yna--2020-06-08--Despite success, BTS members say they are no different from ordinary youths

SEOUL , June 8 ( Yonhap ) -- K-pop giants BTS is unquestionably one of the biggest stars in today @ @ @ @ @ international sell-out concerts and multiple chart-smashing records under its belt .
But at heart , @ @ @ @ @ in their 20s , say they share more commonalities with an ordinary 20-something trying to @ @ @ @ @ than meets the eye .

By Chang Dong-woo
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- K-pop giants BTS is unquestionably one of the biggest stars in today's global entertainment, with international sell-out concerts and multiple chart-smashing records under its belt. But at heart, the seven members, all in their 20s, say they share more commonalities with an ordinary 20-something trying to get a grasp on life than meets the eye.
“You are the leader of your own life”: BTS joins YouTube graduation ceremony for The Class of 2020 Youtube https://youtu.be/2iF1OPI85us
"To be really, really frank, we still feel very unsure and unsettled as we speak. Just like that day we left the school gates for the last time on graduation night," BTS leader RM said in a pre-recorded video speech for YouTube's "Dear Class of 2020" event Monday.
The list of speakers for the virtual commencement event on YouTube also included former U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama; former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google LLC; and Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.
"Some say we have achieved so many things, but we are no different from others in their 20s, our graduation caps still pressed to our heads and awkwardly peering into the face of reality," RM said in English.
The BTS speech, approximately 12 minutes, was recorded at the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul.
According to RM, band members have felt a "sense of loss and anxiety" due to the recent unforeseen events having affected their plans, but it also gave them time and opportunity to reflect on their inner selves.
This composite image provided by Big Hit Entertainment on June 8, 2020, shows members of K-pop act BTS speaking at the YouTube's "Dear Class of 2020" virtual commencement event. The speeches were pre-recorded at the National Museum of Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"The fear of an obscure future as our daily lives turn upside down is a moment of realization of the self, the realization of what makes me a true me, myself," RM said.
RM added that the septet, as a band, was pulling itself together by making music.
"We write songs, we produce, and we practice as we think about the people we love. And it connects to the world during such difficult times. And with music, we hope we can bring you smiles and courage again," he said.
Other members also chimed in, with Suga, while sharing anxieties of isolation, rooting for the graduates of 2020 to dream big and try to be in control of oneself.
"One small person can dream the biggest dream, paint the largest picture and make endless possibilities come true," said Suga in Korean.
He added: "We will find ourselves in so many situations out of our grasp. The only thing we can control is ourselves because our possibilities are limitless."
Vocalist V also shared his past tribulations in becoming a top star.
"In all honesty, I wasn't born with the talents of singing and dancing," V said. "But I soon developed a joy and passion for singing and dancing. This joy motivated my persistent efforts and has led me to where I stand today."
V reassured that luck and opportunity are bound to be in store for the graduates despite difficulties they may face at the moment. Member Jin also shared his pre-debut anxieties.
"Allow yourself to take it easy. Take it one step at a time," Jin said.
The septet has announced it is currently producing a new album to be released in the coming months. BTS also plans to hold a paid online concert, "Bang Bang Con the Live," on Sunday.
This composite image provided by Big Hit Entertainment on June 8, 2020, shows K-pop act BTS performing for the YouTube's "Dear Class of 2020" virtual commencement event. The performances were pre-recorded at the National Museum of Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)


Monday's weather forecast

SEOUL , June 8 ( Yonhap ) -- The following is the weather forecast for South Korea 's 12 major @ @ @ @ @ .

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


KOSPI 2,215.60 UP 33.73 points (open)


KOSDAQ 754.12 UP 4.81 points (open)


yna--2020-06-08--Dollar opens at 1,202.0 won DN from 1,207.1 won


yna--2020-06-08--S. Korean retail investors log big returns on stocks

But the local stock market has been gathering momentum sharply in recent weeks amid expectations for the reopening of economies @ @ @ @ @ percent to close at 2,181.87 on Friday , reaching the highest point since Feb. 20 @ @ @ @

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean retail investors have posted big gains from their stock investments in recent months amid a market recovery from the coronavirus shock, data showed Monday.
The average return of their 10 most-bought stocks, including top-cap Samsung Electronics Co., came to 66.5 percent between March 19 and Friday, according to the data from the Korea Exchange.
Semiconductor behemoth SK hynix Inc. was the best performer among individual investors, with its share price soaring 2.4 times to 257,000 won (US$213) over the cited period.
Shares in Samsung SDI Co., a South Korean manufacturer of electric vehicle and smartphone batteries, more than doubled to 371,500 won.
Driven by hopes for growth of contact-free industries, internet portal giant Kakao soared nearly 87 percent and industry leader Naver jumped roughly 60 percent.
Retail investors posted an investment return of about 29 percent from their investment in Samsung Electronics, of which their net buying neared 1 trillion won over the cited period.
Despite foreign investors' exit from Asia's fourth-largest economy, individual investors have been loading up on shares, bolstering up the floundering local stock market.
Retail investors bought a net 7.7 trillion won worth of local stocks between March 20 and Friday, with their cumulative net purchases this year reaching 25.7 trillion won.
South Korean share prices suffered historic falls in March amid escalating worries about a global economic recession due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, with the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) tumbling to a near 11-year low of the 1,450-point range.
But the local stock market has been gathering momentum sharply in recent weeks amid expectations for the reopening of economies. The index jumped 1.43 percent to close at 2,181.87 on Friday, reaching the highest point since Feb. 20.
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(LEAD) N.K. leader holds politburo meeting, makes no mention of inter-Korean issues

The meeting , held Sunday , came just two days after the North vowed to abolish an inter-Korean liaison office @ @ @ @ @ leaflets sent from South Korea .
Four items were on the agenda , but the @ @ @ @ @ of them , according to the Korean Central News Agency .

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with details, background; ADDS byline, photos)
By Koh Byung-joon
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party and discussed measures to develop the chemical industry, but inter-Korean issues and other external matters were not on the agenda, according to state media Monday.
The meeting, held Sunday, came just two days after the North vowed to abolish an inter-Korean liaison office in anger over anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent from South Korea. Four items were on the agenda, but the leaflet issue was not one of them, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
"The meeting discussed in depth some crucial issues arising in further developing the self-sufficient economy of the country and improving the standard of people's living," the KCNA said.
"Discussed as the first agenda items were some urgent problems arising in developing the chemical industry of the country in a well-defined framework," it added.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiles during a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on June 8, 2020. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Kim was quoted as repeatedly stressing the importance of the chemical industry, calling it "the foundation of industry and a major thrust front of the national economy."
The KCNA said that Kim also emphasized the need to improve the living conditions of people in Pyongyang, calling for "strong state measures" on the matter and ordering the construction of more houses.
The KCNA, however, made no mention of inter-Korean issues, especially the anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
On Friday, the North's United Front Department (UFD) handling inter-Korean affairs issued a statement, saying it will abolish the liaison office in the first in a series of measures that the sister of leader Kim Jong-un threatened to take unless Seoul stops the sending of such leaflets.
Along with the closing of the liaison office, she warned of dismantling a now-shuttered industrial park in the North's border city of Kaesong and scrapping a military tension reduction agreement calling for a halt to all hostilities along the border.
North Korea vowed to put those threats into action, even though South Korea promised to take legislative measures to ban such activity. The North later derided Seoul's envisioned move as "a little more advanced excuses."
The two Koreas signed summit agreements and the military deal in 2018 mostly aimed at reducing cross-border tensions, but many of the agreements between their leaders have not been carried out amid a deadlock in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
The liaison office in Kaesong, in particular, was launched in September 2018 as part of efforts to facilitate cross-border contact and cooperation as agreed by the leaders of the two Koreas in their summits held in the same year.
Earlier this year, the two Koreas temporarily closed the office over coronavirus concerns, but their liaison officers have communicated through telephone and fax lines established between Seoul and Pyongyang.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on June 8, 2020. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--Top diplomats of S. Korea, Hungary discuss coronavirus, bilateral ties

In response , Szijjarto highlighted the importance of bilateral relationship , noting that South Korea had become the biggest foreign @ @ @ @ @ of last year .
He called for efforts to normalize exchanges after the pandemic eases @

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea and Hungary spoke by phone Monday to discuss how to cooperate over the coronavirus pandemic and bilateral issues, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
Speaking to her Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed thanks to the Hungarian government for allowing South Koreans to enter the country in late April in exception to entry restrictions over virus concerns.
She explained that although South Korea has managed to flatten the curve in recent months, authorities remain on high alert as the country has seen sporadic infections continue in Seoul and its surrounding areas.
In response, Szijjarto highlighted the importance of bilateral relationship, noting that South Korea had become the biggest foreign investor for his country as of last year. He called for efforts to normalize exchanges after the pandemic eases.
In Monday's talks, Kang also thanked Hungary for awarding 38 South Korean rescue workers medals of merit for their roles in searching for victims of last year's boat sinking in Budapest, which left 25 Koreans dead and one still missing.
Hungary hosted a memorial ceremony in its capital late last month to mark the first anniversary of the accident.
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(2nd LD) Table tennis clubs asked to close, as coronavirus cases top 1,000 in Seoul

Due largely to the spate of cluster infections that involved a health product retailer , clubs , churches , warehouses @ @ @ @ @ number of cumulative COVID-19 infections in Seoul has now topped 1,000 , 137 days after @ @ @ @ @ on Jan. 24 .
According to the authorities , the capital 's coronavirus cases rose @ @ @ @ @ p.m. Monday , with 152 of them occurring this month .

