yna--2020-06-13--Fire breaks out at POSCO's steel mill

Fire breaks out at POSCO's steel mill

The fire broke out at 12:30 p.m. at the steel mill in Pohang , North Gyeongsang Province , about 370 @ @ @ @ @

SEOUL/POHANG, South Korea, June 13 (Yonhap) -- A fire broke out at POSCO's steel mill in the southeastern part of the country, firefighters said Saturday.
The fire broke out at 12:30 p.m. at the steel mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, about 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
Firefighters said they have dispatched some 20 firetrucks and ambulances to the scene.
No casualties have been reported so far.
POSCO is South Korea's top steelmaker.
Smoke billows as a fire occurs at a steel mill of South Korea's top steelmaker POSCO located in Pohang, 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in this photo provided by a reader on June 13, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-13--(LEAD) Police arrest man for brutally abusing 9-year-old stepdaughter

The 35-year-old suspect was going to be summoned earlier this week , but it was delayed after the man attempted @ @ @ @ @ of the decision to place the family 's other children under temporary custody .

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS details in last 3 paras)
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- The police on Saturday arrested a man on charges of brutally abusing his nine-year-old stepdaughter, around two weeks after the girl escaped from her home seeking help.
The 35-year-old suspect was going to be summoned earlier this week, but it was delayed after the man attempted to harm himself in protest of the decision to place the family's other children under temporary custody.
The suspect declined to answer questions asked by reporters.
The police plan to investigate the victim's 27-year-old mother, who was also hospitalized, in the near future as well.
On May 29, a barefooted 9-year-old girl was found wandering on a roadside by a neighbor in the southeastern city of Changnyeong.
It was later revealed that the girl escaped from her home after being brutally abused by her mother and stepfather, with her feet even seared with heated metal chopsticks.
The victim also testified to the child protection agency that she was given only one meal a day and that the parents also confined her with chains.
The police earlier raided the home of the girl and found a handful of items that are presumed to have been used to abuse the victim, including chains and a frying pan.
Investigators have secured two boxes of evidences so far.
Police can hold him for up to 48 hours from the moment of arrest before winning a court-issued warrant of confinement.
"We are making efforts to verify the allegations based on the testimonies from the victim," a police official said.
The police transfer a 35-year-old suspect accused of abusing his nine-year-old stepdaughter in the southeastern city of Changnyeong on June 13, 2020. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-13--Police arrest man for brutally abusing 9-year-old stepdaughter

SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- The police on Saturday formally arrested a man on charges of brutally abusing his nine-year-old stepdaughter, around two weeks after the girl escaped from her home seeking help.
The 35-year-old suspect was going to be summoned earlier this week, but it was delayed after the man attempted to harm himself in protest of the decision to place the family's other children under temporary custody.
The suspect declined to answer questions asked by reporters.
The police plan to investigate the victim's 27-year-old mother, who was also hospitalized, in the near future as well.
On May 29, a barefooted 9-year-old girl was found wandering on a roadside by a neighbor in the southeastern city of Changnyeong.
It was later revealed that the girl escaped from her home after being brutally abused by her mother and stepfather, with her feet even seared with heated metal chopsticks.
The victim also testified to the child protection agency that she was given only one meal a day and that the parents also confined her with chains.
The police earlier raided the home of the girl and found a handful of items that are presumed to have been used to abuse the victim, including chains and a frying pan.
The police transfer a 35-year-old suspect accused of abusing his nine-year-old stepdaughter in the southeastern city of Changnyeong on June 13, 2020. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-13--(LEAD) New virus cases under 50, cluster infections linger in greater Seoul

While new virus cases have been plateauing in other areas , the metropolitan area that is home to half the @ @ @ @ @ million has been suffering from a string of cluster infections tied to religious gatherings , @ @ @ @ @ facilities .

(ATTN: ADDS details throughout; CHANGES photo)
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases fell below the threshold of 50 on Saturday, but cluster infections continued to persist in the greater Seoul area, putting strains on health authorities' efforts to fight the pandemic.
The country added 49 new cases, including 44 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,051, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
Of the locally transmitted cases, all but one came from Seoul and surrounding areas.
One of the newly added cases reported a day earlier later retested negative.
While new virus cases have been plateauing in other areas, the metropolitan area that is home to half the country's population of 50 million has been suffering from a string of cluster infections tied to religious gatherings, a distribution center and sports facilities.
Late last month, the country implemented two weeks of tougher virus prevention guidelines for the metropolitan area, with measures including shutting down public facilities and regulating bars and karaoke rooms.
Test takers have their body temperatures checked before entering the venue of an exam for public servants in Suwon, south of Seoul, on June 13, 2020. (Yonhap)
Earlier this week, however, South Korea decided to indefinitely extend the deadline previously set for Sunday, as nearly all locally transmitted cases have been reported in the metropolitan area this month.
The measure will be in place until the number of new cases falls back to a single digit, according to health authorities.
QR code-based entry logs for all visitors will also be mandatory for cram schools and PC rooms in the area, in addition to entertainment facilities.
Health authorities also warned that the country may roll back to strict social distancing nationwide again unless the virus curve flattens sharply.
South Korea had eased its strict nationwide social distancing guidelines on May 6 as the daily new COVID-19 cases reached single digits, with phased reopenings of schools starting in mid-May.
The country completed phased school reopenings this week, although some regulations, like a mix of online and offline classes, are still in force.
A visitor fills out documents before receiving a new coronavirus test at a makeshift clinic in southern Seoul on June 12, 2020. (Yonhap)
On Friday, cases traced to a warehouse run by e-commerce leader Coupang in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, reached 147, up one from a day earlier. Those linked to small churches in the metropolitan area rose by one to reach 95.
Cases tied to a door-to-door business establishment rose to 139 as of Friday, with patients aged 65 and above accounting for 44.6 percent.
COVID-19 cases linked to a table tennis gym in southwestern Seoul came in at 61.
Other smaller cluster infections were reported across the nation as well.
A total of 14 cases traced to a day care center for seniors in western Seoul have been reported so far.
Health authorities remain vigilant over asymptomatic "silent" virus spreaders as well. About 30 percent of COVID-19 patients here are asymptomatic, according to the KCDC.
The total death tally stayed unchanged at 277.
The number of imported cases advanced by five to reach 1,330, with around 86 percent of them being South Korean nationals.
The overall fatality rate reached 2.3 percent, although the figure reached 25.6 percent for those aged 80 and above. South Korea has not yet reported a death from a patient aged below 30.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,691, up 22 from the previous day, indicating nearly 89 percent of South Korean COVID-19 patients have been cured.
The country has carried out 1,094,704 COVID-19 tests since Jan. 3. The figure translates to roughly 1 out of every 50 South Koreans receiving COVID-19 tests.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--S. Korea convenes top security meeting over Pyongyang's recent threats

The meeting presided over by Chung Eui-yong , director of national security at the presidential office , reviewed the current @ @ @ @ @ Peninsula as well as Seoul 's response to a series of recent harsh rhetoric by @ @ @ @ @ relations , according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top security officials convened an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss responses to a series of recent threats by North Korea, including of military action, over frayed inter-Korean relations.
The meeting presided over by Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office, reviewed the current security situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as Seoul's response to a series of recent harsh rhetoric by Pyongyang to sever all inter-Korean relations, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.
The meeting came after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned a day earlier that it's time for North Korea to "surely break with" South Korea.
In a previous statement, the North also threatened to cut off all communication lines with South Korea.
An image of Cheong Wag Dae (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(URGENT) 27 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, total cured patients at 10,71

(URGENT) 27 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, total cured patients at 10,718: 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--2020-06-14--(URGENT) S. Korea reports no additional virus deaths, death toll now at 277: KCDC


yna--2020-06-14--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 34 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 12,085: KCDC


yna--2020-06-14--Samsung smartphones' average selling price highest in 6 yrs: report

SEOUL , June 14 ( Yonhap ) -- Samsung Electronics Co. enjoyed the highest average selling price ( ASP ) @ @ @ @ @ years in the first quarter of the year , driven by robust demand for foldable @ @ @ @ @ , industry data showed on Sunday .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. enjoyed the highest average selling price (ASP) of its smartphones in six years in the first quarter of the year, driven by robust demand for foldable phones and its flagship smartphones, industry data showed on Sunday.
Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, sold its smartphones at US$292 on average in the January-March period, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier. The first-quarter ASP also marks a 20.7 percent rise from three months earlier, according to data compiled by Strategic Analytics.
Samsung's first-quarter ASP marks the highest since the second quarter of 2014 when the comparable figure was $297, the data showed.
The South Korean tech giant's smartphone ASP stood at $247 in 2019, $251 in 2018 and $243 in 2017.
The higher ASP for Samsung came on the back of its foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Flip, and high-end Galaxy S20 series.
The regular Galaxy Z Flip hovers around 1.65 million won (US$1,370)
In February, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip at its Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event in San Francisco alongside its new flagship Galaxy S20 series.
The Galaxy Z Flip is Samsung's second foldable phone after the Galaxy Fold that was launched last year at a price tag of near $2,000.
Largely thanks to robust demand for high-priced smartphones, Samsung's share of the global smartphone market, in terms of revenue, rose to 22.1 percent in the first quarter of the year from 21.7 percent a year earlier and 14.4 percent the previous quarter.
Apple Inc. came in first with 37.5 percent in the first quarter.
This photo provided by Samsung Electronics Co. on Feb. 13, 2020, shows the Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne edition. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(URGENT) Cheong Wa Dae convenes NSC meeting to discuss N. Korea's recent harsh rhetoric


