troops or vessels to the region, according to a foreign ministry official here.
"(We believe) efforts should be made to manage ties between South Korea and Iran, and the Iranian side has responded the same way on that," the official said, adding that Seoul has been reviewing various options to improve the relationship.
In order to carry out missions in broader zones, the military equipped the destroyer with additional arms such as anti-submarine weapons, anti-aircraft guns and sonar compared to its previous configuration, according to a military officer. The Cheonghae unit will increase the length of that route it patrols to around 4,000 kilometers from the original 1,350 kilometers.
"We've made preparations for possible missions in the Hormuz Strait. But Cheonghae's basic missions -- anti-piracy activities and escorting ships -- remain unchanged," the officer said.
As for the meaning of the "temporary" expansion of its role, the ministry official said it will be valid "until situations in the Middle East improve."
The decision does not require parliamentary consent, as the law stipulates that the unit shall carry out missions in the Gulf of Aden and its surrounding regions. It is also allowed to launch activities in "designated waters" to protect citizens in case of emergency.
It will be the first time since 2004 that South Korea has dispatched troops overseas upon the U.S.' request. That year, South Korea deployed the Zaytun unit as part of the U.S. campaign in Iraq.
Some experts say the decision could serve as a bargaining chip for South Korea in its negotiations with the U.S. on their sharing of the cost for the upkeep of American troops here. Washington has reportedly demanded a drastic increase in Seoul's payments this year.
South Korea has footed the bill for the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit that reaches around 32.5 billion won (US$27.8 million) per year, according to the officials.
Currently, more than 1,100 South Korean troops are operating on overseas missions in 12 countries for reconstruction, armistice monitoring and other peacekeeping missions.
The troops include those in the Dongmyeong Unit operating as part of the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon; the Hanbit Unit for peacekeeping operations in South Sudan; and the Akh Unit in the United Arab Emirates, with a mission to train UAE troops and protect South Korean nationals in the Middle Eastern country in case of emergencies.
This photo, taken on Dec. 13, 2019, shows members of South Korea's anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit engaging in an exercise in waters off the southeastern island of Geoje. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--Iran expresses concern about S. Korea's decision on Hormuz dispatch: official

`` We have our own national interest .
We must protect our people and guarantee the safety of our vessels @ @ @ @ @ position and we have made ours in consideration of our national interest , '' he @ @

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Iran has expressed concern about South Korea's decision to send troops to the Strait of Hormuz, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday.
Seoul announced earlier in the day that it will dispatch troops in the form of having its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit operating in the Gulf of Aden take on additional missions to protect the key strategic waterway off Iran.
The decision came after the United States called on allies to join its campaign to secure the waterway. But South Korea said the Cheonghae unit will conduct missions independently without joining the U.S.-led coalition.
South Korea briefed Iran on the decision in advance over the weekend, the official said.
"Iran's position is that it is basically opposed to foreign troops or ships coming to the region. They initially expressed concern according to that," the ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Seoul will work closely with Tehran to take care of relations between the two countries, the official said.
"The Iranian side has responded the same way about that," the official said.
Asked about possible negative effects on bilateral relations with Tehran, the official said the government puts national interest and the safety of South Korean citizens first when making such a decision.
"We have our own national interest. We must protect our people and guarantee the safety of our vessels. Iran has its own position and we have made ours in consideration of our national interest," he said.
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


Yonhap News Summary

Under the move , the number of units under the anti-corruption department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office will @ @ @ @ @ two , the justice ministry said in a press release .
The previous two units @ @ @ @ @ and trial affairs departments .

