By Tony Chang
SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors on Monday detained two more aides of
former President Roh Moo-hyun for allegedly taking bribes from a businessman, a

The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Monday.

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with remarks from President Lee in paras 4-5;
TRIMS)
By Byun Duk-kun

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- Production costs for growing rice in South Korea
jumped 3.7 percent in 2008 mainly due to an increase in the price of fertilizers,

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government Tuesday launched a new
program to support the country's middle class, stressing that a strong middle

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks surged 1.96 percent late Monday
morning as investors scooped up blue-chip shares on eased concerns over the

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to bring home nearly one third of
its military attaches stationed abroad in an effort to cut spending and combat

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- Inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) dropped 44
percent on-year in the first quarter due to the global economic slump that has

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- POSCO, the world's fourth-largest steelmaker, plans
to extend its output cut into the second quarter as demand from automakers and

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- The government and the ruling Grand National Party
(GNP) on Monday reached a tentative agreement to create a supplementary budget of