Yonhap News Summary

The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Monday.
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(2nd LD) Chinese leader stops short of blaming N. Korea for warship sinking
TORONTO -- Chinese President Hu Jintao remained non-committal Sunday in blaming
North Korea for the deadly sinking of a warship in March at talks with South
Korean President Lee Myung-bak, a repetitive stance that drew unusually blunt
criticism from the U.S. leader.
In a one-on-one summit with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on the sidelines
of a G-20 meeting in Toronto, Hu reasserted Beijing disapproves of any act that
disrupts peace on the Korean Peninsula but stopped short of directly blaming
North Korea, according to Lee's office, Cheong Wa Dae.
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Lee says development issues, financial safety net to be discussed in Seoul summit
TORONTO -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak formally suggested Sunday that
the G-20 leaders start discussions on ways to narrow the development gap among
countries and set up a global financial safety net aimed at minimizing the impact
on emerging countries from abrupt interruptions in international capital.
Delivering a speech at the final plenary of the G-20 summit in Toronto, Lee said
the two issues will be added to the agenda at the next session to be held in
Seoul in November.
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Toronto G-20 summit ends with deal on deficit reduction
TORONTO, June 27 (Yonhap) -- The G-20 members agreed Sunday to halve their
deficits by 2013 and step up efforts to slash government debts as they wrapped up
the two-day summit here amid lingering worries that the global economy may plunge
into a double-dip recession.
The members allowed room for flexibility in implementing the non-biding deal,
reflecting differences among major players.
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Obama urges China to join int'l bid to condemn N. Korea for ship sinking
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama called on China Sunday to join
international efforts to rebuke North Korea for the torpedoing of a South Korean
warship.
"I think there's a difference between restraint and willful blindness to
consistent problems," Obama said at a news conference in Toronto concluding the
two-day G-20 summit. "And my hope is that President Hu will recognize as well
that this is an example of Pyongyang going over the line in ways that just have
to be spoken about seriously -- because otherwise we're not going to be able to
have serious negotiations with the North Koreans."
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S. Korea's per capita income to top US$20,000 this year
SEOUL -- South Korea's per capita income is expected to rebound back above the
US$20,000 mark this year thanks to solid economic growth and a firmer currency,
officials said Monday.
The country's per capita gross national income (GNI) is likely to reach around
US$20,600 this year, up from $17,175 last year, as the economy is expected to
grow a robust 5.8 percent with the won stabilizing in the low 1,200 level against
the U.S. dollar, finance ministry officials said.
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police-child rapist
Police hunting for suspected child rapist
SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) -- Seoul police were continuing to search Monday for a
suspected child rapist in another shocking case in which a young girl was
attacked in broad daylight.
The suspect, believed to be in his 30s, approached a seven-year-old girl playing
outside her home on Saturday while her parents were out working. The suspect took
her inside her home and raped her, according to the police.
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(LEAD) N. Korea says it will bolster nuclear deterrent in 'newly developed way'
SEOUL -- North Korea said Monday it will bolster its nuclear arsenal "in a newly
developed way" to counter what it calls U.S. hostile policy and military threats
toward the communist nation.
A spokesman for Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry issued the pledge in a statement,
carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, claiming that
recently declassified documents show that the U.S. had plotted nuclear strikes on
the North.
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S. Korean banks' loan rates hit 13-month low in May
SEOUL -- South Korean banks' lending rates dropped to the lowest level in 13
months in May, driven mainly by falling mortgage rates, the central bank said
Monday.
The average interest rate on new loans extended by local lenders fell to 5.4
percent in May from 5.49 percent the previous month, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said
in a report. The May reading marks the lowest level since the same 5.4 percent
figure seen in April last year and the fourth monthly fall in a row, the BOK data
showed.
(END)