(ATTN: UPDATES figures in paras 4-5)
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- All table tennis facilities in Seoul were recommended Monday to close temporarily to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, after a new cluster of infections broke out at a ping pong club in the city's western ward of Yangcheon.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said his government ordered all 350 table tennis clubs in the city to shut down for the time being or to operate on the condition that they thoroughly follow government guidelines on preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The latest administrative order for table tennis clubs came after similar restrictions were imposed on other indoor sports facilities involving intense physical activities, such as group exercise, Zumba, aerobics, Taebo and spinning.
This photo, taken on June 7, 2020, shows a table tennis club in Yangcheon Ward, western Seoul, where a cluster of coronavirus infections occurred. (Yonhap)
In one of the recent infection clusters in the Seoul metropolitan area, at least 29 confirmed coronavirus cases have been traced to the Yangcheon ping pong club.
Due largely to the spate of cluster infections that involved a health product retailer, clubs, churches, warehouses and call centers, the number of cumulative COVID-19 infections in Seoul has now topped 1,000, 137 days after the first patient was reported on Jan. 24. According to the authorities, the capital's coronavirus cases rose to 1,014 as of 6 p.m. Monday, with 152 of them occurring this month.
The Seoul government has also ordered citizens not to gather at sales promotions, recreational and educational meetings and seminars organized by multilevel marketing or door-to-door sales companies, estimated to number over 7,300, Park said.
"The municipal government will step up its monitoring of table tennis rooms and other indoor sports facilities. Gatherings hosted by multilevel and door-to-door marketers will also be banned. The government will take much tougher measures in the future, if necessary," Park said in a press conference.
Referring to the case of Richway, a health product retailer responsible for more than 50 infections, Park said ward offices and police will jointly crack down on illicit business practices by unregistered retail businesses, like Richway.
Richway has held sales promotional meetings and seminars for consumers at its office in Jowon-dong, Gwanak Ward, and most of the participants were reportedly elderly people. During those gatherings, sales of health care products were allegedly held alongside recreational activities so that the elderly participants would not get bored.
The mayor stressed that his government's tough measures are inevitable due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in recent weeks.
For instance, the reproduction rate of the coronavirus, which reflects the average number of people getting infected by a patient, has increased to 1 or more, while the proportion of coronavirus cases of unknown origins surged from 2.5 percent in May to 13.2 percent this month, he said.
Park also noted that beginning Monday, any Seoul citizen can get a free coronavirus test, regardless of symptoms, if they apply via the website of the metropolitan government.
Meanwhile, at least nine Chinese nationals residing in a southern Seoul shelter run by a Christian church have tested positive for the coronavirus after one of them attended a sales promotion meeting of Richway.
According to the authorities, one of the residents of the Seoul Chinese Church's shelter for migrant workers in Guro Ward tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday after visiting the Richway office. On Monday, eight other shelter residents, aged between 59 and 81, were found to be infected with the virus.
The eight infections were found after the Guro Ward office conducted an emergency coronavirus test on 33 shelter residents and three church officials, they said, adding patients were all hospitalized and those who tested negative will be isolated for two weeks.
In addition, the Guro office will conduct virus tests on all church members, estimated to number around 150. The church, run by a local support group for migrant workers, said its two most recent Sunday services drew 152 and 145 participants, respectively, which included the shelter residents.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--Hyundai, Kia to extend suspension of S. Korean plants

Kia has eight plants in Korea -- two in Gwangmyeong , three in Hwaseong and three in Gwangju -- and @ @ @ @ @ in China and one each in the United States , Slovakia , Mexico and India @ @ @ @ @ 3.84 million units .

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate, Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's two biggest carmakers, said Monday they will extend the suspension of their domestic plants due to disrupted exports amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
Kia will suspend the No. 2 plant in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, from June 25 to 30 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive down overseas demand, a company spokesman said.
The maker of the K5 sedan and the Sorento SUV suspended the No. 2 Gwangju plant three times between April 27 and June 5 to control inventories.
This photo taken on May 25, 2020, shows Kia Motors' No. 2 plant in Gwangju, 330 km south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
The No. 2 Gwangju plant produces the Sportage SUV and the Soul boxcar, but coronavirus lockdown restrictions in the United States and Europe have blocked vehicle exports from South Korea.
Kia suspended its No. 1 plant in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, from June 1-2 and is halting the plant from Monday to Tuesday. The company halted its No. 2 Gwangmyeong plant from June 1-3 and plans to halt it from Monday to Wednesday.
The No. 1 plant churns out the Carnival minivan, the Stinger sports car and the flagship K9 sedan, while the No. 2 plant produces the Pride compact and the Stonic subcompact sport utility vehicle. The two plants were suspended from April 27-29 due to the same reasons.
Hyundai halted some assembly lines at its No. 3 and 4 plants in Ulsan, 414 km southeast of Seoul, from June 1-5 and plans to suspend the lines from Wednesday to Friday.
Hyundai's No. 1 plant in Ulsan was also suspended on Friday and Monday, the spokesman said.
Hyundai's affected vehicles include the Kona subcompact SUV, Veloster subcompact, Venue subcompact, the Ioniq electric and hybrid cars.
Hyundai and Kia suspended most of their overseas plants from March amid virus fears. All of their overseas plants returned to operations early this month, though not in full production.
From January to May, Hyundai's sales fell 26 percent to 1,288,629 vehicles from 1,748,911 units a year earlier. Kia's fell 15 percent to 949,860 from 1,116,782 during the same period.
Hyundai has seven domestic plants -- five in Ulsan, one in Asan and one in Jeonju -- and 10 overseas plants -- four in China and one each in the United States, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Russia, India and Brazil. Their combined capacity reaches 5.5 million vehicles.
Kia has eight plants in Korea -- two in Gwangmyeong, three in Hwaseong and three in Gwangju -- and seven overseas ones -- three in China and one each in the United States, Slovakia, Mexico and India. Their overall capacity is 3.84 million units.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--Top military commanders of S. Korea, Britain vow cooperation against coronavirus

During the conversation with Gen. Nicholas Carter , Britain 's Chief of the Defense Staff , Park shared South Korea @ @ @ @ @ dealing with the COVID-19 virus , as well as the military 's role in stemming @ @ @ @ @ , according to the officials .

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki held phone talks with his British counterpart Monday and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in dealing with the coronavirus and other security issues, officials said.
During the conversation with Gen. Nicholas Carter, Britain's Chief of the Defense Staff, Park shared South Korea's experience and know-how in dealing with the COVID-19 virus, as well as the military's role in stemming the spread of the virus, according to the officials.
"The two sides agreed to beef up security cooperation in diverse security issues down the road, including non-traditional threats, such as the coronavirus," a JCS official said.
Park has made such consultations with international military leaders recently, including Gen. Claudio Graziano, chairman of the EU Military Committee, and Stuart Peach, chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
South Korea has managed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, though it has seen cluster infections in recent weeks.
A group of newly commissioned nurse officers arrive in the southeastern city of Daegu on March 4, 2020, to help with the treatment of COVID-19 patients. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--U.S. scholar cites S. Korea's 'sense of community, social cohesion' as reason for successful virus r

U.S. scholar cites S. Korea's 'sense of community, social cohesion' as reason for successful virus response

`` Those of us who are able to work from home are relatively safe from the COVID virus , whereas @ @ @ @ @ but to go to work in close proximity to the public , not only in @ @ @ @ @ stores , delivery people , warehouse workers , who are often not rewarded very well @ @ @ @ @ he said .

By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- A renowned U.S. scholar has pointed to South Korea's "greater sense of community and social cohesion" as what has driven progress in its fight against the new coronavirus, calling it "impressive."
Michael J. Sandel, professor of government at Harvard University, made the remarks in an online interview organized by the foreign ministry, part of a series of talks with renowned intellectuals on the post-COVID-19 era.
"I think one important difference is whether there is a strong enough sense of community so that people are willing to approach this crisis in a spirit of shared sacrifice to combat the virus and to promote public health and seek the common good," he said in the interview released on Sunday.
"My impression is that in South Korea, one of the reasons for the success compared to other countries is a greater sense of community and of social cohesion," he added.
Michael J. Sandel, professor of government at Harvard University, speaks during a recent interview with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this photo captured from the ministry's YouTube account. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The scholar enumerated a series of examples of things members of South Korea's civil society have voluntarily done to help people in need during the pandemic, such as landlords reducing rents for small businesses or tenants.
"In South Korea, there has been something that goes beyond philanthropy and charitable activity but voluntary associations and responses from within civil society, independent of what the government has done," he said.
"This is very impressive because it arises from within civil society. And it shows that common regard, respect and concern for one another. It goes beyond what a government alone, even effective government action, can do," he added.
During the interview, Sandel called attention to the deep divisions in society, which he said were highlighted during the pandemic, while stressing the need to "rearrange our economy and society" based on the "principle of the common good, solidarity, social cohesion."
"Those of us who are able to work from home are relatively safe from the COVID virus, whereas those who have no alternatives but to go to work in close proximity to the public, not only in the hospital but in grocery stores, delivery people, warehouse workers, who are often not rewarded very well for their services," he said.
"The people confronting the greatest risks today are the least paid workers. And I think we should learn something from that and try to bring them out in a more equal society, more fair society in the aftermath," he added.
South Korea's response to COVID-19, based on its "principles of openness, transparency and democratic procedures" has gained international recognition as it has led to a slowdown despite the absence of lockdowns or border closures.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(3rd LD) N.K. answers second liaison phone call from S. Korea amid leaflet tensions

Many had feared that a lack of response would suggest Pyongyang is putting the threat into action .
Such fears @ @ @ @ @ when the North did not answer the first liaison call from the South on Monday @ @ @ @ @ the second call , officials said .

