yna--2020-10-14--(LEAD) Seoul stocks tumble almost 1 pct over virus scare

Earlier in the day , the Bank of Korea ( BOK ) froze its key interest rate at a record @ @ @ @ @ widely expected .
An export slump and COVID-19 flare-ups have somewhat eased , but consumption @ @ @ @ @ protracted pandemic , the BOK noted .

(ATTN: ADDS bond yields at bottom, photo)
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares dipped nearly 1 percent Wednesday as a new coronavirus cluster infection threatened hopes for quick economic recovery. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 22.67 points, or 0.94 percent, to close at 2,380.48.
Trading volume was moderate at about 880 million shares worth some 10.5 trillion won (US$9.2 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 638 to 227.
Foreigners sold a net 38 billion won and institutions offloaded a net 376 billion won, while retail investors purchased a net 415 billion won.
Electronic signboards at a Hana Bank dealing room in Seoul show the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,380.48 on Oct. 14, 2020, down 22.67 points or 0.94 percent from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)
The KOSPI was down for a second consecutive session, widening losses towards the session's close.
Investor sentiment worsened amid concerns that a new cluster infection in the southeastern port city of Busan could lead to a mass outbreak.
"News reports about the large-scale infections in Busan seem to have accelerated the sell-offs (of local stocks)," Kiwoom Securities analyst Seo Sang-young said.
Losses also deepened over worries that the new U.S. stimulus plan is losing steam ahead of the November presidential election.
Investor disappointment also grew after COVID-19 vaccine developers, including Eli Lilly & Co. and J&J, halted their clinical tests due to safety concerns.
Earlier in the day, the Bank of Korea (BOK) froze its key interest rate at a record low of 0.5 percent as widely expected. An export slump and COVID-19 flare-ups have somewhat eased, but consumption has slowed due to the protracted pandemic, the BOK noted.
In Seoul, most large caps closed lower.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics closed flat at 60.900 won, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix shed 1.93 percent to 86,500 won.
Top pharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics lost 2.21 percent to 707,000 won, and Celltrion declined 3.14 percent to 262,000 won.
Internet portal giant Naver gained 1.19 percent to 298,500 won, but its rival Kakao retreated 0.94 percent to 368,500 won.
Leading chemical maker LG Chem fell 2.48 percent to 628,000 won, and rechargeable battery maker Samsung SDI dropped 1.57 percent to 438,500 won.
Hyundai Motor, the country's largest automaker, slipped 0.56 percent to 178,000 won, with top steelmaker POSCO dipping 2.2 percent to 200,500 won.
The local currency closed at 1,146.9 won per dollar, up 0.2 won from the previous session's close.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys lost 2.2 basis points to 0.901 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bond fell 1.7 basis points to 1.194 percent.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-14--(LEAD) Moon instructs Cheong Wa Dae to cooperate with probe into investment fund scandal: Cheong Wa

(LEAD) Moon instructs Cheong Wa Dae to cooperate with probe into investment fund scandal: Cheong Wa Dae

SEOUL , Oct. 14 ( Yonhap ) -- President Moon Jae-in has ordered his Cheong Wa Dae aides to cooperate @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors ' ongoing investigation into a high-profile financial fraud and corruption scandal allegedly involving some @ @ @ @ @ and ruling party officials , according to his office Wednesday .

(ATTN: MODIFIES headline; UPDATES throughout with details)
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in has ordered his Cheong Wa Dae aides to cooperate "actively" with state prosecutors' ongoing investigation into a high-profile financial fraud and corruption scandal allegedly involving some former and current senior government and ruling party officials, according to his office Wednesday.
Moon stressed that no one can be immune to a strict probe by the prosecution service, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.
The president was quoted as instructing Cheong Wa Dae to "cooperate actively with the prosecution's investigation to (help) clear (related) suspicions fast."
The statement represented Moon's first official response to the snowballing suspicions related to hedge funds operated by two now-defunct asset management firms -- Lime and Optimus.
President Moon Jae-in speaks at a Cheong Wa Dae session in Seoul in this file photo. (Yonhap)
The Moon administration is under heavy public criticism for having failed to protect thousands of individuals who invested into the now-defunct funds, which incurred huge losses.
Fund operators are alleged to have lobbied those in power to keep the funds afloat.
They reportedly include Kang Gi-jung, former senior secretary to Moon for political affairs; Kim Sang-jo, Moon's chief of staff or policy; and Yoon Suk-heun, governor of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).
In particular, Kang is alleged to have received 50 million won (US$43,000) in kickbacks. He admitted having met briefly with a fund operator at Cheong Wa Dae in July last year but flatly denied taking any money.
News reports said investigators are seeking relevant footage of CCTV installed at the presidential compound.
The Cheong Wa Dae spokesman, however, said it does not exist now, with the preservation period having expired.
Cheong Wa Dae plans to submit other related materials in case of requests by the prosecution service, Kang added.
The main opposition People Power Party has labeled the scandal as Lime-Optimusgate.
The ruling Democratic Party urged it to stop raising "groundless" suspicions.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-14--(LEAD) Cheong Wa Dae says S. Korea-Japan summit talks needed to resolve bilateral problem

The presidential office was responding to a news report that Japan 's new prime minister , Yoshihide Suga , will @ @ @ @ @ forum , expected to be held in Seoul later this year , unless Seoul takes @ @ @ @ @ dispute over compensating Korean victims of Japan 's wartime forced labor .

(ATTN: UPDATES with details from 3rd para)
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday it is important for the leaders of South Korea and Japan to meet each other in order to resolve pending issues that have strained bilateral ties.
The presidential office was responding to a news report that Japan's new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, will consider boycotting an annual trilateral forum, expected to be held in Seoul later this year, unless Seoul takes measures especially to address the dispute over compensating Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.
"Our government's position is that holding a meeting, or not doing so, shouldn't be a precondition for resolving the pending issue," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said at a press briefing.
The two sides need to hold talks to resolve the problem, he stressed, adding Seoul will continue efforts to hold the trilateral summit also involving Beijing.
No problem will be resolved if Japan deems a meeting to be a precondition, as reported by media, he said.
The three Northeast Asian powers launched their yearly group summit in 2008, taking turns to host it. South Korea is pushing to hold this year's session in November or December. If it's held, China will be represented by Premier Li Keqiang.
A combined image of South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in a photo provided by Yonhap News TV (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-14--S. Korean Bond Yields on Oct. 14, 2020

S. Korean Bond Yields on Oct. 14, 2020

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


yna--2020-10-15--Seoul shares widen losses late Thur. morning on virus woes, U.S. stimulus deadlock

Big Hit Entertainment , the management agency of K-pop phenoms BTS , rose 8.15 percent on the first day of @ @ @ @ @ the daily limit of 30 percent as soon as the market opened .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks extended losses late Thursday morning as spreading new coronavirus infections and the deadlocked U.S. fiscal stimulus weighed heavily on the local financial markets.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 16.79 points, or 0.71 percent, to 2,363.69 as of 11:20 a.m.
The KOSPI extended losses in the late morning, following a 0.94 percent fall the previous session over the COVID-19 flare-up.
Investor sentiment worsened as South Korea's new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 100 due mainly to a new cluster infection in the southeastern port city of Busan.
The country added 110 COVID-19 cases, including 95 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,988, with the death toll reaching 439, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The losses came after a weak start, tracking overnight Wall Street retreats that stemmed from doubts that a U.S. stimulus package will not be able to break the deadlock anytime soon.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.58 percent to 28,514 on Wednesday (New York time), with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 down 0.8 percent and 0.66 percent, respectively.
Most large caps traded mixed in Seoul.
Market kingpin Samsung Electronics declined 1.48 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix traded flat.
Top pharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics gained 0.99 percent, but Celltrion shed 1.72 percent.
Internet portal giant Naver dipped 2.18 percent, with its rival Kakao down 1.9 percent.
Leading chemical maker LG Chem advanced 1.91 percent, while top automaker Hyundai Motor slipped 0.28 percent.
Leading steelmaker POSCO jumped 2.99 percent.
Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop phenoms BTS, rose 8.15 percent on the first day of trading after it jumped by the daily limit of 30 percent as soon as the market opened.
The local currency was trading at 1,144.85 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 2.05 won from the previous session's close.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Top S. Korean, U.S. security officials discuss alliance, N. Korea: Cheong Wa Dae

Pompeo 's department was unusually quick in responding to the envoy 's remarks , stating that , `` We are @ @ @ @ @ alliance and all it has done for the sake of peace and prosperity for the @ @ @ @ @ the region as a whole . ''
ROK stands for Republic of Korea , which @ @ @ @ @ name .

