YON - Yonhap News Agency of Korea back issues from July 2006:
S. Korean exports reach record US$28.2 bln in June.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's exports reached a record high of US$28.2 billion in June fueled by strong overseas demand for autos, semiconductors and ships, a government report said Saturday. The figure represents a 19.2 percent increase from the same month of last year and ...
S. Korean movie workers to take to streets to rap free trade deal with U. S.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean movie workers will suspend their work and take to the streets Saturday to denounce a proposed free trade deal with the United States that has already dealt a blow to the domestic movie industry, organizers said. A movie policy took effect earlier ...
Business-friendly Jeju.
Jul 01, 2006 ... (EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on July 1)Provinces, metropolises, and municipalities are swearing in new governors, mayors, county heads and council members today. Among them is Kim Tae-hwan, a second-term governor of Jeju Province, who has the daunting task of making good on his ...
Replace, don't reshuffle.
Jul 01, 2006 ... (EDITORIAL from the JoongAng Daily on July 1) President Roh Moo-hyun is reported to plan to replace the minister of finance and economy, the education minister, the minister of planning and budget and the chief presidential secretary for national policy. Minister of Education Kim ...
Kim denies being abducted by NK.
Jul 01, 2006 ... (EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on July 1)Kim Young-nam, believed to have been abducted by North Korea in 1978 when he was 16, denied that he was forcibly taken to the North during a press conference at Mt. Kumgang Thursday. Kim went missing while vacationing with his friends at a ...
Top headlines in major South Korean newspapers.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The following are the top headlines in major Korean newspapers on July 1.Vernacular dailies-- Vice prime ministers for economy and education to be replaced early next week (Kyunghyang Shinmun)-- Three government ministers to be replaced early next week ...
ITC retains antidumping duty on South Korean steel products.
Jul 01, 2006 ... WASHINGTON, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The U. S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Thursday decided to retain a countervailing duty on steel pipe products from South Korea and other exporter countries. Revoking the antidumping duty would be "likely to lead to continuation of recurrence of ...
Guam's legislator submits resolution on N. K. missile.
Jul 01, 2006 ... WASHINGTON, June 30 (Yonhap) -- A U. S. congresswoman submitted a resolution urging North Korea to abandon its missile development and pledging U. S. support for all countries threatened by such provocation, her office said Friday. Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) presented the ...
North Korea accuses U. S. of conducting 220 spy flights in June.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea claimed Friday that U. S. spy planes flew 220 surveillance sorties over its territory in June, with special focus paid to an area where its missile launch site is located."The U. S. imperialists committed at least 220 cases of aerial ...
Hyundai Motor's union gains more power after splitting from umbrella group.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Unionized workers of Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, voted Friday for their union to separate from a national umbrella labor group, paving the way for the union to exercise more power in disputes with company management, a union official said. ...
Finance minister expresses intention to step down.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Han Duck-soo, South Korea's top economic policymaker, said Friday he has informed President Roh Moo-hyun of his intention to step down. Han confirmed remarks by his spokesman earlier in the day that he forwarded his position to the presidential office several ...
Floor leader of S. Korea's main opposition party resigns to run for leadership.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The floor leader of South Korea's main opposition party offered his resignation Friday to enable him to run for party chairman next month. Rep. Lee Jae-oh of the Grand National Party (GNP), stepped down in order to contest the chairmanship race at the party's ...
Yonhap News Summary.
Jul 01, 2006 ... The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday. ------------------- (3rd LD) Hyundai Motor's union gains more power after splitting from umbrella group SEOUL -- Unionized workers of Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top ...
Dominican leader says his country can serve as springboard for S. Korea's exports to U. S.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The Dominican Republic can serve as an access point for South Korean companies to reach out to the eastern seaboard of the United States, the president of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, said during his state visit here Friday. "I think we can ...
Finance minister Han Duck-soo wants to step down: spokesman.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top economic policymaker Han Duck-soo has expressed his desire to step down, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Friday. The official said Han forwarded his position to ...
S. Korean economy to expand 5.2 pct in 2006 on private spending.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's economy is expected to grow 5.2 percent this year on the back of a fast recovery in consumer spending, a private institute said Friday, upgrading its previous outlook. Asia's fourth-largest economy is expected to expand 4.7 percent ...
