yna--2020-07-03--S. Korean assembly approves 3rd virus response extra budget worth 35.1 tln won

SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Friday passed a 35.1 trillion-won (US$29.3 billion) extra budget to combat the continuing new coronavirus outbreaks here and the economic fallout from the pandemic.
The supplementary COVID-19 response budget was passed at the chamber's plenary session, supported by 179 out of the 187 lawmakers present for the voting. The approved budget is 200 billion won less than what the government proposed to the chamber in early June.
The special budget's parliamentary passage was led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP) despite a boycott by the main opposition United Future Party (UFP), which accused the DP of constructing the budget in a "sloppy" manner.
UFP lawmakers did not show up for the budget's plenary session in a sign of protest against the supplementary budget after they boycotted the bill's review by standing committees.
This marks the latest and biggest of the three extra budgets South Korea has passed to contain COVID-19 and the economic slowdown caused by the continuing pandemic.
In March, the chamber passed the first virus response budget totaling 11.7 trillion won, followed by the second 12.2 trillion-won budget approved in April.
On Friday, South Korea reported 63 new daily coronavirus infections, the most in two weeks, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). With the daily addition, the country's total caseload rose to 12,967.
Holding a press conference earlier in the day, three UFP lawmakers who served as vice finance ministers, including Rep. Yoo Sung-kull, slammed the latest extra budget.
"Through the three rounds of extra budget, the government plans to issue a total of 97.7 trillion won in state bonds this year alone ... turning the burden (of repayment) entirely to future generations," the lawmakers claimed.
Compared to the government's proposal of the budget, the approved budget has 436.7 billion won more earmarked for health, welfare and employment projects.
Meanwhile, the business and energy sectors had a total of 353.5 billion less earmarked for them.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--(2nd LD) N. Korea says it feels no need to 'sit face to face with U.S.'

`` There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy , conditional on external parameters like internal political @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Choe added that the North does not `` feel any need to @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. '' because Washington only sees its dialogue with Pyongyang `` as nothing more @ @ @ @ @ its political crisis . ''

(ATTN: RECASTS statement in para 6)
By Choi Kyong-ae
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea feels no need to meet with the United States for talks, a top diplomat of the communist nation said Saturday, accusing Washington of taking advantage of dialogue between the two countries only as "a tool for grappling its political crisis."
First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made the remark as talk of another summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gained traction recently after President Moon Jae-in said he would push for such a meeting to happen before November's U.S. presidential election.
Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton also said Trump could meet with Kim if he believes a summit would help his reelection chances. Such a meeting could happen as an "October surprise" just before the election, he said.
"Now is a very sensitive time when even the slightest misjudgment and misstep would incur fatal and irrevocable consequences. We cannot but be shocked at the story about the summit indifferent to the present situation of the DPRK-U.S. relations," Choe said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency in English.
The U.S. would be mistaken if it still thinks "negotiations would still work on us," Choe said, adding the North has already "worked out detailed strategic timetable for putting under control the long-term threat from the U.S."
"There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy, conditional on external parameters like internal political schedule of someone," she said. Choe added that the North does not "feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S." because Washington only sees its dialogue with Pyongyang "as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis."
North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (Yonhap)
Trump and Kim have met three times since June 2018 to try to reach a deal on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for U.S. concessions.
At the first summit in Singapore in 2018, the two leaders agreed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, better bilateral relations and a lasting peace regime.
But their second summit in Hanoi in February last year ended without an agreement.
The two leaders met again four months later at the inter-Korean border and agreed to resume working-level negotiations. The two sides held working-level talks in Stockholm in October, but no progress was made.
"There is a person who thoughtlessly voices an intention to mediate the summit, utterly regardless of what we, the dialogue party, would think of it, and there is rumor that the U.S. ruling quarters admits the need to hold DPRK-U.S. summit before the U.S. presidential election," Choe said.
"There are even some dreamers hoping to leverage our denuclearization measures for conditional lift of sanctions, while raising hope for 'October surprise,'" she said.
Choe also said there is no point in holding talks or having any dealings with the U.S., claiming that Washington persists in what it calls the "hostile policy toward the DPRK in disregard of the agreements already made at the past summit."
"It is clear to us, even without meeting, with what shallow trick the U.S. will approach us as it has neither intention nor will to go back to the drawing board," she said.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--(LEAD) U.S. nuclear envoy to visit S. Korea, Japan next week: source

`` There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy , conditional on external parameters like the internal @ @ @ @ @ '' Choe said .
`` We do not feel any need to sit face to @ @ @ @ @ '' she added , as Washington considers the DPRK-U.S. dialogue `` as nothing more than @ @ @ @ @ political crisis . ''

(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 5, 11-13)
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. envoy for North Korea will visit South Korea and Japan next week amid stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang, a diplomatic source here said Saturday.
According to the source, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will meet with officials in Seoul early next week, likely Tuesday, and spend three days here before hopping over to Tokyo.
"Biegun may be accompanied on this trip by Allison Hooker, who is the National Security Council's senior director for Asian affairs at the White House," the source added.
Biegun is expected to make himself available for the South Korean press during his stay and to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon, and other Seoul officials.
Multiple diplomatic sources said Biegun will not visit China during this upcoming trip to Asia.
The trip comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in committed to working toward a fourth meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the U.S. presidential election in November.
Trump and Kim have met three times to try to reach a deal on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for U.S. concessions.
The two sides have failed to make progress since their second summit in February 2019 ended abruptly due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S.
Biegun said this week that he believes another summit is unlikely before the election, citing COVID-19 as a reason.
But he added there is still time to make "substantial progress."
Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has said Trump could meet with Kim if he believes a summit would improve his chances of being re-elected. That summit could happen as an "October surprise," Bolton added.
But earlier Saturday, North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said Pyongyang saw no need to meet with Washington for talks.
"There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy, conditional on external parameters like the internal political schedule of someone," Choe said. "We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S.," she added, as Washington considers the DPRK-U.S. dialogue "as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis."
This file photo, from Dec. 17, 2019, shows U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on his way to Japan. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--Ex-teammates of late triathlete set to come forward with more abuse allegations

Choi had pleaded for help earlier this year , but her call had fallen on deaf ears .
In February @ @ @ @ @ against the team officials , and local police forwarded the case to the prosecution in @ @ @ @ @ indictment .
It was only after Choi 's death that the Daegu District Public Prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ summon alleged abusers for questioning .

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- Former teammates of a late triathlete who claimed to have endured years of abuse from team officials said Saturday they're ready to come forward with more allegations.
The recent suicide of Choi Suk-hyeon, who said she was abused by her coach and team physiotherapist on her semi-pro club, has sparked outrage across the nation, with prosecutors and national sports authorities investigating her allegations.
The late South Korean triathlete Choi Suk-hyeon receives a gold medal at the 2013 National Martime Sports Games in Ulsan, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in these photos provided by Choi's surviving family on July 2, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Choi competed for Gyeongju City Hall in North Gyeongsang Province in 2017 and in 2019. During those stints, Choi claimed her coach, the team therapist and two of her older teammates struck her on multiple occasions. Other forms of abuses include ordering Choi to fast for three days after she'd failed to keep her weight down.
After Choi was found dead on June 26, her relatives and teammates started online petitions and took to social media to accuse Gyeongju triathlon officials of constant physical, verbal and emotional abuse.
And some of those Gyeonggju teammates said they will hold a press conference at the National Assembly next week. Rep. Lee Yong of the United Future Party, a former national bobsleigh team head coach, said he's trying to schedule one for Monday morning.
Choi had made audio recordings of occasions when she was abused, with the voices of the coach and the therapist clearly audible as they struck Choi and others.
One friend of Choi said, "There are athletes who saw firsthand Suk-hyeon get hit and who were also hit themselves. I hope more abuses that weren't recorded will come out and these abusers will be punished."
Choi had pleaded for help earlier this year, but her call had fallen on deaf ears. In February, she sought assault charges against the team officials, and local police forwarded the case to the prosecution in May with a recommendation for indictment. It was only after Choi's death that the Daegu District Public Prosecutors Office said it would soon summon alleged abusers for questioning.
In April, Choi also filed complaints with the Korea Triathlon Federation and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, seeking discipline for the accused. Neither organization took action.
The triathlon body is scheduled to open its disciplinary proceedings Monday. The sports ministry has assembled a special investigative team that will look further into Choi's allegations and to grill sports officials on why they failed to follow up on Choi's complaints in April.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--U.S. nuclear envoy to visit S. Korea, Japan next week: source

The two sides have failed to make progress since their second summit in February 2019 ended abruptly due to differences @ @ @ @ @ Korea 's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S .