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Top national security officials of South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed a robust alliance between the two sides during their meeting in Washington, D.C. this week, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.
Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, arrived in the United States on Tuesday (local time) for his first trip to the U.S. since assuming the post in July.
He met with his White House counterpart Robert O'Brien the following day for discussions on issues of mutual concern, including recent Korean Peninsula security situations and bilateral relations, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.
They reaffirmed the "firmness of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," Kang added.
Suh's four-day trip to the U.S. is meant to strengthen strategic communication between the national security councils of the allies, especially on North Korea and pending alliance issues, Kang said.
Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, in a file photo (Yonhap)
Suh is also scheduled to hold a series of meetings with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and some other government and major think tank officials.
His visit to the U.S. came amid a controversy here over alliance-related remarks by Seoul's ambassador to Washington, Lee Soo-hyuck.
Speaking at the National Assembly's online audit on the embassy's operations earlier this week, Lee said South Korea's choice of the U.S. as its ally 70 years ago does not mandate the same choice for another 70 years.
Pompeo's department was unusually quick in responding to the envoy's remarks, stating that, "We are extremely proud of our 70-year-old alliance and all it has done for the sake of peace and prosperity for the U.S. and ROK, and the region as a whole." ROK stands for Republic of Korea, which is South Korea's official name.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Reopening of tours to inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom to be announced as early as next week

He added that the newly reported cases of African swine fever in the northeastern county of Hwacheon are unlikely to @ @ @ @ @ tours , saying they were `` found in a distant area from Panmunjom . ''

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- The resumption of a civilian tour program to the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom is likely to be announced as early as next week, a unification ministry official said Thursday.
Since September last year, tours to the Joint Security Area (JSA) and other sites inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) have been suspended as part of an effort to stem the spread of the highly contagious African swine fever.
"We are in the final stages of coordinating the resumption of the Panmunjom tour amid eased coronavirus guidelines," the official said.
"I believe there will be an announcement as early as next week regarding the resumption," he said.
He added that the newly reported cases of African swine fever in the northeastern county of Hwacheon are unlikely to hinder the reopening of the tours, saying they were "found in a distant area from Panmunjom."
Earlier this month, the U.S.-led UNC said it had authorized the resumption of the tour program on eased concerns over the contagious animal disease, with the exact date of the reopening to be announced soon.
The file photo taken April 19, 2018, shows South Korean and U.S. soldiers standing guard at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom, north of Seoul. (Yonhap)
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--LG Electronics names F1 champ Lewis Hamilton as brand ambassador

Hamilton , a six-time Formula One world champion , is considered one of the best racing drivers in the history @ @ @ @ @ 35-year-old Brit recently drew level with Michael Schumacher 's record of 91 Formula One wins @

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc., a major home appliance maker in South Korea, on Thursday said it has named Formula One star Lewis Hamilton as a brand ambassador for its luxury line of premium products.
LG said Hamilton will promote the LG Signature brand, which the company uses for its high-end products.
Hamilton, a six-time Formula One world champion, is considered one of the best racing drivers in the history of the sport. The 35-year-old Brit recently drew level with Michael Schumacher's record of 91 Formula One wins.
With Hamilton, LG said it plans to have a digital campaign that can emphasize LG Signature products' advanced technologies.
LG has been appointing renowned influencers as LG Signature brand ambassadors to better target millenials, which refers to consumers born between the early 1980s and 1990s.
Its ambassadors currently include Misty Copeland, principal dancer at the famed American Ballet Theater, and global style icon Olivia Palermo.
This photo provided by LG Electronics Inc. on Oct. 15, 2020, shows Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton with LG Signature products. LG Electronics appointed Hamilton as a brand ambassador for its luxury line of premium products. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--4 school teachers part of infamous Telegram sex crime case: lawmaker

`` Since the nth room case emerged as a social problem , it is the first time that teachers have @ @ @ @ @ , '' the lawmaker said .
`` The investigation must be followed through thoroughly to @ @ @ @ @ other teachers involved in the case . ''

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- At least four school teachers were under investigation for allegedly downloading illegal child pornography produced by the group behind the infamous Telegram sexual exploitation case that unsettled the nation earlier this year, a lawmaker said Thursday.
According to Rep. Lee Tahn-ey of the ruling Democratic Party, three regular school teachers and a contract-based teacher from Incheon and the provinces of South Chungcheong and Gangwon have been probed by law enforcement as part of the larger so-called "nth room" sex crime investigation.
Lee cited documents provided by the education ministry and regional education offices.
After the revelations, the three regular teachers were relieved of their positions. The contract teacher resigned before the school received notification of the charge against him, sources familiar with the case said.
Activists stage a protest in southern Seoul on May 17, 2020, demanding stronger punishments for those involved in the so-called "nth room" case, in which dozens of people were exploited to perform gruesome sex acts that were filmed and distributed through online chatrooms. (Yonhap)
According to police, a sex crime ring of 38 members allegedly blackmailed 74 minor and adult victims into filming sexually exploitative content. They used pay-to-view chatrooms on Telegram to distribute the videos.
The identities of several key suspects, including Cho Ju-bin, Kang Hun and Lee Won-ho, have been revealed to the public. More than 140 others have also been apprehended in connection to the case.
"Since the nth room case emerged as a social problem, it is the first time that teachers have been found to be subscribers," the lawmaker said. "The investigation must be followed through thoroughly to see if there are any other teachers involved in the case."
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--(LEAD) Deputy FM Kim to visit Mexico next week for talks on resumption of FTA talks, economic cooper

(LEAD) Deputy FM Kim to visit Mexico next week for talks on resumption of FTA talks, economic cooperation

`` The trip is planned to focus on delivering Seoul 's intention to resume senior-level in-person diplomacy between the countries @ @ @ @ @ on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and on expanding cooperation for the post-coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ '' the ministry said in a press release .

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES throughout; RECONSTRUCTS)
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn will visit Mexico next week for talks with his counterpart and other officials over economic cooperation, including the resumption of bilateral free trade talks, the foreign ministry said Thursday.
During his visit from Monday to Wednesday, Kim plans to separately meet his counterpart, Julian Ventura, as well as officials from the South Korea-Mexico parliamentarian friendship group and chiefs of South Korean businesses operating in the country.
At the talks with Mexican officials, Kim will discuss ways to officially resume bilateral free trade talks, which lost traction in recent years as Mexico focused on negotiating a new free trade deal with the United States and Canada, a ministry official told reporters.
The deputy minister will also ask for Mexico's support for Seoul's efforts to become an associate member of the Pacific Alliance, a Latin American trade bloc formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
Joining the Pacific Alliance is expected to create an effect akin to having a bilateral free trade pact with Mexico. South Korea has bilateral trade deals with the other members of the trade bloc, the official said.
"The trip is planned to focus on delivering Seoul's intention to resume senior-level in-person diplomacy between the countries, which has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on expanding cooperation for the post-coronavirus revitalization of the economy," the ministry said in a press release.
Noting the July effectuation of a free trade agreement among the U.S., Canada and Mexico, known as the USMCA, the ministry said that Mexico has taken on greater importance as a "bridgehead" for Korean companies to advance into North, Central and South American markets.
Kim also plans to ask for Mexico's support for South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's campaign for the top post of the World Trade Organization.
Kim's visit would mark the first trip by a senior South Korean diplomat to Central and South America since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Mexico is South Korea's top trading partner in South and Central America, with bilateral trade having reached US$17.1 billion last year. About 400 South Korean companies are operating in the country.
Since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1962, they have been deepening economic and other cooperation. In 2005, the countries established a strategic partnership. They have also been cooperating under the MIKTA group of five middle-power states -- Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia.
This photo, taken on July 28, 2020, shows Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn speaking to the press at the foreign ministry. (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Air Force vows to boost missile defense capabilities

`` In response to nuclear and WMD threats , we will firm up strategic strike and missile defense capabilities , @ @ @ @ @ `` We will enhance our independent surveillance , reconnaissance capabilities around the Korean Peninsula in @ @ @ @ @ the wartime operational control . ''

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- The Air Force vowed Thursday to boost missile defense capabilities, days after North Korea unveiled a massive new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and other weapons during a military parade.
In a parliamentary audit report, the Air Force also said it will set up new units for surveillance operations and strengthen its capabilities to strike enemies' nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program.
"In response to nuclear and WMD threats, we will firm up strategic strike and missile defense capabilities," the report said. "We will enhance our independent surveillance, reconnaissance capabilities around the Korean Peninsula in preparation for the transition of the wartime operational control."
On Saturday, North Korea held a massive military parade to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party during which it unveiled a new ICBM and a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), along with other weapons.
Shown in this image captured from the Korean Central Television footage on Oct. 10, 2020, is North Korea's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which was displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--LG Electronics expands hallyu content on its smart TV streaming service

LG , the world 's second-largest TV vendor , said the number of viewers and their time spent consuming content @ @ @ @ @ compared to last year .
In particular , the company said the number of LG @ @ @ @ @ and South America , where it started the streaming service last year .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday that more content on the Korean Wave of popular culture can be watched on its smart TVs via its streaming service as the company tries to attract more consumers in major markets amid the pandemic-driven stay-at-home trend.
LG Channels will now have more content related with the Korean Wave, known as hallyu, after the South Korean tech firm signed a partnership with NEW ID, a digital content distributor under local entertainment powerhouse Next Entertainment World (NEW).
LG Channels is LG's free content streaming service set up in 2015. People can watch various channels on the company's smart TVs connected to the internet even without a set-top box.
Starting this month with Europe, LG smart TV owners can also enjoy free channels including YG TV, which offers exclusive content from YG Entertainment, home to K-pop stars like BLACKPINK and BIGBANG, according to LG.
"LG Channels offers premium digital content and multi-broadcast channels together with a diverse array of quality content choices available free-of-charge on LG Smart TVs in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Latin America," said Lee Sang-woo, senior vice president of content service business at LG Electronics' home entertainment unit. "Easy to access and discover, the newly expanded content to European markets builds on LG's objective to diversify content based on evolving trends."
This photo provided by LG Electronics Inc. shows the company's OLED TV showing the YG TV channel of its streaming service. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
LG, the world's second-largest TV vendor, said the number of viewers and their time spent consuming content on LG Channels have quadrupled compared to last year. In particular, the company said the number of LG Channels users soared in Europe and South America, where it started the streaming service last year.
In South Korea, LG Channels shows 112 free channels. The service offers 278 channels and more than 2,000 movies in the United States, where the largest number of LG Channels users reside.
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Nearly 60 pct of Koreans support allowing pop artists to delay military service