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday.
-----------------
(LEAD) Seoul stocks snap 3-day winning streak amid China virus fear
SEOUL -- Seoul stocks snapped a three-day rally to end lower Tuesday as foreign and institutional investors offloaded large-cap stocks amid a lack of market momentum. The Korean won sharply fell against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 22.95 points, or 1.01 percent, to close at 2,239.69.
-----------------
(3rd LD) S. Korea to send troops to Hormuz Strait independently to safeguard people, vessels
SEOUL -- South Korea will dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz by expanding operational areas of its anti-piracy unit deployed nearby to help protect its vessels passing through the strategic waterway, the defense ministry announced Tuesday.
The forces, however, will not join a U.S.-led coalition, but conduct independent operations, the ministry said, a move seen as reflecting Seoul's consideration of relations with Tehran and Washington's request for contribution to its campaign to secure the waters off Iran.
-----------------
(LEAD) Nepal resumes search for 4 South Koreans missing in Himalayas
KATHMANDU/SEOUL -- Search operations resumed in Nepal on Monday for four South Koreans missing after an avalanche in the Himalayas, amid dimming prospects of their survival as bad weather continues to interrupt the search efforts.
Special forces from Nepal's military arrived via a helicopter at a makeshift landing ground on Mount Annapurna, where the accident occurred, at about 10:25 a.m. (local time) and are conducting the search, according to Nepalese officials.
-----------------
S. Korea, U.S. to adjust springtime combined exercise for N.K. diplomacy: defense ministry
SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States will modify their springtime combined exercises in order to support diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea, the defense ministry said Tuesday.
Since the nuclear negotiating process began in 2018, the South and the U.S. have either scaled back or made other modifications to joint military drills in an effort to avoid provoking Pyongyang that has long denounced such maneuvers as a rehearsal for invasion.
-----------------
(LEAD) Samsung promotes 162 execs as follow-up to leadership reshuffle
SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday announced the promotion of executives in a follow-up to the recent reshuffle of its major business heads.
Samsung said 162 executives earned promotions in the annual reshuffle, with 14 moving up to executive vice president positions.
-----------------
Prosecution's direct investigation units to be reduced
SEOUL -- Direct investigation units at South Korea's prosecution will be reduced starting next week as an earlier plan for the organizational restructuring was approved by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.
Under the move, the number of units under the anti-corruption department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office will be halved from four to two, the justice ministry said in a press release. The previous two units will be transferred to criminal and trial affairs departments.
-----------------
(LEAD) S. Korea on high alert amid possible human-to-human spread of new coronavirus
SEOUL -- South Korea's quarantine authorities said Tursaday they are ratcheting up efforts to contain a new type of Chinese coronavirus amid reports that it could possibly spread among humans, after the country reported the first confirmed case of the SARS-like disease early this week.
Multiple media reports showed that two Chinese confirmed to be infected with the new strain of the pneumonia-like illness currently spreading in China and across other parts of Asia have never been to the central Chinese city of Wuhan -- where the virus appears to have originated.
-----------------
(News Focus) S. Korea's decision for 'independent' naval ops in Hormuz Strait seeks delicate balance between U.S., Iran
SEOUL -- South Korea's decision to send troops to the tense Strait of Hormuz for "independent" naval operations drove home its desire to cement alliance cooperation with the United States and avoid straining ties with its trade partner, Iran, analysts said Tuesday.
Capping monthslong deliberations that pitted security cooperation with Washington against economic relations with Tehran, Seoul announced it would temporarily expand areas of operations for its anti-piracy Cheonghae unit to cover the passageway off Iran.
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(LEAD) Prosecution's direct investigation units to be reduced