Sunday's weather forecast

SEOUL , Jun .
14 ( Yonhap ) -- The following is the weather forecast for South Korea 's 12 @ @ @ @ @ Sunday .


yna--2020-06-14--Air Force's aerial tanker to be mobilized for troop dispatch mission

The Air Force 's KC-330 aerial tanker is planning to carry the 17th batch of the 170-strong Akh Unit and @ @ @ @ @ around June 30 in its first troop transport mission since being put into service last @ @ @ @ @ officials .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will mobilize one of its aerial tankers to send rotational troops and supplies to the United Arab Emirates later this month, officials said Sunday.
The Air Force's KC-330 aerial tanker is planning to carry the 17th batch of the 170-strong Akh Unit and fly to the UAE on around June 30 in its first troop transport mission since being put into service last year, according to the officials.
On its way back, the aircraft, named Cygnus, will bring home the 16th batch of the unit tasked with training the Middle East country's special forces, they added.
KC-330, which measures 60.3 meters in width and 58.8 meters in length, can carry up 245,000 pounds of fuel and is capable of refueling up to 10 F-15Ks or up to 20 KF-16s. In addition, it can carry 300 crewmembers and 47 tons of cargo.
The tanker can fly distances up to 15,320 kilometers, with a maximum flight altitude of 12,600 meters.
South Korea introduced four units aimed at expanding its area of operations.
This photo shows a flying boom attached to the rear of a KC-330 aerial tanker during a ceremony at an airbase in the southeastern city of Gimhae on Jan. 30, 2019, to mark the introduction of the country's first aerial refueling aircraft before its deployment in 2020. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


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(END)


yna--2020-06-13--U.S. Embassy in Seoul expresses support for Black Lives Matter movement

The U.S. embassy here said the Black Lives Matter banner hanging from its building is a protest against police brutality @ @ @ @ @ its will to move toward a more tolerant and just society .

SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Embassy in Seoul expressed its support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement Saturday, with a massive banner hanging from its building in downtown Seoul.
In a Twitter message, the embassy said it shared grief with the rest of Americans and means to "support peaceful protests aimed at bringing positive changes."
The BLM movement rapidly spread in the United States after a 46-year-old African American, George Floyd, was suffocated to death by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25.
The movement has sparked a series of protest rallies in the United States and in dozens of other countries, including South Korea.
The U.S. embassy here said the Black Lives Matter banner hanging from its building is a protest against police brutality, and that it showed its will to move toward a more tolerant and just society.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-13--(2nd LD) Sister of N. Korean leader says Pyongyang will take 'next step' against S. Korea

`` Getting stronger day by day are the unanimous voices of all our people demanding for surely settling accounts with @ @ @ @ @ the absolute prestige of our Supreme Leader representing our country and its great dignity and @ @ @ @ @ territory of our side and with those who connived at such hooliganism , whatever may @ @ @ @ @ in her statement .

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, additional background in paras 8-12; ADDS photos)
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will take its next step against South Korea, for what it claims to be Seoul's betrayal and crimes against the communist state, it said Saturday, adding that its army has been entrusted to plan and take any necessary action.
"I feel it is high time to surely break with the South Korean authorities. We will soon take a next action," Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), said in a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency.
Kim is also younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The illustrated image shows Kim Yo-jong, a younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who also serves as the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. (Yonhap)
"By exercising my power authorized by the Supreme Leader, our Party and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action," the statement said.
She added, "the right to taking the next action against the enemy will be entrusted
to the General Staff of our army."
The statement came about a week after Yo-jong threatened to cut off all communication with South Korea and scrap a military agreement aimed at reducing tension between the separated Koreas, citing South Korean activist groups and North Korean defectors sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into the North.
"Clearly speaking, the South Korean authorities will be forced to pay a dear price if they let this situation go on while making sort of excuses," she said in a statement released on Thursday.
Pyongyang stopped answering any attempt by South Korea to hold talks at least since Tuesday, despite Seoul's announcement of plans to legislate a ban on the sending of leaflets.
Kim again took issue with the leaflet-sending activities.
"Getting stronger day by day are the unanimous voices of all our people demanding for surely settling accounts with the riff-raff who dared hurt the absolute prestige of our Supreme Leader representing our country and its great dignity and flied rubbish to the inviolable territory of our side and with those who connived at such hooliganism, whatever may happen," she said in her statement.
In the file photo, taken April 2, 2016, members of Fighters for Free North Korea, an organization of defectors from North Korea, are seen sending balloons carrying anti-North leaflets across the border from the South Korean border city of Paju. (Yonhap)
Kim said the North Korean army will determine its next move that will cool down "our people's resentment and surely carry it out."
"It is better to take a series of retaliatory actions, instead of releasing this kind of statement, which those with bad ears may miscalculate as the "one for threatening" or from which they can make any rubbishy comments on our intention as they please," she said.
Kim's statement came one day after the head of the North's United Front Department said the North has lost all confidence in the South Korean government and warned of "regretful" and "painful" times ahead for Seoul.
"I fully sympathize with the statement released by the director of the United Front Department of the Central Committee of the WPK yesterday," Kim said in her statement.
"If the South Korean authorities have now capability and courage to carry out at once the thing they have failed to do for the past two years, why are the north-south relations still in stalemate like now," she added.
(END)


yna--2020-06-13--(LEAD) Sister of N. Korean leader says Pyongyang will take 'next step' against S. Korea

`` If the South Korean authorities have now capability and courage to carry out at once the thing they have @ @ @ @ @ past two years , why are the north-south relations still in stalemate like now , @ @ @ @ @ END )

(ATTN: CHANGES slug; UPDATES with more details, additional information from 5th para)
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will take its next step against South Korea, for what it claims to be Seoul's betrayal and crimes against the communist state, it said Saturday, adding that its army has been entrusted to plan and take any necessary action.
"I feel it is high time to surely break with the South Korean authorities. We will soon take a next action," Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency.
Kim is also younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"By exercising my power authorized by the Supreme Leader, our Party and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action," the statement said.
She added, "the right to taking the next action against the enemy will be entrusted
to the General Staff of our army."
The statement came about a week after Yo-jong threatened to cut off all communication with South Korea and scrap a military agreement aimed at reducing tension between the separated Koreas due to South Korean activist groups and North Korean defectors who send anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into the North.
"Clearly speaking, the South Korean authorities will be forced to pay a dear price if they let this situation go on while making sort of excuses," she said in a statement released on Thursday.
Pyongyang stopped answering any attempt by South Korea to hold talks at least since Tuesday.
In her latest statement, issued Saturday, Kim said the North Korean army will determine its next move that will cool down "our people's resentment and surely carry it out."
Kim's statement came one day after the head of the North's United Front Department said the North has lost all confidence in the South Korean government and warned of "regretful" and "painful" times ahead for Seoul.
"I fully sympathize with the statement released by the director of the United Front Department of the Central Committee of the WPK yesterday," Kim said in her statement.
"If the South Korean authorities have now capability and courage to carry out at once the thing they have failed to do for the past two years, why are the north-south relations still in stalemate like now," she added.
(END)


yna--2020-06-13--Sister of N. Korean leader says Pyongyang will take 'next step' against S. Korea

SEOUL , June 13 ( Yonhap ) -- North Korea will take its next step against South Korea , for @ @ @ @ @ Seoul 's betrayal and crimes against the communist state , it said Saturday , adding @ @ @ @ @ entrusted to plan and take any necessary action .

SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will take its next step against South Korea, for what it claims to be Seoul's betrayal and crimes against the communist state, it said Saturday, adding that its army has been entrusted to plan and take any necessary action.
"I feel it is high time to surely break with the South Korean authorities. We will soon take a next action," Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency.
Kim is also younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"By exercising my power authorized by the Supreme Leader, our Party and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action," the statement said.
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--S. Korean female baseball player featured on ESPN, hopes to meet U.S. Olympic champion

Park , who in 2016 became the first elementary school girl to homer in a Korean Little League game , @ @ @ @ @ along with clips of her game action and practice swings , to Jessica Mendoza , @ @ @ @ @ .
The 2004 Olympic softball gold medalist for the U.S. , Mendoza was working the @ @ @ @ @ and the Samsung Lions .