According to the poll conducted on 500 people aged 18 or above by Realmeter , 58.8 percent of the respondents @ @ @ @ @ efforts to revise a relevant law .
The survey was carried out on Wednesday and @ @ @ @ @ TBS .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Almost 60 percent of South Koreans are in support of allowing distinguished pop culture artists to postpone their mandatory military service, a poll showed Thursday.
According to the poll conducted on 500 people aged 18 or above by Realmeter, 58.8 percent of the respondents said they favor the government efforts to revise a relevant law. The survey was carried out on Wednesday and commissioned by the radio channel TBS.
Another 31.4 percent said they object to the plan, while the remaining 9.8 percent said they are unsure, according to the poll result.
Supporters outnumbered opponents in all age groups, regardless of their preference for different political parties, the poll showed.
The rate of support among those in their 20s came in at 54.4 percent, while 35.1 percent voiced objections. The poll did not mention any particular names of pop stars when the questions were posed.
On Tuesday, the Military Manpower Administration announced that it is pushing to revise the military service law to allow popular culture artists to delay their military service if there is a recommendation from the culture minister.
By law, military service exceptions or deferrals are given to international award-winning athletes and classical musicians in recognition of their roles in promoting the country's reputation overseas.
But there have been growing calls that such favors should also be granted to pop culture artists after K-pop superband BTS recently became the first South Korean music act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Dynamite."
This computer-created image shows BTS and government officials. (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Human rights groups call for U.N. resolution to include N. Korea's killing of S. Korean citizen

`` Respect and ensure the right to life , liberty and security of person , the right not to be @ @ @ @ @ torture or cruel , inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other fundamental rights and @ @ @ @ @ foreign citizens at all time in fighting the pandemic , '' they said .

By Koh Byung-joon
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- More than 30 human rights groups from seven countries urged the United Nations to include North Korea's recent killing of a South Korean official adrift in its waters in its annual human rights resolution on the communist state.
The groups said they made the request in a joint public letter to the U.N. after learning of the "shocking news" that North Korea killed the South Korean official and burned his body last month "in accordance with Pyongyang's shoot-to-kill order to prevent coronavirus."
"We recently received the shocking news that North Korean troops held and executed a South Korean government official who had drifted into North Korean waters, and that his remains were burned at sea. ... Reportedly, all this was in accordance with Pyongyang's shoot-to-kill order to prevent coronavirus from entering the country," they said in the letter.
"In this time of COVID-19 pandemic, we must take increased devotion to the cause of universal human rights as they come under unprecedented challenges as governments resort to draconian measures often under the pretext of combating the pandemic," they noted.
They called for the U.N. to include a toughened stance on such inhumane treatment of people as the killing of the South Korean official under the name of protecting itself from the pandemic in its annual human rights resolution on North Korea to be adopted this year.
"Respect and ensure the right to life, liberty and security of person, the right not to be subjected to enforced disappearance, torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other fundamental rights and freedoms of North Korean and foreign citizens at all time in fighting the pandemic," they said.
South Korea earlier claimed that North Korea shot and killed the 47-year-old official and burned his remains. North Korea admitted to the shooting but said it was in line with their maritime engagement rules and refuted that they set his body ablaze, instead claiming it was his belongings.
North Korea has not responded to Seoul's repeated calls for a joint investigation into the deadly incident.
In the photo taken Sept. 25, 2020, and provided by the South Korean Coast Guard, the organization conducts an operation in waters off Yeonpyoeng Island bordering North Korea in the West Sea to find the remains and belongings of a South Korean official who was shot to death and had his body burned by North Korean soldiers in the North's waters on Sept. 22. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--The Korea Interbank Offered Rates (KORIBOR)

SEOUL , Oct. 15 ( Yonhap ) -- The Korea Interbank Offered Rates ( KORIBOR ) as posted by Yonhap @ @ @ @ @ and information arm of Yonhap News Agency , at 11:00 a.m .


yna--2020-10-15--LG Uplus opens 7-story product showroom targeting Gen Z

The telecom operator said it also partnered with Google to set up a filming studio for YouTubers .
Visitors to @ @ @ @ @ in live YouTube broadcasts by reserving a spot through a proprietary application .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean telecom giant LG Uplus Corp. said Thursday it opened a seven-story product showroom in southern Seoul by partnering with local popular establishments as part of its broader efforts to capture young customers.
The seven-story building, including its underground floor, in the posh southern district of Gangnam houses a cafe, a bookstore and a photo studio popular among South Korean millenials and the younger Generation Z, or those born after the mid-90s.
LG Uplus said the store allows visitors to experience its 5G services and content, such as augmented and virtual reality, although it does not directly sell the company's products.
This photo, provided by LG Uplus Corp. on Oct. 15, 2020, shows a model using the carrier's augmented reality glasses at the company's product showroom in southern Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The telecom operator said it also partnered with Google to set up a filming studio for YouTubers. Visitors to the building can take part in live YouTube broadcasts by reserving a spot through a proprietary application.
LG Uplus has recently focused on beefing up its services to cater to tech-savvy younger generations.
The carrier said in July that it started live shopping broadcasts on its online store that allow users to directly interact with shopping hosts via live chats.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--ICT exports rise for 4th straight month on chips and displays in Sept.

ICT products , which take up a major part of South Korea 's total exports , had been hard hit @ @ @ @ @ year .
They plummeted 15.3 percent on-year in April before making a rebound in June @ @ @ @ @

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's outbound shipments of information and communication technology (ICT) products rose 11.9 percent on-year in September, data showed Thursday, as global demand for semiconductors picked up amid the pandemic.
Exports of ICT products stood at US$17.63 billion last month, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT, marking an on-year rise in exports for the fourth consecutive month.
Meanwhile, imports of ICT products reached $9.56 billion in September, up 9 percent over the same period, leading to a trade surplus of $8.07 billion in ICT trade, ministry data showed.
ICT products, which take up a major part of South Korea's total exports, had been hard hit by the pandemic earlier this year. They plummeted 15.3 percent on-year in April before making a rebound in June with 1 percent growth.
This file photo, taken June 1, 2020, shows stacks of cargo containers at South Korea's largest seaport in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)
By category, outbound shipments of semiconductors, the leading export category, rose 11.9 percent last month from the previous year to $9.6 billion.
Exports of memory chips stood at $6.2 billion last month, up 9.8 percent, while logic chips jumped 16.8 percent to reach a record $2.9 billion.
Outbound shipments of displays rose 2.7 percent to $2.1 billion, with exports of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels up 3.3 percent to $1.2 billion.
Exports of mobile phones, including their parts, however, dropped 13.2 percent to $1 billion over the same period.
Outbound shipments to China, the largest overseas market for local ICT products, rose 5.6 percent to $8.2 billion, with shipments to Vietnam jumping 18 percent to $3.1 billion. Exports to the United States spiked 36.3 percent to $2 billion over the same period.
South Korea's overall exports also rebounded in September for the first time in seven months, thanks to the gain in chips, reaching $48 billion, up 7.7 percent from a year earlier.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Singer Kim Jang-hoon to hold online concert in waters off Dokdo

SEOUL , Oct. 15 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korean singer Kim Jang-hoon will hold an online concert in celebration @ @ @ @ @ cruising around the country 's easternmost islets later this month , his management agency said @ @

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean singer Kim Jang-hoon will hold an online concert in celebration of Day of Dokdo while cruising around the country's easternmost islets later this month, his management agency said Thursday.
Kim plans to throw a performance on a ship on Oct. 25 in the form of a "talent donation," FX Solution said.
The performance will be livestreamed on the internet with the beautiful scenery of the islets shown in the background, it added.
Entry to the islets is currently unavailable due to damage from typhoons that hit the country this summer.
Day of Dokdo, which falls on Oct. 25, was designated in 2000 by some local municipalities and civic groups to bolster South Korea's sovereignty over the East Sea islets.
The designation was made to mark the day when King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) issued a decree to officially declare the rocky outcroppings as part of Korean territory in 1900.
Kim will enter the nearby Ulleung Island for a rehearsal on Oct. 24, the agency said.
"I hope the concert can deliver hope and courage to the people suffering from the new coronavirus pandemic," Kim said in a press release.
This aerial photo, taken from the Challenger patrol plane of the Korean Coast Guard on Aug. 12, 2020, shows South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo consisting of two small islets -- the West Islet (L) and the East Islet (R) -- 87.4 kilometers southeast of Ulleung Island, South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province, in the East Sea. (Yonhap)
This undated photo, provided by FX Solution, shows South Korean singer Kim Jang-hoon posing on the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--(3rd LD) S. Korea's national security adviser in U.S. on unannounced visit