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. envoy for North Korea will visit South Korea and Japan next week amid stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang, a diplomatic source here said Saturday.
According to the source, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will meet with officials in Seoul early next week, likely Tuesday, and spend three days here before hopping over to Tokyo.
"Biegun may be accompanied on this trip by Allison Hooker, who is the National Security Council's senior director for Asian affairs at the White House," the source added.
Biegun is expected to make himself available for the South Korean press during his stay and to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon, and other Seoul officials.
It was not immediately clear if Biegun would also visit China during this upcoming trip to Asia.
The trip comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in committed to working toward a fourth meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the U.S. presidential election in November.
Trump and Kim have met three times to try to reach a deal on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for U.S. concessions.
The two sides have failed to make progress since their second summit in February 2019 ended abruptly due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S.
Biegun said this week that he believes another summit is unlikely before the election, citing COVID-19 as a reason.
But he added there is still time to make "substantial progress."
This file photo, from Dec. 17, 2019, shows U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on his way to Japan. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--Samsung to remain solid financially despite virus: Fitch

`` However , we believe the company 's technological leadership , competitive advantage in high-end segments and strong brand identity @ @ @ @ @ market position , at least in the short to medium term , '' it said @

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- Fitch Ratings on Saturday expected Samsung Electronics Co.'s financial status to remain solid despite the new coronavirus outbreak and its impact on its business.
Samsung Electronics' credit profile of the AA- rating and its stable business outlook will remain solid despite near-term macro challenges stemming from coronavirus-related disruptions and competition with smaller Chinese rivals, Fitch said in a statement.
"The ratings are supported by Samsung Electronics' technology leadership, robust market position and a diversified business portfolio that mitigates cash-flow fluctuation, particularly from the cyclical semiconductor and display-panel segments," it said.
The global ratings agency expected Samsung's robust cash generation and substantial financial flexibility to support its strong financial position.
Samsung Electronics holds 107 trillion won in cash and cash equivalents as of the end of March, according to Fitch.
Fitch said competition from Chinese vendors will intensify in the semiconductor, display and smartphone industries, which will be difficult to reverse.
"However, we believe the company's technological leadership, competitive advantage in high-end segments and strong brand identity should help maintain Korea's market position, at least in the short to medium term," it said.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--WFP to resume food aid to N. Korea: VOA

WFP to resume food aid to N. Korea: VOA

The WFP said there is a need to find out what impact two months of delay in North Korea 's @ @ @ @ @ the health of children in the communist nation , given North Korean children usually receive @ @ @ @ @ nutrients from food provided by schools and public organizations .

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- The U.N.'s World Food Program (WFP) will resume humanitarian food aid to 771,000 North Koreans, the Voice of America said Saturday, citing a WFP report.
In the report, the WFP said it needs an estimated US$27.5 million from July to December to help the North handle the COVID-19 pandemic, and it lacks $3 million.
The WFP said there is a need to find out what impact two months of delay in North Korea's reopening of schools had on the health of children in the communist nation, given North Korean children usually receive 85 percent of their necessary nutrients from food provided by schools and public organizations.
North Korean kindergartens and schools reopened on June 3, and two months of summer vacation recently began, according to the WFP.
The U.N. agency told Radio Free Asia that it is in talks with North Korea to resume extending a helping hand to underprivileged people in the North.
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--(2nd LD) Seoul on high alert as virus cases exceed 60 for 2nd day

Under Level 2 , all private and public indoor meetings of 50 or more and outdoor meetings of over 100 @ @ @ @ @ Level 3 , all meetings of 10 people or more will be banned , and @ @ @ @ @ from going to schools .

(ATTN: CHANGES headline and lead; ADDS details in paras 2, 8-11)
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea stays on high alert as new coronvavirus cases exceeded 60 on Saturday for the second straight day, with infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area and cases from overseas showing no signs of slowdown.
Health authorities said the spread of the COVID-19 virus appears to be picking up speed, amid concerns the country's cases may return to an upward trajectory.
The country added 63 cases, which are composed of 36 local infections and 27 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 13,030, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.
The number of locally transmitted infections fell 16 from 52 a day earlier, while cases from overseas rose 16 from 11, the statement said.
Few people walk on a downtown street of Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on July 3, 2020, after virus cases in the city hit double-digit figures on July 1. (Yonhap)
Of the locally transmitted infections, the number of cases from Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, fell to eight after reporting double-digit numbers of daily cases on Thursday and Friday, the statement said.
The greater Seoul area reported 28 new cases, with its surrounding Gyeonggi Province adding 19 new infections. Daegu, once the hotbed of the country's virus outbreak, added one new case. The city accounts for more than half of the country's COVID-19 cases, due to thousands of virus infections traced to a religious sect in the city.
The number of cases affiliated with the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) reached 47 on Saturday, according to the U.S. military.
In extended efforts to get the COVID-19 virus under control, health authorities on Saturday made it obligatory for all crewmen to take virus tests when they leave their ships for rotation or their off days starting Monday.
The move comes after at least 16 virus cases were reported on a Russia-flagged ship that entered the southeastern port city of Busan last month. The ship, which departed from Russia's Vladivostok, arrived at Busan Port on June 19 and has been docked at Gamcheon Port in the city since June 21.
Moreover, the authorities so far have administered remdesivir, an experimental drug conventionally used for Ebola, to 19 coronavirus patients in critical condition here.
The medication developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences Inc. started being supplied to treat COVID-19 patients here Wednesday.
Over the past two months, the densely populated Seoul and the surrounding area, which house around half of the country's 51-million population, took up most of the newly added cases here.
The trend has prodded health authorities to focus on curbing the spread of the virus in the greater Seoul area. Last month, they decided to indefinitely apply toughened infection preventive measures in the region amid the growing number of patients from clubs and door-to-door businesses.
With other major cities reporting new cluster infections, health authorities, however, had been under pressure to consider readopting the scheme elsewhere.
The KCDC said Sunday the government will adopt three levels of social distancing and countermeasures, depending on the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The country currently recommends Level 1 social distancing, which is implemented when the medical system can manage the number of virus cases. The government plans to apply Level 2 distancing measures if daily infections exceed 50 for 14 straight days but remain below 100, and Level 3 measures if daily infections far exceed 100, the KCDC said.
Under Level 2, all private and public indoor meetings of 50 or more and outdoor meetings of over 100 will be banned. Under Level 3, all meetings of 10 people or more will be banned, and all students will be prohibited from going to schools.
The country reported one additional death, with the death toll staying at 283.
The 27 new imported cases was the highest since June 23. Imported cases marked a double-digit rise for the ninth consecutive day.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,811, up 52 from the previous day. This indicates that more than 90 percent of the COVID-19 patients here have been cured.
The country has carried out 1,319,523 tests since Jan. 3.
The pandemic, which surfaced in China late last year, has killed more than 525,000 people worldwide and infected over 11 million in just a few months, a tally from Johns Hopkins University showed.
This undated file photo shows a notice that urges customers to register their QR code in their smartphones in a mandatory entry log system using QR code-based registration at entertainment facilities, such as clubs and karaoke establishments, a move aimed at enabling health authorities to quickly trace anyone possibly exposed to the new coronavirus at such places. (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--(LEAD) N. Korea says it feels no need to 'sit face to face with U.S.'

`` There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy , conditional on external parameters like internal political @ @ @ @ @ she said .
`` We do not feel any need to sit face to face @ @ @ @ @ it does not consider the DPRK-U.S. dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: ADDS photo and background throughout)
By Choi Kyong-ae
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea feels no need to meet with the United States for talks, a top diplomat of the communist nation said Saturday, accusing Washington of taking advantage of dialogue between the two countries only as "a tool for grappling its political crisis."
First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made the remark as talk of another summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gained traction recently after President Moon Jae-in said he would push for such a meeting to happen before November's U.S. presidential election.
Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton also said Trump could meet with Kim if he believes a summit would help his reelection chances. Such a meeting could happen as an "October surprise" just before the election, he said.
"Now is a very sensitive time when even the slightest misjudgment and misstep would incur fatal and irrevocable consequences. We cannot but be shocked at the story about the summit indifferent to the present situation of the DPRK-U.S. relations," Choe said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency in English.
The U.S. would be mistaken if it still thinks "negotiations would still work on us," Choe said, adding the North has already "worked out detailed strategic timetable for putting under control the long-term threat from the U.S."
"There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy, conditional on external parameters like internal political schedule of someone," she said. "We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S., as it does not consider the DPRK-U.S. dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis."
North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (Yonhap)
Trump and Kim have met three times since June 2018 to try to reach a deal on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for U.S. concessions.
At the first summit in Singapore in 2018, the two leaders agreed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, better bilateral relations and a lasting peace regime.
But their second summit in Hanoi in February last year ended without an agreement.
The two leaders met again four months later at the inter-Korean border and agreed to resume working-level negotiations. The two sides held working-level talks in Stockholm in October, but no progress was made.
"There is a person who thoughtlessly voices an intention to mediate the summit, utterly regardless of what we, the dialogue party, would think of it, and there is rumor that the U.S. ruling quarters admits the need to hold DPRK-U.S. summit before the U.S. presidential election," Choe said.
"There are even some dreamers hoping to leverage our denuclearization measures for conditional lift of sanctions, while raising hope for 'October surprise,'" she said.
Choe also said there is no point in holding talks or having any dealings with the U.S., claiming that Washington persists in what it calls the "hostile policy toward the DPRK in disregard of the agreements already made at the past summit."
"It is clear to us, even without meeting, with what shallow trick the U.S. will approach us as it has neither intention nor will to go back to the drawing board," she said.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--Seoul stocks likely to face volatile sessions next week: analysts

`` The gap is narrowing between the stock index and the real economy , '' said Daeshin Securities global strategist @ @ @ @ @ improved U.S. jobs data seems to have given the impression that the worst part of @ @ @ @ @ '' he said .