(ATTN: ADDS info in last 4 paras)
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Direct investigation units at South Korea's prosecution will be reduced starting next week as an earlier plan for the organizational restructuring was approved by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.
Under the move, the number of units under the anti-corruption department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office will be halved from four to two, the justice ministry said in a press release. The previous two units will be transferred to criminal and trial affairs departments.
The restructuring will also see five public security units at district offices across the nation be changed to criminal affairs units, leaving only eight units to focus on public security cases.
The prosecution's logo at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul (Yonhap)
The ministry, which oversees the administration of the prosecution, said the move to expand criminal affairs units is inevitable amid the recent passage of reform bills.
Adding momentum to President Moon Jae-in's prosecution reform drive, the National Assembly in December and January passed a set of bills aiming to reform the prosecution, which Moon claimed "is still powerful" in his press conference last Tuesday.
The bills include adjusting investigative rights to give more investigative power to the police and establishing an independent anti-corruption investigative agency.
The justice ministry said the organizational change of expanding criminal and trial affairs unit is likely to contribute to the speedy process of livelihood-related cases.
It added that it plans to closely cooperate with the police so that the reduction of direct investigation units will not impact anti-corruption investigations.
The organizational restructuring is set to go into effect next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet endorsed the administration's plan for an inter-Korean co-hosting of the Summer Olympic Games in 2032. The proposal calls for the government to establish basic plans and expedite related measures.
Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed during their summit in September 2018 in Pyongyang to push for a joint Olympic bid.
The Cabinet also approved three revised educational laws aimed at improving accounting transparency and curbing irregularities at private kindergartens that receive government subsidies.
The three bills, devised in the wake of corruption allegations among preschool owners in 2018, were passed by the National Assembly on Jan. 13.
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--Korea's exports to rebound next month: finance minister

The country 's exports stood at US $ 25.7 billion in the January 1-20 period , down $ 40 million @ @ @ @ @ year , according to the Korea Customs Service .

GUNSAN, South Korea, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's finance minister voiced hope on Tuesday that the nation's exports are likely to post a monthly gain next month.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki made the remarks as exports fell 0.2 percent in the first 20 days of January, marking the lowest rate of decline in a year, as outbound shipments of semiconductors rebounded.
January exports are unlikely to rebound due to fewer working days later this month, Hong said, as the Lunar New Year holiday begins on Friday.
Last year, the Lunar New Year holidays fell in February.
"Exports are likely to turn positive in February, partly due to a base effect," Hong told reporters after visiting a traditional market in Gunsan, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki visits a traditional market in Gunsan, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 21, 2020, in this photo provided by the finance ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The country's exports stood at US$25.7 billion in the January 1-20 period, down $40 million from the same period last year, according to the Korea Customs Service.
By product, exports of semiconductors and petrochemical goods gained 8.7 percent and 19.3 percent, respectively.
South Korea's economy is expected to report its weakest annual growth in a decade for last year, hit by a lengthy U.S.-China trade war and a cyclical slump in the memory chip sector.
For December last year, monthly exports slipped 5.2 percent on-year to $45.7 billion to extend their slump to a whopping 13th consecutive month. However, this year's outbound shipments are forecast to rise 3 percent.
South Korea's exports fell 10.3 percent on-year in 2019 to $542.4 billion, according to government data.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--S. Korean Bond Yields on Jan. 21, 2020

S. Korean Bond Yields on Jan. 21, 2020

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


yna--2020-01-21--(LEAD) Seoul stocks snap 3-day winning streak amid China virus fear

Huh Jae-hwan , a strategist at Eugene Investment Co. , said South Korean stocks extended losses on Tuesday on the @ @ @ @ @ fell close to the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone in Iraqi capital .

(ATTN: UPDATES with bond yields at bottom; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks snapped a three-day rally to end lower Tuesday as foreign and institutional investors offloaded large-cap stocks amid a lack of market momentum. The Korean won sharply fell against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 22.95 points, or 1.01 percent, to close at 2,239.69.
Foreign and institutional investors sold a combined 389.6 billion won (US$333 million) worth of stocks, weighing down the bourse.
An electronic signboard at KEB Hana Bank in Seoul shows the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) down 1.01 percent to close at 2,239.69 points on Jan. 21, 2020. (Yonhap)
U.S. stock markets were closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Huh Jae-hwan, a strategist at Eugene Investment Co., said South Korean stocks extended losses on Tuesday on the news that three katyusha rockets fell close to the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone in Iraqi capital.
He also said an outbreak of a new coronavirus in China weighed heavily on the local stock market.
South Korea's top cosmetics maker, AmorePacific Co., shed 2.67 percent to 219,000 won, and LG Household & Health Care, the second-largest homegrown beauty giant, fell 3.17 percent to 1,343,000 won, and market kingpin Samsung Electronics edged down 1.60 percent to 61,400 won.
Among gainers, SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, rose 0.21 percent to 236,500 won, and leading game publisher NCsoft added 0.32 percent to 632,000 won.
The local currency closed at 1,167.00 won against the U.S. dollar, sharply down 8.90 won from the previous session's close.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys fell 6.0 basis points to 1.395 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bond shed 6.9 basis points to reach 1.514 percent.
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--Moon calls for 'comprehensive' defense posture against various security threats