`` Great to see my friend and colleague ROK National Security Office Director Suh Hoon at the White House today @ @ @ @ @ using the acronym for South Korea 's official name , the Republic of Korea .
@ @ @ @ @ stronger than ever , and continues to grow to meet all regional and global challenges @ @

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES with reports of U.S. national security adviser Robert O'Brien's tweet confirming his meeting with Suh, minor edits in paras 2-9; ADDS photo)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's national security advisor Suh Hoon has been in Washington on a previously unannounced trip and has already met with his U.S. counterpart Robert O'Brien, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday.
Suh arrived in Washington on Tuesday, an informed source said on condition of anonymity without providing further details, including what the purpose of his trip was.
O'Brien later confirmed Suh's visit, saying in a tweet that they met earlier in the day.
"Great to see my friend and colleague ROK National Security Office Director Suh Hoon at the White House today," O'Brien said, using the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. "Our ironclad alliance is stronger than ever, and continues to grow to meet all regional and global challenges."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to meet with Suh on Thursday, according to a daily schedule of Pompeo released by his department.
This captured image from the Twitter account of the U.S. National Security Council shows U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien (L) and his South Korean counterpart, Suh Hoon, posing for a photo after their meeting at the White House on Oct. 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
Further details of Suh's trip were not immediately available.
Suh's unannounced visit comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for international efforts to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly last month.
Moon believes the move would help resume the stalled negotiations over the denuclearization of North Korea.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun earlier called the initiative one of the "creative" ways to move forward.
South and North Korea technically remain at war as the 1950-53 war ended only with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Pyongyang has been staying away from denuclearization talks since its leader Kim Jong-un's second bilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, held in Hanoi in February 2019, ended without a deal.
Suh's U.S. trip also coincides with the annual defense ministerial talks between South Korea and the United States, which were held earlier in the day in Washington.
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook arrived here Tuesday but was set to head home shortly after his meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
In this photo, taken on Sept. 25, 2020, Suh Hoon, director of the national security office at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, holds a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap)
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Police ban Gwanghwamun rallies by conservative civic group

The civic group has vowed to hold outdoor rallies of about 1,000 people each on the two Sundays in the @ @ @ @ @ The group said it will set up 1,000 chairs , 2 meters apart from each @ @ @ @ @ section comprising sidewalks and three traffic lanes , north of the Sejong Center for the @ @ @

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Police on Thursday announced a decision to ban large-scale outdoor rallies planned by a conservative civic group critical of the Moon Jae-in government around Gwanghwamun Square, downtown Seoul.
According to police officials, Seoul's Jongno Police Station has notified the "August 15 emergency civic response committee" of its decision not to permit its Gwanghwamun rallies planned for Sunday and Oct. 25, citing risks of coronavirus transmissions.
The civic group has vowed to hold outdoor rallies of about 1,000 people each on the two Sundays in the form of worship services. The group said it will set up 1,000 chairs, 2 meters apart from each other, in a 400-meter section comprising sidewalks and three traffic lanes, north of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
Choi In-sik, secretary general of a conservative civic group, speaks to reporters at the Jongno Police Station in Seoul on Oct. 13, 2020, before submitting its plans to hold outdoor rallies. (Yonhap)
But the Seoul metropolitan government has said it will prohibit such rallies to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Following the Seoul government's decision, police have also slapped a ban on them.
The same civic group, which organized a massive anti-government demonstration on and around Gwanghwamun Square on the Aug. 15 Liberation Day, has vowed to stand up against "oppressive policies" of the Moon government. But its subsequent bids to repeat such downtown rallies on National Foundation Day on Oct. 3 and Hangeul Day (Korean alphabet) last Friday failed in the face of a police blockade of Gwanghwamun Square.
Earlier this week, the South Korean government lowered social distancing guidelines from Level 2 to the lowest tier of Level 1, allowing outdoor rallies of fewer than 100 people. But the Seoul city government said it will maintain its ban on rallies in downtown areas, including Gwanghwamun Square.
Choi In-sik, secretary general of the civic group, said his group will seek to mobilize all possible legal means to overturn the rally ban by police and the Seoul government.
"If any administrative measure is taken against rallies, our group will do everything legally possible, such as filing an administrative lawsuit or an application for an injunction against a rally ban, on the basis of people's opinions," Choi told reporters earlier this week.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Deputy FM Kim to visit Mexico next week for talks on economic cooperation

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn will visit Mexico next week for talks with his counterpart and other officials over cooperation in bolstering bilateral trade and investment, the foreign ministry said Thursday.
During his visit from Monday to Wednesday, Kim plans to separately meet his counterpart, Julian Ventura, as well as officials from the South Korea-Mexico parliamentarian friendship group and chiefs of South Korean businesses operating in the country.
His visit would mark the first trip by a senior South Korean diplomat to Central and South America since the outbreak of COVID-19.
"The trip is planned to focus on delivering Seoul's intention to resume senior-level in-person diplomacy between the countries, which has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on expanding cooperation for the post-coronavirus revitalization of the economy," the ministry said in a press release.
Noting the July effectuation of a free trade agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico, known as the USMCA, the ministry said that Mexico has taken on greater importance as a "bridgehead" for Korean companies to advance into North, Central and South American markets.
Kim also plans to ask for Mexico's support for South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's campaign for the top post of the World Trade Organization.
Mexico is South Korea's top trading partner in South and Central America, with bilateral trade having reached US$17.1 billion last year. About 400 South Korean companies are operating in the country.
Since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1962, they have been deepening economic and other cooperation. In 2005, the countries established a strategic partnership. They have also been cooperating under the MIKTA group of five middle-power states -- Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia.
This photo, taken on July 28, 2020, shows Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn speaking to the press at the foreign ministry. (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--(LEAD) S. Korea's new coronavirus cases bounce back to triple digits

`` The number of new ( local ) infections has stayed in the 60s over the past week , yet @ @ @ @ @ 90 today due to the cluster infection case from a nursing facility in Busan , @ @ @ @ @ Kang Do-tae said in a government response meeting .

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more info ; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 100 on Thursday mainly due to a new cluster infection in the southeastern port city of Busan amid an eased social distancing scheme.
The country added 110 COVID-19 cases, including 95 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,988, with the death toll reaching 439, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The number of new daily local infections is a sharp hike from 53 a day earlier and also surpassed the 50 mark, one of the country's barometers for the lowest level of its social distancing scheme.
This photo shows a disinfection worker at a nursing hospital in the southern port city of Busan on Oct. 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
The spike in new virus cases came three days after South Korea lowered its three-tier social distancing scheme by one notch.
"The number of new (local) infections has stayed in the 60s over the past week, yet the number spiked to over 90 today due to the cluster infection case from a nursing facility in Busan," Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said in a government response meeting.
The health authorities earlier said they plan to conduct COVID-19 tests on all patients and people working at nursing facilities and mental institutions in the greater Seoul area.
The country earlier suffered a major uptick in virus cases in mid-August, mostly traced to a conservative church in northern Seoul. After reaching 103 on Aug. 13, the figure shot up to 441 on Aug. 27. The figures stayed in the triple digits until reaching 82 on Sept. 20.
Despite some ups and downs, the daily new infections mostly stayed around 100 afterwards.
Of the newly identified local infections, 54 cases were reported in the southern port city of Busan as more than 50 patients and workers at a nursing hospital in Busan were diagnosed with COVID-19.
The authorities said 43 patients of the Busan nursing hospital and its nine staff members tested positive for the new coronavirus. One of the infected patients has already died.
Another 22 cases were reported in Seoul, with six cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital and 11 cases in the western port city of Incheon, the KDCA said.
The KDCA said the number of daily new imported cases reached 15, sharply down from 31 on Wednesday and 33 on Tuesday.
South Korea added one more death, raising the death toll to 439. The fatality rate reached 1.76 percent.
The number of patients in serious or critical condition came to 82, down three from the previous day.
The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 23,082, up 52 from the previous day.
This photo, taken on Oct. 14, 2020, shows a building of a medical appliance seller in Songpa Ward, western Seoul, where six additional people were confirmed with the novel coronavirus. (Yonhap)
Under eased social distancing, high-risk facilities, such as clubs, karaoke rooms, bars and buffet restaurants, including those in the greater Seoul area, are now allowed to operate normally. They are, however, obligated to follow infection prevention measures, including having visitors wear masks, and keep entry logs.
Starting Tuesday, people are required to wear protective masks on public transportation and at medical facilities and rallies. Violators can be fined starting in November after a month of grace period.
South Korea operates a three-tier social distancing system. Under the second level, indoor gatherings of more than 50 people are banned. The government has not yet issued the highest alert, which bans gatherings of 10 or more people.
Nationwide Level 2 social distancing went into effect from late August through Sunday, while the Seoul metropolitan area that houses around half of the nationwide population was also temporarily put under Level 2.5 over the period.
Health authorities have been warning that the country could become more vulnerable to another wave of pandemic over the winter.
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Hanwha Techwin enters clerkless store tech biz with auto checkout machine