By Chung Joo-won
SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks are expected to face choppy trading next week amid signs of a global economic recovery and the rising number of new coronavirus infections, analysts said Saturday.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,152.41 points Friday, up 0.83 percent from a week earlier.
"The gap is narrowing between the stock index and the real economy," said Daeshin Securities global strategist Moon Nam-joong. "The improved U.S. jobs data seems to have given the impression that the worst part of the pandemic is over," he said.
The U.S. jobless rate in June fell to 11.1 percent from 13.3 percent the previous month.
South Korea's June exports dropped for the fourth consecutive month, but the rate of decline slowed to 10.9 percent from a 23.7 percent on-year plunge in May and 24.3 percent decrease in April.
Electronic signboards at the trading room of Hana Bank in Seoul show the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) have closed at 2,152.41 on July 3, 2020, up 17.04 points, or 0.80 percent, from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)
Global economic reopenings led to improved economic data in June but also raised the number of new COVID-19 infections, analysts said.
"Hopes of vaccine developments and government-led stimulus are already projected in the index, making it more difficult to see a rally in the coming week," NH Investment & Securities analyst Kim Young-hwan said.
Another positive factor would be the National Assembly's approval of a third and largest extra budget bill ever, he said.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history

1907 -- Envoys of King Kojong , the 26th monarch of the Chosun Dynasty ( 1392-1910 ) , submit a @ @ @ @ @ of major nations at The Hague against the 1905 Eulsa Protective Treaty , which stripped @ @ @ @ @ .
Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910-45 .

July 5
1907 -- Envoys of King Kojong, the 26th monarch of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910), submit a statement to a peace conference of major nations at The Hague against the 1905 Eulsa Protective Treaty, which stripped Korea of its diplomatic rights. Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910-45.
1987 -- Lee Han-yeol, a student at Yonsei University, dies 27 days after being hit by a tear gas shell during a student demonstration.
2001 -- Pitcher Park Chan-ho becomes the first South Korean to be selected as a Major League Baseball All-Star in the United States.
2006 -- North Korea test-fires seven missiles, including Scud, Rodong and long-range Taepodong missiles, on different occasions that landed off the western coast of Japan. The test-firing of the Taepodong-2 missile failed.
2007 -- The South Korean city of PyeongChang fails to win the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in its second bid, falling to Sochi, Russia, after losing the first bid in 2003 to Vancouver, Canada.
2011 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awards the Seoul-based SBS the exclusive local broadcast rights to Olympic Games until 2024.
2015 -- Japan wins world heritage status for its old industrial sites, some linked with its wartime labor atrocities, after a deal with South Korea to publicly acknowledge related history.
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--N. Korea says it feels no need to sit face to face with U.S.

North Korea 's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said there is no need to sit down with the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ dialogue only as `` nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis .
@

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Saturday the country feels no need to have talks with the United States.
North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said there is no need to sit down with the U.S. as they regard the Washington-Pyongyang dialogue only as "nothing more than a tool for grappling its
political crisis."
Choe said it is the wrong conclusion if the U.S. still thinks it can handle the North with dialogue, adding that the North has drawn up detailed strategic calculations to cope with long-term threats from the U.S.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--(URGENT) N.K. vice FM: 'We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S.'

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(URGENT) N.K. vice FM: 'We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S.'


yna--2020-07-04--Shelter for comfort women set to be closed following scandal

The death comes amid an on-going controversy at the KCJR , sparked by a prominent victim 's allegation in May @ @ @ @ @ former leader of the group , misused donations and exploited the victims for her political @ @

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean shelter for surviving victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery is set to be closed as the last resident has recently left the place, the operator of the shelter said Saturday.
Surviving victim Gil Won-ok, 92, left the shelter on June 11 to stay at a church operated by her 61-year-old step son and priest Hwang Sun-hee, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance (KCJR), a nongovernmental organization working for South Korea's "comfort women."
The KCJR said it has yet to decide when to suspend the shelter in Mapo, western Seoul, and return it to Myungsung Church, which owns the building.
The planned shutdown comes as the head of the shelter was found dead at her apartment in Paju, north of Seoul, early last month.
The death comes amid an on-going controversy at the KCJR, sparked by a prominent victim's allegation in May that Rep. Yoon Mee-hyang, former leader of the group, misused donations and exploited the victims for her political ambitions.
Comfort women is a euphemism for the victims who were forced to work in Japanese front-line brothels during World War II when Korea was a Japanese colony.
South Korea currently has 17 surviving victims of the wartime sex slavery. Historians say that around 200,000 Asian women, mostly Koreans, were forcibly sent to front-line brothels to provide sexual services for Japanese soldiers.
This file photo, from May 21, 2020, shows prosecutors carrying out evidence from a shelter in Mapo, western Seoul, run by the KCJR, as part of an investigation over allegations that former chief of the group, Rep. Yoon Mee-hyang, misused donations and exploited the victims for her political ambitions. (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-04--Telcos going increasingly 'contactless' amid pandemic

KT earned government approval last month to use popular authentication mobile apps , such as PASS and KakaoPay , to @ @ @ @ @ who purchase new phones and register for its service .

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korean mobile carriers are joining others to go "contactless" in their business by reducing face-to-face services for customers amid the coronavirus pandemic, industry insiders said Friday.
With the COVID-19 outbreak spurring a stay-at-home trend, telecom operators are eager to serve their customers remotely.
KT Corp., the country's No. 2 carrier, earlier this week unveiled a delivery service for its customers when they subscribe to its mobile service.
When consumers purchase a mobile device on KT's online mall, delivery drivers of Mesh Korea, a local food delivery firm, will pick up the product at nearby KT outlets and deliver it to customers within an hour, according to KT.
A KT Corp. worker hands a package to a Mesh Korea Co. delivery driver as part of the carrier's phone delivery service in this photo provided by KT on July 1, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
KT earned government approval last month to use popular authentication mobile apps, such as PASS and KakaoPay, to check the identities of those who purchase new phones and register for its service.
Although the new solution is in the development stages, KT said it will streamline complex authentication procedures in line with growing demand for contactless services.
Other carriers have been also introducing contactless services to cope with the pandemic.
LG Uplus Corp., the country's No. 3 carrier, said last month it will open a clerkless outlet in central Seoul in October.
Customers can purchase USIM cards or change data plans using digital kiosks, minimizing face-to-face contact with others, according to LG Uplus.
SK Telecom Co., the country's top mobile carrier, is also reportedly preparing to open a contactless store this fall.
This photo, provided by LG Uplus Corp. on June 23, 2020, shows digital kiosks that will be used in the company's new contactless store. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--N. Korean state media refrain from criticizing S. Korea for nearly 2 weeks

That sharply contrasts with how the North 's media cranked out about 50 reports blasting the South almost every day @ @ @ @ @ Yo-jong , the powerful sister of leader Kim , released the first such statement on @ @ @ @ @ the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets by defectors in the South into the North .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state media outlets have refrained from criticizing South Korea for nearly two weeks, after leader Kim Jong-un put military action plans against the South on hold in a surprise about-face after weeks of harsh threats and rhetoric.
For the past 12 days, North Korean media have carried few articles and commentaries blasting Seoul, with the main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, and its state television network, Korean Central Television, recording a zero tally in negative reports about the South in the same period.
Propaganda outlets still carried some reports denouncing the South, but many of them are directed at specific groups, such as the South's military or political parties, citing what civic groups in the South have said.
That sharply contrasts with how the North's media cranked out about 50 reports blasting the South almost every day in June, after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim, released the first such statement on June 4 in anger over the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets by defectors in the South into the North.
On June 23, the number of such anti-Seoul media reports totaled nearly 70.
But the media outlets abruptly changed course after leader Kim ordered the execution of military measures against the South to be put on hold during a preliminary meeting of the ruling party's Central Military Committee.
Inter-Korean tensions have also cooled off a little since then, while the North has shown no reaction to President Moon Jae-in's renewed commitment to reviving inter-Korean exchanges and his call for another summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kim Jong-un made no mention of inter-Korean relations in the latest politburo meeting Thursday.
On Saturday, the North's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said the North feels no need to sit face-to-face with the United States, accusing Washington of taking advantage of dialogue between the two countries only as "a tool for grappling its political crisis."
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--S. Korean economy tipped to contract this year, but positive growth still possible: report

