Yonhap News Summary
Yonhap News Summary
The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday.
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(2nd LD) S. Korea to fully lift COVID-19 quarantine in late May: KDCA
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details on post-omicron scheme; INCORPORATES earlier story under the same slug; RESTRUCTURES; TRIMS)
SEOUL -- South Korea will fully lift the seven-day mandatory quarantine for COVID-19 patients starting in late May, the public health agency said Friday.
The government will also lower the COVID-19 infectious disease level by one notch to the second-highest level out of the four-tier system, allowing patients to receive treatment at local clinics and hospitals like an endemic disease, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
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S. Korea, U.S. in talks to hold Yoon-Biden summit around May 21: source
SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States have been in talks to hold a summit between President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden around May 21 in Seoul, a source said Friday.
South Korea has been pushing to have Biden visit before he travels to Japan to attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting set to take place around May 24, the source added.
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(LEAD) N. Korea to mark late founder's birthday with nighttime performances, fireworks
(ATTN: UPDATES with Seoul official's remarks and more details in last 6 paras; ADDS photos, byline; CHANGES slug)
SEOUL -- North Korea is set to celebrate the 110th birth anniversary of its late founder Kim Il-sung Friday night with large-scale performances and fireworks at its capital, according to state media.
The country is scheduled to open a youth ball at the Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang at 7 p.m. and then hold a musical performance in commemoration of the anniversary, called the Day of the Sun in the North, the state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported.
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Yoon visits umbrella labor organization, vows to respect value of labor
SEOUL -- President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol visited the headquarters of South Korea's largest umbrella labor organization Friday and pledged to make a society where the value of labor can be respected and workers feel pride.
"In this era, a country, a society, or a company that does not acknowledge and properly evaluate the value of labor finds it difficult to achieve sustainable development," Yoon said during a meeting with leaders of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU).
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Moon to leave Cheong Wa Dae on May 9, attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony
SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in will move out of Cheong Wa Dae on May 9, a day before his successor Yoon Suk-yeol takes office, and will attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony the following day, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said Friday.
The decision to leave Cheong Wa Dae on the eve of Yoon's inauguration is in line with Yoon's plan to open the Cheong Wa Dae compound to the public on his first day in office after relocating the presidential office to what is now the defense ministry building.
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(LEAD) Seoul stocks end lower on concerns over Fed's combative tightening
(ATTN: ADDS bond yields at bottom, photo)
SEOUL -- South Korean stocks closed down Friday amid concerns that the Fed is heading for more aggressive monetary tightening than expected to tame rising prices. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.
After a choppy session, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 20.65 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 2,696.06.
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