S. Korea, U. S. to begin talks on transfer of U. S. war reserves.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean and U. S. officials are expected to open negotiations later this year on Washington's proposal to sell its war reserve stockpiles to Seoul, the U. S. command here said Friday.The U. S. has stockpiled about 600,000 tons of ammunition in ...
Heath authorities unable to determine cause of school food poisoning.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health and food watchdog said Friday it has failed to determine the cause of widespread food poisoning that caused many schools to stop providing lunches to students. The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it has yet to ...
S. Korea, U. S. to begin talks on transfer of U. S. war reserves.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean and U. S. officials are expected to open negotiations later this year on Washington's proposal to sell its war reserve stockpiles to Seoul, the U. S. command here said Friday.The U. S. has stockpiled about 600,000 tons of ammunition, ...
Parliament passes bill requiring schools to directly manage catering service.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly passed a law Friday that requires schools to directly manage their catering services following a massive food poisoning outbreak at local schools earlier in the month.The law prohibits schools from entrusting catering services ...
Seoul mulls population caps in capital area.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Construction Ministry said Friday that it plans to set ceilings on the number of residents in Seoul and its vicinity as part of efforts to curb population inflows into the country's most populous region. According to the ministry, the population ...
Education minister offers to resign over food poisoning incident at schools.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Education Minister Kim Jin-pyo offered to resign on Friday, holding himself responsible for this month's massive outbreak of food poisoning at local schools. "I deeply apologize for the food poisoning incident and policy confusion related to the high school ...
Hyundai Motor's union votes to secede from umbrella labor group.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Unionized workers of Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, voted for their union to split from the larger Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), union representatives said Friday. As a result, the 44,000-strong union of Hyundai Motor has been ...
Seoul shares stage strong rally on U. S. Fed's hint of rate pause.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed sharply higher Friday as investor sentiment got a strong boost from the U. S. Federal Reserve's hint that it may end its two-year credit-tightening campaign soon. The South Korean won rose against the U. S. dollar. The benchmark ...
Sports complex named after Hines Ward to be built in South Korea.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- A sports complex four times the size of Disneyland is to be built in South Korea, with the investor planning to name it after a Korean-American football star, according to a news report on Friday. The theme park, to be named after the 2006 Super Bowl MVP ...
NCSoft denies negligence charges in massive name theft case.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- NCSoft Corp., the nation's leading online game maker, denied on Friday the allegation that it has not taken enough measures to prevent identification theft, following massive thefts that swept its online game site over the past few months. Since the incident ...
Seoul shares stage strong rally on U. S. Fed's hint of rate pause.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed sharply higher Friday as investor sentiment got a strong boost from the U. S. Federal Reserve's hint that it may end its two-year credit-tightening campaign soon. The South Korean won rose against the U. S. dollar. The benchmark ...
Hyundai Motor union set to secede from umbrella labor group.
Jul 01, 2006 ... SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Unionized workers of Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, are expected to vote for their union to split from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the umbrella labor organization said Friday. If the move is approved, the 44,000-strong ...
South Korean boat leaves port to survey waters off Dokdo.
Jul 02, 2006 ... BUSAN, July 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean boat left port in Busan at 10:30 p. M. to conduct a survey of waters off the islets ...
Cho Nam-chul, S. Korea's 'baduk' master, dies at 83.(Obituary)
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Cho Nam-chul, one of South Korea's "baduk" masters, died of natural causes on Sunday at the age of 83, his family said. Cho devoted his whole life to working to boost the popularity of the two-person board game played with black and white counters. The game is ...
Cho Nam-chul, S. Korea's 'baduk' master, dies at 83.(Obituary)
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Cho Nam-chul, one of South Korea's "baduk" masters, died of natural causes on Sunday at the age of 83, his family said. Cho devoted his whole life to working to boost the popularity of the two-person board game played with black and white counters. The game is ...
South Korea's 'baduk' legend Cho Nam-chul dies.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea "baduk" legend Cho Nam-chul died of old age on Sunday, his family said. He was 83. ...
President Roh likely to carry out partial Cabinet reshuffle Monday.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun will likely appoint new ministers for education, finance and budget in a partial Cabinet reshuffle as early as Monday, presidential sources said Sunday. "The date has yet to be set, but it will probably be Monday or ...