The report said retail sales in Asia 's fourth-largest economy remained relatively strong when compared with those of others as @ @ @ @ @ economic lockdowns that are `` strong enough to halt consumption '' but instead took steps @ @ @ @ @ spending .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's economy is widely expected to suffer its first annual contraction in over a decade this year but may expand, depending on how swiftly and effectively the government implements its budget spending and how quickly the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control, a think tank said Sunday.
"Considering that economic indicators are worsening to levels seen during the Asian financial crisis when the country posted a negative growth, the possibility of the country posting a negative growth in 2020 is very strong," the Hyundai Research Institute (HRI) said in a report.
The report said retail sales in Asia's fourth-largest economy remained relatively strong when compared with those of others as the country has not implemented economic lockdowns that are "strong enough to halt consumption" but instead took steps to support household income and spending.
In the file photo, taken April 19, 2020, dozens of people are seen shopping at a mall in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul as the country continues to recover from the economic fallout of the new coronavirus pandemic. (Yonhap)
The country has provided up to 1 million won (US$832) in special allowances to each and every local household.
"However, other economic indicators, such as manufacturing output and exports, are falling close to or even worse than the levels seen during the financial crisis," it said.
South Korea's exports began to slow shortly after the country reported its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 20, slipping 0.2 percent on-year in March following a 4.5 percent increase in February.
They, however, plummeted 24.3 percent on-year in April, after the new coronavirus began to take more serious tolls in other countries, forcing them to implement far-fetching economic lockdowns.
Exports again plunged 23.7 percent on-year in May and by 10.9 percent in June.
"A recovery in manufacturing output and investment may also be delayed due to a steady decline in exports following a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in major export markets and reintroduction of economic lockdowns there," the report said.
The Bank of Korea (BOK) forecast the local economy to shrink 0.2 percent on-year in 2020 in its latest growth projection published May 28.
Many others have since offered similar or gloomier outlooks.
The International Monetary Fund estimates the South Korean economy to shrink 2.1 percent this year, with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development projecting a 1.2 percent contraction for Asia's fourth-largest economy.
The HRI, however, insisted there also existed the possibility of a positive on-year expansion of the local economy, noting increased government spending alone, if executed as planned, will push up the country's economic growth by 1.51 percentage points.
Seoul has already spent an additional 23.9 trillion won under two extra budgets, and is pushing for a third supplementary budget worth 35.3 trillion won.
"For the economy to successfully rebound in the second half, the country must take policy steps focused on economic growth, along with preemptive stimulus measures while closely monitoring the spread of the new coronavirus and changes in economic conditions," the report said.
In its latest growth estimate, the BOK said the local economy may expand by up to 0.5 percent from a year earlier in 2020 should the new coronavirus pandemic be terminated at an earlier-than-anticipated date.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--(LEAD) Sporadic cluster infections push new virus cases above 60 for 3rd day

Daegu , once the hotbed of the country 's virus outbreak , added no new cases .
The city , @ @ @ @ @ half of the country 's COVID-19 cases , recently suffered another uptick in the number @ @ @ @ @ group infections from an acting school .

(ATTN: ADDS details throughout, photo)
By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed above 60 for the third consecutive day Sunday as infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area continued to swell, including in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
The country added 61 cases, including 43 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,091, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
South Korea added 63 new cases on both Friday and Saturday.
It marked the first time since April for the country to post more than 60 new COVID-19 patients for three consecutive days.
Of the locally transmitted infections, 15 cases were newly identified in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The city has seen coronavirus cases rise sharply due mainly to cluster infections linked to a Buddhist temple and a church.
As of Saturday, a total of 61 cases have been tied to Gwangneuk Temple, while infections linked to the Ilgok JungAng Church have been on the rise. Among the church-linked cases is the city's first elementary school student infection.
Visitors wait for coronavirus tests at a church in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on July 4, 2020. (Yonhap)
The Seoul area added 14 new cases, with its surrounding Gyeonggi Province reporting four new infections.
Cases linked to an apartment building in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, reached 25 on Saturday, up four from a day earlier.
Daejeon, a central city 164 kilometers south of Seoul, also reported eight more infections.
Last week, two elementary students in Daejeon tested positive after coming in contact with a peer, which could be the first case of the virus being transmitted at a school in South Korea.
Daegu, once the hotbed of the country's virus outbreak, added no new cases. The city, which accounts for more than half of the country's COVID-19 cases, recently suffered another uptick in the number of new patients due to group infections from an acting school.
Health authorities are vigilant as the latest spread of the virus could lead to a new wave of the pandemic. South Korea suffered its worst month in February, when the daily number of new infections even rose above 900 at one point.
The country reported no additional deaths, with the death toll staying at 283. The fatality rate reached 2.16 percent.
The number of new imported cases reached 18. South Korea has posted a double-digit number of imported cases for 10 consecutive days.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,832, up 21 from the previous day. This indicates some 90 percent of the COVID-19 patients here have been cured.
South Korea has carried out 1,326,055 COVID-19 tests since Jan. 3.
A medical worker carries out new coronavirus tests at a makeshift clinic at a church in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on July 4, 2020. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--Sporadic cluster infections push new virus cases above 60 for 3rd day

Health authorities are vigilant as the latest spread of the virus could lead to a new wave of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ worst month in February , when the daily number of new infections even rose above @ @ @ @ @

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed above 60 for the third consecutive day Sunday as infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area continued to swell, putting further strain on the country's virus fight.
The country added 61 cases, including 43 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,091, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
South Korea added 63 new cases on both Friday and Saturday.
Of the locally transmitted infections, 15 cases were newly identified in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
The increase from the city was mainly attributable to a Buddhist temple, which has reported a whopping 61 cases as of Saturday.
The Seoul area added 14 new cases, with its surrounding Gyeonggi Province reporting four new infections.
Visitors wait for coronavirus tests at a church in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on July 4, 2020. (Yonhap)
Cases linked to an apartment building in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, reached 25 on Saturday, up four from a day earlier.
Daejeon, a central city 164 kilometers south of Seoul, also reported eight more infections.
Last week, two elementary students in Daejeon tested positive after coming in contact with a peer, which could be the first case of the virus being transmitted at a school in South Korea.
Health authorities are vigilant as the latest spread of the virus could lead to a new wave of the pandemic. South Korea suffered its worst month in February, when the daily number of new infections even rose above 900 at one point.
The country reported no additional deaths, with the death toll staying at 283.
The number of new imported cases reached 18.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,832, up 21 from the previous day. This indicates some 90 percent of the COVID-19 patients here have been cured.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--Japanese consumer businesses hit hard in S. Korea amid trade row

The trade row has been causing more damage to Tokyo 's exports than the other way around .
South Korea @ @ @ @ @ 6.9 percent to US $ 28 billion in 2019 from a year earlier .
Its @ @ @ @ @ a wider margin of 12.9 percent to $ 47 billion .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- Japanese consumer goods producers in South Korea saw their operating profits plunge by more than 70 percent on-year in 2019, data showed Sunday, due to the prolonged trade dispute between the two neighbors that led to a boycott against Japanese products here.
The combined operating profit of 31 Japanese companies surveyed dropped 71.3 percent in 2019 compared with the previous year, while their sales also decreased by 6.9 percent, according to the data compiled by industry tracker CEO Score.
Seoul and Tokyo have been at loggerheads since July 2019 after Japan abruptly rolled out restrictions on exports of key industrial materials to South Korea, which are crucial in the production of chips and displays.
Tokyo says South Korea did not effectively control sensitive items that could be used for military purposes, while Seoul considers its retaliation against a court's decision that ordered a Japanese firm to compensate victims of forced labor during the 1910-45 colonial rule.
Amid the prolonged "boycott Japan" movement among South Korean consumers, Japanese foodstuffs producers saw their sales decrease nearly 20 percent over the period here while turning to net losses, the industry tracker said.
Lotte Asahi Liquor Co., which distributes Japanese beer here, saw its sales halve to 62.4 billion won (US$52 million) in 2019, while posting an operating loss of 30.8 billion won. South Korea used to be the biggest overseas destination for Japanese beer before the trade row.
Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo also saw its sales in South Korea dip 31.3 percent over the period to reach 443.9 billion won while posting an operating loss of 240 billion won, the data showed.
Japanese cosmetic makers and retailers also saw their sales drop 7.3 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively, on-year in 2019 from their South Korean branches.
The trade row has been causing more damage to Tokyo's exports than the other way around. South Korea's exports to Japan slipped 6.9 percent to US$28 billion in 2019 from a year earlier. Its imports from Japan fell at a wider margin of 12.9 percent to $47 billion.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--(URGENT) 21 more people released after full recoveries from coronavirus, total cured patients at 11,

(URGENT) 21 more people released after full recoveries from coronavirus, total cured patients at 11,832: KCDC