Moon also noted that there has been no conflict on or near the border between the two Koreas since the @ @ @ @ @ Comprehensive Military Agreement , signed during his trip to Pyongyang in 2018 , according to @ @ @ @ @ statement .

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in ordered South Korea's military Tuesday to beef up its "comprehensive" defense capabilities to counter conventional and non-conventional threats.
"Our aim is to create strong armed forces of a quality that can cope with whatever the security circumstance is," he said during a meeting with top defense ministry officials and military commanders.
Moon was on his first official visit to the Gyeryongdae military compound, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, to receive annual reports from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans on their affairs. Gyeryongdae hosts the headquarters of South Korea's Army, Navy and Air Force.
The president stressed his government's push for "competent national security and strong defense power."
The most important thing is to establish a robust defense posture that is "impregnable," he said in opening remarks that pool reporters were allowed to cover.
Moon said a strong military power is a necessity for the ultimate goal of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.
"(We) should have comprehensive defense capabilities to cope with conventional and non-conventional security threats that are diversifying and advancing day by day," he said.
President Moon Jae-in (4th from L) receives briefings on South Korea's defense posture at the Gyeryongdae military compound, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 21, 2020. (Yonhap)
He ordered the military to make constant and thorough preparations for regaining the wartime operational control of the nation's troops from the United States by bolstering its own combat power on the basis of the rock-solid alliance.
He pointed out that South Korea's defense budget exceeded 50 trillion won (US$43 billion) for the first time this year. The exact figure, 50.2 trillion won, is a 7.4-percent hike from last year's.
Cheong Wa Dae later said Moon has ordered the military to get fully ready for countering "omnidirectional" threats including supranational and non-military ones.
Earlier in the day, the defense ministry announced its plan to send troops to the Strait of Hormuz to support a U.S.-led maritime security operation.
South Korea has decided to broaden the operational area of its anti-piracy Cheonghae unit, stationed near Somalia, to the strait.
Moon also noted that there has been no conflict on or near the border between the two Koreas since the implementation of their Sept. 19 Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed during his trip to Pyongyang in 2018, according to Cheong Wa Dae's press statement.
He instructed the military to continue implementing the accord and playing a supporting role in the journey toward permanent peace on the peninsula.
He described strengthening the competitiveness of the nation's defense industry as another key task.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(3rd LD) S. Korea to send troops to Hormuz Strait independently to safeguard people, vessels