S. Korea, China, Japan agree to boost number of visitors by 40 pct by 2010.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Top tourism officials of South Korea, China and Japan agreed Sunday to boost the number of visitors among the three nations by more than 40 percent by 2010, government officials said.Under the agreement, the three nations aim to boost the number of ...
S. Korean companies likely to post sluggish Q2 earnings: experts.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's key industries of electronics, oil refining and petrochemical and cars are likely to post sluggish second-quarter earnings reports, industry experts warned Sunday ahead of the April-June earnings season slated for July 10 through mid August. ...
S. Korean scientists find cancer-causing protein, expand treatment opportunities.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- A team of South Korean scientists said Sunday it has verified that the growth and metastasis of human cancer is caused, in many instances, by the E2-EPF ubiquitin carrier protein (UCP). The discovery, made by a team at the Korea Research Institute of ...
S. Korean husband of former Japanese abductee said wife died: family.
Jul 02, 2006 ... JEONJU, South Korea, July 2 (Yonhap) -- The family of a South Korean man believed abducted to North Korea decades ago on Sunday quoted him as having said that Japan is deliberately making false claims about his former wife, a Japanese citizen abducted by the North in 1977, in a bid to ...
Eight members of opposition GNP to face off in party leadership election.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Eight former and incumbent officials of South Korea's main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) completed registering their candidacies for the leadership of the party Sunday. "I will lead the party to victory in the 2007 presidential election through reforms ...
Ministers of S. Korea, Japan, China agree to promote tourism.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Tourism ministers from South Korea, Japan and China agreed Sunday to make efforts to raise the number of tourist visits among the three nations to 17 million in five years from the current 5 million, Japan's Kyodo News reported. The agreement was a major ...
Gov't eyes revising law to allow spouses to inherit half of property.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Ministry of Justice plans to implement a law revision aimed at allowing widows and widowers to inherit half of their late spouse's property regardless of the number of children also eligible for inheritance, ministry officials said Sunday. The move ...
Former floor leader of opposition GNP declares bid for party leadership.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- The former floor leader of South Korea's main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) on Sunday declared his bid for the party leadership, increasing to eight the number of people who have declared their candidacy or are soon expected to do so. "I will ...
S. Korea's exports expected to hit record high of $320 bln in 2006: report.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's annual exports are expected to reach US$320 billion this year, the highest amount ever, despite the won's strength against the U. S. dollar and high oil and raw material prices, a state-run trade agency's report showed Sunday. In line with the ...
Today in Korean History.
Jul 02, 2006 ... July 3 1961 -- Army Maj. Gen. Park Chung-hee takes office as chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, a military junta that ruled South Korea. On May 16, Park staged a coup to seize power. 1971 -- South Korea opens diplomatic ties with Mauritius. ...
Gov't eyes revising law to allow widows to inherit half of husband's property.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Ministry of Justice plans to implement a law revision aimed at allowing a widow to inherit half of her late husband's property as part of its efforts to improve the economic status of women, government officials said Sunday. The revision calls for ...
Two-income families have three times more to save: report.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean households in which both spouses work have nearly three times more money to save than those in which only one spouse is employed, according to a government report released Sunday. According to the report by the National Statistical Office, ...
S. Korean high schooler clinches silver medal in international ballet competition.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Park Sae-eun was the de facto winner of the junior women's division of an international ballet competition this week in the United States, a local group of Park's supporters said Sunday. At the eighth USA International Ballet Competition (IBC) in ...
POSCO's price hike triggers chain reaction.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Recent moves by South Korea's steelmakers to lift product prices, led by the world's fifth-largest steelmaker POSCO, have raised concern over increasing raw material costs in major industries, industry sources said Sunday. Shortly after POSCO's announcement of a ...
Chinese city of Harbin hopes to increase Korean investment through 'South Korea Week'.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SHENYANG, China, July 2 (Yonhap) -- China's northeastern city of Harbin is set to mark its friendship with South Korea with various festivities and events this week, city officials and Korean-Chinese organizers there said Sunday. More than 1,500 ethnic Koreans and Chinese in the city ...
Trade, industrial output, consumption to increase in second half: think tank.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign trade, industrial output and consumption are expected to grow in the second half of the year, according to a report released Sunday by a state-run economic think tank. The report, compiled by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics ...