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


yna--2020-07-05--(URGENT) S. Korea reports no additional coronavirus death, total death toll at 283: KCDC


yna--2020-07-05--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 61 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 13,091: KCDC


yna--2020-07-05--S. Korea's int'l air passenger traffic dips 98 pct in Q2 amid virus pandemic

The number of air passengers on domestic routes , however , managed to drop at a smaller margin of 37.8 @ @ @ @ @ due to the rising number of travelers heading to local destinations , according to the @ @

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The number of South Korean international air travelers dipped nearly 98 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier due to entry restrictions and lower demand amid the new coronavirus pandemic, data showed Sunday.
The number of air passengers on international routes by local air carriers plunged to 328,348 over the April-June period, compared with the 15.2 million posted a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Civil Aviation Association (KCA).
Local airlines have grounded most of their flights on international routes since March as an increasing number of countries have closed their borders due to concerns over the new coronavirus pandemic.
The arrival lobby of Incheon airport, west of Seoul, is almost deserted, in this file photo taken on June 10, 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Yonhap)
Korean Air Lines Co., the country's top carrier, saw its international passengers drop 96.2 percent over the period to reach 190,458. The figure for its smaller rival Asiana Airlines Inc. also dropped 96.5 percent, the data showed.
Jeju Air Co., the only low-cost carrier (LCC) here that still operates regular overseas flights, saw its number of passengers on international routes plunge 99.3 percent on-year in the second quarter.
The number of air passengers on domestic routes, however, managed to drop at a smaller margin of 37.8 percent over the period, due to the rising number of travelers heading to local destinations, according to the KCA.
Over the April-June period, the number of domestic air passengers decreased by 37.8 percent on-year to 5.24 million.
T'way Air Co., another LCC, saw its number of passengers on domestic routes advance 12.8 percent to 843,406.
The International Air Transport Association and the Airport Council International currently expect it may take up to five years for the number of air passengers to rebound to the pre-pandemic level.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--Gov't fully activates task force on Sino-U.S. row

The meeting came as the tensions between Washington and Beijing have intensified after China passed the legislation on national security @ @ @ @ @ censorship and control on Hong Kong over any movements in objection to Beijing 's policy @

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry has fully activated a public-private task force set up to explore South Korea's security and economic strategies in the face of a growing rivalry between the United States and China, officials said Sunday.
The task force, comprising government officials, people from academia and corporate sectors, was established in December last year, but its operation has been limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, with members discussing issues via email without in-person meetings.
Now, the task force has been put into full-fledged operation with a face-to-face meeting Thursday, officials familiar with the matter said.
The meeting came as the tensions between Washington and Beijing have intensified after China passed the legislation on national security law designed to effectively tighten censorship and control on Hong Kong over any movements in objection to Beijing's policy.
South Korea has said it believes it is important that Hong Kong enjoys "a high degree of autonomy," under China's "one nation, two systems" policy, implying its concerns over the situation.
Separately, the government has also been holding an interagency strategy meeting on issues related to the Sino-U.S. competition.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (C) speaks during an interagency government meeting on diplomatic strategies at Seoul's foreign ministry on May 28, 2020. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--N.K. paper calls for following through with Kim's order for 'maximum alert' against virus

The appeal was seen as a sign that the North 's COVID-19 situation could be serious , though Pyongyang claims @ @ @ @ @ single case .
It was the second time in three months that the North has @ @ @ @ @ discuss the coronavirus pandemic .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's main newspaper called Sunday for carrying out leader Kim Jong-un's order that the country exercise "maximum alert" against the coronavirus pandemic.
Kim issued the order during a politburo meeting Thursday, warning that premature easing of anti-virus measures will lead to an "unimaginable and irretrievable crisis."
The appeal was seen as a sign that the North's COVID-19 situation could be serious, though Pyongyang claims there has not been a single case. It was the second time in three months that the North has convened a politburo meeting to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, the Rodong Sinmun said all people should rise up to carry out the leader's order.
"In a situation where the prospect of resolving the risk is uncertain, we should be on maximum alert without becoming complacent or slackening," the paper said in an editorial, calling for "absolute" obedience to anti-virus regulations and orders.
North Korea claims to have had no coronavirus infections so far, but many outside observers suspect that Pyongyang might be hushing up an outbreak. The country has taken relatively drastic anti-virus measures, including closing its borders.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party at the headquarters of the party's Central Committee in Pyongyang on July 2, 2020, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on July 3.
(END)


Sunday's weather forecast

SEOUL , July 5 ( Yonhap ) -- The following is the weather forecast for South Korea 's 12 major @ @ @ @ @ .


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(END)


yna--2020-07-05--More than 1,000 under police probe for breaking anti-virus rules

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus was at the center of the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea @ @ @ @ @ Some 4,000 followers , most of whom were from its branch in the southeastern city @ @ @ @ @ with the coronavirus .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- More than 1,000 people have been under police investigation for breaking South Korea's infectious disease control and prevention laws amid the new coronavirus pandemic, the government said Sunday.
Police have probed cases involving 1,071 alleged rule breakers as of Saturday, including 492 who have been indicted. Ten of them have been formally detained, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.
Nearly half of the rule breakers, or 44.6 percent, were those who breached home isolation rules, followed by 39.7 percent who broke the no-assembly advisory. Another 10.2 percent were probed for violating the no-rally rule, while 4.1 percent allegedly disrupted epidemiological studies.
Seven of the 10 people who were detained were found to have intentionally and repeatedly violated the home isolation law. Five of them, who were placed under home isolation after arriving from abroad, repeatedly left their residence.
Three of them were detained for disrupting efforts to trace down patients. Two were suspected of submitting an incorrect list of people who attended Shincheonji religious services, while one lied about visiting a Shincheonji church.
The Shincheonji Church of Jesus was at the center of the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea around February to March. Some 4,000 followers, most of whom were from its branch in the southeastern city of Daegu, were infected with the coronavirus.
By region, 71.1 percent of those who were probed for breaking the anti-virus law were based in the greater Seoul area, including Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.
Meanwhile, police have also investigated 110 people who were found to have assaulted drivers or disrupted driving after getting in fights over wearing face masks in public transportation.
Starting February, police have assigned 8,559 officers to investigate people who are suspected of breaching the infectious disease control and prevention act.
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--(LEAD) Kiwoom Heroes' Park Byung-ho hits 300th career KBO home run

He led the league in the long-ball department every year from 2012 to 2015 , including the back-to-back 50-homer campaign @ @ @ @ @ With 52 in 2014 and 53 the following season , Park became the first KBO @ @ @ @ @ mark in home runs in two straight seasons .
No one has matched the feat @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES with final result in para 3)
SUWON, South Korea, July 5 (Yonhap) -- Kiwoom Heroes' slugger Park Byung-ho blasted his 300th career home run in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Sunday.
Park became the 14th player, and fifth active hitter, to reach that milestone with a two-run home run off KT Wiz starter Kim Min-su in the top of the fifth inning at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul.
Park turned on a 2-2 curveball and sent it over the center field wall, cutting the deficit to 7-3. It wasn't nearly enough, as the Heroes ended up losing 10-5. Park went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the game.
The ball left Park's bat at 35.4 degrees with an exit velocity of 167.2 kilometers per hour (103.9 miles per hour), and traveled 120.9 meters (396.7 feet). It was Park's 14th long ball of the season in his 51st game.
Park, who turns 34 on Friday, is working toward his seventh consecutive 30-homer season. Only Lee Seung-yuop, the all-time leader with 467, has strung together as many 30-homer seasons in a row.
In this file photo, from June 23, 2020, Park Byung-ho of the Kiwoom Heroes hits a solo home run against the LG Twins in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)
A late bloomer who didn't become an everyday player until a trade from the LG Twins to the Heroes in 2011, Park won his first home run crown in 2012 in his age-26 season. He also captured the first of his two consecutive MVP awards in 2012.
He led the league in the long-ball department every year from 2012 to 2015, including the back-to-back 50-homer campaign in 2014 and 2015. With 52 in 2014 and 53 the following season, Park became the first KBO player to reach the half-century mark in home runs in two straight seasons. No one has matched the feat since.
Park signed with the Minnesota Twins before the 2016 season and spent two seasons in the U.S. He returned to the Heroes for the 2018 season and promptly hit 43 homers, finishing second in the KBO.
Last year, he earned his fifth career home run title with 33. He entered Sunday's game in fifth place in that category, with Mel Rojas Jr. of the Wiz leading the way with 19 home runs.
Choi Jeong of the SK Wyverns is the active leader with 346, including one Sunday. He's five away from tying the No. 2 overall, Yang Joon-hyuk.
Park is now tied at 300 with Park Jae-hong. Up ahead, three players are tied at 311 apiece, including two active players in Hanwha Eagles' Kim Tae-kyun and Kia Tigers' Choi Hyoung-woo.
Park Byung-ho of the Kiwoom Heroes returns to the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against the Doosan Bears in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on July 2, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--(4th LD) Sporadic cluster infections push new virus cases above 60 for 3rd day