While people have to manually tag a barcode of a product at an SCO machine , the company 's ACO @ @ @ @ @ barcode of a product with various sensors and cameras when users put items on a @ @ @ @ @ the company .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Hanwha Techwin Co., a major surveillance tech firm in South Korea, said Thursday it will start into the clerkless store solution business with its auto checkout (ACO) machine as the company expands its business portfolio amid the pandemic-induced non-contact trend.
Hanwha Techwin said it decided to enter the unmanned store solutions market as many retailers opt to open cashier-free shops for 24-hour operation while there is a need to improve consumer convenience in the checkout process at stores.
"It can create a synergy with our mainstay video surveillance solutions business," the company said. "Since this is a market with a high growth potential, we will develop related technologies and expand the business."
This photo provided by Hanwha Techwin Co. on Oct. 15, 2020, shows the company's auto checkout machine. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Citing an industry report, Hanwha Techwin said the global self-service checkout machine market is estimated at US$3.5 billion and is expected to grow an average 9 percent annually for the next three years.
In South Korea, more than 100,000 automated self-service machines are estimated to be at retail stores.
The affiliate of Hanwha Aerospace said its ACO machine is easier to use compared to self checkout (SCO) machines installed at cashierless stores.
While people have to manually tag a barcode of a product at an SCO machine, the company's ACO machine can automatically scan a barcode of a product with various sensors and cameras when users put items on a conveyor belt, according to the company.
To boost its competitiveness in the sector, Hanwha Techwin said it signed a partnership with Cognex Corp., a U.S.-based machine vision systems and sensors developer.
Under the deal, the two sides will join hands to develop various technologies for clerkless stores and establish global sales channels.
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--(2nd LD) N.K. leader visits typhoon recovery area again

`` He said that the division members and service personnel involved in the reconstruction campaign were always in his heart @ @ @ @ @ founding anniversary of the glorious Party , and added that he missed them and he @ @ @ @ @ to them , '' the KCNA said .

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS more info from 7th para, photos)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un once again visited a typhoon-hit region in the country's east and urged officials to redouble recovery efforts, state media said Thursday, in an apparent effort to rally public support and unity.
Kim visited the country's eastern area, including Sinpo City and Hongwon County in South Hamgyong Province to inspect recovery efforts and encourage division members, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"He said that the division members and service personnel involved in the reconstruction campaign were always in his heart during the celebrations marking the founding anniversary of the glorious Party, and added that he missed them and he visited them to give encouragement to them," the KCNA said.
Kim also pointed out that he will deal strictly with cases of violation in the reconstruction efforts.
"According to a recent report, there occurred wicked and shameless violation of law of construction in which construction is done in a random way in a easy-going way," he said, adding that this issue will be strictly dealt with," it said.
North Korea's eastern province was one of the country's most damaged areas, hit by back-to-back typhoons in recent months.
Kim earlier visited the typhoon-hit mining town of Komdok in South Hamgyong Province and reviewed recovery efforts, state media said Wednesday.
Although state media did not indicate the exact date of his visit to the eastern regions, Kim appears to have stayed in South Hamgyong Province and visited the flood-hit villages for two straight days, given that his activities are usually reported the following day.
The trip came days after the autocratic leader teared up during an address at Saturday's massive military parade, apologizing and thanking North Koreans for their sacrifices in recovering from recent disasters and challenges.
The North is faced with multiple challenges, including its ongoing campaign against the coronavirus, devastation caused by recent typhoons and economic woes from global sanctions.
Last month, Kim held a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party to discuss recovery efforts under way in the typhoon-affected regions and dispatched soldiers to help with recovery work there.
In a rare public letter, he also asked about 12,000 "elite divisions" consisting of party members in Pyongyang to be sent to provide support for the recovery campaign.
Kim also launched an "80-day campaign" last week to recover from flood damage and make as much progress as possible in the country's economic development project by year's end.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) smiles as he talks to officials during a visit to a reconstruction site in South Hamgyong Province to inspect recovery work from recent back-to-back typhoons, in this photo disclosed by the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the country, on Oct. 15, 2020. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) visits South Hamgyong Province to inspect recovery work from recent back-to-back typhoons, in this photo disclosed by the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the country on Oct. 15, 2020. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
This undated photo, disclosed by the Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's official newspaper, on Oct. 15, 2020, shows a village rebuilt in South Hamgyong Province that was hit by recent back-to-back typhoons. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--(3rd LD) BTS agency listed amid fanfare on stock market

`` We will uphold the stockholder 's value in various terms by raising profitability , growth potential and contributions to @ @ @ @ @ Entertainment Chairman and CEO Bang Si-hyuk said at the listing ceremony , which was livestreamed @ @ @

(ATTN: CORRECTS details in para 9; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop superstars BTS, debuted on South Korea's main bourse on Thursday, building a valuation higher than the country's next three largest entertainment companies combined.
Big Hit shares opened at 270,000 won (US$236) on Thursday on the Korea Exchange and jumped by the daily upper limit of 30 percent to 351,000 won three minutes after market opening.
The stocks closed at 258,000 won, down 4.4 percent from the starting price.
Still, the closing price is a sharp hike from the initial public offering price of 135,000 won.
The company's high initial price may have triggered a selling spree for profit-taking, analysts said.
"We will uphold the stockholder's value in various terms by raising profitability, growth potential and contributions to society," Big Hit Entertainment Chairman and CEO Bang Si-hyuk said at the listing ceremony, which was livestreamed on YouTube.
"We will spur efforts to become the world's best entertainment and lifestyle company," he added.
BTS members were not present at the ceremony.
This photo, captured from Big Hit Entertainment's live video channel, shows Chairman and CEO Bang Si-hyuk (L) and Korea Exchange (KRX) Chairman and CEO Jung Ji-won posing for photos at the K-pop entertainment giant's listing ceremony held at KRX's Seoul headquarters on Oct. 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
Based on Thursday's closing price, Big Hit's market cap stood at 8.73 trillion won, which is more than triple 2.78 trillion won, the combined market cap of South Korea's three major entertainment agencies -- S.M. Entertainment, YJ Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.
Bang holds a 34.7 percent stake in the company, worth 3.19 trillion won based on the closing price, making him the eighth-richest stockholder in South Korea, according to data compiled by industry tracker Chaebul.com.
BTS took home 123.5 billion won worth of stocks, or 17.6 billion won per member.
The ceremony marked the first initial public offering (IPO) celebration in about three months, due to the new coronavirus.
The agency has been called one of this year's three big IPO deals in South Korea, along with biopharmaceutical blue chip SK Biopharmaceuticals and mobile game giant Kakao Games.
Last year, the agency's annual sales almost doubled to 587.2 billion won, with an operating profit of 98.7 billion won.
This photo, provided by Big Hit Entertainment, shows K-pop boy band BTS appearing on the screen at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Oct. 14, 2020, after winning the Top Social Artist award at this year's Billboard Music Awards. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--USFK soldier under investigation over rape allegation

The 21-year-old soldier at a U.S .
Forces Korea base in nearby Gunsan has been booked for allegedly raping the @ @ @ @ @ Iksan on Sept. 27 , according to Iksan Police Station .

IKSAN, South Korea, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Police in the southwestern city of Iksan said Thursday they are investigating allegations that an American soldier raped a local woman in her twenties.
The 21-year-old soldier at a U.S. Forces Korea base in nearby Gunsan has been booked for allegedly raping the woman at her home in Iksan on Sept. 27, according to Iksan Police Station.
The two met through a mobile chat app and had drinks at a bar before the alleged incident, police said.
The probe began after she filed a complaint against the soldier.
"We are in the process of clarifying the facts," a police officer said, declining to elaborate as the investigation is ongoing.
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Fewer S. Koreans have good feelings about Japan: survey

The percentage of South Koreans with a favorable view of the neighboring country dropped by 19.4 percentage points to 12.3 @ @ @ @ @ to the annual survey jointly conducted by the East Asia Institute ( EAI ) and @ @ @

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- The percentage of South Koreans with a good impression of Japan dropped sharply this year compared with a year earlier, a survey showed Thursday, reflecting a chill in bilateral relations.
The percentage of South Koreans with a favorable view of the neighboring country dropped by 19.4 percentage points to 12.3 percent this year, according to the annual survey jointly conducted by the East Asia Institute (EAI) and Genron NPO.
Of the 1,000 respondents, South Koreans with a negative impression of Japan jumped to 71.6 percent from 49.9 percent in the same period last year.
The latest poll comes as the bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo remain badly frayed over issues of wartime history and trade.
In contrast, the portion of Japanese people who have good feelings about South Korea rose 5.9 percentage points to 25.9 percent, rebounding from a downward trend recorded over the past four years.
Those with a negative view of South Korea also dropped by 3.6 percentage points to 49.9 percent, the survey showed.
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--N. Korea's new SLBM labeled 'Pukguksong-4ㅅ,' not 'Pukguksong-4A: Navy chief

Asked about the military 's analysis of the new system , Navy Chief of Staff Boo Suk-jong said that the @ @ @ @ @ includes `` ㅅ , '' a consonant of the Korean alphabet , rather than the @ @ @ @ @ '' to mark that it is designed to be launched from the water .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- A new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that North Korea unveiled last week is believed to be labeled "Pukguksong-4ㅅ," featuring a Korean letter, not "Pukguksong-4A," which indicates that it is a sea-based system.
On Saturday, the communist country unveiled a new SLBM during a massive military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its Workers' Party, along with a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and other advanced conventional weaponry.
Asked about the military's analysis of the new system, Navy Chief of Staff Boo Suk-jong said that the name inscribed on the missile includes "ㅅ," a consonant of the Korean alphabet, rather than the English letter "A," to mark that it is designed to be launched from the water.
In Korean, the word meaning "for use in water," starts with that character.
North Korea has three types of Pukguksong missiles, and Pukguksong-2 is a ground-based one, not an SLBM. As the upgraded version of the Pukguksong-1, the Pukguksong-3 SLBM is believed to have a flight range of 2,000 kilometers or longer, and the regime last carried out a flight test of the weapon in October 2019.
Shown in this image captured from Korean Central Television footage on Oct. 10, 2020, is North Korea's new submarine-based ballistic missile (SLBM), which was displayed during a military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--First five-star hotel of global brand to be built in Gyeonggi Province

The municipality said it has signed a memorandum of agreement with IHG and Seraphim Development Co. , a local real @ @ @ @ @ construction of the new voco hotel in Naeri of the city 's Paengseong district , @ @ @ @ @ Forces Korea 's base Camp Humphreys .