By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- Park Min-seo, a 16-year-old South Korean baseball player, was featured on an ESPN telecast of a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) game on Sunday, expressing her hopes of meeting a fellow trailblazer calling the action in the United States.
Park, who in 2016 became the first elementary school girl to homer in a Korean Little League game, sent a video message, along with clips of her game action and practice swings, to Jessica Mendoza, a color commentator for ESPN. The 2004 Olympic softball gold medalist for the U.S., Mendoza was working the game between the KT Wiz and the Samsung Lions.
This photo provided by Brion Company shows South Korean baseball player Park Min-seo, in her Little League uniform from 2019. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
In 2015, Mendoza became the first female commentator of a Major League Baseball (MLB) game in ESPN history. With the MLB season not off the ground and ESPN having signed a deal to broadcast six KBO games per week this season, Mendoza has been calling South Korean games from her home studio since last month.
In her message to Mendoza, Park said, "I respect and admire your success. I really want to meet you in person someday."
Park, who first took interest in baseball as a fourth grader when her grandfather gave her a baseball glove as a present, was invited to compete at the National Girls Baseball Tournament in Rockford, Illinois, last year. Playing for the New York Wonders, Park went 3-for-7 at the plate while playing excellent defense at shortstop.
"I also practice hard to strengthen my batting skills by watching swing clips of great MLB players, such as Bryce Harper, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge, through Instagram," Park said.
Mendoza seemed immediately smitten.
"Min-seo, I have to meet you. You can rake," Mendoza said with a smile. "Just watching your swing ... I am such a huge fan. This absolutely made my whole month. One of my first questions when I found about the KBO was, are there girls playing? Min-seo answered that."
Mendoza, reeling off a list of people who inspired her when she was younger, said it was important for young girls to have someone to look up to.
"You have to see it to be it," Mendoza said. "There's a young girl that is seeing (Min-seo) playing that's going to go out and play baseball and do things that they want to do."
Mendoza said she was looking forward to sitting down with Park for a chance to "talk shop" about baseball.
Mendoza's play-by-play partner, Jason Benetti, told her: "I just love how excited you are to meet somebody who has obviously broken a barrier in South Korea and will continue to do so. (Park is) very dedicated to the craft of baseball."
This 2019 file photo provided by Brion Company shows South Korean Park Min-seo taking a swing in a Little League game. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(2nd LD) KBO's Hanwha Eagles snap record-tying losing streak at 18

The Eagles were tied with the 1985 Sammi Superstars for the longest losing streak since the KBO 's inception in @ @ @ @ @ , the Eagles saw their manager Han Yong-duk step down and replaced by minor league @ @ @ @ @ interim basis .
Choi tried to shake things up by demoting 10 veterans and calling @ @ @ @ @ rookies .

(ATTN: ADDS latest result at bottom)
DAEJEON, June 14 (Yonhap) -- Start spreading the news: the Hanwha Eagles have finally won a game.
The Eagles snapped their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) record-tying losing skid at 18 games on Sunday with a 7-6 walk-off victory over the Doosan Bears at home in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul.
Noh Tae-hyeong delivered the game-winning single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Eagles their first victory since May 22.
Noh Tae-hyeong of the Hanwha Eagles (C) celebrates his walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. Noh's hit lifted the Eagles to a 7-6 victory, ending their KBO record-tying losing streak at 18 games. (Yonhap)
The Eagles and the Bears picked up this game from the bottom of the third, after their Saturday's game was suspended at that point due to rain with the Bears leading 4-3.
The Eagles tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom fourth on Choi Jae-hoon's RBI single, only to see the Bears go up by 5-4 with Kim Jae-hwan's solo blast.
In the seesaw match, the Eagles reclaimed their lead in the bottom seventh. Jung Eun-won came up with runners at first and second, and after an eight-pitch battle, he cashed in both runners with a double to right-center, giving the Eagles a 6-5 lead.
The Bears clawed back to even the score again, as Lee Yu-chan's single made it a 6-6 game.
Because this was the continuation of a suspended game and the teams had to play the originally-scheduled Sunday evening game for a partial double header, there would be no extra innings in case of a tie.
If this game had ended 6-6, the Eagles' losing streak would still have been alive at 18 games. But Noh, a 25-year-old rookie, made sure the Eagles wouldn't be denied this time.
Noh Tae-hyeong of the Hanwha Eagles (C) high-fives his interim manager Choi Won-ho after hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
Team captain Lee Yong-kyu led off the bottom ninth with a walk, and he advanced to second on a groundout. The Bears intentionally walked Kim Tae-kyun, so that their left-handed reliever Ham Deok-ju would face slumping left-handed batter, Jared Hoying.
Hoying, who had gone 0-for-4 in the game up to that point, popped out to second for the second out of the inning, with Noh, another left-handed hitter, coming up.
At 2-2 count, though, Ham threw a wild pitch, allowing both runners to advance a base.
On the next pitch, Noh poked a single through the hole to the left. Lee scored the winning run and set off a celebration worthy of a championship victory.
Kim Jin-young of the Hanwha Eagles celebrates after striking out Jung Soo-bin to escape a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
The Eagles were tied with the 1985 Sammi Superstars for the longest losing streak since the KBO's inception in 1982. During the slide, the Eagles saw their manager Han Yong-duk step down and replaced by minor league manager Choi Won-ho on an interim basis. Choi tried to shake things up by demoting 10 veterans and calling up career minor leaguers and rookies.
On Choi's watch, the Eagles lost four more games before Sunday's breakthrough.
Based on rules guiding suspended games, this win will go into the record books as having come on Saturday, June 13, which is when the game began.
Riding high from that long-awaited victory, the Eagles also beat the Bears in the second game of the double header by 3-2, starting the Eagles' first winning streak since May 21-22, and the Bears' first losing streak of 2020. They had been the only KBO club not to lose consecutive games until Sunday.
The Eagles broke the scoreless tie in the bottom third with Choi Jae-hoon's solo home run. A single by Lee Yong-kyu and a bases-loaded walk by Jared Hoying put the Eagles up 3-0 in the bottom fifth.
The Bears cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top sixth with Kook Hae-seong's RBI groundout and Park Kun-woo's single.
Both of those runs came against Hanwha starter Warwick Saupold. The Eagles' bullpen slammed the door shut afterward, with three relievers holding the Bears to just one hit over the final three innings. Moon Dong-wook earned his first career save with a perfect ninth inning.
Members of the Hanwha Eagles celebrate the end of the top of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(3rd LD) New virus cases sharply slow, greater Seoul still harried by cluster infections

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters , the average number of new cases in the capital area @ @ @ @ @ to June 13 , compared with 28.9 new infections per day from the previous two-week @ @ @ @ @ May 30 .

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, comments in paras 15-17, 21-22)
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases slowed sharply Sunday, but cluster infections in the greater Seoul area continued raising concerns over further community spread.
The country added 34 new cases, including 31 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,085, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a fall from 49 additional cases reported on Saturday and 56 a day earlier.
All but two of the locally transmitted cases were reported in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital.
Applicants seeking to join South Korea's state-run rail operator Korea Railroad Corp. have their temperatures checked before taking an entrance test at a college in western Seoul on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
While new virus cases have been plateauing in other areas, Seoul and surrounding areas have seen a continued rise in cluster infections tied to a door-to-door retailer, religious gatherings, sports facilities and a distribution center.
South Korea has been dogged by multiple, sporadic cluster infections in the densely populated Seoul area since it relaxed its social distancing scheme in early May.
The country had imposed two weeks of tougher infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area in late May until June 14. It decided last week to indefinitely extend the deadline as nearly all locally transmitted cases have been reported in the densely populated area.
In a related move, the Gyeonggi provincial government extended an order to apply enhanced infection preventive measures to warehouses, call centers and funeral and wedding halls by another two weeks until June 28.
A door-to-door business establishment in southern Seoul has emerged as a new hotbed for community spread. Cases traced to the door-to-door retailer reached 164 as of noon, up 11 from the previous day.
Those linked to small churches in the metropolitan area came to 107, up 7 cases over the past 24 hours.
COVID-19 cases tied to a table tennis gym in southwestern Seoul reached at least 62.
Virus cases connected to a day care center for seniors in northeastern Seoul rose one case to 17.
Cases traced to a warehouse run by e-commerce leader Coupang in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, reached at least 147.
Wearing masks, worshipers line up to enter Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, the biggest Protestant church in South Korea with 560,000 congregants, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
Health authorities said the number of patients in their 60s and older rose tenfold over the past month, spawning concerns about virus spread in risk-prone age groups.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the average number of new cases in the capital area reached 43.6 from May 31 to June 13, compared with 28.9 new infections per day from the previous two-week stretch from May 17 to May 30.
Health authorities also noted that they haven't been able to trace infection routes for 56 out of 610 new patients over the past two weeks, or 9.2 percent, up from 7.4 percent from the previous two-week period.
Son Young-rae, an official with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said health authorities' tracing efforts haven't been able to keep pace with the speed of spread in Seoul and its surrounding areas.
A string of cluster infections in Seoul and nearby areas came as South Korea completed its phased reopening of schools last Monday, the main feature of the eased social distancing.
After nearly six weeks of strict social distancing, the country switched to its distancing in everyday life on May 6 to enable citizens to carry out economic and social activities under quarantine rules.
Health authorities warned the country may have to roll back to strict social distancing if virus cases do not subside.
Son added that the nation should brace for a long struggle against the virus.
"The best strategy is to maintain the current state of daily life while keeping COVID-19 under control," Son said. "During this global pandemic, strong quarantine measures that come at the expense of economy and students' academic life will likely have only temporary effects"
The country, meanwhile, added three imported cases and reported no additional deaths, bringing the total death toll to 277. The fatality rate was 2.29 percent.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,718, up 27 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 1,100,328 tests since Jan. 3.
This photo, taken on June 14, 2020, shows a sign informing visitors of the extended closure of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul due to the new coronavirus outbreak as the government has decided to indefinitely impose stronger infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(LEAD) KBO's Hanwha Eagles snap record-tying losing streak at 18