(ATTN: UPDATES with details from press briefing in paras 9-12, 23-25; ADDS photo)
By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed above 60 for the third consecutive day Sunday as infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area continued to swell, including in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
The country added 61 cases, including 43 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,091, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
South Korea added 63 new cases on both Friday and Saturday.
It marked the first time since April for the country to post more than 60 new COVID-19 patients for three consecutive days.
Of the locally transmitted infections, 15 cases were newly identified in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The city has seen coronavirus cases rise sharply due mainly to cluster infections linked to a Buddhist temple and a church.
As of Sunday, 80 cases have been tied to Gwangneuk Temple, up 13 from a day earlier. The figure includes cases from Ilgok JungAng Church, also based in the city, as the two clusters were found to have connections.
Streets of Gwangju, located 330 kilometers south of Seoul, remain empty on July 5, 2020, as people refrained from going outside due to the city's uptick in new coronavirus cases. (Yonhap)
The government of South Jeolla Province, which surrounds Gwangju, said it will raise the region's anti-virus alert level to the "social distancing level 2" from the current "distancing in daily life" Monday.
The upgrade calls for tougher virus preventive measures, including banning gatherings of 50 or more people indoors or 100 or more people outdoors, and making it mandatory to wear masks when using public transportation.
All kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools in Gwangju's Buk ward, where an elementary school student has tested positive, will also close for a week, with the exception of high school seniors who are preparing for the year-end college entrance exam.
Health authorities defined the current situation as "severe" in the current social distancing stage, the lowest in a three-tier system.
"Infections have been reported at small-scale facilities and meetings, which are hard for health authorities to manage, while the speed of infections is slightly fast in the Honam region," Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a press briefing, mentioning the South and North Jeolla Provinces.
Park, however, said it is not yet time to heighten the social distancing level on a national level.
South Korea, which relaxed nationwide strict social distancing in early May on the back of a flattened virus curve, decided last month to indefinitely apply toughened infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area due to a continued rise in cluster infections.
The Seoul area added 14 new cases, with its surrounding Gyeonggi Province reporting four new infections.
Cases linked to an apartment building in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, reached 28 on Sunday, up three from a day earlier.
Those traced to a major church in Seoul's southwestern ward of Gwanak reached 35, up one from a day earlier.
Daejeon, a central city 164 kilometers south of Seoul, also reported eight more infections.
Last week, two elementary students in Daejeon tested positive after coming in contact with a peer, which could be the first case of the virus being transmitted at a school in South Korea.
One of the hospitals in the central city had a total of nine patients, up three from the previous day.
Daegu, once the hotbed of the country's virus outbreak, added no new cases. The city, which accounts for more than half of the country's COVID-19 cases, recently suffered another uptick in the number of new patients due to group infections from an acting school.
Health authorities are vigilant as the latest spread of the virus could lead to a new wave of the pandemic. South Korea suffered its worst month in February, when the daily number of new infections even rose above 900 at one point.
Over the past two weeks, around 10 percent of the newly added infections had unknown infection routes.
Officials at the southeastern port city of Busan hold signs in English asking visitors to wear masks at the city's Haeundae beach on July 5, 2020. (Yonhap)
Authorities, however, appeared cautious toward views that the pace of new infections seems to be faster compared with February and March, when infections broke out in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.
"Compared with the situation in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province in February and March, the current quarantine system is quite stable, and (we are) quickly tracking down patients through epidemiological studies," Park said.
"It may seem that the speed of infection has gotten faster, as we can now define patients immediately, including those who do not show symptoms," he added.
The country reported no additional deaths, with the death toll staying at 283. The fatality rate reached 2.16 percent.
The number of new imported cases reached 18, raising the total number of such cases to 1,666. South Korea has posted a double-digit number of imported cases for 10 consecutive days.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,832, up 21 from the previous day. This indicates some 90 percent of the COVID-19 patients here have been cured.
South Korea has carried out 1,326,055 COVID-19 tests since Jan. 3.
Students wait in line to receive new coronavirus tests at an elementary school located north of Seoul on July 5, 2020. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--(LEAD) S. Korea to offer telemedicine services for overseas builders

`` A majority of overseas construction workers are at countries where medical circumstances are not good , and they are @ @ @ @ @ high chances of COVID-19 infection , as they spend most of their time with foreigners @ @ @ @ @ Neung-hoo said in a press briefing .

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 3-4)
SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to start providing telemedicine services for overseas construction workers this year, the government said Sunday, amid heightened alert over new coronavirus infections among them.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said it aims to launch the service in September at the latest, with four major hospitals expected to provide online medical care to construction workers abroad.
The measures come after three Korean workers dispatched to overseas construction sites died after contracting the infectious virus. Nearly 90 workers have also tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to the land ministry.
"A majority of overseas construction workers are at countries where medical circumstances are not good, and they are also (exposed to) high chances of COVID-19 infection, as they spend most of their time with foreigners," Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a press briefing.
An illustration of a doctor providing telemedicine services to a patient. (Yonhap)
Until the service begins, the government will continue to provide medical care through phone and video calls. It also plans to set up an intra-ministry system to help transport serious patients here.
The government also plans to step up monitoring of safety and medical supplies sent to overseas construction sites and consult with local governments or contractors on the safety of construction workers.
South Korea has been pushing to provide online health care service to South Koreans living abroad as part of its regulatory sandbox program, which allows small-scale innovations within current rules.
Inha University Hospital, in cooperation with online medical platform provider Life Semantics, secured a two-year permit last month to give contactless checkups to overseas South Koreans.
Life Semantics has also formed a consortium with Seoul National Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Asan Medical Center to develop telemedicine services.
South Korean doctors have strongly opposed telemedicine in the country.
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--Kiwoom Heroes' Park Byung-ho hits 300th career KBO home run

SUWON, South Korea, July 5 (Yonhap) -- Kiwoom Heroes' slugger Park Byung-ho blasted his 300th career home run in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Sunday.
Park became the 14th player, and fifth active hitter, to reach that milestone with a two-run home run off KT Wiz starter Kim Min-su in the top of the fifth inning at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul.
Park turned on a 2-2 curveball and sent it over the center field wall, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
The ball left Park's bat at 35.4 degrees with an exit velocity of 167.2 kilometers per hour (103.9 miles per hour), and traveled 120.9 meters (396.7 feet). It was Park's 14th long ball of the season in his 51st game.
Park, who turns 34 on Friday, is working toward his seventh consecutive 30-homer season. Only Lee Seung-yuop, the all-time leader with 467, has strung together as many 30-homer seasons in a row.
In this file photo, from June 23, 2020, Park Byung-ho of the Kiwoom Heroes hits a solo home run against the LG Twins in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)
A late bloomer who didn't become an everyday player until a trade from the LG Twins to the Heroes in 2011, Park won his first home run crown in 2012 in his age-26 season. He also captured the first of his two consecutive MVP awards in 2012.
He led the league in the long-ball department every year from 2012 to 2015, including the back-to-back 50-homer campaign in 2014 and 2015. With 52 in 2014 and 53 the following season, Park became the first KBO player to reach the half-century mark in home runs in two straight seasons. No one has matched the feat since.
Park signed with the Minnesota Twins before the 2016 season and spent two seasons in the U.S. He returned to the Heroes for the 2018 season and promptly hit 43 homers, finishing second in the KBO.
Last year, he earned his fifth career home run title with 33. He entered Sunday's game in fifth place in that category, with Mel Rojas Jr. of the Wiz leading the way with 19 home runs.
Choi Jeong of the SK Wyverns is the active leader with 346, including one Sunday. He's five away from tying the No. 2 overall, Yang Joon-hyuk.
Park is now tied at 300 with Park Jae-hong. Up ahead, three players are tied at 311 apiece, including two active players in Hanwha Eagles' Kim Tae-kyun and Kia Tigers' Choi Hyoung-woo.
Park Byung-ho of the Kiwoom Heroes returns to the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against the Doosan Bears in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on July 2, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--S. Korea to offer telemedicine services for overseas builders

Until the service begins , the government will continue to provide medical care through phone and video calls .
It @ @ @ @ @ an intra-ministry system to help transport serious patients here .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to start providing telemedicine services for overseas construction workers this year, the government said Sunday, amid heightened alert over new coronavirus infections among them.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said it aims to launch the service in September at the latest, with four major hospitals expected to provide online medical care to construction workers abroad.
The measure comes after two Korean workers dispatched to a construction site in Iraq died due to the infectious virus. Two other workers at a construction site in Indonesia have also tested positive.
An illustration of a doctor providing telemedicine services to a patient. (Yonhap)
Until the service begins, the government will continue to provide medical care through phone and video calls. It also plans to set up an intra-ministry system to help transport serious patients here.
The government also plans to step up monitoring of safety and medical supplies sent to overseas construction sites and consult with local governments or contractors on the safety of construction workers.
South Korea has been pushing to provide online health care service to South Koreans living abroad as part of its regulatory sandbox program, which allows small-scale innovations within current rules.
Inha University Hospital, in cooperation with online medical platform provider Life Semantics, secured a two-year permit last month to give contactless checkups to overseas South Koreans.
Life Semantics has also formed a consortium with Seoul National Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Asan Medical Center to develop telemedicine services.
South Korean doctors have strongly opposed telemedicine in the country.
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--PM vows stern legal action on violators of coronavirus quarantine rules