(ATTN: CHANGES lead, headline; ADDS info throughout)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea answered the second daily liaison phone call from South Korea on Monday, the unification ministry said, after an earlier call went unanswered and sparked speculation that Pyongyang might be carrying out its threat to abolish a joint liaison office.
Monday's twice-a-day liaison phone calls were a focus of attention as the two sides were to have such calls for the first time since the North vowed to scrap the joint liaison office in anger over anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent by defectors and activists in the South.
Many had feared that a lack of response would suggest Pyongyang is putting the threat into action. Such fears had appeared to be materializing when the North did not answer the first liaison call from the South on Monday morning, but Pyongyang answered the second call, officials said.
"Calls between the two Koreas at the liaison office in the afternoon proceeded as usual," the unification ministry said in a statement. "North Korea did not mention anything about (its unresponsiveness) in the morning."
This photo, from March 24, 2019, shows the joint liaison office set up by South and North Korea in the North's border town of Kaesong, following the summit agreement between their leaders in April 2018.(Pool photo)(Yonhap)
Last Thursday, Kim Yo-jong, North Korea leader Kim Jong-un's sister, issued a statement threatening to close the liaison office unless Seoul stops defector groups from sending leaflets into the North.
North Korean defectors and anti-Pyongyang activists have occasionally sent balloons carrying leaflets sharply criticizing the communist regime and its leader, despite repeated calls for a halt to the campaign.
The balloons are often flown with one-dollar bills and USB memory sticks to get more North Koreans to pick up the leaflets.
She denounced the leaflet campaign as a hostile act that violates the peace agreements banning hostilities against each other signed during the summit talks of their leaders in 2018.
She also warned that the North will scrap an inter-Korean military tension-reduction agreement calling for a halt to all hostilities along the border and completely dismantle a now-shuttered joint industrial park in the North's border city of Kaesong.
In a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party that Kim presided over Sunday, however, he did not mention any measures his sister vowed to take in retaliation, including closing down the liaison office.
The inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong was launched in September 2018 to facilitate cross-border contact and cooperation between the two Koreas following a historic summit agreement between their leaders in April that year.
The two Koreas have made two phone calls daily, at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., as part of liaison communication.
After the liaison office was closed temporarily over coronavirus concerns earlier this year, liaison officers of the two sides have communicated through telephone and fax lines established between Seoul and Pyongyang.
Despite the silence in liaison communication, the North kept military hotlines running normally, with both sides speaking to each other via a series of hotlines Monday morning, according to the defense ministry.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(LEAD) BTS fans raise US$1 mln in Black Lives Matter donations: charity project

SEOUL , June 8 ( Yonhap ) -- International fans of K-pop giants BTS have raised over US $ 1 @ @ @ @ @ Black Lives Matter cause in the United States , matching the amount donated earlier by @ @ @ @ @ rights movement , according to a fan charity project Monday .

(ATTN: ATTACHES links to related articles)
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- International fans of K-pop giants BTS have raised over US$1 million in donations for the Black Lives Matter cause in the United States, matching the amount donated earlier by their idols toward the human rights movement, according to a fan charity project Monday.
One In An ARMY, an organization of BTS fans involved in charity projects, announced that it has raised over $1 million in donations Monday after launching a donation drive on June 1.
ARMY is a term used to describe the K-pop group's global fan base.
BTS ARMY matches $1 million Black Lives Matter within 24 hours Youtube https://youtu.be/Lyq0WgRD0OE
The $1-million mark was broken after it was reported Sunday that BTS and its label, Big Hit Entertainment, donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement.
After the news broke, BTS fans started a social media hashtag campaign, named #MatchAMillion, to drive up donations so as to match the amount made by BTS and Big Hit.
"It's really amazing to see so many of you coming together to support #BlackLivesMatter," One In An ARMY wrote on its Twitter account.
The accomplishment by BTS fans came as the septet participated in "Dear Class of 2020," a virtual commencement event on YouTube earlier Monday. The members delivered commencement speeches and performances via prerecorded footage.
A publicity file photo of K-pop band BTS, provided by Big Hit Entertainment (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(URGENT) N.K. answers liaison phone call from S. Korea: unification ministry


yna--2020-06-08--(3rd LD) S. Korea finalizes phased school reopening despite persisting pandemic

As of 10 a.m. Monday , 517 schools , or 2.5 percent of the country 's 20,902 , closed as @ @ @ @ @ figure was 838 on May 28 , a day after schools reopened for more than @ @ @ @ @ second phase of reopening .
All but four of the 517 schools are located in @ @ @ @

(ATTN: ADDS comments in paras 12-13, last 2 paras)
By Woo Jae-yeon
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- With the final batch of students returning to classes Monday, South Korea completed its phased school reopening scheme despite growing anxiety over a second wave of new coronavirus infections in Seoul and adjacent cities.
About 1.35 million more students -- in the first grade of middle school and the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school -- went back to their classrooms in the final round of the government's four-phased reopening plan, which started with high school seniors on May 20.
This put all the 5.95 million students below the higher education level back at school, plus preschoolers, more than three months after the start of school was put on hold due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
A student eats her lunch with the seat next to her left empty at an elementary school in Gwangju on June 8, 2020. (Yonhap)
But only one-third or two-thirds of them were expected to actually attend classes, with schools set to mix schedules for in-person classes and remote learning due to limited space for keeping a distance among students.
South Korea began reopening schools weeks after the country switched its social distancing campaign to what it calls an "everyday life quarantine" scheme aimed at helping the people slowly return to life under eased rules.
The complete resumption of classes came against the backdrop of persisting virus concerns in the greater Seoul area.
On Monday, South Korea reported 38 new virus cases, bringing its total caseload to 11,814, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The daily figure dropped after topping 50 for two consecutive days, raising concerns over a second wave of infections in the area.
Of the 38 new cases, 33 were local transmissions, all in the capital area where cluster infections traced to religious gatherings, nightclubs, a distribution center and a door-to-door business entity have stoked alarm.
A young student runs toward a school in Seoul's Yongsan Ward on June 8, 2020, as schools reopen in full swing. (Yonhap)
Even as the school resumption completed, 14 schools in Jungnang Ward in eastern Seoul were forced to resume remote learning after a high school student in the area tested positive for the virus after visiting Lotte World Adventure, an amusement park in the city, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.
Virus tests for all the 679 students and around 90 faculty members of the troubled school are under way. So far, 51 people, including 38 students, have tested negative. The 14 closed schools will reopen through the next three days.
During a briefing Monday, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae provided reassurance about the government's pandemic preparedness.
"Since the reopening of schools started, there has been no secondary transmission reported at schools," she said, emphasizing the importance of a "preemptive" and "swift" response to a potential outbreak through extensive testing and rescheduling of in-person classes.
Students maintain a distance from one another after arriving at Chuncheon Middle School in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on June 8, 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic.(Yonhap)
Fortunately, schools seem to be less affected by COVID-19 than expected.
Data from the education ministry released Monday showed that only a dozen infections have been reported at schools -- eight students and four school officials -- since schools began to reopen.
The ministry said none of them contracted the virus at school. They either found out they had been infected with the virus only after coming to school, or they showed COVID-19 symptoms at school and subsequently tested positive.
The bigger concern seems to come from outside of school boundaries, according to state data.
While schools shut down for nearly three months to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, the country's private educational institutes, such as cram schools, or "hagwon" in Korean, largely stayed open despite the government's repeated warnings against it.
According to the ministry, 78 COVID-19 patients have been confirmed at 42 private institutes since February. Some of them were found to have lax quarantine measures in place, putting young students and teachers there at risk.
That the country continues to see small infection clusters in the capital area is also raising a red flag for the potential spread at schools.
A student cools herself with a hand-held fan inside a classroom in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on June 8, 2020. (Yonhap)
To prevent an outbreak at schools, the ministry has allowed each school to run a different -- sometimes rather complex -- schedule designed to maintain social distancing.
They have implemented staggered lunches, adjustments to student attendance, split sessions, reduced class time and a mix of online and offline classes.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, 517 schools, or 2.5 percent of the country's 20,902, closed as a precautionary measure. The figure was 838 on May 28, a day after schools reopened for more than 2.3 million pupils in the second phase of reopening. All but four of the 517 schools are located in the capital area.
The government recognizes parental concerns over safety in hagwon and has moved to tighten its grip.
It plans to revise a relevant law, based on which the education ministry can punish a private academy that fails to abide by strict quarantine measures with a fine or a forcible business closure.
It is also mulling introducing quick response (QR) code-based entry logs there to allow easy tracing of potential COVID-19 patients. It has already been running the pilot program at risky venues, including karaoke facilities, bars and churches.
"We are all aware of how parents and teachers are concerned (about potential outbreaks at school)," Minister Yoo said. "The government's response system runs 24-7 to handle any emergency swiftly. Education offices, schools and health authorities, connected through hotlines, work closely for a fast response."
But she acknowledged the need to remain cautious, saying, "Although we have wrapped up the reopening plan, we shouldn't let a single slipup happen when it comes to preventing the virus from spreading at schools."
jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(LEAD) Seoul faces season's first heat wave advisory

The onset of heat waves coincided with Monday 's full-scale resumption of classes at elementary and secondary schools across the @ @ @ @ @ more students -- in the first grade of middle school and the fifth and sixth @ @ @ @ @ went back to their classrooms on the day in the final round of the government @ @ @ @ @ which started with high-school seniors on May 20 .