(ATTN: ADDS details from para 4, photos)
DAEJEON, June 14 (Yonhap) -- Start spreading the news: the Hanwha Eagles have finally won a game.
The Eagles snapped their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) record-tying losing skid at 18 games on Sunday with a 7-6 walk-off victory over the Doosan Bears at home in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul.
Noh Tae-hyoung delivered the game-winning single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Eagles their first victory since May 22.
Noh Tae-hyoung of the Hanwha Eagles (C) celebrates his walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. Noh's hit lifted the Eagles to a 7-6 victory, ending their KBO record-tying losing streak at 18 games. (Yonhap)
The Eagles and the Bears picked up this game from the bottom of the third, after their Saturday's game was suspended at that point due to rain with the Bears leading 4-3.
The Eagles tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom fourth on Choi Jae-hoon's RBI single, only to see the Bears go up by 5-4 with Kim Jae-hwan's solo blast.
In the seesaw match, the Eagles reclaimed their lead in the bottom seventh. Jung Eun-won came up with runners at first and second, and after an eight-pitch battle, he cashed in both runners with a double to right-center, giving the Eagles a 6-5 lead.
The Bears clawed back to even the score again, as Lee Yu-chan's single made it a 6-6 game.
Because this was the continuation of a suspended game and the teams had to play the originally-scheduled Sunday evening game for a partial double header, there would be no extra innings in case of a tie.
If this game had ended 6-6, the Eagles' losing streak would still have been alive at 18 games. But Noh, a 25-year-old rookie, made sure the Eagles wouldn't be denied this time.
Noh Tae-hyoung of the Hanwha Eagles (C) high-fives his interim manager Choi Won-ho after hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
Team captain Lee Yong-kyu led off the bottom ninth with a walk, and he advanced to second on a groundout. The Bears intentionally walked Kim Tae-kyun, so that their left-handed reliever Ham Deok-ju would face slumping left-handed batter, Jared Hoying.
Hoying, who had gone 0-for-4 in the game up to that point, popped out to second for the second out of the inning, with Noh, another left-handed hitter, coming up.
At 2-2 count, though, Ham threw a wild pitch, allowing both runners to advance a base.
On the next pitch, Noh poked a single through the hole to the left. Lee scored the winning run and set off a celebration worthy of a championship victory.
Kim Jin-young of the Hanwha Eagles celebrates after striking out Jung Soo-bin to escape a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
The Eagles were tied with the 1985 Sammi Superstars for the longest losing streak since the KBO's inception in 1982. During the slide, the Eagles saw their manager Han Yong-duk step down and replaced by minor league manager Choi Won-ho on an interim basis. Choi tried to shake things up by demoting 10 veterans and calling up career minor leaguers and rookies.
On Choi's watch, the Eagles lost four more games before Sunday's breakthrough.
Based on rules guiding suspended games, this win will go into the record books as having come on Saturday, June 13, which is when the game began.
Members of the Hanwha Eagle celebrate the end of the top of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--Man faces arrest for brutally abusing 9-year-old daughter

Police are also planning to launch an investigation into the 27-year-old mother in the near future .
She was hospitalized @ @ @ @ @ injure herself in connection with the police 's intervention in the case .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- The police on Sunday filed for a warrant to detain a man on charges of brutally abusing his nine-year-old stepdaughter.
Changnyeong Police Station in South Gyeongsang Province applied for the warrant to keep the 35-year-old man in police custody for further investigation after he was arrested a day earlier on child abuse charges.
The police decided to seek the warrant due to the seriousness of the case and the risk that the subject could flee.
The man is accused of brutally tormenting the stepdaughter since 2017 with his wife, the biological mother of the child. They allegedly tied the child with a metal chain, burned her feet with hot metal chopsticks and gave her only one meal a day.
The police transfer a 35-year-old suspect accused of abusing his nine-year-old stepdaughter in the southeastern city of Changnyeong on June 13, 2020. (Yonhap)
The abuse case came to light after the girl, wearing pajamas and no shoes, was found wandering on a roadside by a neighbor near her home in Changnyeong after escaping from home late last month.
The police earlier raided the home of the girl and found a handful of items that are presumed to have been used to abuse the victim, including chains and a frying pan.
The stepfather has admitted to most of the charges, except the most serious accusations, according to the police.
A court hearing is set for Monday to decide whether to issue the warrant.
Police are also planning to launch an investigation into the 27-year-old mother in the near future. She was hospitalized last week after attempting to injure herself in connection with the police's intervention in the case.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--KBO's Hanwha Eagles snap record-tying losing streak at 18

Noh Tae-hyoung delivered the game-winning single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth , giving the Eagles their @ @ @ @ @ .

DAEJEON, June 14 (Yonhap) -- Start spreading the news: the Hanwha Eagles have finally won a game.
The Eagles snapped their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) record-tying losing skid at 18 games on Sunday with a 7-6 walk-off victory over the Doosan Bears at home in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul.
Noh Tae-hyoung delivered the game-winning single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Eagles their first victory since May 22.
Members of the Hanwha Eagle celebrate the end of the top of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(3rd LD) Seoul urges Pyongyang to keep reconciliatory deals, staunch posture in place over threats

`` The secure strategic goal of the DPRK is to build up more reliable force to cope with the long-term @ @ @ @ @ .
This is our reply message to the U.S. on the occasion of second anniversary @ @ @ @ @ North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon said in a statement carried on Friday by the @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: ADDS more details in last 4 paras)
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea held an emergency security meeting on Sunday and pressed North Korea to keep reconciliatory deals as Pyongyang continued to up the ante by threatening to sever inter-Korean relations and even use military action.
Seoul's top security officials, led by Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office, reviewed the current security situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as Seoul's response to the recent harsh rhetoric by Pyongyang, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.
The emergency security meeting came as Pyongyang built up tensions in inter-Korean ties with a threat to cut off all communication lines with South Korea last week.
This undated file photo shows South Korea's presidential office, Cheong Wag Dae (Yonhap)
Protesting against anti-North Korea leaflets sent by activists and North Korean defectors in the South, Pyongyang threatened to disconnect all telephone lines between the two Koreas last Tuesday.
Since then, the North has ratcheted up tensions with South Korea with a series of more harshly worded rhetoric, spearheaded by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Such threats culminated on Saturday as Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), warned that Pyongyang would "break with" South Korea and signaled military action against Seoul.
"I feel it is high time to surely break with the South Korean authorities. We will soon take a next action," Kim said in a statement carried Saturday by the Korean Central News Agency.
Hours after Yo-jong's strongly worded statement, Seoul's unification ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean relations, said the Seoul government is taking current situations seriously and that "the South and the North should adhere to all agreements (reached)."
In a related note, the South's defense ministry also said Sunday that it is maintaining a staunch readiness posture to respond to all situations involving North Korea, calling on the North to comply with the past inter-Korean military pact.
"The defense ministry is taking the current situation gravely and closely watching moves by the North Korean military," the ministry said in a statement, adding that it has maintained a staunch readiness posture "in preparation against all situations."
This illustrated image shows Kim Yo-jong, a younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who also serves as the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. (Yonhap)
On Sunday, North Korea made public Yo-jong's Saturday statement to its own citizens.
The main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, carried the full statement on the second page of its Sunday issue. Publishing additional articles linked with the statement in the Sunday edition, the newspaper also vowed "repetitive and thorough retaliation" against Seoul.
The renewed tensions between South and North come as nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled for more than a year due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S.
North Korea vowed last week to build up a "more reliable" force against military threats from the United States, saying the historic summit in Singapore two years ago between its leader and U.S. President Donald Trump led to no improvement in relations between the two countries.
"The secure strategic goal of the DPRK is to build up more reliable force to cope with the long-term military threats from the U.S. This is our reply message to the U.S. on the occasion of second anniversary of June 12," North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon said in a statement carried on Friday by the Korean Central News Agency.
DPRK is the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"What stands out is that the hope for improved DPRK-U.S. relations -- which was high in the air under the global spotlight two years ago -- has now been shifted into despair," he added.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(2nd LD) New virus cases sharply slow, greater Seoul still harried by cluster infections

The country had imposed two weeks of tougher infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area in late May until @ @ @ @ @ last week to indefinitely extend the deadline as nearly all locally transmitted cases have been @ @ @ @ @ area .