(ATTN: ADDS more details, background info in last 5 paras)
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz by expanding operational areas of its anti-piracy unit deployed nearby to help protect its vessels passing through the strategic waterway, the defense ministry announced Tuesday.
The forces, however, will not join a U.S.-led coalition, but conduct independent operations, the ministry said, a move seen as reflecting Seoul's consideration of relations with Tehran and Washington's request for contribution to its campaign to secure the waters off Iran.
"In consideration of the current situation in the Middle East, the government has decided to temporarily expand the Cheonghae Unit's sphere of activity in order to guarantee safety of our people and the freedom of navigation of our vessels," the ministry said in a release.
The 300-strong Cheonghae Unit, which has been on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia since 2009, will broaden its mission areas into the Gulf of Oman, and further to the Persian Gulf, starting Tuesday, as the 31st batch of the rotational troops along with the 4,400-ton destroyer, the Wang Geon, is to assume the role on the day, according to the ministry.
While the Cheonghae Unit will act on its own, two liaison officers affiliated with the unit to the U.S.-led International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) "for cooperation such as information sharing," the ministry said. The IMSC is headquartered in Bahrain.
"Since May last year, when tensions began to heighten in the Middle East, we've been reviewing diverse options," a senior defense ministry official said, adding that the government prioritizes the safety of South Korean people and vessels.
As the world's most important oil passageway and a choke point between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the strait is the route to the open ocean for more than one-sixth of global oil production and 70 percent of South Korea's oil imports.
Some 25,000 South Koreans reside in the Middle East, and around 170 South Korean ships sail through Hormuz about 900 times per year, according to government data.
Tensions in the region have mounted since Iran launched missile attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq earlier this month in retaliation for a U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general.
The 300-strong 31st contingent of the Cheonghae Unit holds a send-off ceremony at a naval base in South Korea's largest port city of Busan on Dec. 27, 2019, before leaving for the Gulf of Aden to combat piracy in waters off Somalia over the next six months aboard the Wang Geon, a 4,500-ton destroyer. (Yonhap)
Before announcing the decision, the ministry had consultations with the U.S. and also explained reasons for the decision to Iran through diplomatic channels, according to the official.
"The U.S. side welcomed the move, and I've heard that Iran said it understands Seoul's stance," he said.
In order to carry out missions in broader zones, the military equipped the destroyer with additional arms such as anti-submarine weapons, anti-aircraft guns and sonar compared to its previous configuration, according to a military officer. The Cheonghae unit will increase the length of that route it patrols to around 4,000 kilometers from the original 1,350 kilometers.
"We've made preparations for possible missions in the Hormuz Strait. But Cheonghae's basic missions -- anti-piracy activities and escorting ships -- remain unchanged," the officer said.
As for the meaning of the "temporary" expansion of its role, the ministry official said it will be valid "until situations in the Middle East improve."
The decision does not require parliamentary consent, as the law stipulates that the unit shall carry out missions in the Gulf of Aden and its surrounding regions. It is also allowed to launch activities in "designated waters" to protect citizens in case of emergency.
It will be the first time since 2004 that South Korea has dispatched troops overseas upon the U.S.' request. That year, South Korea deployed the Zaytun unit as part of the U.S. campaign in Iraq.
Some experts say the decision could serve as a bargaining chip for South Korea in its negotiations with the U.S. on their sharing of the cost for the upkeep of American troops here. Washington has reportedly demanded a drastic increase in Seoul's payments this year.
South Korea has footed the bill for the deployment of the Cheonghae Unit that reaches around 32.5 billion won (US$27.8 million) per year, according to the officials.
Currently, more than 1,100 South Korean troops are operating on overseas missions in 12 countries for reconstruction, armistice monitoring and other peacekeeping missions.
The troops include those in the Dongmyeong Unit operating as part of the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon; the Hanbit Unit for peacekeeping operations in South Sudan; and the Akh Unit in the United Arab Emirates, with a mission to train UAE troops and protect South Korean nationals in the Middle Eastern country in case of emergencies.
This photo, taken on Dec. 13, 2019, shows members of South Korea's anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit engaging in an exercise in waters off the southeastern island of Geoje. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--(LEAD) Nepal resumes search for 4 South Koreans missing in Himalayas

`` Although the situation is difficult due to the risk of more snowslides , I ask the Nepalese government to @ @ @ @ @ the four missing people can be found , '' Ambassador to Nepal Park Young-sik said @ @ @ @ @ in Pokhara , a city near Mount Annapurna , later on Monday .

