Yonhap News Summary

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday.

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(LEAD) N. Korea cautions against foreign investment
SEOUL -- North Korea believes the global economic crisis has left lessons to be
learned, including the danger of foreign investment, according to the North's
official newspaper obtained on Friday.
Pyongyang has been encouraging foreign direct investment into the country since
the 1990s to resuscitate its ailing economy. An Egyptian mobile operator, Orascom
Telecom, became the latest firm to invest in North Korea this month, launching a
third-generation mobile service and reportedly promising US$400 million for it.
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S. Korea suspends tangerine shipment to N. Korea for first time in decade
SEOUL -- South Korea's tangerine shipment to North Korea will be suspended for
the first time in 10 years this winter, as Seoul refused funding the shipment
amid frozen inter-Korean relations, officials said Friday.
The provincial government of the semi-tropical island of Jeju has sent more than
10,000 tons of tangerines to North Korea every winter since 1998, with the
central government paying for about half the cost.
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(LEAD) Constitutional Court rejects beef import protest petition
SEOUL -- Despite the fierce nationwide opposition it fueled for months, the South
Korean government's decision to resume U.S. beef imports and its process were not
in violation of the Constitution, the Constitutional Court ruled Friday.
The court said in a statement that it rejected a petition, signed in record
number by some 96,000 people, filed in May that raised questions about the
legitimacy of the decision and its process.
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(LEAD) Broadcasters' union protests deregulatory push
SEOUL -- Thousands of unionized workers at South Korea's broadcasting stations
launched a coordinated walkout Friday to protest the ruling party's plan to
deregulate laws governing ownership of broadcasters and introduce other
competition-inducing bills.
The National Union of Media Workers (NUMW), which represents unions of some 120
television and radio stations, said its members halted production as of 6 a.m.
Some, however, took part in the protest by reporting on their cause in news
programs.
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(LEAD) Seoul stocks fall 0.94 pct on corporate woes
SEOUL -- South Korean shares closed 0.94 percent lower Friday as concerns over
slumping corporate performance and production cuts weighed on large caps,
analysts said. The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 10.65 points to
1,117.86. Volume was moderate at 332.3 million shares worth 2.94 trillion won
(US$2.26 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 471 to 361.
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Tainted Chinese snacks consumed in S. Korea: authorities
SEOUL -- South Koreans consumed nearly 920 tons of China-made snacks this year
contaminated with the toxin melamine that is known to cause kidney failure when
digested in large quantities, health authorities said Friday.
According to the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), South Korea sold
1,356 tons of melamine-tainted snacks produced in China this year, of which 919
tons are presumed to have been consumed. The rest was taken off store shelves
after a worldwide food scare linked to the toxin erupted.
(END)

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