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in paras 5, 9, 15)
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases slowed sharply Sunday, but cluster infections in the greater Seoul area continued raising concerns over further community spread.
The country added 34 new cases, including 31 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,085, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a fall from 49 additional cases reported on Saturday and 56 a day earlier.
All but two of the locally transmitted cases were reported in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital.
Applicants seeking to join South Korea's state-run rail operator Korea Railroad Corp. have their temperatures checked before taking an entrance test at a college in western Seoul on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
While new virus cases have been plateauing in other areas, Seoul and surrounding areas have seen a continued rise in cluster infections tied to a door-to-door retailer, religious gatherings, sports facilities and a distribution center.
South Korea has been dogged by multiple, sporadic cluster infections in the densely populated Seoul area since it relaxed its social distancing scheme in early May.
The country had imposed two weeks of tougher infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area in late May until June 14. It decided last week to indefinitely extend the deadline as nearly all locally transmitted cases have been reported in the densely populated area.
In a related move, the Gyeonggi provincial government extended an order to apply enhanced infection preventive measures to warehouses, call centers and funeral and wedding halls by another two weeks until June 28.
A door-to-door business establishment in southern Seoul has emerged as a new hotbed for community spread. Cases traced to the door-to-door retailer reached 164 as of noon, up 11 from the previous day.
Those linked to small churches in the metropolitan area came to 107, up 7 cases over the past 24 hours.
COVID-19 cases tied to a table tennis gym in southwestern Seoul reached at least 62.
Virus cases connected to a day care center for seniors in northeastern Seoul rose one case to 17.
Cases traced to a warehouse run by e-commerce leader Coupang in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, reached at least 147.
Wearing masks, worshipers line up to enter Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, the biggest Protestant church in South Korea with 560,000 congregants, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
Health authorities said the number of patients in their 60s and older rose tenfold over the past month, spawning concerns about virus spread in risk-prone age groups.
A string of cluster infections in Seoul and nearby areas came as South Korea completed its phased reopening of schools last Monday, the main feature of the eased social distancing.
After nearly six weeks of strict social distancing, the country switched to its distancing in everyday life on May 6 to enable citizens to carry out economic and social activities under quarantine rules.
Health authorities warned the country may have to roll back to strict social distancing if virus cases do not subside.
The country, meanwhile, added three imported cases and reported no additional deaths, bringing the total death toll to 277. The fatality rate was 2.29 percent.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,718, up 27 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 1,100,328 tests since Jan. 3.
This photo, taken on June 14, 2020, shows a sign informing visitors of the extended closure of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul due to the new coronavirus outbreak as the government has decided to indefinitely impose stronger infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--S. Korea on course to end mask rationing this month

`` ( The government ) is in the final stage of talks to end its public ( mask ) distribution @ @ @ @ @ , '' the official told Yonhap News Agency .
The facial mask rationing scheme will @ @ @ @ @ major supply disruption amid rising stockpiles , according to the official .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- After nearly four months of state-led mask rationing to fight new coronavirus outbreaks, South Korea may end the strictly regulated scheme this month on the back of eased supply shortages, a government official said Sunday.
As mask prices skyrocketed amid massive virus outbreaks here in February, the country introduced the mask rationing system on March 9, in a bid to smooth out soaring demand. Under the scheme, citizens were to buy a limited number of protective masks every week at the price of 1,500 won (US$1.26).
"(The government) is in the final stage of talks to end its public (mask) distribution before the start of July," the official told Yonhap News Agency. The facial mask rationing scheme will end if there's no major supply disruption amid rising stockpiles, according to the official.
This undated file photo shows a citizen holding protective masks purchased under the mask rationing scheme. (Yonhap)
Demand for protective facial masks has sharply reduced recently amid the flattening virus curve, while the mask supply has continued to expand.
As of this month, the country's daily production of masks stood at some 18 million, about three times the daily production reported in January. The combined stockpiles held by mask producers have also grown to some 200 million, according to the government.
Ahead of the termination of the mask rationing scheme, the government will raise the weekly ceiling of "public masks" available for purchase per person to 10 from the current 3, starting this week, the official said.
But in case of emergency, the government will also be maintaining protective mask stockpiles large enough to meet a sudden rise in demand.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(LEAD) New virus cases sharply slow, greater Seoul still harried by cluster infections

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info throughout; CHANGES photos)
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases slowed sharply Sunday, but cluster infections in the greater Seoul area continued raising concerns over further community spread.
The country added 34 new cases, including 31 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,085, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a fall from 49 additional cases reported on Saturday and 56 a day earlier. All but two of the locally transmitted cases were reported in Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas.
Applicants seeking to join South Korea's state-run rail operator Korea Railroad Corp. have their temperatures checked before taking an entrance test at a college in western Seoul on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
While new virus cases have been plateauing in other areas, Seoul and surrounding areas have seen a continued rise in cluster infections tied to a door-to-door retailer, religious gatherings, sports facilities and a distribution center.
South Korea has been dogged by multiple, sporadic cluster infections in the densely populated Seoul area since it relaxed its social distancing scheme in early May.
The country had imposed two weeks of tougher infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area in late May until June 14. It decided last week to indefinitely extend the deadline as nearly all locally transmitted cases have been reported in the densely populated area.
A door-to-door business establishment in southwestern Seoul has emerged as a new hotbed for community spread. Cases traced to the door-to-door retailer reached 164 as of noon, up 11 from the previous day.
Those linked to small churches in the metropolitan area came to 107, up 7 cases over the past 24 hours.
COVID-19 cases tied to a table tennis gym in southwestern Seoul reached at least 62.
Virus cases connected to a day care center for seniors in northeastern Seoul rose one case to 17.
Cases traced to a warehouse run by e-commerce leader Coupang in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, reached at least 147.
Health authorities said the portion of patients in their 60s and older sharply rose over the past week, spawning concerns about virus spread in risk-prone age groups.
Wearing masks, worshipers line up to enter Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, the biggest Protestant church in South Korea with 560,000 congregants, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
A string of cluster infections in Seoul and nearby areas came as South Korea completed its phased reopening of schools last Monday, the main feature of the eased social distancing.
After nearly six weeks of strict social distancing, the country switched to its distancing in everyday life on May 6 to enable citizens to carry out economic and social activities under quarantine rules.
Health authorities warned the country may have to roll back to strict social distancing if virus cases do not subside.
The country, meanwhile, added three imported cases and reported no additional deaths, bringing the total death toll to 277. The fatality rate was 2.29 percent.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,718, up 27 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 1,100,328 tests since Jan. 3.
This photo, taken on June 14, 2020, shows a sign informing visitors of the extended closure of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul due to the new coronavirus outbreak as the government has decided to indefinitely impose stronger infection preventive measures in the greater Seoul area. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--Korean bakery chain Paris Baguette to open stores in Canada next year

The Canadian operation of Paris Baguette will be set up by the first half of 2021 , with stores to @ @ @ @ @ 's major cities including Toronto and Vancouver , the group said in a statement .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean food and beverage giant SPC Group said Sunday that its bakery-cafe chain Paris Baguette will land in Canada next year.
The Canadian operation of Paris Baguette will be set up by the first half of 2021, with stores to be launched in the country's major cities including Toronto and Vancouver, the group said in a statement.
Paris Baguette's goal is to establish at least 100 bakery branches in Canada by 2030.
SPC has been operating in China, the United States, Vietnam, Singapore, France and Cambodia.
SPC Group runs about 400 Paris Baguette stores globally, with stores in heavily populated areas such as Manhattan, San Francisco and Boston.
The group completed a factory in the Chinese city of Tianjin in March. Last year, SPC also launched a joint venture in Cambodia.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--Dollar-denominated deposits at banks rise 30 pct over pandemic