`` If there was a violation of rules , such as not wearing masks in facilities or establishments where compliance @ @ @ @ @ , we will not only hold the business operators but individual violators legally accountable , @ @ @ @ @ meeting on coronavirus responses .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday the government will legislate fines and take other legal action for individuals and business entities found to have flouted coronavirus quarantine rules.
"If there was a violation of rules, such as not wearing masks in facilities or establishments where compliance of quarantine rules is mandatory, we will not only hold the business operators but individual violators legally accountable," he told a government meeting on coronavirus responses.
South Korea reported 61 new cases of COVID-19 infections Sunday, as sporadic cluster infections continued to swell outside the Seoul metropolitan area, with a large number of the cases tied to religious establishments in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
Chung also said the government will actively seek legal procedures to demand indemnity if it is found that negligence by infected patients has caused community spread or more individual infections.
The government will also push for legislation allowing the authorities to slap fines on individuals if they break quarantine rules, in an effort to quicken the process for taking appropriate administrative steps, the prime minister added.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun presides over a regular government meeting on coronavirus responses in Seoul on July 5, 2020. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--Osan city holds annual memorial event honoring fallen U.S. soldiers in 1st Korean War battle

The 540-strong U.S. special force , known as the Task Force Smith , fought some 5,000 North Korean forces in @ @ @ @ @ July 5 , 1950 .
It was the U.S. ' first ground battle under the @ @ @ @ @ , in which more than 150 Americans were killed , wounded or went missing .

OSAN, South Korea, July 5 (Yonhap) -- An annual memorial ceremony was held Sunday to honor the American soldiers killed in the U.N. forces' first ground battle during the 1950-53 Korean War, followed by the opening of a new peace park in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war.
The 540-strong U.S. special force, known as the Task Force Smith, fought some 5,000 North Korean forces in the Battle of Osan on July 5, 1950. It was the U.S.' first ground battle under the U.N. flag against the North, in which more than 150 Americans were killed, wounded or went missing.
U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris (L) and Park Sam-deuk, minister for veterans affairs, pay respects to the fallen American soldiers in the Battle of Osan in the 1950-53 Korean War, during an annual memorial ceremony held in Osan Jukmiryeong Peace Park on July 5, 2020, in this photo provided by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The battle "may have been the starting point of the war, but it will be the starting point of peace today," Osan City Mayor Kwak Sang-wook said. "It is a symbolic place for the South Korea-U.S. alliance, as well as a place that respects the value of peace toward inter-Korean reconciliation."
Among the attendees were Park Sam-deuk, minister of veterans affairs; U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris; U.S. Forces in Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams and former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon.
The ceremony also included the opening of Osan Jukmiryeong Peace Park set up in memory of the battle, also known as the Osan Jukmiryeong battle after the pass from which the American troops tried to repel North Korean forces.
The Osan city government has invited surviving veterans of the Task Force Smith to the memorial event every year, but it had to skip the process this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The three-year conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war. More than 33,000 American troops were killed in action.
A memorial ceremony is held to honor the U.S. soldiers killed in the Battle of Osan during the 1950-53 Korean War, in this photo provided by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on July 5, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--(3rd LD) Sporadic cluster infections push new virus cases above 60 for 3rd day

(ATTN: ADDS details throughout; CHANGES photos)
By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed above 60 for the third consecutive day Sunday as infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area continued to swell, including in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
The country added 61 cases, including 43 local infections, raising the total caseload to 13,091, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
South Korea added 63 new cases on both Friday and Saturday.
It marked the first time since April for the country to post more than 60 new COVID-19 patients for three consecutive days.
Of the locally transmitted infections, 15 cases were newly identified in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The city has seen coronavirus cases rise sharply due mainly to cluster infections linked to a Buddhist temple and a church.
As of Sunday, 80 cases have been tied to Gwangneuk Temple, up 13 from a day earlier. The figure includes cases from Ilgok JungAng Church, also based in the city, as the two clusters were found to have connections.
Streets of Gwangju, located 330 kilometers south of Seoul, remain empty on July 5, 2020, as people refrained from going outside due to the city's uptick in new coronavirus cases. (Yonhap)
The government of South Jeolla Province, which surrounds Gwangju, said it will raise the region's anti-virus alert level to the "social distancing level 2" from the current "distancing in daily life" Monday.
The upgrade calls for tougher virus preventive measures, including banning gatherings of 50 or more people indoors or 100 or more people outdoors, and making it mandatory to wear masks when using public transportation.
South Korea, which relaxed nationwide strict social distancing in early May on the back of a flattened virus curve, decided last month to indefinitely apply toughened infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area due to a continued rise in cluster infections.
The Seoul area added 14 new cases, with its surrounding Gyeonggi Province reporting four new infections.
Cases linked to an apartment building in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, reached 28 on Sunday, up three from a day earlier.
Korea battling second wave of COVID-19: what we should take note of Youtube https://youtu.be/CnxPAC5-fns
Those traced to a major church in Seoul's southwestern ward of Gwanak reached 35, up one from a day earlier.
Daejeon, a central city 164 kilometers south of Seoul, also reported eight more infections.
Last week, two elementary students in Daejeon tested positive after coming in contact with a peer, which could be the first case of the virus being transmitted at a school in South Korea.
One of the hospitals in the central city had a total of nine patients, up three from the previous day.
Daegu, once the hotbed of the country's virus outbreak, added no new cases. The city, which accounts for more than half of the country's COVID-19 cases, recently suffered another uptick in the number of new patients due to group infections from an acting school.
Health authorities are vigilant as the latest spread of the virus could lead to a new wave of the pandemic. South Korea suffered its worst month in February, when the daily number of new infections even rose above 900 at one point.
Over the past two weeks, around 10 percent of the newly added infections had unknown infection routes.
The country reported no additional deaths, with the death toll staying at 283. The fatality rate reached 2.16 percent.
The number of new imported cases reached 18, raising the total number of such cases to 1,666. South Korea has posted a double-digit number of imported cases for 10 consecutive days.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 11,832, up 21 from the previous day. This indicates some 90 percent of the COVID-19 patients here have been cured.
South Korea has carried out 1,326,055 COVID-19 tests since Jan. 3.
Students wait in line to receive new coronavirus tests at an elementary school located north of Seoul on July 5, 2020. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--Main opposition party to return to National Assembly

Joo also said that his party will concentrate on preparing for confirmation hearings on Park Jie-won and Lee In-young , @ @ @ @ @ the chiefs of the National Intelligence Service and the unification ministry , respectively , rather @ @ @ @ @

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) will return to the National Assembly this week, its floor leader said Sunday, after boycotting all proceedings for weeks in protest of the ruling Democratic Party's unilateral formation of standing committees.
"Starting Monday, we will attend the plenary and standing committee sessions and carry on with our fight in earnest inside the assembly," Rep. Joo Ho-young told reporters.
The DP controls 176 out of 300-seat parliament after its landslide victory in the April general elections. Despite the UFP's strong objection, the DP took the chairman posts of all but one of the 18 parliamentary standing committees and passed an extra budget bill pending plenary approval.
Rep. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the main opposition United Future Party, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on July 5, 2020. (Yonhap)
"We have never left the National Assembly, but we fought against the destruction of parliamentary democracy perpetrated by Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party," he said.
Joo also said that his party will concentrate on preparing for confirmation hearings on Park Jie-won and Lee In-young, who have been nominated as the chiefs of the National Intelligence Service and the unification ministry, respectively, rather than boycotting the hearings.
Even after the party's resumption of activities, however, the UFP is not likely to take part in the accelerating DP-led efforts to pass the special COVID-19 response budget bill worth nearly 38 trillion won (US$31.6 billion).
The rival parties remain far apart over a number of other contentious issues, including a scandal involving an activist-turned-lawmaker accused of misappropriating donations collected for wartime sexual slavery victims and the DP's push for a bill criminalizing the flying of anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border into North Korea.
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history

1905 -- Rhee Syng-man , who later became the first president of South Korea , pleads for American support for @ @ @ @ @ letter to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt while the former was still a student at George @ @ @ @ @ later met in person , but Rhee 's petition did not have any effect on @ @ @ @ @ the Korean Peninsula .
Korea lost its sovereignty to Japan in 1910 and was occupied @ @ @ @