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, will get its first five-star hotel with a global brand in Pyeongtaek by 2022, the city government announced on Thursday.
According to the municipality of Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), a global hotel company, plans to build a voco hotel with more than 250 rooms near a United States military base in the city by December 2022. Voco is a luxury brand owned by IHG.
The municipality said it has signed a memorandum of agreement with IHG and Seraphim Development Co., a local real estate developer, on the construction of the new voco hotel in Naeri of the city's Paengseong district, home to the U.S. Forces Korea's base Camp Humphreys.
A rendering provided by Pyeongtaek City Hall shows a voco hotel scheduled to be built in the Gyeonggi Province city by 2022. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The construction will begin in June next year and is scheduled to be completed in December 2022, it said, noting the new hotel will also have convention facilities, an ice rink and an outdoor swimming pool.
Gyeonggi currently has one five-star hotel with a domestic brand, and the voco hotel will be the first international brand five-star hotel to open in the province.
"Paengseong's voco hotel will likely emerge as a popular travel destination of Pyeongtaek due to its proximity to the U.S. military base, Naeri Culture Park and other sights," a municipal official said.
"In addition, the hotel is expected to create about 2,000 jobs and various other synergies, including opportunities for vocational training for students of local universities," the official said.
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--(LEAD) Navy vows to bolster defense posture near western inter-Korean sea border

Some lawmakers and critics , however , have raised questions about its usefulness and cost-effectiveness , saying that an additional @ @ @ @ @ necessary to acquire around 20 units of vertical takeoff and landing ( VTOL ) jets @ @ @ @ @ and the deployment of this system would not be very helpful in boosting the country @ @ @ @ @ Korea .

(ATTN: ADDS Navy's light aircraft carrier construction project in last 4 paras, image)
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- The Navy vowed Thursday to strengthen surveillance near the western inter-Korean sea border to better counter possible provocations by North Korea amid lingering tensions following the North's brutal killing of a South Korean official near the area.
On Sept. 22, the 47-year-old fisheries official was fatally shot by the North's military while adrift in the North Korean side of the Yellow Sea, according to the military here. He went missing the previous day while on duty near the western border island of Yeonpyeong.
While the South Korean military carried out operations in waters south of the sea border, known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), to search for the official's body, the North accused the South of intruding into its waters.
Pyongyang has long disputed the NLL and claims that a different line further south should be the boundary.
"In preparation for possible intrusions into the Northern Limit Line by North Korean patrol boats and fishing boats and other provocative moves, we will heighten a surveillance posture and better maintain a readiness posture," the Navy said in a report submitted to the National Assembly for the parliamentary audit.
"We will deploy advanced systems superior to North Korean assets and will operate them in a flexible manner," it noted.
The Navy also pledged to maintain a tight posture to better monitor and detect North Korea's missile launches.
Sailors carry out operations near Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea on Sept. 28, 2020.
During the audit, the Navy also stressed the importance of its light aircraft carrier project.
Under the 2 trillion won (US$1.74 billion) project, South Korea is working to build the 30,000 ton-class carrier with a goal to put it into operation around 2033. Related agencies will begin to draw up basic strategies and carry out a feasibility test next month.
Some lawmakers and critics, however, have raised questions about its usefulness and cost-effectiveness, saying that an additional 2 trillion won would be necessary to acquire around 20 units of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) jets for the envisioned system, and the deployment of this system would not be very helpful in boosting the country's defensive capabilities against North Korea.
"We believe that it is necessary to proactively respond to threats from all directions in the future," Navy Chiefs of Staff Boo Suk-jong said. "We will thoroughly review diverse opinions, and push for the project in the right direction."
Shown in this image provided by the defense ministry on Aug. 10, 2020, is the envisioned light aircraft carrier South Korea is pushing to secure by 2033. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Moon vows full gov't support for coronavirus vaccine development

Moon emphasized the significance of an indigenous vaccine and treatment , which is `` stable and superb , '' even @ @ @ @ @ for which the world is eagerly waiting , is found abroad first .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in said Thursday the government will spare no support for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and therapy to treat the contagious disease, during a visit to a vaccine development company.
"To completely overcome the coronavirus, the development of a vaccine and treatment is a mountain to surmount without fail," he said.
The government "will not spare support to the end until the work succeeds for sure," he added.
Moon met with related experts and business leaders at SK bioscience, a vaccine unit of SK Group, in Seongnam, south of Seoul.
President Moon Jae-in holds a meeting on COVID-19 vaccine development at the headquarters of SK bioscience in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
Moon emphasized the significance of an indigenous vaccine and treatment, which is "stable and superb," even if such a material, for which the world is eagerly waiting, is found abroad first.
He cited the need to have the experience of developing a coronavirus vaccine and lower its supply prices.
"We should enhance our capabilities of developing vaccine and treatment in preparation for (dealing with) infectious diseases to come again after the (novel) coronavirus," he said.
South Korea aims to secure COVID-19 vaccines for 30 million people, 60 percent of the nation's population, in the initial phase, according to Moon.
It has already launched a pan-governmental council to provide vaccine developers here with necessary support.
If the ongoing development process goes smoothly, South Korea may be able to produce a coronavirus treatment in earnest within this year, with the development of a vaccine possible next year, Moon said.
President Moon Jae-in looks through a microscope during a visit to SK biosience's research facilities in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
He inspected research facilities of SK bioscience that is spearheading South Korea's search for a coronavirus vaccine. It has forged partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies for the drive.
Attendees at Moon's on-site session included SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Celltrion Group Chairman Seo Jung-jin.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Audit report of Wolsong-1 reactor closure to be unveiled next week

`` I apologize and ask for forgiveness , '' responded Choe when asked about the reason behind the delay .
@ @ @ @ @ as clear cut as it may appear from the outside .
A number of complex @ @ @ @ @ the matter . ''

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- A state audit surrounding the controversial Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor closure has been virtually finalized and will be released early next week, the head of the state audit watchdog said Thursday.
"The commissioners' committee has reached an agreement on all major topics during the committee's four-day meeting from last Wednesday," Choe Jae-hyeong, head of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), told lawmakers during a parliamentary audit of his agency at the National Assembly.
Choe said BAI will be able to report the findings no later than next Tuesday. The committee is expected to convene one final time on Friday to conclude the audit report.
The 2019 closure of Wolsong-1, South Korea's second-oldest nuclear reactor, has remained a hot-button topic in domestic politics since President Moon Jae-in decided in 2017 to decommission the reactor earlier than scheduled in line with his energy policy.
This file photo taken on Feb 27, 2015, shows the now-decommissioned Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor in Gyeongju, 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)
The 679-megawatt reactor was shut down earlier than scheduled last year by the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), which cited a negative projection of its future economic viability.
For more than a year, BAI has been looking into whether the shut down decision was based on independent research, as opposed to being predetermined or politically influenced by the administration.
The audit was commissioned by the National Assembly in September 2019 amid a heated public debate on the early closure.
Nuclear energy proponents have argued that the KHNP has flip-flopped on its earlier decision to extend the reactor's life cycle for 10 years -- even claiming that the company had intentionally deflated numbers to lower anticipated profits -- especially after having invested 700 billion won (US$609 million) for repairs between 2009 and 2011.
The government, which oversees KHNP, insists that it has exerted no pressure on the company's assessment on Wolsong-1.
BAI was required to submit a final report to parliament within a five-month period that ended on Feb. 29 but has been long overdue on its deadline -- nearly eight months and counting -- having drawn criticism from those on both sides of the debate.
"I apologize and ask for forgiveness," responded Choe when asked about the reason behind the delay. "The matter isn't as clear cut as it may appear from the outside. A number of complex issues are also intertwined in the matter."
Choe also explained the audit met with severe resistance from involved public officials.
"It took us time to recover related data since public officials at the industry ministry erased documents after the National Assembly commissioned the audit," Choe said. "Accepting statements was also a tough process."
Choe Jae-hyeong, head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, attends an annual parliamentary audit of his agency at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Vice FM meets with new EU ambassador