South Korea 's COVID-19 cases sharply rose in February due mainly to cases traced to a minor religious sect in @ @ @ @ @ after the county reported the first case in late January .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- U.S. dollar-denominated deposits at South Korean banks have risen nearly 30 percent since February as investors have chased after safer assets amid the new coronavirus outbreak, industry data showed Sunday.
Outstanding dollar deposits at five local banks reached US$47 billion as of Thursday, up 28 percent from $36.6 billion tallied at the end of February, according to the data.
A rise in the foreign currency deposits came as investors betted on a stronger U.S. dollar amid pandemic-caused economic uncertainties.
The Korean won has fallen nearly 4 percent against the dollar so far this year.
Demand for the dollar deposits has continued to rise after they jumped $6.6 billion in March from the previous month.
South Korea's COVID-19 cases sharply rose in February due mainly to cases traced to a minor religious sect in the southeastern city of Daegu after the county reported the first case in late January.
The country reported 34 additional cases Sunday, raising the total caseload to 12,085.
An electronic signboard at the trading room of Hana Bank in Seoul shows the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) having plunged 44.48 points, or 2.04 percent, to finish at 2,132.30 on June 12, 2020. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history

918 -- Wang Geon establishes the Goryeo Kingdom , unifying three states on the Korean Peninsula .
One of them @ @ @ @ @ had declined following its 1,000-year rule that started in 57 B.C .
The other two @ @ @ @ @ -- had briefly emerged in the southwestern and the northern parts of the peninsula with @ @ @ @ @ Baekje and Koguryo kingdoms .

June 15
918 -- Wang Geon establishes the Goryeo Kingdom, unifying three states on the Korean Peninsula. One of them, the Silla Kingdom, had declined following its 1,000-year rule that started in 57 B.C. The other two states -- post-Baekje and post-Koguryo -- had briefly emerged in the southwestern and the northern parts of the peninsula with historic legacies tied to the Baekje and Koguryo kingdoms.
1962 -- South Korea establishes diplomatic relations with Paraguay.
1994 -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits North Korea to resolve a dispute over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
1999 -- Warships from South and North Korea exchange fire off the west coast of the peninsula.
2000 -- Then President Kim Dae-jung and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il announce a five-point joint statement aimed at increasing economic and social exchanges between the Koreas in the first-ever inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang.
2004 -- Warships from South and North Korea exchange radio messages for the first time to express non-hostility. The prearranged 15-minute exchange, which took place at 9 a.m., marked the first direct contact between combat-ready field units of the two states.
2005 -- North Korea jacks up anti-U.S. rhetoric at a gathering in Pyongyang to mark the fifth anniversary of the historic inter-Korean summit. The move contrasted with the cooperative mood that prevailed at a pro-unification festival attended by 700 government and civilian delegates from both Koreas.
2009 -- Eom Yong-sun, a 34-year-old South Korean woman, is found dead in northern Yemen, along with eight other foreigners, who had belonged to an international relief group, after being presumably kidnapped and killed by a group insurgents.
2017 -- Seoul National University Hospital officially changes the cause of death of Baek Nam-gi -- a farmer who died after being hit by a police water cannon during a protest in 2015 -- from kidney failure to external injury.
2019 -- President Moon Jae-in and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven hold a summit in Stockholm and agree to expand ties on new industries, inclusive growth.
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(2nd LD) Seoul urges Pyongyang to keep reconciliatory deals, staunch posture in place over threats

The renewed tensions between South and North come as nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled for more than @ @ @ @ @ over the scope of North Korea 's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S .

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS more details in from 9th para)
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea held an emergency security meeting on Sunday and pressed North Korea to keep reconciliatory deals as Pyongyang continued to up the ante by threatening to sever inter-Korean relations and even use military action.
Seoul's top security officials, led by Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office, reviewed the current security situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as Seoul's response to the recent harsh rhetoric by Pyongyang, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.
The emergency security meeting came as Pyongyang built up tensions in inter-Korean ties with a threat to cut off all communication lines with South Korea last week.
This undated file photo shows South Korea's presidential office, Cheong Wag Dae (Yonhap)
Protesting against anti-North Korea leaflets sent by activists and North Korean defectors in the South, Pyongyang threatened to disconnect all telephone lines between the two Koreas last Tuesday.
Since then, the North has ratcheted up tensions with South Korea with a series of more harshly worded rhetoric, spearheaded by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Such threats culminated on Saturday as Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), warned that Pyongyang would "break with" South Korea and signaled military action against Seoul.
"I feel it is high time to surely break with the South Korean authorities. We will soon take a next action," Kim said in a statement carried Saturday by the Korean Central News Agency.
The renewed tensions between South and North come as nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled for more than a year due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S.
This illustrated image shows Kim Yo-jong, a younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who also serves as the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. (Yonhap)
Hours after Yo-jong's strongly worded statement, Seoul's unification ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean relations, said the Seoul government is taking current situations seriously and that "the South and the North should adhere to all agreements (reached)."
In a related note, the South's defense ministry also said Sunday that it is maintaining a staunch readiness posture to respond to all situations involving North Korea, calling on the North to comply with the past inter-Korean military pact.
"The defense ministry is taking the current situation gravely and closely watching moves by the North Korean military," the ministry said in a statement, adding that it has maintained a staunch readiness posture "in preparation against all situations."
On Sunday, North Korea made public Yo-jong's Saturday statement to its own citizens.
The main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, carried the full statement on the second page of its Sunday issue. Publishing additional articles linked with the statement in the Sunday edition, the newspaper also vowed "repetitive and thorough retaliation" against Seoul.
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--Automakers struggle with falling output, lower demand

For one , GM Korea logged the lowest production of 136,000 units in the January-May period since 2005 , and @ @ @ @ @ 38 percent on-year drop in its production to 38,200 units in the first five months @ @ @ @ @ data showed .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- Automakers in South Korea are grappling with a decline in output and lower demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, industry sources said Sunday, with some of them seeking to cut costs and secure cash via asset sales.
Auto output in the country reached 1.33 million in the first five months of the year, the lowest since 2009 when the comparable figure was 1.21 million, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA).
For one, GM Korea logged the lowest production of 136,000 units in the January-May period since 2005, and SsangYong Motor Co. suffered a 38 percent on-year drop in its production to 38,200 units in the first five months of the year, the data showed.
In May alone, Hyundai Motor Co. and four other automakers produced a combined 230,000 units, the lowest for May in 21 years.
Vehicle sales plunged 36 percent last month from a year earlier to 423,000 units.
This computer graphic image shows logos of the country's five carmakers: (clockwise from top L) Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, SsangYong Motor, GM Korea and Renault Samsung Motors. (Yonhap)
In overseas markets, things are not good as well. The country's auto exports more than halved in May from a year earlier due to falling demand in the face of the new coronavirus pandemic.
Local carmakers shipped 95,400 units of cars overseas last month, down 57.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
In terms of value, auto exports also fell 54.1 percent over the period to reach US$1.81 billion.
From January to May, the five carmakers sold 2,471,186 vehicles, down 22 percent from 3,187,474 a year earlier.
In the first five months of 2020, the country shipped 693,805 units of cars, down 32.6 percent on-year, the data also showed.
Against a decline in output and lower demand, some automakers are in a hurry to cut costs and sell assets to tide over the virus-caused slump.
GM Korea cut wages for its executives and is considering selling a logistics center west of Seoul.
Renault Samsung is also seeking to shut down some of its service centers across the nation, and SsangYong Motor has decided to sell its service center in Seoul to secure cash.
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--(LEAD) Seoul holds top security meeting over Pyongyang's threats

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with background)
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top security officials held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss a series of recent threats by North Korea, including of military action, which have built up tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office, and top security officials including the foreign, unification and defense ministers reviewed the current security situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as Seoul's response to the recent harsh rhetoric by Pyongyang, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.
The emergency security meeting came as Pyongyang built up tensions in inter-Korean ties with a threat to cut off all communication lines with South Korea last week.
An image of Cheong Wag Dae (Yonhap)
Protesting against anti-North Korea leaflets sent by activists and North Korean defectors in the South, Pyongyang threatened to sever all telephone lines between the two Koreas last Tuesday.
Since then, the North has ratcheted up tensions with South Korea with a series of more harshly worded rhetoric, spearheaded by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Such threats culminated on Saturday as Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), warned that Pyongyang would "break with" South Korea and signaled military action against Seoul.
"I feel it is high time to surely break with the South Korean authorities. We will soon take a next action," Kim said in a statement carried Saturday by the Korean Central News Agency.
The renewed tensions between South and North come as nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled for more than a year due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S.
This illustrated image shows Kim Yo-jong, a younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who also serves as the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--New jobless people hits record high in May amid COVID-19 outbreak