July 6
1905 -- Rhee Syng-man, who later became the first president of South Korea, pleads for American support for Korea's independence in a letter to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt while the former was still a student at George Washington University. The two later met in person, but Rhee's petition did not have any effect on Japan's move to colonize the Korean Peninsula. Korea lost its sovereignty to Japan in 1910 and was occupied for 35 years.
1953 -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) establishes a branch in Seoul.
1962 -- South Korea and Morocco establish diplomatic relations.
1970 -- The U.S. government notifies South Korea of its plan to cut the number of its troops stationed here. Then U.S. President Richard Nixon reduced the U.S. forces by about 20,000 at the beginning of the year, and by July 1979, U.S. forces were down to about 38,000.
The United States has had a military presence in the country since September 1945, when 77,000 soldiers arrived on the peninsula following the surrender of Japan in World War II. Troop levels gradually swelled to 302,000 during the Korean War (1950-53) but declined in the mid-1950s and 1960s. As of 2014, some 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the Korean War that ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.
1978 -- Then President Park Chung-hee is elected to a fifth term. After rising to power through a military coup in 1961, Park changed the Constitution to allow him to secure the presidency for life. A year after his ninth term began, however, he was assassinated by his chief intelligence officer, Kim Jae-kyu.
2002 -- Banks begin a five-day workweek, allowing their employees to take Saturdays and Sundays off. Essential services are provided at a limited number of branches. The National Assembly passed a bill in August 2003 permitting companies with more than 1,000 employees, as well as all public corporations, to apply the five-day workweek starting in July 2004. Civil servants were allowed to follow suit in 2005, with employees of smaller companies having to wait until 2011.
2017 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree to seek tougher sanctions on North Korea to pressure it to stop provocations and return to dialogue during their summit held in Berlin.
2018 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits North Korea on a mission to map out details of the communist nation's "complete" denuclearization plan agreed on in the Singapore summit in June 2018.
2019 -- Nine South Korean Confucian academies are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their "outstanding universal value." The decision was made in a meeting of the UN World Heritage Committee in Azerbaijan, raising the total number of South Korea's World Heritage sites to 14.
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--(LEAD) N.K. paper calls for following through with Kim's order for 'maximum alert' against virus

(ATTN: UPDATES with other state media reports)
SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's main newspaper called Sunday for carrying out leader Kim Jong-un's order that the country exercise "maximum alert" against the coronavirus pandemic.
Kim issued the order during a politburo meeting Thursday, warning that premature easing of anti-virus measures will lead to an "unimaginable and irretrievable crisis."
The appeal was seen as a sign that the North's COVID-19 situation could be serious, though Pyongyang claims there has not been a single case. It was the second time in three months that the North has convened a politburo meeting to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, the Rodong Sinmun said all people should rise up to carry out the leader's order.
"In a situation where the prospect of resolving the risk is uncertain, we should be on maximum alert without becoming complacent or slackening," the paper said in an editorial, calling for "absolute" obedience to anti-virus regulations and orders.
The official Korean Central News Agency also said the country is trying to carry out anti-virus measures in a stricter manner nationwide while redoubling monitoring and disinfection efforts in regions near the sea and land borders.
Last week's politburo meeting shows the country puts the lives of people ahead of anything else, the KCNA said.
The Minju Joson, a cabinet newspaper, also said in an editorial that virus prevention centers across the country should try to come up with detailed and timely measures in a preemptive manner so as to maintain the emergency virus prevention system in a stricter way.
North Korea claims to have had no coronavirus infections so far, but many outside observers suspect that Pyongyang might be hushing up an outbreak. The country has taken relatively drastic anti-virus measures, including closing its borders.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party at the headquarters of the party's Central Committee in Pyongyang on July 2, 2020, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on July 3.
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--S. Korea's gold bourse turnover hits new record high amid virus pandemic

The combined turnover on the gold bourse stood at 710 billion won ( US $ 591 million ) over the @ @ @ @ @ 591.9 billion won posted for all of 2019 , according to the data compiled by @ @ @ @ @ ) .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's gold turnover reached an all-time high in the first half of 2020 as investors flocked to safer assets amid the coronavirus pandemic around the globe, data showed Sunday.
The combined turnover on the gold bourse stood at 710 billion won (US$591 million) over the January-June period, exceeding the 591.9 billion won posted for all of 2019, according to the data compiled by the Korea Exchange (KRX).
The gold bourse was launched on March 24, 2014, as the country tried to bring more transparency to the market.
Over the six-month period, the average daily turnover reached 5.7 billion won, which more than doubled from 2019. The volume also grew twofold to reach 90 kilograms, the data showed.
On Jan. 8, the amount even reached a fresh daily high of 16.4 billion won, or 27.2 kg.
As of end-June, a gram of gold traded at 69,640 won on the KRX market, up 22 percent from a year earlier, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which sparked economic uncertainties.
By group, retail investors accounted for 63 percent, up 7 percentage points from the previous year. Investors in their 30s and below accounted for 56 percent, the KRX added.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--First-stage engine test for KSLV-2 rocket set for later this year: KARI

The KARI engineer said that following next year 's launches , the goal is to secure funding to send the @ @ @ @ @ times , in 2022 , 2024 , 2026 and 2027 .
This will allow Seoul @ @ @ @ @ 2030 to launch a 830-kilogram probe to the moon .
The continued upgrading of the @ @ @ @ @ addition , make it possible for the country to build its own stage combustion cycle @ @ @ @ @ that could compete with similar U.S. and Russian engines .
KARI said work is already @ @ @ @ @ engine that is roughly 10 percent more efficient compared to motors used on the KSLV-2 @ @ @ @ @ economically viable space vehicle designs .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is set to carry out a critical ignition test for the first-stage engine of its locally built space rocket later this year, a senior researcher at a state-run aerospace institute said Sunday.
The process involves the clustering of four 75-ton thrust motors into the main stage rocket and actually starting the engine of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-2) rocket, said Cho Sang-yeon, head of the launcher assurance team at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).
The KSLV-2, or Nuri rocket, is a three-stage rocket that has a 300-ton thrust first-stage engine, a single 75-ton second-stage engine and a 7-ton motor for the third stage. The engines use kerosene and oxidizers as propellant to send the 47.2-meter-long, 200-ton rocket into space.
"So-called cold-run tests -- a process of checking the 300-ton thrust rocket without actually igniting the fuel -- as well as making certain that all key systems, like communication links, as well as the newly built launch pad, are functioning normally will be examined repeatedly in the coming months before the actual live fire test," the expert told reporters at an event hosted by the Korea Science Journalists Association.
This file photo, provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, shows an early engineering model of the first-stage rocket that will hold four 75-ton-thrust engines being checked by researchers at the Naro Space Center, in Goheung, 470 kilometers south of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
South Korea already tested the 75-ton thrust engine by launching one into space in November 2018. It also conducted extensive tests on the small 7-ton motor.
"Once the combustion test is carried out and everything checks out, a decision will be made to go ahead with the launching of the KSLV-2 that has been planned for February and November of 2021, although the exact date is subject to change," Cho said.
Of the two launches, the first will involve a dummy payload that will mimic the 1.5 ton max payload of the rocket, with the second to carry a small 200-kilogram test satellite into low orbit.
The KARI engineer said that following next year's launches, the goal is to secure funding to send the rocket into space four more times, in 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2027. This will allow Seoul to acquire the capability by 2030 to launch a 830-kilogram probe to the moon. The continued upgrading of the Nuri rocket will, in addition, make it possible for the country to build its own stage combustion cycle rocket (SCCR) engine that could compete with similar U.S. and Russian engines. KARI said work is already under way on the SCCR engine that is roughly 10 percent more efficient compared to motors used on the KSLV-2 and could lead to more economically viable space vehicle designs.
South Korea has set aside 1.95 trillion won (US$1.62 billion) for the KSLV-2 project that began in 2010 and runs through 2022. The previous KSLV-1 had a first-stage 170-ton thrust rocket motor built by Russia, with only the small 7-ton motor built here.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-07-05--No. of fake banknotes in S. Korea further dips in H1

The combined face value of the counterfeits found came to 1.4 million won during the cited period , down 47.4 @ @ @ @ @ in the first half of 2019 , according to the BOK .

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The number of fake South Korean banknotes found here continued to decline in the first half, and the combined face value of the counterfeits also dropped sharply, central bank data showed Sunday.
In the January-June period, the number of counterfeit banknotes found here came to 129, down 19.4 percent from 160 bills found a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The half-year tally marks a steady decline since the second half of 2017.
In the photo, provided by KEB Hana Bank, bank officials check the magnified image of a suspected 50,000-won counterfeit bill at a Seoul branch. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The combined face value of the counterfeits found came to 1.4 million won during the cited period, down 47.4 percent from 2.66 million won in the first half of 2019, according to the BOK.
By denomination, the number of fake 50,000-won bills found in the first half came to 11, compared with 35 in the first half of 2019.
The number of fake 10,000-won bills and 5,000-won bills came to 60 and 48, respectively, both down from 61 and 59 in the first half of last year.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)