Vice FM meets with new EU ambassador

Choi also asked the EU to support South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee 's bid for the top post at @ @ @ @ @ WTO ) , with the final round for the selection process under way .
The @ @ @ @ @ its new leader by early next month .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with the new European Union (EU) ambassador to South Korea on Thursday and discussed bilateral ties and other issues of mutual concern, the foreign ministry said.
During the meeting with Maria Castillo Fernandez, Choi expressed hope that the strategic partnership between Seoul and the 27-member economic bloc will develop further by expanding high-level exchanges in various fields, such as transportation, trade and climate change.
Castillo Fernandez said the EU hopes to strengthen cooperation with South Korea, particularly in crisis management and cybersecurity-related issues, as well as in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. She took office in September.
Choi also asked the EU to support South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid for the top post at the World Trade Organization (WTO), with the final round for the selection process under way. The WTO is expected to announce its new leader by early next month.
First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun stands with EU Ambassador to Seoul Maria Castillo Fernandez ahead of their meeting at the foreign ministry on Oct. 15, 2020, in this photo provided by the ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--(2nd LD) BTS agency listed amid fanfare on stock market

(ATTN: RECASTS throughout with details)
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop superstars BTS, debuted on South Korea's main bourse on Thursday, building a valuation higher than the country's next three largest entertainment companies combined.
Big Hit shares opened at 270,000 won (US$236) on Thursday on the Korea Exchange and jumped by the daily upper limit of 30 percent to 351,000 won three minutes after market opening.
The stocks closed at 258,000 won, down 4.4 percent from the starting price.
Still, the closing price is a sharp hike from the initial public offering price of 135,000 won.
The company's high initial price may have triggered a selling spree for profit-taking, analysts said.
"We will uphold the stockholder's value in various terms by raising profitability, growth potential and contributions to society," Big Hit Entertainment Chairman and CEO Bang Si-hyuk said at the listing ceremony, which was livestreamed on YouTube.
"We will spur efforts to become the world's best entertainment and lifestyle company," he added.
BTS members were not present at the ceremony.
This photo, captured from Big Hit Entertainment's live video channel, shows Chairman and CEO Bang Si-hyuk (L) and Korea Exchange (KRX) Chairman and CEO Jung Ji-won posing for photos at the K-pop entertainment giant's listing ceremony held at KRX's Seoul headquarters on Oct. 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
Based on Thursday's closing price, Big Hit's market cap stood at 8.73 trillion won, which is more than triple 2.78 trillion won, the combined market cap of South Korea's three major entertainment agencies -- S.M. Entertainment, YJ Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.
Bang holds a 36.6 percent stake in the company worth 3.14 trillion won based on the closing price, making him the sixth-richest person in South Korea.
BTS took home 123.5 billion won worth of stocks, or 17.6 billion won per member.
The ceremony marked the first initial public offering (IPO) celebration in about three months, due to the new coronavirus.
The agency has been called one of this year's three big IPO deals in South Korea, along with biopharmaceutical blue chip SK Biopharmaceuticals and mobile game giant Kakao Games.
Last year, the agency's annual sales almost doubled to 587.2 billion won, with an operating profit of 98.7 billion won.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--(LEAD) Supreme Court revisits '80s case of abusive state facility for vagrants

Surviving victims have testified that there was persistent and widespread physical and sexual abuse and forced labor at the confinement @ @ @ @ @ facility 's own records , 513 died from 1975-1987 , and some of the bodies @ @ @ @ @ the real tally is thought to be much higher , as the whereabouts of many @ @ @ @ @ Civic activists call it the Korean version of the Auschwitz concentration camp .

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 5-10, last para, photos)
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- The Supreme Court opened a case on Thursday on a state-run facility for vagrants, 31 years after its owner was acquitted of illegal confinement charges.
The court held a hearing for Park In-keun, the late owner of the Brothers Home facility in the southern port city of Busan, which confined and enslaved thousands of innocent people, including children, for forced labor from 1975 to 1987.
Park was found not guilty by the top court in 1989 of illegal confinement of the facility's inmates, who were snatched off streets by police and officials and forced to work there under the premise of protecting them.
The extraordinary appeal to the top court took place at the request of former Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il in November 2018, when he apologized over the prosecution's failed investigation into the grave violations of human rights at the facility. It was the first official issuance of an apology for one of the most serious human rights violations in modern South Korean history.
This photo provided by Busan Social Welfare Coalition, a civic advocacy group, shows the identity documents of Brothers Home inmates. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Park Joon-young, the lawyer for the surviving victims, pleaded with the court that Park received too lenient a punishment for what he had committed against the inmates.
He said the government's directive that allowed forcible detainment and confinement was unlawful and that justice should be served for the victims through the extraordinary appeal, which was the only option left to "make things right."
The facility's terrible human rights violations became public in 1987, but the case was largely overshadowed by the death of Park Jong-cheol, a university student who was tortured to death while fighting against former President Chun Doo-hwan's dictatorship, he said.
"Can we say everyone is entitled to (same) human rights?" he asked at the court hearing attended by some 40 victims.
The victims, he continued, have gone to great lengths to seek help and make their case known for a long time, to little avail.
Prosecutor Goh Kyeong-soon asked the court to overrule Park's not guilty verdict on illegal confinement charges as the directive was unconstitutional by being "excessive" and "in lack of clarity."
"The prosecution failed to go to the bottom of the case and only indicted him on partial charges. I sincerely apologize," she said.
Victims of the Brothers Home gather in front of the Supreme Court after the court reopened a case on the facility on Oct. 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
Surviving victims have testified that there was persistent and widespread physical and sexual abuse and forced labor at the confinement facility. According to the facility's own records, 513 died from 1975-1987, and some of the bodies were secretly buried. But the real tally is thought to be much higher, as the whereabouts of many inmates still remain unknown. Civic activists call it the Korean version of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In 1987, the prosecution indicted Park on charges of embezzlement and illegal confinement, but the top court only found him guilty of embezzlement and acquitted him of illegal confinement, citing the issuance of a government directive to round up vagrants to beautify the country in the runup to the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
In April 2018, the state Truth and Reconciliation Commission said the government's directive was unconstitutional and recommended the prosecution revisit the case to further investigate the allegations of severe violence and wrongful deaths there. The ensuing probe by prosecutors found that there were pervasive human rights abuses, which led to Moon's order to reopen the case.
Although a verdict from the final appeal, the date of which has not been determined yet, will not change Park's not guilty verdict, it will help victims get compensation and regain their impaired reputation if the court overrules its previous decision.
Victims of the Brothers Home gather in front of the Supreme Court after a hearing for Park In-keun, the late owner of the abusive facility in Busan, on Oct. 15, 2020. (Yonhap)
jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
(END)


Yonhap News Summary

SEOUL -- The South Korean economy is expected to fare better than other countries over the next two years , @ @ @ @ @ a deep recession amid the coronavirus pandemic , an economist at ratings agency S & @ @ @ @ @ .

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.
-----------------
(LEAD) Top S. Korean, U.S. security officials discuss alliance, N. Korea: Cheong Wa Dae
SEOUL -- Top national security officials of South Korea and the United States held talks in Washington, D.C. this week and reaffirmed that their alliance remains robust, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.
Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, arrived in the U.S. on Tuesday (local time) for his first trip to the U.S. since assuming the post in July.
-----------------
LEAD) N. Korea upgrades surface-to-air weapons: Air Force chief
SEOUL -- North Korea has upgraded its surface-to-air weapons to augment its air power considered way weaker than that of South Korea, the South's Air Force chief said Thursday, vowing to boost missile defense capabilities against the North's nuclear and missile threats.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong made the remark during a parliamentary audit session, saying around 10 new weapons have been identified from the North's military parade held last week.
-----------------
(2nd LD) S. Korea's new coronavirus cases bounce back to triple digits
SEOUL -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 100 on Thursday mainly due to a new cluster infection in the southeastern port city of Busan amid an eased social distancing scheme.
The country added 110 COVID-19 cases, including 95 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,988, with the death toll reaching 439, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
-----------------
(LEAD) BTS wins fourth Top Social Artist prize at Billboard Music Awards
SEOUL -- K-pop boy band BTS won the Top Social Artist award at this year's Billboard Music Awards (BBMA), their fourth consecutive victory in the category.
At the award event held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles without spectators on Wednesday (U.S. time), the septet beat Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, as well as fellow K-pop acts EXO and GOT7.
-----------------
S. Korean economy to perform well over next 2 years, but still in deep recession: S&P
SEOUL -- The South Korean economy is expected to fare better than other countries over the next two years, but it will be in a deep recession amid the coronavirus pandemic, an economist at ratings agency S&P Global Ratings said Thursday.
Shaun Roache, chief economist on the Asia-Pacific region at S&P, said South Korea's central bank is expected to keep its policy rate low at least throughout 2023 to prop up the economic recovery.
-----------------
Volkswagen Korea to expand lineup to regain market share after scandal
SEOUL -- Volkswagen Korea will expand its product lineup by 2021 to boost sales and regain consumer confidence in Asia's fourth-biggest economy, a company executive said Thursday.
Volkswagen Korea launched the all-new Jetta compact sedan in the Korean market earlier in the day to woo customers who want imported but affordable models.
-----------------
U.N. rapporteur urges N.K. to punish those responsible for killing of S. Korean citizen at sea
SEOUL -- The U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation has urged Pyongyang to punish those responsible for the killing of a South Korean fisheries official, compensate the official's family and ensure no such incident happens again.
Tomas Ojea Quintana made the appeal, denouncing the killing as a "violation of international human rights law" in his latest report on the North's human rights situation. The document was released by the U.N. human rights office in Seoul, and Quintana plans to present it to the U.N. General Assembly next week.
-----------------
(LEAD) 4 school teachers part of infamous Telegram sex crime case: lawmaker
SEOUL -- At least four school teachers were under investigation for allegedly downloading illegal child pornography produced by the group behind the infamous Telegram sexual exploitation case that unsettled the nation earlier this year, a lawmaker said Thursday.
According to Rep. Lee Tahn-ey of the ruling Democratic Party, three regular school teachers and a contract-based teacher from Incheon and the provinces of South Chungcheong and Gangwon have been probed by law enforcement as part of the larger so-called "nth room" sex crime investigation.
-----------------
S. Korean, U.S. defense chiefs' briefing cancellation not due to discord over key issues: Seoul ministry
SEOUL -- The abrupt cancellation of a planned joint press conference between the South Korean and U.S. defense chiefs was not because of differences between the two sides but because of "internal issues" of the United States, the defense ministry said Thursday.
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper had been scheduled to hold a news conference in Washington on Thursday after the annual ministerial talks, the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM). Suh flew to the U.S. for the meeting Wednesday amid the new coronavirus.
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--U.S. unit arrives in S. Korea for rotational deployment