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES paras 2-5 as search resumed)
KATHMANDU/SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Search operations resumed in Nepal on Monday for four South Koreans missing after an avalanche in the Himalayas, amid dimming prospects of their survival as bad weather continues to interrupt the search efforts.
Special forces from Nepal's military arrived via a helicopter at a makeshift landing ground on Mount Annapurna, where the accident occurred, at about 10:25 a.m. (local time) and are conducting the search, according to Nepalese officials.
Some 50 other rescue personnel are also on standby for a ground search, but they need to wait for the weather to improve, they said.
The school teachers from South Korea's central South Chungcheong Province went missing after a snowslide struck the popular trekking route in northwestern Nepal on Friday. Three Nepalese guides also remain unaccounted for.
South Korea's top envoy to Nepal has asked Nepalese authorities to continue the search efforts.
"Although the situation is difficult due to the risk of more snowslides, I ask the Nepalese government to make continued efforts so that the four missing people can be found," Ambassador to Nepal Park Young-sik said in a press conference held in Pokhara, a city near Mount Annapurna, later on Monday.
Also speaking to local and foreign media was Dan Bahadur Karki, police chief of Nepal's Kaski district.
Park expressed concerns that a prolonged search could tire the rescue team out, as well as some 20 residents from the area who have also been helping out in the search.
"That is what worries the families of the missing people as well," he added.
This photo, provided by Nepalese rescue authorities on Jan. 20, 2020, shows Nepal's Annapurna trekking site where four South Koreans went missing after an avalanche struck the area. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Karki, who's in charge of the rescue work, said that the rescue team has marked two spots at the accident site that reacted to signals sent from its electronic detectors.
The reactions could have come from electronic devices that belong to the missing people, suggesting that's where the four South Koreans are likely located, the police chief said.
The police chief said the rescue team has secured a red plastic bag and an unidentified yellow item that are believed to be belongings of the missing people.
He did not rule out the possibility of survival but said that future operations will depend on weather conditions.
Nepalese officials have mobilized military personnel and helicopters for the search operations. But heavy snowfall and additional avalanches that occurred following the accident have been hampering the rescue efforts.
An official from Nepal's tourism ministry said earlier that the search could take at least a few weeks as the weather needs to clear for the operation to speed up the process.
The four missing -- two women in their 30s and 50s and two men in their 50s -- were among a nine-member team on a trekking course in the Deurali part of the Annapurna Base Camp when the avalanche engulfed them. The five others were rescued by a chopper from a nearby lodge.
The teachers were part of a 39-member volunteer team dispatched to Nepal by the education office of South Chungcheong Province.
Ambassador to Nepal Park Young-sik (L) sits next to Nepal's district police chief D.B. Karki, who's in charge of the search mission, during a media briefing held in Pokhara, a city near Mount Annapurna, on Jan. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--U.S. flies surveillance aircraft over S. Korea amid tensions

They were believed to have carried out operations monitoring North Korea after the communist country has warned of a `` @ @ @ @ @ the near future and a `` shocking actual action '' in protest over the stalled @ @ @ @ @ .

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- The United States flew a surveillance aircraft over South Korea on Tuesday, an aviation tracker said, amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula over possible provocations by North Korea.
An RC-135W Rivet Joint of the U.S. Air Force was spotted in the skies above South Korea at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots tweeted. This type of aircraft was detected here three days in a row earlier this month.
On Monday, the U.S. Navy's EP-3E also flew over South Korea, according to the aviation tracker.
They were believed to have carried out operations monitoring North Korea after the communist country has warned of a "new strategic weapon" in the near future and a "shocking actual action" in protest over the stalled denuclearization negotiations with the U.S.
Experts say the "strategic weapon" may mean an advanced type of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
This image, captured from the website of the U.S. Air Force, shows a RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance plane. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--EXO Chen's marriage news leads to demand for expulsion among some angry fans

Chen is the first to tie the knot among the nine members , and his fate in the band is @ @ @ @ @ of debate over how much idol stars should sacrifice their private lives in return for @ @ @ @