(ATTN: UPDATES with season's first heat wave warning in southeast in paras 6-7)
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- The season's first heat wave advisory will be issued in Seoul this week, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Monday.
The KMA said the heat wave advisory will be in effect from 11 a.m. Tuesday in eastern Seoul, three areas of Gyeonggi Province -- Pocheon, Yangju and Uijeongbu -- and the central city of Cheongju.
This is the first heat wave advisory of the year in Seoul.
A heat wave advisory is issued when the highest sensible temperature is projected to exceed 33 C for more than two days, or damage is expected due to prolonged hot weather.
Pedestrians walk through a crosswalk in downtown Seoul on June 8, 2020, amid sweltering heat. (Yonhap)
The KMA issued a heat wave advisory Monday for Daejeon, Sejong and a number of inland cities and counties nationwide, including Yongin and Icheon of Gyeonggi, Chuncheon and Wonju of Gangwon, Cheonan and Gongju of South Chungcheong, Chungju and Jecheon of North Chungcheong, Jeonju and Iksan of North Jeolla, and Andong and Pohang of North Gyeongsang.
Gyeongsan was hit particularly hard by the sultry weather, as this year's first heat wave warning was issued for the North Gyeongsang city, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 3:30 p.m. The maximum apparent temperature soared to 37.5 C in Gyeongsan, also just south of Daegu.
A heat wave warning is issued when the highest sensible temperature is projected to exceed 35 C for more than two days.
"The whole country will be generally clear but the maximum apparent temperatures will rise to 33 C or higher until Wednesday under the influence of high pressure located in the East Sea," the KMA said, while forecasting sporadic rain for Jeju Island and the southern regions between Thursday and Sunday.
The onset of heat waves coincided with Monday's full-scale resumption of classes at elementary and secondary schools across the country. About 1.35 million more students -- in the first grade of middle school and the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school -- went back to their classrooms on the day in the final round of the government's four-phased reopening plan, which started with high-school seniors on May 20.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(LEAD) Daewoo Shipbuilding wins 900 bln-won order from Russia

The two LNG barges will be delivered to the area between Murmansk and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia by the @ @ @ @ @ used as a way station for LNG carriers , the company said .

(ATTN: RECASTS headline; ADDS details in para 4)
By Nam Kwang-sik
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. said Monday it has won a 900 billion-won (US$748 million) deal to build two liquefied natural gas (LNG) barges from a Russian company.
The floating LNG barges are a facility to tranship LNG from LNG icebreakers to LNG carriers.
The two LNG barges will be delivered to the area between Murmansk and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia by the end of 2022 to be used as a way station for LNG carriers, the company said.
The emblem of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. in front of its Seoul Office (Yonhap)
The LNG barges could help provide LNG produced on the Arctic Ocean to areas of Europe and Asia much more rapidly and sharply lower the operating cost of LNG carriers, the company said.
The deal includes an option to build two additional LNG barges, it added.
So far this year, the shipbuilder has bagged six orders, including two LNG barges, one LNG floating storage regasification unit, two shuttle tankers and one very large crude carrier, worth a total of $1.43 billion.
ksnam@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(LEAD) Inter-Korean military hotlines in normal operation: defense ministry

The warning came a day after Kim Yo-jong , the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un , said the country @ @ @ @ @ military agreement signed in 2018 and halt other inter-Korean projects , such as the liaison @ @ @ @ @ park in the border town of Kaesong , in protest against the campaign .

(ATTN: UPDATES 3rd para; ADDS more details in 6th para)
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Military communication lines between South and North Korea are operating normally Monday, defense ministry officials said, though the North did not answer the South's call via inter-Korean liaison communication.
Earlier in the day, unification ministry spokesperson Yoh Sang-key told a regular press briefing that the South made a liaison phone call to the North this morning but has yet to get an answer. It is the first time the communist country has not answered the South's calls.
"The (military) communication lines have been operating normally. We had calls with the North Korean side twice today," a defense ministry official said.
The military authorities of the two Koreas have regular telephone calls twice a day at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. via their eastern and western communication lines.
The hotlines, which had been cut off for years, were restored in 2018 in line with the April 27 inter-Korean summit agreement.
Ship-to-ship radio links between the two Koreas, via the global merchant marine communication network, are also operating normally, the official added. The inter-Korean maritime communication was restored in 2018, a decade after being severed as the North stopped responding to all South Korean calls.
The North's failure to answer the South's liaison call came after it threatened Friday to permanently shut a joint liaison office with South Korea if it fails to prevent activists from flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
The warning came a day after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, said the country would scrap an inter-Korean tension-reduction military agreement signed in 2018 and halt other inter-Korean projects, such as the liaison office and a joint factory park in the border town of Kaesong, in protest against the campaign.
This undated file photo shows a South Korean officer using a military hotline with North Korea. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(LEAD) Table tennis clubs asked to close, as coronavirus cases top 1,000 in Seoul

Due largely to the spate of cluster infections that involved a health product retailer , clubs , churches , warehouses @ @ @ @ @ number of cumulative COVID-19 infections in Seoul has now topped 1,000 , 137 days after @ @ @ @ @ on Jan. 24 .
According to the authorities , the capital 's coronavirus cases rose @ @ @ @ @ , with 139 of them occurring this month .

(ATTN: UPDATES with group infections of Chinese shelter residents in last four paras, new figure in 4th para)
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- All table tennis facilities in Seoul were recommended Monday to close temporarily to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, after a new cluster of infections broke out at a ping pong club in the city's western ward of Yangcheon.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said his government ordered all 350 table tennis clubs in the city to shut down for the time being or to operate on the condition that they thoroughly follow government guidelines on preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The latest administrative order for table tennis clubs came after similar restrictions were imposed on other indoor sports facilities involving intense physical activities, such as group exercise, Zumba, aerobics, Taebo and spinning.
This photo, taken on June 7, 2020, shows a table tennis club in Yangcheon Ward, western Seoul, where a cluster of coronavirus infections occurred. (Yonhap)
In one of the recent infection clusters in the Seoul metropolitan area, at least 22 confirmed coronavirus cases have been traced to the Yangcheon ping pong club.
Due largely to the spate of cluster infections that involved a health product retailer, clubs, churches, warehouses and call centers, the number of cumulative COVID-19 infections in Seoul has now topped 1,000, 137 days after the first patient was reported on Jan. 24. According to the authorities, the capital's coronavirus cases rose to 1,001 as of Monday, with 139 of them occurring this month.
The Seoul government has also ordered citizens not to gather at sales promotions, recreational and educational meetings and seminars organized by multilevel marketing or door-to-door sales companies, estimated to number over 7,300, Park said.
"The municipal government will step up its monitoring of table tennis rooms and other indoor sports facilities. Gatherings hosted by multilevel and door-to-door marketers will also be banned. The government will take much tougher measures in the future, if necessary," Park said in a press conference.
Referring to the case of Richway, a health product retailer responsible for more than 50 infections, Park said ward offices and police will jointly crack down on illicit business practices by unregistered retail businesses, like Richway.
Richway has held sales promotional meetings and seminars for consumers at its office in Jowon-dong, Gwanak Ward, and most of the participants were reportedly elderly people. During those gatherings, sales of health care products were allegedly held alongside recreational activities so that the elderly participants would not get bored.
The mayor stressed that his government's tough measures are inevitable due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in recent weeks.
For instance, the reproduction rate of the coronavirus, which reflects the average number of people getting infected by a patient, has increased to 1 or more, while the proportion of coronavirus cases of unknown origins surged from 2.5 percent in May to 13.2 percent this month, he said.
Park also noted that beginning Monday, any Seoul citizen can get a free coronavirus test, regardless of symptoms, if they apply via the website of the metropolitan government.
Meanwhile, at least nine Chinese nationals residing in a southern Seoul shelter run by a Christian church have tested positive for the coronavirus after one of them attended a sales promotion meeting of Richway.
According to the authorities, one of the residents of the Seoul Chinese Church's shelter for migrant workers in Guro Ward tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday after visiting the Richway office. On Monday, eight other shelter residents, aged between 59 and 81, were found to be infected with the virus.
The eight infections were found after the Guro Ward office conducted an emergency coronavirus test on 33 shelter residents and three church officials, they said, adding patients were all hospitalized and those who tested negative will be isolated for two weeks.
In addition, the Guro office will conduct virus tests on all church members, estimated to number around 150. The church, run by a local support group for migrant workers, said its two most recent Sunday services drew 152 and 145 participants, respectively, which included the shelter residents.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


Yonhap News Summary

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said his government ordered all 350 table tennis clubs in the city to shut down for @ @ @ @ @ operate on the condition that they thoroughly follow government guidelines on preventing the spread of @ @

