Yonhap News Summary
Yonhap News Summary
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday.
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(2nd LD) Exports up 5.4 pct in June; trade deficit hits record high in H1
SEOUL -- South Korea's exports rose 5.4 percent on-year in June to US$57.73 billion on solid demand for chips and petroleum products, but the country extended its trade deficit for the third consecutive month due to high global energy prices, data showed Friday.
During the first six months of this year, the country saw exports reach an all-time half-year high, but high-flying energy prices sent the trade deficit to the highest figure for any first-half period, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
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At least 3 killed in heavy rains
SEOUL -- Heavy rains that pounded the country this week have killed at least three people, and flooded houses and farmland nationwide, officials said Friday.
A man in his 90s was killed when the roof of his house collapsed in the central city of Gongju on Thursday, while a construction worker drowned in a pool of water created by the torrential downpours at an apartment construction site in Yongin, south of Seoul, on the same day.
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Yoon returns home after attending NATO summit in Spain
SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol returned home from Spain on Friday after attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit and holding a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines on his first overseas trip as president.
During his four-day visit to Madrid, Yoon took part in a total of 16 diplomatic events -- 10 bilateral summits, three multilateral summits, meetings with King Felipe VI of Spain and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and a luncheon meeting with Spanish businesspeople -- according to his office.
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S. Korea seeks nuclear power sales in Poland
SEOUL -- South Korea's Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang has called for deeper bilateral cooperation in the nuclear power generation field with Poland, as Seoul seeks to participate in the European nation's new reactor construction project, his office said Friday.
Poland is working on a comprehensive energy blueprint that involves building six nuclear reactors by around 2043, and South Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. in April submitted a proposal to win the deal worth over US$40 billion.
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(LEAD) S. Korea to review measures to prop up exports in H2
SEOUL -- South Korea plans to review a set of measures to help bolster the country's exports in the second half, a senior government official said Friday, amid concerns that exports growth is likely to slow down due to heightened economic uncertainty.
The government plans to hold an emergency meeting of ministers in charge of economic affairs on Sunday to discuss ways to prop up exports and ease exporters' business difficulty, according to First Vice Finance Minister Bang Ki-sun.
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(3rd LD) N. Korea's first COVID-19 cases traced to area bordering S. Korea: state media
SEOUL -- North Korean health authorities have concluded its COVID-19 outbreak originated in an area near the inter-Korean border as local residents came into contact with "alien" stuff there, state media reported Friday, a move seen as aimed at ascribing the virus crisis to South Korea and using it for political purposes.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited a probe into the transmission route of the omicron variant outbreak, which Pyongyang made public on May 12.
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37 Koreans awarded at int'l classical music competitions in H1
SEOUL -- A total of 37 South Korean nationals have won prizes at 25 international classical music competitions held in the first half of this year, a local cultural foundation said Friday.
Twelve Korean pianists were awarded at 13 contests, and seven violinists won medals at nine competitions during the January-June period, according to Kumho Cultural Foundation.
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