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Some angry fans are stepping up their demand that boy band EXO's vocalist Chen leave the team after the member made a surprise announcement last week that he will get married.
The 28-year-old singer, whose legal name is Kim Jong-dae, announced last week that he will soon get married to his girlfriend, who he implied is pregnant with a baby.
The news immediately led to a division among fans over the EXO membership of Chen.
Dozens of EXO fans staged a protest rally in front of SMTOWN in southern Seoul, an auditorium run by the band's agency SM Entertainment, on Monday, pressing the music label to expel Chen from the group.
Last week, following the news of Chen's marriage, a group of EXO fans issued a statement claiming that the marriage decision "inflicted serious damage to the reputation EXO has built up for nine years."
They said if Chen remains in the band as a married man, it would have a negative impact on the image of EXO as an idol group as well as on its marketing.
The announcement came after Chen and SM said earlier that the artist will continue to work hard as an EXO member.
Other fans defended Chen's decision, however, in respect of his private life, creating a heated debate on the issue on social networking services and in online communities.
Chen is the first to tie the knot among the nine members, and his fate in the band is likely to become a subject of debate over how much idol stars should sacrifice their private lives in return for dedication from fans.
Sungmin, a member of another popular SM boy band, Super Junior, has been excluded from the band's activities since June last year after his surprise marriage to a musical actress in 2014 led to an angry reaction among same fans.
Fans stage a sit-in rally in front of SMTOWN in southern Seoul on Jan. 20, 2020, demanding SM Entertainment expel Chen from EXO after his surprise marriage news. (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--Former POWs suing N. Korea for forced labor in captivity

`` We have already been paid financial compensation from the ( South Korean ) government for our hardships ( as @ @ @ @ @ said after the first hearing .
`` We 're not suing the North to make @ @ @ @ @ we really want is the ( North 's ) acceptance of facts and restoration of @ @ @ @

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Tuesday held its first hearing on a damage claim suit filed about four years ago by two former South Korean prisoners of war against North Korea's regime and leader Kim Jong-un.
The former POWs, in their 80s, one of them surnamed Han, launched their unusual lawsuit in October 2016, claiming they had suffered enormous mental and physical damage from forced labor during about 33 months of captivity in the North in the 1950s.
The two men said they fought in the 1950-53 Korean War but were captured by North Korean forces. Instead of being repatriated to the South following the end of the war, they were forced to work for a North Korean government construction unit from September 1953 to June 1956.
The plaintiffs demanded a combined compensation of 22 million won (US$18,840) from the North's government and leader to cover 33 months of their forced labor.
The Seoul Central District Court (Yonhap)
The first court hearing came to pass through the "conveyance by public announcement" system, in which court hearings proceed without the presence of defendants who have no known address or cannot receive legal documents, after a public notice on the court bulletin board or the official gazette.
No one was present at the first hearing on behalf of the defendants.
The plaintiffs said the real purpose of their lawsuit is restoration of their honor.
The Seoul court asked the plaintiffs to clarify several issues, including North Korean leader Kim's debt inheritance ratio, legal ground to prove illegalities of forced labor during captivity, and co-relation between financial compensation from the South Korean government and the amount of compensation demanded in the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs said they will ask other former South Korean POWs to offer testimony in the court, if necessary, to prove their damage.
They said they plan to take legal procedures to seize North Korean assets in the South, including copyright fees payable to North Korean broadcasters, if they win the lawsuit.
"We have already been paid financial compensation from the (South Korean) government for our hardships (as POWs)," Han said after the first hearing. "We're not suing the North to make a little money. What we really want is the (North's) acceptance of facts and restoration of our honor."
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-21--Seoul stocks snap 3-day winning streak amid China virus fear