The number of jobless people who had been seeking to find jobs for less than three months reached 735,000 in @ @ @ @ @ the previous year , according to Statistics Korea .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- The number of people who are in search of jobs hit a record high in May as the new coronavirus outbreak hammered the job market, data showed Sunday.
The number of jobless people who had been seeking to find jobs for less than three months reached 735,000 in May, up 107,000 from the previous year, according to Statistics Korea.
The tally marked the largest figure for the month of May since the agency began to compile data in June 1999.
The monthly growth also marked the largest since January 2019, when such people increased by 173,000.
This photo, taken on June 10, 2020, shows job seekers lining up to listen to a lecture on unemployment benefits at Seoul's job welfare center in the capital's central Jung Ward. (Yonhap)
A sharp rise in jobless people came after the country switched to distancing in everyday life in early May, prompting some non-economically active people to seek to find jobs.
When non-economically active people or those who have no willingness to work try to find jobs, they are calculated as jobless people.
After nearly six weeks of tighter social distancing, the government eased the guideline on May 6 to enable citizens to carry out social and economic activities amid quarantine rules.
South Korea's jobless rate stood at 4.5 percent in May, the highest level in 10 years, according to government data.
The number of employed people fell by 392,000 to 26.93 million in May, marking the third consecutive monthly decline.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--S. Korea in staunch posture over N. Korea's threats: defense ministry

The inter-Korean agreement , named the Comprehensive Military Agreement ( CMA ) , calls for a series of trust-building and @ @ @ @ @ broader scheme to halt all hostile acts against each other .
It was signed during @ @ @ @ @ Pyongyang in 2018 .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is maintaining a staunch readiness posture to respond to all situations involving North Korea, the defense ministry said Sunday, calling on the North to comply with the past inter-Korean military pact.
The comments came a day after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned of military actions in protest over Seoul's failure to stop defectors from launching anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
Earlier this month, Kim warned that the military pact will be nullified and other exchange projects halted due to the leaflet campaigns.
"The defense ministry is taking the current situation gravely, and closely watching moves by the North Korean military," the ministry said in a statement, adding that it has maintained a staunch readiness posture "in preparation against all situations."
It then stressed that the Sept. 19 agreement "should be fully implemented to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula and to prevent accidental clashes (between the two Koreas)."
The inter-Korean agreement, named the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), calls for a series of trust-building and arms control measures under a broader scheme to halt all hostile acts against each other. It was signed during an inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang in 2018.
Officials and members of North Korean women's unions stage a mass rally outside a museum in Sinchon in North Korea's South Hwanghae Province on June 9, 2020, to denounce South Korean authorities and North Korean defectors for what they say are anti-North Korean acts, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on June 10. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-14--Seoul urges Pyongyang to comply with past inter-Korean agreements

She did not elaborate on what the next action would be , but it is seen as a threat to @ @ @ @ @ South Korea in the near future .

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry on Sunday urged North Korea to comply with past inter-Korean agreements after Pyongyang threatened to take a "next step," hinting that major provocations against the South, including military action, might be imminent.
"The government is taking current situations seriously, and the South and the North should adhere to all agreements (reached)," the ministry said in a statement sent to reporters.
The ministry's statement came one day after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened that Pyongyang will take a "next step" against the South and gave an instruction for the army to take necessary measures.
She did not elaborate on what the next action would be, but it is seen as a threat to push for major provocations against South Korea in the near future.
The illustrated image shows Kim Yo-jong, a younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who also serves as the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. (Yonhap)
North Korea has issued harsh criticism of South Korea recently, taking issue with anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by North Korean defectors and conservative activists in the South.
Last week, North Korea called the South an "enemy" and vowed to cut off all inter-Korean communication lines.
The move followed Pyongyang's repeated threats to abolish an inter-Korean liaison office and completely shut down other major cross-border programs, denouncing the sending of leaflets as a hostile act breaching a series of peace agreements between the two sides.
South Korea has pledged to legislate a ban on leafleting by activists here and filed a criminal complaint against two defector groups engaging in such activity.
But the North called the moves too late and "little more advanced excuses."
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-15--Gov't, ruling party confirm plan to grant more power to disease control center

Under the original version of the reform plan , the control of the National Institute of Health , in charge @ @ @ @ @ vaccine research , was to be transferred to the health ministry from the KCDC as @ @ @ @ @ .

SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- The government and the ruling party confirmed Monday a plan to elevate the administrative power and independence of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) that has been on the front lines of combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Holding a joint meeting, the ruling Democratic Party (DP), government and Cheong Wa Dae officials gave the final nod to the reform plan, initially announced in early June, the chief of the DP's policy committee, Rep. Cho Jeong-sik, told reporters.
The decision elevates the KCDC, now an organ of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, to an independent administrative body with power to handle its own budget and personnel matters.
Also agreed during the government-party meeting was a decision to allow the KCDC to retain the control of a key national research center, the National Institute of Health.
This photo, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows the headquarters of the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"The KCDC will be reborn as an independent disease control and prevention administration with a vice ministerial-level head and given autonomy as the main government body in charge of managing contagious diseases and disasters," Cho said.
"The National Institute of Health will remain an organ of the new administration as it is now, so that the synergy in responding to infectious diseases can be maximized."
The decision came after President Moon Jae-in ordered a review of the original reform plan several days after its initial announcement in early June.
Under the original version of the reform plan, the control of the National Institute of Health, in charge of infectious disease treatment and vaccine research, was to be transferred to the health ministry from the KCDC as it becomes an independent organ.
The initial reorganization plan, however, came under fire because it would have effectively deprived the KCDC of a key research arm and left it with fewer workers and a smaller budget.
The upgrade of the KCDC comes as the center has been at the vanguard of South Korea's successful containment of the new coronavirus since its massive outbreaks in late February.
Cho said a revised Government Organization Act reflective of the reform plan will be submitted to the National Assembly within this week for final approval.
Officials of Cheong Wa Dae, the government and the ruling Democratic Party pose for photos during a joint meeting on June 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-15--New virus cases below 40 for 2nd day, spread in greater Seoul still uncontrolled

While the country went ahead with the eased social-distancing scheme in early May on the back of flattened virus cases @ @ @ @ @ , sporadic cluster infections in the densely populated Seoul area emerged as a stumbling block @ @ @ @ @ fight .

SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases stayed below 40 for the second straight day Monday, but cluster infections and untraceable cases continued to haunt the Seoul metropolitan area.
The country added 37 new cases, including 24 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,121, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The tally marked a slight rise from 34 additional cases reported Sunday but a sharp decrease from 49 a day earlier.
All but two of the locally transmitted cases were reported in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital, home to half of the country's 50 million population.
Commuters wearing masks wait for buses in central Seoul on June 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
Health authorities have been staying vigilant over chains of group infections in the metropolitan area, which accounted for nearly all of the locally transmitted infections this month.
While the country went ahead with the eased social-distancing scheme in early May on the back of flattened virus cases, a series of multiple, sporadic cluster infections in the densely populated Seoul area emerged as a stumbling block in the country's virus fight.
The virus spike in the metropolitan area forced health authorities to impose a two-week tougher infection preventive measures in the region in late May until Sunday.
But the country opted last week to indefinitely extend the deadline, until the number of new cases falls back to a single digit
A door-to-door business establishment in southern Seoul has emerged as a new hotbed for community spread. As of Sunday, cases traced to the retailer reached 164, up 11 from the previous day.
Those linked to small churches in the metropolitan area came to 107, up seven cases over the past 24 hours.
COVID-19 cases tied to a table tennis center in southwestern Seoul reached at least 62.
Virus cases connected to a day care center for seniors in northeastern Seoul rose one to 17.
Cases traced to a warehouse run by e-commerce leader Coupang in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, reached at least 147.
The country reported no additional virus-related deaths, keeping the total death toll at 277.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,730, up 12 from the previous day.
Commuters wearing masks wait for buses in central Seoul on June 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-15--(URGENT) 12 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, total cured patients at 10,73

(URGENT) 12 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, total cured patients at 10,730: 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--2020-06-15--(URGENT) S. Korea reports no additional virus deaths, death toll now at 277: KCDC


yna--2020-06-15--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 37 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 12,121: KCDC


yna--2020-06-15--(LEAD) S. Korean Im Sung-jae posts 3rd straight top-10 finish as PGA Tour returns

Im also maintained his lead at the top of the FedEx Cup standings .
The top 125 in FedEx Cup @ @ @ @ @ the regular season in August will get into the three-tournament FedEx Cup playoffs .
Those @ @ @ @ @ cut , meaning the field of 125 for the Northern Trust gets reduced to 70 @ @ @ @ @ only the top 30 will be eligible for the season-ending Tour Championship .