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Monday.
----------------
(LEAD) Moon says campaign for 'comfort women' should go on despite recent controversy
SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in broke his silence Monday about a simmering controversy over the decadeslong campaign led by civic activists to raise public awareness of Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, saying it's not right to deny the movement's legitimacy itself.
The victims are euphemistically called "comfort women."
----------------
(News Focus) N.K. threats signal leader Kim's push to elevate sister's status: experts
SEOUL -- North Korea's recent threats to abolish an inter-Korean liaison office and end other major summit agreements signal leader Kim Jong-un's intention to solidify the political status of his sister, Kim Yo-jong, experts said Monday.
Last week, Kim Yo-jong issued a harshly worded statement, denouncing a campaign by North Korean defectors and other activists in the South to send anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into the communist nation as a hostile act running counter to a series of peace agreements between the two sides.
----------------
(4th LD) New virus cases dip below 40, greater Seoul still at risk from cluster infections
SEOUL -- South Korea's number of new virus cases slowed Monday, after topping 50 for two consecutive days, but concerns are running high over a second wave of the pandemic in greater Seoul due to a continued increase in sporadic cluster infections.
The country added 38 new cases, including 33 locally transmitted cases, raising its total caseload to 11,814, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It marked a decrease from 57 cases announced a day earlier and 51 on Saturday.
----------------
BTS fans raise US$1 mln in Black Lives Matter donations: charity project
SEOUL -- International fans of K-pop giants BTS have raised over US$1 million in donations for the Black Lives Matter cause in the United States, matching the amount donated earlier by their idols toward the human rights movement, according to a fan charity project Monday.
One In An ARMY, an organization of BTS fans involved in charity projects, announced that it has raised over $1 million in donations Monday after first launching a donation drive on June 1.
----------------
Table tennis clubs asked to close, as coronavirus cases top 1,000 in Seoul
SEOUL -- All table tennis facilities in Seoul were recommended Monday to close temporarily to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, after a new cluster of infections broke out at a ping pong club in the city's western ward of Yangcheon.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said his government ordered all 350 table tennis clubs in the city to shut down for the time being or to operate on the condition that they thoroughly follow government guidelines on preventing the spread of COVID-19.
----------------
Monthly unemployment benefits above 1 tln won for 1st time amid coronavirus
SEJONG -- The amount of state funds paid out as unemployment benefits surpassed 1 trillion won (US$830 million) for the first time last month, data showed Monday, due largely to the negative economic impact of the new coronavirus outbreak.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the government paid 1.16 trillion won in benefits to those struggling to find jobs in May, marking a 33.9 percent increase from 758.7 billion won paid in the same month last year.
----------------
(LEAD) Seoul stocks extend winning streak to 7th session despite Samsung losses
SEOUL -- South Korean stocks closed higher Monday, extending a winning streak to a seventh consecutive session despite losses in Samsung Electronics and other Samsung affiliates' shares. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 2.42 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 2,184.29. Trading volume was heavy at about 842.9 million shares worth some 12.9 trillion won (US$10.7 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 444 to 393.
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(4th LD) New virus cases dip below 40, greater Seoul still at risk from cluster infections

Health authorities again urged citizens to refrain from avoiding gatherings .
The movement of residents in the metropolitan area did @ @ @ @ @ tightened measures .
The number of passengers on buses and subway lines of the region @ @ @ @ @ on May 30-31 compared with a week ago , and the transactions via credit cards @ @ @ @ @ over the period , according to the KCDC .

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 7-11; CHANGES photos; TRIMS throughout)
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's number of new virus cases slowed Monday, after topping 50 for two consecutive days, but concerns are running high over a second wave of the pandemic in greater Seoul due to a continued increase in sporadic cluster infections.
The country added 38 new cases, including 33 locally transmitted cases, raising its total caseload to 11,814, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It marked a decrease from 57 cases announced a day earlier and 51 on Saturday.
All of the locally transmitted cases were reported from the Seoul metropolitan area.
South Korea has been grappling with a string of group infections linked to religious gatherings, nightclubs and a distribution center in the metropolitan area since relaxing its social distancing scheme on May 6.
Visitors wait to receive new coronavirus tests at a makeshift clinic in southern Seoul on June 8, 2020. (Yonhap)
More recently, new mass infections tied to a door-to-door business entity, along with sports activity-connected cluster infections, have emerged as a new source of concerns over further community spread here over the weekend.
As of Monday, cases traced to e-commerce giant Coupang's warehouse in Bucheon, west of Seoul, reached 138, up five from a day earlier. Those linked to small churches and religious sessions in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province also increased by four to 86.
South Korea has been detecting more COVID-19 cases from a door-to-door business establishment, which reached 52 on Monday.
According to health authorities, eight additional cases from a shelter for Korean-Chinese people in western Seoul have been confirmed to be linked to infections from the business.
The number was not included in the official tally.
Health authorities said more related cases may come as they plan to conduct virus tests on members of the shelter as well.
Cases linked to a table tennis gym in western Seoul also reached 41. The number of cases linked to the nightlife district of Itaewon came to 274 as of Monday.
Asymptomatic "silent" virus spreaders are also one of the grave concerns here. The KCDC estimates around 25-35 percent of patients here tested positive for the coronavirus despite showing no related symptoms.
Students receive their lunch while wearing protective masks at an elementary school in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 8, 2020. (Yonhap)
The string of mass infections in closed settings came as more South Korean pupils returned to classes in the final phase of the country's school reopening plan.
The country completed its phased reopenings of schools Monday, giving the go-ahead for all students to return to their classrooms.
Nearly 520 of the country's 20,900 schools, however, have delayed their reopenings due to regional infections. Most of such schools were from greater Seoul.
The country has been slowly reopening kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools since May 20. A new semester normally starts in March.
Schools will continue to carry out intense sanitary measures, including separated lunches and a mix of online and offline classes.
A high schooler also tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Lotte World, an amusement park located in southern Seoul, was immediately shut down a day earlier as the student went there Friday. The patient's school will be shuttered before all students and teachers are tested.
Some 800 people are currently receiving COVID-19 tests in connection to the case. No secondary infections, however, have been reported so far.
Health authorities said there will likely not be a mass infection from the amusement park as the patient wore a protective mask.
The latest spike in the daily new cases are putting the country's relaxed social distancing scheme to the test.
The country already has decided to beef up quarantine measures in the Seoul metropolitan area, shutting down public facilities and regulating entertainment establishments until Sunday. The measure can be extended beyond the initial deadline should the new cases not plateau.
Health authorities again urged citizens to refrain from avoiding gatherings. The movement of residents in the metropolitan area did not change much despite the tightened measures. The number of passengers on buses and subway lines of the region only edged down 1.3 percent on May 30-31 compared with a week ago, and the transactions via credit cards decreased by only 1.7 percent over the period, according to the KCDC.
"We urge residents of the metropolitan area to cancel or delay unnecessary gatherings," Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health official, said in a daily briefing, reiterating this week will become a critical juncture for the country's battle against the pandemic.
A medical worker cools her head with an ice pack at a makeshift clinic in northern Seoul on June 8, 2020. (Yonhap)
South Korea was on the verge of fully flattening the increase in the number of COVID-19 patients earlier by adding just two cases on May 6. After going through ups and downs, it reached 79 on May 28, the highest of the month.
The death toll stayed flat at 273 for the fifth consecutive day.
The fatality rate came to 2.31 percent, but the figure reached nearly 26 percent for those aged 80 and above.
The accumulated number of imported cases reached 1,297, up five from a day earlier.
The number of people released from quarantine after fully recovering totaled 10,563, up 11 from the previous day. Nearly 90 percent of the country's COVID-19 patients have recovered so far.
Health authorities plan to secure enough test kits to last for at least two weeks, while securing an additional 350,000 kits to brace for a sudden hike in demand.
The country's daily supply of COVID-19 test kits is currently estimated at 34,000 units, which is sufficient to meet the daily average demand of 28,000 units posted over May 25-31.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--(LEAD) Seoul stocks extend winning streak to 7th session despite Samsung losses

The Samsung heir is under investigation over a controversial merger of the two Samsung affiliates in 2015 , a key @ @ @ @ @ Samsung Group from his ailing father , Lee Kun-hee .