`` The introduction of off-peninsula units to the Korean Theater of Operations exposes more U.S .
Soldiers to the operating @ @ @ @ @ Korea , the region , expands and enhances the partnership between the two Armies and @ @ @ @ @ , '' it said in a release .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Soldiers and equipment of a U.S. armored brigade combat team have started to arrive in South Korea for a rotational deployment, the U.S. military said Thursday.
Tracked vehicles and other equipment of the Raider Brigade, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division, began arriving in the southeastern city of Busan from Fort Stewart, Georgia, according to the Eighth Army.
The arriving brigade is replacing the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division on a nine-month mission to support the 2nd Infantry Division, South Korea-U.S. Combined Division and the Eighth Army, it said.
"The introduction of off-peninsula units to the Korean Theater of Operations exposes more U.S. Soldiers to the operating environment in the Republic of Korea, the region, expands and enhances the partnership between the two Armies and supports the ironclad ROK-US Alliance," it said in a release.
All soldiers upon arrival will be tested for the new coronavirus and put into 14-day mandatory quarantine.
The Raider Brigade is the ninth rotational armored brigade to serve in South Korea.
About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea to deter North Korean aggression, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the divided peninsula still technically at war.
In this photo, provided by the U.S. Eighth Army on Oct. 15, 2020, U.S. military vehicles arrive in the southeastern port city of Busan. Troops and equipment of an American armored brigade combat team are coming to South Korea for a rotational deployment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Navy vows to bolster defense posture near western inter-Korean sea border

On Sept. 22 , the 47-year-old fisheries official was fatally shot by the North 's military while adrift in the @ @ @ @ @ Yellow Sea , according to the military here .
He went missing the previous day @ @ @ @ @ western border island of Yeonpyeong .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- The Navy vowed Thursday to strengthen surveillance near the western inter-Korean sea border to better counter possible provocations by North Korea amid lingering tensions following the North's brutal killing of a South Korean official near the area.
On Sept. 22, the 47-year-old fisheries official was fatally shot by the North's military while adrift in the North Korean side of the Yellow Sea, according to the military here. He went missing the previous day while on duty near the western border island of Yeonpyeong.
While the South Korean military carried out operations in waters south of the sea border, known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), to search for the official's body, the North accused the South of intruding into its waters.
Pyongyang has long disputed the NLL and claims that a different line further south should be the boundary.
"In preparation for possible intrusions into the Northern Limit Line by North Korean patrol boats and fishing boats and other provocative moves, we will heighten a surveillance posture and better maintain a readiness posture," the Navy said in a report submitted to the National Assembly for the parliamentary audit.
"We will deploy advanced systems superior to North Korean assets and will operate them in a flexible manner," it noted.
The Navy also pledged to maintain a tight posture to better monitor and detect North Korea's missile launches.
Sailors carry out operations near Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea on Sept. 28, 2020.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Volkswagen Korea to expand lineup to regain market share after scandal

`` We are not hiding anything anymore .
We play with open books .
Our communication process takes longer than @ @ @ @ @ into details to make sure nothing goes wrong .
This is why it takes a @ @ @ @ @ also helps to gain back the consumer confidence from consumers , '' the executive said @

By Choi Kyong-ae
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Volkswagen Korea will expand its product lineup by 2021 to boost sales and regain consumer confidence in Asia's fourth-biggest economy, a company executive said Thursday.
Volkswagen Korea launched the all-new Jetta compact sedan in the Korean market earlier in the day to woo customers who want imported but affordable models.
The German carmaker plans to add the face-lifted Passat GT sedan in December, the T-ROC compact sport utility vehicle in February 2021 and the all-new Golf in late 2021, in addition to existing models -- the Arteon sedan, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace and Touareg SUV -- Volkswagen Korea Executive Director Stefan Krapp said.
"In 2021, it's the first time that Volkswagen will be again equipped with a full lineup in the Korean market. Our clear intention is to democratize the import car market, meaning making import cars available for all Korean customers, not positioning them as premium, non-reachable products but making them accessible," he said in a press event.
In this photo taken on Oct. 15, 2020, Stefan Krapp, executive director in charge of the Volkswagen Division at Audi Volkswagen Korea, answers questions from reporters on the company's business plans in Korea during a media event held at Grand Walkerhill Seoul hotel in eastern Seoul. (Yonhap)
To regain a share in the Korean market, Volkswagen also plans to introduce the ID.4 all-electric SUV model in 2022 in line with the Volkswagen Group's strategy of going green by 2025.
In 2022, the company aims to bring the flagship Teramont SUV to the Korean market to absorb rising demand for recreational vehicles.
The same rule of bringing cars available for general customers also applies when it comes to pure electric cars, Krapp said.
On Volkswagen's electrification strategy, Krapp said, "It's not the cars for millionaires but cars for millions. When you bring the electric cars to the Korean market, we also want to make sure that this car is affordable and can be bought by all Korean customers."
Audi Volkswagen Korea has struggled with weak sales in recent years due to the impact of the "diesel gate" emissions cheating scandal that began in September 2015 when the United States found the German carmaker cheated local diesel emissions tests.
In July 2016, the group "voluntarily" stopped selling its vehicles here as the Seoul government announced it would ban the sale of all Audi and Volkswagen cars and impose heavy fines for emissions cheating.
Audi Volkswagen Korea has four brands -- Audi, Volkswagen, Lamborghini and Bentley -- and resumed sales in Korea in early 2018 after suspending normal operations in 2016 following the emissions scandal.
In January this year, however, the group again suspended sales due to its "internal approval process" for relaunching its vehicles in Korea, resuming operations in mid-May.
"We are not hiding anything anymore. We play with open books. Our communication process takes longer than others as we really look into details to make sure nothing goes wrong. This is why it takes a bit longer, but this also helps to gain back the consumer confidence from consumers," the executive said.
Volkswagen Korea's sales plunged 45 percent to 8,510 vehicles in 2019 from 15,390 units a year earlier. But its sales appear to be improving this year helped by new models, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).
In the January-September period, sales more than tripled to 10,276 autos from 3,080 units in the same period of last year, KAIDA data showed.
Volkswagen South Korea is one of the leading countries in the global automotive sector and is a strategic market for the Audi and Volkswagen brands.
Audi Volkswagen Korea has four brands -- Audi, Volkswagen, Lamborghini and Bentley -- and resumed sales in Korea in early 2018 after suspending normal operations in 2016 following the emissions scandal.
This photo taken on Oct. 15, 2020, shows the all-new Jetta compact sedan launched in South Korea on the day. (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-10-15--Ministry says efforts continue for mutually acceptable defense cost deal with U.S.

Lee Jae-woong , the ministry 's deputy spokesman , made the remarks after U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper noted the @ @ @ @ @ Measures Agreement ( SMA ) to ensure the `` stable stationing '' of 28,500 American @ @ @ @ @ his talks with Seoul 's Defense Minister Suh Wook at the Pentagon on Wednesday .

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry said Thursday that South Korea and the United States are continuing efforts to reach a "mutually acceptable" defense cost-sharing deal swiftly regardless of domestic political schedules.
Lee Jae-woong, the ministry's deputy spokesman, made the remarks after U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper noted the necessity of reaching the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) to ensure the "stable stationing" of 28,500 American troops in South Korea during his talks with Seoul's Defense Minister Suh Wook at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
"Negotiations are in progress to reach a mutually acceptable agreement at a reasonable level," he said in a regular press briefing. "Regardless of domestic political schedules, the two governments continue to make efforts to strike an agreement swiftly."
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)