Yonhap News Summary

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

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(2nd LD) Clinton reaffirms pledge for N. Korea's nuclear dismantlement
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday reaffirmed her
pledge to denuclearize North Korea through six-party talks, dismissing concerns
that the Barack Obama administration may take a softer line to focus on
nonproliferation.
"I want it known very clearly that we remain absolutely committed to the
denuclearization of North Korea, that North Korea entered into an agreement to do
that," Clinton said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
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(LEAD) N. Korean leader calls for 'unity' ahead of parliamentary polls
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il called for "single-hearted unity" on
Wednesday as his nation prepared to hold long overdue parliamentary elections, in
which Kim will represent a military electorate, state media said.
North Korea bypassed the important election last autumn amid reports that Kim had
a stroke in August. In January, Pyongyang set the vote for March 8 in a sign that
Kim is now back in full charge.
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(LEAD) Nuke threat makes N. Korean missile more alarming: minister
SEOUL -- South Korea's top diplomat emphasized on Wednesday that North Korea's
missile program poses a serious threat to international security due to its
ability to launch a nuclear bomb.
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan also said that Pyongyang would still face stern
punitive measures from the United Nations even if it launches a satellite, and
not a missile as feared.
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Gov't seeks probe into anti-Pyongyang leaflet activists
SEOUL -- Seoul's unification minister asked the prosecution on Wednesday to
investigate activists who sent North Korean currency over the border as part of
an anti-Pyongyang campaign, in an alleged violation of South Korean law.
Despite the government's repeated warnings, a group of North Korean defectors
flew North Korean currency attached to some 20,000 leaflets criticizing
Pyongyang's top leader Kim Jong-il on his birthday on Monday. Most of the flyers
never reached the North, however, because of unfavorable winds.
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S. Korea, U.S. to hold annual defense drill next month amid North Korea woes
SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States will hold a joint annual defense
exercise next month, their combined forces command said Wednesday, as tension
persists on the divided peninsula.
North Korea, which appears to be preparing to launch a long-range missile,
accuses the allies of preparing for invasion when they hold their Key Resolve and
Foal Eagle exercise.
The U.S.-controlled United Nations Command here has notified Pyongyang of the
exercise scheduled for March 9-20, but has yet to receive a response, the
Combined Forces Command said.
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Korea's U.S. treasury bond holdings decline sharply: Treasury
WASHINGTON -- South Korea had US$27.2 billion worth of U.S. Treasury bonds as of
the end of last year, down from $39.2 billion a year earlier, the U.S. Department
of The Treasury said Tuesday.
The sharp decline is due apparently to the sale of the bonds by the South Korean
government late last year to intervene in the volatile foreign exchange market
and buttress the falling won, which has been hit hard by the global economic
crisis.
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S. Korea, EU delay free trade negotiations: trade minister
SEOUL -- South Korea and the European Union (EU) agreed to delay their scheduled
round of free trade negotiations by two to three weeks, Seoul's top trade
official said Wednesday.
Last month, both sides said they would hold an eighth round of negotiations in
Seoul in the first week of March predicting that it may be the last before an
agreement is reached.
(END)