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks snapped a three-day rally to end lower Tuesday as foreign and institutional investors offloaded large-cap stocks amid a lack of market momentum. The Korean won sharply fell against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 22.95 points, or 1.01 percent, to close at 2,239.69.
Foreign and institutional investors sold a combined 389.6 billion won (US$333 million) worth of stocks, weighing down the bourse.
U.S. stock markets were closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Huh Jae-hwan, a strategist at Eugene Investment Co., said South Korean stocks extended losses on Tuesday on the news that three katyusha rockets fell close to the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone in Iraqi capital.
He also said an outbreak of a new coronavirus in China weighed heavily on the local stock market.
South Korea's top cosmetics maker, AmorePacific Co., shed 2.67 percent to 219,000 won, and LG Household & Health Care, the second-largest homegrown beauty giant, fell 3.17 percent to 1,343,000 won, and market kingpin Samsung Electronics edged down 1.60 percent to 61,400 won.
Among gainers, SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, rose 0.21 percent to 236,500 won, and leading game publisher NCsoft added 0.32 percent to 632,000 won.
The local currency closed at 1,167.00 won against the U.S. dollar, sharply down 8.90 won from the previous session's close.
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-22--Seoul stocks open higher amid China virus fear

On Tuesday ( local time ) , U.S. stocks closed lower as the country reported its first case of a @ @ @ @ @ is circulating in China and other Asian countries .

SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday amid growing concerns over spread of a new coronavirus.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 1.09 points, or 0.05 percent, to 2,240.78 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Institutional investors purchased a net 58 billion won (US$49 million) worth of stocks, while foreign investors offloaded a net 45 billion won worth of stocks.
On Tuesday (local time), U.S. stocks closed lower as the country reported its first case of a new type of coronavirus that is circulating in China and other Asian countries.
In Seoul, large-cap stocks were mixed.
South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker, SK hynix Inc., rose 1.21 percent, and Celltrion, a major biotech firm, was up 0.58 percent.
Among decliners, market cap Samsung Electronics was down 1.30 percent, and leading steelmaker POSCO fell 1.43 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,168.15 won against the U.S. dollar, down 1.15 won from the previous session's close.
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-01-22--N.K. state media confirms appointment of new defense minister

Kim Jong-gwan , vice minister of the People 's Armed Forces , has been believed to have replaced No Kwang-chol @ @ @ @ @ named an alternate member of the politburo of the ruling Workers ' Party of Korea @ @ @ @ @ held at the end of December .

SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's official news agency on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of a military official spearheading leader Kim Jong-un's key pet construction projects as the country's new defense minister.
Kim Jong-gwan, vice minister of the People's Armed Forces, has been believed to have replaced No Kwang-chol as minister since he was named an alternate member of the politburo of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea during a key party meeting held at the end of December.
On Wednesday, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency confirmed Kim's promotion as it mentioned his name and title in an article on a conference held Tuesday to discuss issues related to forest recovery and environment protection.
Kim is known to have spearheaded leader Kim's pet construction projects such as building tourism facilities in the Wonsan-Kalma region on the North's east coast and a spa resort in Yangdok in the North's South Pyongan Province.
State media has mentioned his name among those who greeted leader Kim's trips to the Yangdok spa resort on several occasions last year. The resort went into operation from this month.
The North Korean leader is pushing to nurture a competitive tourism industry as he wants to attract more foreign travelers and hard currency in an apparent bid to counter international sanctions weighing on its frail economy.
Speculation had swirled around Kim Jong-gwan's promotion to defense chief since the North said earlier this month that it carried out a major cabinet reshuffle during a four-day plenary session of the ruling Workers' Party at the end of last year.
State media reported at the time that he was elected as an alternate member of the powerful politburo, carrying a photo of him wearing the insignia of the four-star rank. But it did not provide details on his government position.
This photo disclosed by the Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 1, 2020, shows Kim Jong-gwan wearing the insignia of the four-star rank. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)


Wednesday's weather forecast

SEOUL , Jan. 22 ( Yonhap ) -- The following is the weather forecast for South Korea 's 12 major @ @ @ @ @ .


KOSPI 2,238.53 DN 1.16 points (open)


KOSDAQ 677.05 UP 0.53 points (open)


yna--2020-01-22--Dollar opens at 1,169.3 won UP from 1,167.0 won