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 2, 13)
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- Even after a long delay caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, some things don't change in golf: Im Sung-jae playing at a PGA Tour event and Im finishing inside the top 10.
The South Korean star posted his third consecutive top-10 finish as the tour resumed with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday (local time). Im shot a three-under 67 in the final round for a four-round total of 11-under 269 at Colonial Country Club. He tied three others, including world No. 4 Justin Thomas, for 10th place.
Im, the reigning Rookie of the Year, began his top-10 streak with his first-career victory at the Honda Classic on March 1. The very next week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Im finished alone in third.
In this Getty Images photo, Im Sung-jae of South Korea hits a tee shot at the third hole during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
The performance at Colonial was Im's sixth top-10 finish of the season, which puts him in a three-way tie at the top with Thomas and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy for the 2019-2020 season.
Im also maintained his lead at the top of the FedEx Cup standings. The top 125 in FedEx Cup points at the end of the regular season in August will get into the three-tournament FedEx Cup playoffs. Those three events feature a progressive cut, meaning the field of 125 for the Northern Trust gets reduced to 70 for the BMW Championship and only the top 30 will be eligible for the season-ending Tour Championship.
Last season, Im was the only freshman to qualify for the Tour Championship, and he was later voted by his peers as the Rookie of the Year.
The Charles Schwab Challenge was the first PGA tournament in three months, and was played without fans and with strict quarantine measures in place.
The Players Championship was canceled after the opening round on March 12 due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Several other tournaments were canceled or rescheduled during the pandemic.
Im shot in the 60s in all four rounds. He opened Sunday with a birdie at the first hole and had another at No. 3. He dropped a shot with a bogey at the fifth but got it right back with his third birdie of the day at the sixth.
Im had a three-putt bogey at the par-five 11th but had birdies at the 12th and the 14th en route to a solid 67.
Im, a 22-year-old workhorse, has played in 15 out of 23 tournaments so far. He led all players last season with 35 starts, 26 cuts made and 118 rounds played.
Daniel Berger defeated Collin Morikawa on the first playoff hole to win the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Among other South Korean players, An Byeong-hun ended in a four-way tie for 60th at one-over 281. Kang Sung-hoon, Kim Si-woo and Lee Kyoung-hoon missed the cut.
In this Getty Images photo, Im Sung-jae of South Korea lines up a putt on the second green during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-15--With veterans set to return, Hanwha Eagles looking to take off in KBO

`` When Jin-hang first came up , he was rushed back from his injury , and I thought he should @ @ @ @ @ minors and get into better physical condition , '' the skipper said .
`` But @ @ @ @ @ up here .
We missed him . ''

By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- Funny how baseball works sometimes.
As of Sunday morning, the Hanwha Eagles were mired in an 18-game losing streak, tied for longest in the history of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which began in 1982. By the evening, though, the Eagles emerged with two straight victories, the longest active winning streak in the league.
The Eagles ended the slide with a 7-6 victory over the Doosan Bears at home in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. It was a continuation of a game suspended by rain Saturday evening, and the two teams had to play their original Sunday game right afterward.
Members of the Hanwha Eagles celebrate their 3-2 win over the Doosan Bears in the second game of a Korea Baseball Organization doubleheader at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
The Eagles barely had time to celebrate the first win, and they went back out and beat the Bears 3-2 to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Can they build on this momentum and take off? Or will this mini-streak prove to be a flash in the pan?
The answer may lie in the impending return of some much-maligned veterans.
Interim manager Choi Won-ho, immediately after taking the reins last Monday, demoted 10 underperforming regulars to the Futures League, the KBO's minor league. Choi, who had been the Eagles' Futures League skipper, called up longtime minor leaguers and rookies to fill those roster spots.
Choi wanted to shake things up and give the clubhouse a shot in the arm with some fresh faces. The new boss also intended to start a long and painful rebuilding process by giving young and unproven names a chance to play, even at the expense of a few more losses in the short term.
Before his first game last Tuesday, Choi quipped that his team wasn't going to lose 100 straight games. But then the Eagles dropped four more games, moving into a tie with the 1985 Sammi Superstars for the longest futility streak.
Along the way, Choi began relying on some remaining veterans more often. A dose of reality seemed to have hit him. Developing young players by throwing them into fire may have been a novel idea. But so much losing can take its mental toll on players, young or old.
Noh Tae-hyeong of the Hanwha Eagles (C) celebrates his walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. The Eagles won the game 7-6. (Yonhap)
After all, when your first taste of KBO ball is tying the record for the longest losing streak, what good does that do to your psyche?
Now that the slide is behind the Eagles, Choi can take a deep breath and start planning for the rest of the season with a clearer focus.
Those who were demoted last week will be eligible to return on Thursday. And not all of the veterans who were unceremoniously sent down to the Futures League deserved the boot.
Granted, fans wanted designated hitter Lee Sung-yul, stuck at two homers after belting out 55 the previous two years, gone well before Choi came on board. Ditto for third baseman Song Kwang-min, who had struck out 20 times while drawing just three walks and homering twice in 29 games.
Then there's the complicated presence of outfielder Choi Jin-hang.
The 34-year-old outfielder began the season in the minors while nursing a calf injury, and was called up on May 31. He homered in back-to-back games on June 5 and 6, but then got the demotion two days later.
Choi Won-ho took some heat for sending down his hottest hitter, just at a time when the Eagles desperately needed some punch in the lineup. With losses piling up for the Eagles, Choi Jin-hang went 3-for-4 in his first Futures League game after the demotion last Wednesday, and hit a solo home run two days later.
Choi Jin-hang is a defensive liability in left field, and Choi Won-ho initially defended that demotion by saying he wanted to bolster his defense and pitching. Before Sunday's game, though, the interim manager offered a mea culpa.
"When Jin-hang first came up, he was rushed back from his injury, and I thought he should go back down to the minors and get into better physical condition," the skipper said. "But we could have used him up here. We missed him."
Warwick Saupold of the Hanwha Eagles pitches against the Doosan Bears in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
Choi Jin-hang will most likely return to the Eagles' lineup Thursday. The manager also hinted that Lee could be brought back up.
Lee homered in consecutive Futures League games on Friday and Saturday.
"Earlier in the season, Lee Sung-yul couldn't even make decent contact during batting practice. That's how terrible his slump was," Choi Won-ho said. "And it's been encouraging to hear that he's turned things around in the Futures League. I expect to be able to put out a lineup with a bit more power starting Thursday."
The Eagles are going to need all the power they can secure this week, as they'll run into the league's two best teams.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the Eagles will host the second-ranked LG Twins, who boast the KBO's lowest ERA at 4.09. Then starting on Friday, the Eagles will visit the best team in the league, the NC Dinos, for a weekend series.
The Dinos have the KBO's most lethal offense, with a league-leading 55 home runs, 243 runs scored and a .305/.382/.504 line.
The Dinos feature four players inside the top 10 in the RBI department: Aaron Altherr (35), Kang Jin-sung (31), Na Sung-bum (31) and Yang Eui-ji (30). These four players have driven in more runs (127) than the entire Eagles team (111).
Choi Jae-hoon of the Hanwha Eagles (L) high-fives his teammate Kim Tae-kyun after scoring a run on a bases-loaded single in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-06-15--Korean Air, Asiana eye reopening more routes to carry freight

Asiana also had all of its 10,500 employees start taking unpaid leave for 15 days a month in April until @ @ @ @ @ executives have agreed to forgo 60 percent of their wages , though no specific time @ @ @ @ @ long the pay cuts will remain in effect .

By Choi Kyong-ae
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. said Monday they are considering reopening more international routes next month to carry freight amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
The country's two full-service carriers have suspended most of their flights on international routes since late March following lockdowns and entry restrictions around the globe due to virus fears.
Korean Air is considering resuming routes to Dallas and Vienna in July and increasing the number of flights on routes to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Washington, Paris, London, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, a company spokeswoman said.
This undated file photo shows planes of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)
Asiana said it is also mulling restarting services on routes to Osaka, London, Paris and Istanbul next month, while planning to increase the number of flights to Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Bangkok, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Frankfurt.
In June, Korean Air resumed flights on 19 international routes, as it strives to offset a sharp decline in passenger travel demand with increased demand for cargo deliveries.
The routes that resumed services include Washington, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Frankfurt, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Asiana restarted flights to Seattle and increased flights on routes to Frankfurt, Manila, and Phnom Penh last month.
In its self-help measures, Korean Air had 70 percent of its 20,000-strong workforce take paid leave for six months starting April 16, and it is in the process of selling non-core assets to secure cash.
Asiana also had all of its 10,500 employees start taking unpaid leave for 15 days a month in April until business circumstances normalize. Its executives have agreed to forgo 60 percent of their wages, though no specific time frame was given for how long the pay cuts will remain in effect.
Korean Air plans to raise 1 trillion won by selling stocks, and the country's two policy lenders -- the Korea Development Bank (KDB) and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) -- plan to inject 1.2 trillion won into the carrier.
The two lenders also plan to inject a combined 1.7 trillion won into Asiana.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)