(ATTN: CORRECTS data in 2nd para, ADDS bond yields at bottom, photo)
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed higher Monday, extending a winning streak to a seventh consecutive session despite losses in Samsung Electronics and other Samsung affiliates' shares. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 2.42 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 2,184.29. Trading volume was heavy at about 842.9 million shares worth some 12.9 trillion won (US$10.7 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 444 to 393.
Institutions sold a net 371.7 billion won, ending a five-day buying streak. Foreigners bought a net 7.4 billion won, with individuals purchasing a net 379 billion won.
Electronic signboards at a Hana Bank trading room in Seoul show the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rise 2.42 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 2,184.29 on June 8, 2020. (Yonhap)
The index erased most of the early morning gains as Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong appeared in a court for questioning by a judge over whether to approve an arrest warrant.
The Samsung heir is under investigation over a controversial merger of the two Samsung affiliates in 2015, a key process in his takeover of Samsung Group from his ailing father, Lee Kun-hee.
Market kingpin Samsung Electronics shed 1.08 percent to close at 54,900 won, snapping a 10-session winning streak since May 25.
Other Samsung affiliate suffered losses. Leading pharmaceutical firm Samsung BioLogics slipped 0.15 percent to 664,000 won. Samsung SDS lost 0.81 percent to 183,000 won and Samsung Electro-Mechanics contracted 1.14 percent to 130,000 won.
The assessment results of Lee's arrest warrant are set to be announced late Monday night at the earliest.
Despite the Samsung losses, the KOSPI managed to close in positive terrain, helped by positive leads for a global economic rebound.
The KOSPI is likely to stay in a tight range though, analysts said.
"The surprise improvement in the U.S. jobless data fueled hopes for a V-shaped economic recovery, but it also raised the possibility of stock dumping for profit-taking," Kiwoom Securities analyst Seo Sang-young said.
The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee's next meeting is set for Tuesday-Wednesday (New York time).
In Seoul, large caps traded mixed.
The country's No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix rose 0.66 percent to 91,000 won.
Leading pharmaceutical firm Celltrion slid 0.19 percent to 256,000 won, while top chemical maker LG Chem stayed flat at 434,000 won.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor climbed 1.80 percent to 113,000 won, with its smaller affiliate Kia Motors up 2.46 percent to 37,450 won.
Internet portal giant Naver surged 4.11 percent to 240,500 won, while auto part maker Hyundai Mobis dropped 0.68 percent to 217,500 won.
The local currency closed at 1,204.80 won against the U.S. dollar, up 2.30 won from the previous session's close.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys gained 0.8 basis point to 0.902 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bond added 0.2 basis point to 1.191 percent.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--S. Korean Bond Yields on June 8, 2020

S. Korean Bond Yields on June 8, 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--2020-06-08--(2nd LD) S. Korea's liaison phone call to N.K. goes unanswered for first time

SEOUL , June 8 ( Yonhap ) -- North Korea did not answer a daily liaison phone call from South @ @ @ @ @ first time since the opening of a joint liaison office in 2018 , the unification @ @ @ @ @ vowed to abolish the office in anger over anti-Pyongyang leaflets from the South .

(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 10-16; ADDS photo)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea did not answer a daily liaison phone call from South Korea on Monday for the first time since the opening of a joint liaison office in 2018, the unification ministry said, after Pyongyang vowed to abolish the office in anger over anti-Pyongyang leaflets from the South.
The lack of response deepened concerns that the North might be carrying out its threat to scrap the liaison office in protest of propaganda leaflets that defectors and other activists in the South fly across the border criticizing Pyongyang's leadership.
"This morning the liaison office attempted to call North Korea, but the North has not answered the call yet," the ministry's spokesperson Yoh Sang-key said at a regular press briefing. "This is the first time North Korea has not answered our calls."
"We will attempt to call again this afternoon as planned," he added.
This photo, from March 24, 2019, shows the joint liaison office set up by South and North Korea in the North's border town of Kaesong, following the summit agreement between their leaders in April 2018.(Pool photo)(Yonhap)
Last Thursday, Kim Yo-jong, North Korea leader Kim Jong-un's sister, issued a statement threatening to close the liaison office unless Seoul stops defector groups from sending leaflets into the North.
North Korean defectors and anti-Pyongyang activists have occasionally sent balloons carrying leaflets sharply criticizing the communist regime and its leader, despite repeated calls for a halt to the campaign.
The balloons are often flown with one-dollar bills and USB memory sticks to get more North Koreans to pick up the leaflets.
She denounced the leaflet campaign as a hostile act that violates the peace agreements banning hostilities against each other signed during the summit talks of their leaders in 2018.
She also warned that the North will scrap an inter-Korean military tension-reduction agreement calling for a halt to all hostilities along the border and completely dismantle a now-shuttered joint industrial park in the North's border city of Kaesong.
In a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party that Kim presided over Sunday, however, he did not mention any measures his sister vowed to take in retaliation, including closing down the liaison office.
The inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong was launched in September 2018 to facilitate cross-border contact and cooperation between the two Koreas following a historic summit agreement between their leaders in April that year.
The two Koreas have made two phone calls daily, at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., as part of liaison communication.
After the liaison office was closed temporarily over coronavirus concerns earlier this year, liaison officers of the two sides have communicated through telephone and fax lines established between Seoul and Pyongyang.
Despite the silence in liaison communication, the North kept military hotlines running normally, with both sides speaking to each other via a series of hotlines Monday morning, according to the defense ministry.
North Korea gets riled up by defectors, while South Korea attempts to put pieces together Youtube https://youtu.be/L-XUVmC1BVI
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--Seoul stocks extend winning streak to 7th session despite Samsung losses

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed higher Monday, extending a winning streak to a seventh consecutive session despite losses in Samsung Electronics and other Samsung affiliates' shares. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 2.42 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 2,184.29. Trading volume was moderate at about 842.9 million shares worth some 12.9 trillion won (US$10.7 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 444 to 393.
Institutions sold a net 371.7 billion won, ending a five-day buying streak. Foreigners bought a net 7.4 billion won, with individuals purchasing a net 379 billion won.
The index erased most of the early morning gains as Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong appeared in a court for questioning by a judge over whether to approve an arrest warrant.
The Samsung heir is under investigation over a controversial merger of the two Samsung affiliates in 2015, a key process in his takeover of Samsung Group from his ailing father, Lee Kun-hee.
Market kingpin Samsung Electronics shed 1.08 percent to close at 54,900 won, snapping a 10-session winning streak since May 25.
Other Samsung affiliate suffered losses. Leading pharmaceutical firm Samsung BioLogics slipped 0.15 percent to 664,000 won. Samsung SDS lost 0.81 percent to 183,000 won and Samsung Electro-Mechanics contracted 1.14 percent to 130,000 won.
The assessment results of Lee's arrest warrant are set to be announced late Monday night at the earliest.
Despite the Samsung losses, the KOSPI managed to close in positive terrain, helped by positive leads for a global economic rebound.
The KOSPI is likely to stay in a tight range though, analysts said.
"The surprise improvement in the U.S. jobless data fueled hopes for a V-shaped economic recovery, but it also raised the possibility of stock dumping for profit-taking," Kiwoom Securities analyst Seo Sang-young said.
The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee's next meeting is set for Tuesday-Wednesday (New York time).
In Seoul, large caps traded mixed.
The country's No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix rose 0.66 percent to 91,000 won.
Leading pharmaceutical firm Celltrion slid 0.19 percent to 256,000 won, while top chemical maker LG Chem stayed flat at 434,000 won.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor climbed 1.80 percent to 113,000 won, with its smaller affiliate Kia Motors up 2.46 percent to 37,450 won.
Internet portal giant Naver surged 4.11 percent to 240,500 won, while auto part maker Hyundai Mobis dropped 0.68 percent to 217,500 won.
The local currency closed at 1,204.80 won against the U.S. dollar, up 2.30 won from the previous session's close.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-08--Seoul faces season's first heat wave advisory

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- The season's first heat wave advisory will be issued in Seoul this week, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Monday.
The KMA said the heat wave advisory will be in effect from 11 a.m. Tuesday in eastern Seoul, three areas of Gyeonggi Province -- Pocheon, Yangju and Uijeongbu -- and the central city of Cheongju.
This is the first heat wave advisory of the year in Seoul.
A heat wave advisory is issued when the highest sensible temperature is projected to exceed 33 C for more than two days, or damage is expected due to prolonged hot weather.
Pedestrians walk through a crosswalk in downtown Seoul on June 8, 2020, amid sweltering heat. (Yonhap)
The KMA issued a heat wave advisory Monday for Daejeon, Sejong and a number of inland cities and counties nationwide, including Yongin and Icheon of Gyeonggi, Chuncheon and Wonju of Gangwon, Cheonan and Gongju of South Chungcheong, Chungju and Jecheon of North Chungcheong, Jeonju and Iksan of North Jeolla, and Andong and Pohang of North Gyeongsang.
"The whole country will be generally clear but the maximum apparent temperatures will rise to 33 C or higher until Wednesday under the influence of high pressure located in the East Sea," the KMA said, while forecasting sporadic rain for Jeju Island and the southern regions between Thursday and Sunday.
The onset of heat waves coincided with Monday's full-scale resumption of classes at elementary and secondary schools across the country. About 1.35 million more students -- in the first grade of middle school and the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school -- went back to their classrooms on the day in the final round of the government's four-phased reopening plan, which started with high-school seniors on May 20.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--Virus fight at inflection point over cluster infections in greater Seoul

The country added 38 new cases , including 35 local infections on Tuesday , raising the total caseload to 11,852 @ @ @ @ @ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( KCDC ) .
It marked daily new cases @ @ @ @ @ second straight day , and a slight decrease from 57 cases a day earlier and @ @ @ @