S. Korea to purchase 250-million-barrel oil sands mine in Canada.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to buy an oil sands mine in Canada that is expected to produce 250 million barrels of oil, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said Sunday. It said the size of the deposits of the mine in the Cold Lake region of Alberta will allow ...
Over 50 pct of S. Korea's CEOs gloomy on first-half earnings: poll.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- More than half of South Korea's top executives believe their earnings in the first half of this year may have fell short of targets mainly due to sluggish domestic consumption, according to a poll released Sunday by a leading private think tank. The survey, ...
S. Korean firm's 'diabetic phone' gets approval from U. S. drug watchdog.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean medical equipment supplier Healthpia Co. said Sunday the U. S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to its mobile diabetes monitoring service. The so-called diabetic phone, developed by Healthpia and manufactured by LG ...
North Korean vice-premier meets Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's vice-premier of the cabinet met with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Havana earlier this week, the North's state media reported Saturday. "Fidel Castro exchanged pleasant conversation with the visiting North Korean delegation led by Jon Sung-hun, ...
Foreign Minister Ban mentions qualifications of next U. N. secretary general.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, in a speech to an Africa Union meeting currently underway in Gambia, said the next secretary general of the United Nations should be a leader who can bring rivals together, his aides in Seoul said Saturday. ...
Lawmaker calls for parliamentary probe into N. K. abduction issue.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- An opposition lawmaker said Saturday that the National Assembly should conduct an investigation into North Korea's alleged abduction of South Korean nationals. More than 480 South Koreans, mostly fishermen, are believed to have been kidnapped by North Korea ...
S. Korean movie workers take to streets rap free trade deal with U. S.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean film industry employees took to the streets Saturday to denounce a proposed free trade deal with the United States that has already dealt a blow to the domestic movie industry. A cut to the country's domestic film quota system took effect earlier ...
China proposes unofficial six-party nuclear talks: report.
Jul 02, 2006 ... TOKYO, July 1 (Yonhap) -- China has proposed unofficial six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program amid persistent regional concerns over Pyongyang's reported plan to test a long-range missile, a news report said Saturday. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei invited ...
Dubai oil prices forecast to average US$65 a barrel in 2nd half.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- Prices of Dubai crude in the second half are expected to be much higher than in the first six months, officials said Saturday, pointing to their negative impact on the South Korean economy. South Korea, the world's fourth-largest oil buyer, depends on Dubai ...
Today in Korean History.
Jul 02, 2006 ... July 2 1950 -- An Australian air force unit leaves for Korea to join the U. S.-led U. N. command which fought on South Korea's side in the 1950-53 Korean War. Shortly after the war broke out on June 25 with a North Korean invasion of South Korea, the U. N. Security Council ...
Seoul wary of Japan's reported maritime survey plan.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea remained cautious Saturday about Japan's reported plan to carry out a survey near a set of islets in the East Sea if Seoul pushes ahead with its own study there. Citing an unnamed Foreign Ministry official, Kyodo News Agency reported Friday that Japan ...
S. Korean exports reach record US$28.2 bln in June.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean exports reached a record high of US$28.2 billion in June fueled by strong overseas demand for autos, semiconductors and ships, a government report said Saturday. The figure represents a 19.2 percent increase compared to the same month of last year, ...
S. Korea's machinery production increases 11 pct in H1: report.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's machinery production increased 11.1 percent annually to 131 trillion won (US$137.81 billion) during the first half of this year, a report said Saturday. According to the Korea Association of Machinery Industry, exports of machinery also surged 19.5 ...
Easing of uncertainty on Fed's interest rate stance likely to boost local bourse.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean stock market is likely to maintain its upward momentum next week, thanks to the easing of uncertainty among investors over the U. S.'s stance on interest rates, analysts here said Saturday. The market, however, could be affected by how ...
U. N. council reappoints special rapporteur for N. Korean human rights.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The term of a U. N. council's special rapporteur for North Korean human rights has been extended by another year, a spokesman for the council was quoted as saying Saturday. Rolando Gomez, an information officer from the United Nations Human Rights Council, told U ....
S. Korean exports reach record US$28.2 bln in June.
Jul 02, 2006 ... SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean exports reached a record high of US$28.2 billion in June fueled by strong overseas demand for autos, semiconductors and ships, a government report said Saturday. The figure represents a 19.2 percent increase compared to the same month of last year, ...