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is ratcheting up efforts to stem the further spread of the new coronavirus in the capital region amid concerns over a potential hike in new cases traced to cluster infections.
The country added 38 new cases, including 35 local infections on Tuesday, raising the total caseload to 11,852, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It marked daily new cases of below 40 for the second straight day, and a slight decrease from 57 cases a day earlier and 51 on Saturday.
All but two of the locally transmitted cases were reported from the Seoul metropolitan area.
Students at Wonmook High School in Seoul's northeastern ward of Jungnang line up to get tested for the new coronavirus on June 8, 2020, as one of its students tested positive. (Yonhap)
South Korea has been wrestling with multiple, sporadic cluster infections tied to religious gatherings, nightclubs and a logistics center in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area after the country relaxed its social distancing scheme on May 6.
Infections traced to a warehouse run by e-commerce leader Coupang in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, reached 138 as of noon Monday. Those linked to small churches and religious sessions in the densely populated metropolitan area reached 86.
Virus cases linked to a door-to-door business retailer and sports-related facilities have emerged as new infection clusters, spawning concerns over further community spread in the metropolitan area.
COVID-19 cases tied to a door-to-door business establishment reached 52 as of noon Monday. Those linked to a table tennis gym in southwestern Seoul came in at 41.
According to health authorities, at least nine cases have been traced to a shelter for Korean-Chinese people in western Seoul.
Health officials remain on high alert, as such facilities for foreign migrants appear to be the blind spot in quarantine efforts.
A health worker prepares to conduct new coronavirus tests on June 8, 2020, at a makeshift test site set up at a shelter for Korean-Chinese people in western Seoul. (Yonhap)
The string of cluster infections in Seoul and nearby areas came as the country completed its phased reopening of schools Monday, giving the go-ahead for students to return to their classrooms.
But concerns about cluster infections at schools linger, as hundreds of schools in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province have delayed their reopening due to virus cases.
The country's eased social distancing scheme is in peril in the face of a steady rise in new cases.
South Korea has decided to beef up quarantine measures in the Seoul metropolitan area, shutting down public facilities and regulating entertainment establishments until June 14.
The country, meanwhile, added three imported cases and reported one additional death, raising the total death toll to 274. The fatality rate was 2.31 percent.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,589, up 26 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 1,035,997 tests since Jan. 3.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--KBO's career saves leader eligible to return from gambling suspension Tuesday

He pitched in some spring training games with the Lions this year , but his last competitive game came with @ @ @ @ @ last year .
He went on the 10-day injured list on June 10 with a @ @ @ @ @ was ruled out for the season on July 16 with a right elbow injury .

By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- The greatest closer in South Korean baseball will be eligible to return from a gambling suspension Tuesday.
Oh Seung-hwan of the Samsung Lions, the all-time saves leader in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with 277, has served his 72-game suspension, stemming from an overseas gambling conviction. The KBO handed down the ban in 2016 after Oh received a court fine for gambling. The half-season suspension kicked in when Oh rejoined the Lions last August after getting released by the Colorado Rockies.
Oh Seung-hwan of the Samsung Lions stretches before practice at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on June 2, 2020. (Yonhap)
Oh pitched for the Lions from 2005 to 2013, before spending the next two years with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan and then parts of four seasons in the majors with the Rockies, the Toronto Blue Jays and the St. Louis Cardinals.
In his first tour of duty in the KBO, Oh had a 1.69 ERA over 510 1/3 innings. He also owns the single season saves record with 47, which he set in 2006 and matched in 2011.
The Lions will host the Kiwoom Heroes for a three-game series starting Tuesday evening at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. They'll have another three-game series at home starting Friday, against the KT Wiz.
The stadium opened in 2016, and Oh has never pitched there. His most recent KBO appearance came on Oct. 2, 2013.
Oh started traveling with the Lions last week and threw a bullpen session while they were in Seoul. Samsung manager Huh Sam-young has said he won't throw Oh into the fire right away, and he will instead ease the right-hander back into action.
"The best-case scenario for us is to have him on the mound with a comfortable lead," Huh said last week.
Eventually, though, Oh will take over as the closer. Woo Kyu-min has done an admirable job in Oh's absence, recording four saves and posting a 3.86 ERA over 9 1/3 innings. The Lions have the second-lowest bullpen ERA in the league with 4.50, and opponents have slugged .379 against their bullpen, the best mark in the KBO.
He pitched in some spring training games with the Lions this year, but his last competitive game came with the Rockies on May 30 last year. He went on the 10-day injured list on June 10 with a left abdominal strain and then was ruled out for the season on July 16 with a right elbow injury.
Oh returned to South Korea in August to undergo an operation. He spent a big chunk of his 72-game ban rehabbing the elbow.
Oh Seung-hwan of the Samsung Lions puts on his cap during practice at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on June 2, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--(URGENT) 26 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, total cured patients at 10,58

(URGENT) 26 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, total cured patients at 10,589: KCDC


yna--2020-06-09--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 1 more virus death, death toll now at 274: KCDC


yna--2020-06-09--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 38 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 11,852: KCDC


yna--2020-06-09--Tax revenue continues to decline in April

Income tax revenue amounted to 6.6 trillion won in April , up 1 trillion won from a year earlier , @ @ @ @ @ Economy and Finance .

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea collected 46.8 trillion won (US$38.8 billion) in taxes in April, down 3 trillion won from a year earlier, the finance ministry said Tuesday.
Income tax revenue amounted to 6.6 trillion won in April, up 1 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Dues collected from companies reached 6.4 trillion won in the month, up 3.7 trillion won from a year earlier.
Value-added tax revenue reached 14.5 trillion won in April, down 2.6 trillion won from a year ago, the data showed.
In the first four months of the year, South Korea collected 166.3 trillion won in taxes, down 4.4 trillion won.
South Korea's total expenditures in April reached 44.8 trillion won, down 13.5 trillion won from a year earlier.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--S. Korea offers emergency medical care to World Bank staff

South Korea saw hundreds of daily new infections in late February and early March but stabilized the outbreak through massive @ @ @ @ @ Still , concerns persist over a new wave of infections as the nation eased social @ @ @

SEJONG, June 9 (Yonhap) -- The World Bank has added South Korea to a list of countries that provide emergency medical care to the global organization's employees, South Korea's finance ministry said Tuesday.
The World Bank requires its workers who have an acute or life-threatening condition or injuries to receive immediate medical treatment in a neighboring nation when such treatment is unavailable locally.
In Asia, Thailand and Singapore have served as nations to offer emergency medical care to World Bank workers, and South Korea was added to the list, the ministry said.
The move came after South Korea has appeared to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, the ministry said.
South Korea saw hundreds of daily new infections in late February and early March but stabilized the outbreak through massive testing and aggressive tracking. Still, concerns persist over a new wave of infections as the nation eased social distancing guidelines.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--Hyundai, Kia EV sales jump 58 pct in Jan.-May period

Hyundai plans to launch a large electrified model based on the EV concept 45 , which was introduced at the @ @ @ @ @ , and an all-new electric crossover and the electrified G80 sedan under its independent brand @ @ @ @

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Tuesday their combined electric vehicle sales jumped 58 percent in the January-May period from a year earlier on demand from Europe.
Hyundai and Kia sold 40,182 all-electric vehicles in the first five months, up from 25,454 units in the year-ago period, the companies said.
Hyundai sells the pure electric Kona subcompact SUV and the Ioniq Electric in global markets, while Kia sells the Niro EV and Soul EV boxcar.
This photo, taken Nov. 5, 2019, and provided by Hyundai Motor Group, shows Hyundai Motor's EV concept 45 displayed at the China International Import Expo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"Demand for EVs is on the rise in Europe as the European Union strengthens emissions standards. Korean carmakers will benefit from rising EV demand there and local governments' subsidies for EVs," a company spokesman said.
Hyundai and Kia plan to strengthen their environment-friendly vehicle lineup in response to customers' changing appetite and stricter emission standards.
Hyundai plans to launch a large electrified model based on the EV concept 45, which was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and an all-new electric crossover and the electrified G80 sedan under its independent brand Genesis next year.
Kia is developing an electric vehicle under the project name of CV and plans to launch the second-generation Niro EV, the company said without elaborating.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--(2nd LD) N.K. refuses to answer calls from S. Korea after vowing to sever all phone lines

The KCNA also said that the North `` reached a conclusion that there is no need to sit face to @ @ @ @ @ authorities and there is no issue to discuss with them , as they have only @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS info in para 2-5)
By Koh Byung-joon and Yi Wonju
SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea did not answer South Korea's liaison office phone call Tuesday morning after vowing to cut off all inter-Korean communication lines later in the day in anger over Seoul's failure to stop defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the communist nation.
"The liaison office attempted to call North Korea this morning, but the North did not answer," the unification ministry said Tuesday.
North Korea also did not answer calls via military hotlines, according to the defense ministry.
Earlier in the day, the North said it will sever all communication lines with the South at noon Tuesday, accusing Seoul of turning a blind eye to North Korean defectors sending propaganda leaflets criticizing Pyongyang's leadership.
The North also said it will treat the South as an "enemy."
"The disgusting riff-raff have committed hostile acts against the DPRK by taking advantage of the south Korean authorities' irresponsible stance and with their connivance. They dared to hurt the dignity of our supreme leadership," the Korean Central News Agency said.
"As far as the issue of the dignity of our supreme leadership is concerned, there can neither be a pardon nor an opportunity. They should be forced to pay dearly for this," it said.
The KCNA also said that the North "reached a conclusion that there is no need to sit face to face with the South Korean authorities and there is no issue to discuss with them, as they have only aroused our dismay."
"Accordingly, the relevant field of our side will completely cut off and shut down" all communications lines with the South at noon on Tuesday, including the hotline between the North's ruling Workers' Party and the South's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, as well as a liaison line and military communication lines, the KCNA said.
This photo captured from North Korea's Rodong Sinmun on June 6, 2020, shows students at Kimchaek University of Technology criticizing North Korean defectors. In a June 4 statement, Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's powerful sister and first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, threatened to scrap a military tension reduction agreement with South Korea and completely shut down other major cross-border exchanges unless Seoul takes action against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent into the communist nation. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
The decisions were made at a meeting attended by Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party Korea (WPK), the KCNA said.
During the meeting, they "stressed that the work towards the South should thoroughly turn into the one against enemy" and discussed "phased plans" for such transition "in order to make the betrayers and riff-raff pay for their crimes."
The KCNA noted that cutting off all communication lines will be "the first step of the determination to completely shut down all contact means with South Korea and get rid of unnecessary things."
The North has been vehemently protesting propaganda leaflets since last week.
On Friday, the North's United Front Department (UFD) handling inter-Korean affairs issued a statement, saying it will abolish the liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong in the first in a series of measures that the sister of leader Kim Jong-un threatened to take unless Seoul stops the sending of such leaflets.
The leader's sister also warned of dismantling a now-shuttered industrial park in Kaesong and scrapping a military tension reduction agreement signed in 2018, calling for a halt to all hostilities along the border.
North Korea vowed to put those threats into action, even though South Korea promised to take legislative measures to ban such activity. The North derided Seoul's envisioned move as "a little more advanced excuses."
The communication lines that the North vowed to completely cut off were established amid a peaceful atmosphere after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim held three summits in 2018.
Inter-Korean relations have remained chilly amid stalemated denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington since their no-deal summit in February last year. North Korea has balked at all of South Korea's offers for talks and cooperation.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--(LEAD) Ex-US envoy Lippert appointed YouTube's Asia-Pacific public policy head

Lippert -- who served as the last U.S. ambassador to South Korea under former President Barack Obama -- was appointed @ @ @ @ @ and public policy of YouTube Asia Pacific as of last month , according to Google @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: RECASTS headline; ADDS more info throughout)
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- Mark Lippert, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, has been named to head regional policy of the video streaming service YouTube in the Asia-Pacific region, tech giant Google Inc. said Tuesday.
Lippert -- who served as the last U.S. ambassador to South Korea under former President Barack Obama -- was appointed as director, government affairs and public policy of YouTube Asia Pacific as of last month, according to Google, which owns YouTube.
This Yonhap file photo shows Mark Lippert, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea. (Yonhap)
"Mark brings to YouTube years of policy experience and a profound understanding of Asia," Google said in a press release.
Based out of Singapore, Lippert will lead public policy strategy and represent YouTube with policymakers in this exciting and fast-growing region, it said.
Lippert became the youngest U.S. ambassador to South Korea in October 2014.
After serving a three-year term, he served as both vice president for Boeing International and senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Lippert speaks Korean and uses the language to maintain his status as a well-known fan of the Korean Baseball Organization rooting for the Doosan Bears.
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--Last-place KBO club demotes 10 players to minors

Owing to their lack of depth , the Eagles have had little choice but to rely on veterans even as @ @ @ @ @ and at the plate continued .
By calling up unproven minor leaguers , Choi may @ @ @ @ @ at the expense of a few losses in the short term .
The interim manager @ @ @ @ @ the same group of players back on the field after making changes to the coaching @ @

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- Mired in last place in South Korean baseball during a 14-game losing streak, the Hanwha Eagles have demoted 10 players to the minor league.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club made the drastic move Monday evening, a few hours after naming their minor league manager Choi Won-ho as the interim skipper. Former manager Han Yong-duk resigned Sunday night after the Eagles fell to the NC Dinos 8-2 for their 14th consecutive loss.
Choi had earlier reshuffled his coaching staff.
Members of the Hanwha Eagles take a bow after losing to the NC Dinos 8-2 in their Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 7, 2020. (Yonhap)
"I felt like some of the veteran players were drained physically and mentally for going through so much losing," Choi explained. "I decided they could use some break. At the same time, I thought we would need to see some new faces emerge, and I called up some minor leaguers who were putting up good numbers and who I felt had some potential."
Among those going to the Futures League, the KBO's minor league, are veteran hitters Song Kwang-min and Lee Sung-yul, who were batting .217 and .226, respectively. From the pitching staff, three hurlers with an ERA of over 7 have been sent packing: An Young-myung (7.59), Jang Si-hwan (7.48) and Lee Tae-yang (7.27).
Owing to their lack of depth, the Eagles have had little choice but to rely on veterans even as their slumps on the mound and at the plate continued. By calling up unproven minor leaguers, Choi may have begun an in-season rebuild at the expense of a few losses in the short term. The interim manager said he didn't want the same group of players back on the field after making changes to the coaching staff.
"These young players that have been called up may be lacking in their skills, but I think they'll still be able to produce some quick results," Choi said. "No one will win a regular job right away. We'll see how they perform at this level and then make our decisions."
The Eagles will take on the Lotte Giants for a three-game series starting Tuesday evening. If the Eagles get swept there, they will come within one loss of tying the longest losing skid in league history, set by the defunct Sammi Superstars in 1985.
Hanwha Eagles' pitcher Jang Si-hwan (back) waits for his catcher Choi Jae-hoon on the mound after throwing a wild pitch against the NC Dinos during a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 5, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--S. Korea's military hotline phone calls to N. Korea unanswered ahead of threatened severance

The communist country warned that the cut-off is `` the first step of the determination to completely shut down all @ @ @ @ @ and get rid of unnecessary things , '' vowing to turn its work toward the @ @ @ @ @ against an enemy , '' according to the North 's official Korean Central News Agency @ @ @ @ @ .

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea did not answer South Korea's morning phone calls via their military hotlines Tuesday, the defense ministry said, after the North vowed to sever all communication lines with the South in its first step against what it called an "enemy."
Earlier in the day, North Korea said it will "completely" close the inter-Korean liaison line, as well as hotlines between their militaries and presidential offices, at noon Tuesday in protest against Seoul's failure to stop defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the North.
"North Korea did not answer our calls via the military communication lines this morning," a ministry official said.
The military authorities of the two Koreas had regular telephone calls twice a day at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. via their eastern and western communication lines until Monday, though the North did not pick up the South's morning liaison office call that day. The hotlines, which had been cut off for years, were restored in 2018.
The severance came after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, on Friday threatened to scrap an inter-Korean tension-reduction military agreement signed in 2018 and to halt other inter-Korean projects, such as the liaison office and a joint factory park in the border town of Kaesong, if the South fails to prevent activists from flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
The communist country warned that the cut-off is "the first step of the determination to completely shut down all contact means with South Korea and get rid of unnecessary things," vowing to turn its work toward the South "into the one against an enemy," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday.
This undated file photo shows a South Korean officer using a military hotline with North Korea. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


Tuesday's weather forecast

SEOUL , June 09 ( Yonhap ) -- The following is the weather forecast for South Korea 's 12 major @ @ @ @ @ .


yna--2020-06-09--S. Korean 5G subscribers stand at around 7 mln in late May: data

Regarding the steady growth , a local telecom industry source said the rate of increase is roughly on par with @ @ @ @ @ first began Long Term Evolution ( LTE ) wireless broadband communication service in June 2011 @ @ @ @ @ after the LTE service launched , the number of users made up 10 percent of @ @ @ @

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean 5G mobile network users are estimated to have reached around 7 million as of late May, just 14 months after the country adopted the ultrahigh speed telecom service, data showed Tuesday.
The number of 5G subscribers in the nation is 6.9-7 million, roughly equal to 10 percent of all mobile service accounts, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
There were over 69.3 million mobile phone service subscribers in late April, with 5G users standing at 6.3 million, or 9.1 percent of the total.
South Korea rolled out the world's first commercial 5G network on April 3, 2019, with the nation's three carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- aggressively promoting the new service to consumers. Most smartphone companies have also launched 5G-enabled devices.
SK Telecom, South Korea's No. 1 mobile carrier said that while official data is pending, it probably had around 3.1 million 5G customers in May, up from more than 2.8 million a month earlier.
KT's 5G subscriber number is believed to have topped the 2-million mark late last month from over 1.9 million in late April, with the latest figure for LG Uplus standing at around 1.7 million, ministry and industry data showed.
Regarding the steady growth, a local telecom industry source said the rate of increase is roughly on par with what occurred when the country first began Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless broadband communication service in June 2011. He said a year after the LTE service launched, the number of users made up 10 percent of all smartphone subscribers.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--Seoul stocks open higher on large cap gains

Lee is under an investigation over a controversial merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015 , a key process in @ @ @ @ @ from his ailing father , Lee Kun-hee .

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares opened higher Tuesday on large cap gains led by market kingpin Samsung Electronics after a Seoul court rejected the arrest warrant for Samsung's de facto leader Lee Jae-yong.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 24.68 points, or 1.13 percent, to 2,208.97 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Hopes of an economic recovery continued to boost investor sentiment, while the court's rejection of the arrest warrant for Lee further improved their outlook on future conditions.
Lee is under an investigation over a controversial merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015, a key process in his takeover of Samsung Group from his ailing father, Lee Kun-hee.
Samsung Electronics alone accounts for more than 22 percent of the main index's market cap.
Most large caps traded in positive terrain.
Samsung Electronics spiked 2 percent, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix slipped 0.66 percent.
Top pharmaceutical firm Samsung BioLogics climbed 1.96 percent, with leading chemical maker LG Chem advancing 1.04 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,196.90 won against the U.S. dollar, up 7.9 won from the previous session's close.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-09--(URGENT) S. Korea's military hotline phone calls to N. Korea unanswered: defense ministry


yna--2020-06-09--(URGENT) S. Korea's phone call to N.K. liaison officials goes unanswered again: unification ministry