Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) N. Korea steps up special forces, deploys medium-range missiles: defense paper
SEOUL -- Taking cues from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, North Korea has ramped up
its special forces capable of rapid infiltration, while completing the
development of its medium-range ballistic missiles, South Korea said Monday.
In its latest assessment of the communist neighbor, the South Korean defense
ministry also said the North is believed to have secured 40 kilograms of
plutonium, while reinforcing its submarines.
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North's hostility cause of strained ties: unification minister
SEOUL -- South Korea's unification minister on Monday put the blame on Pyongyang
for the confrontational mood between the two Koreas but vowed to persistently
seek talks with the North.
"The South's policy on North Korea is not the cause of the chill in relations.
The cause is the North's hardline position towards the South," Hyun In-taek was
quoted as saying at a meeting with leaders of the ruling Grand National Party
(GNP).
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N. Korean leader watches military art performance: report
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il watched a music performance by a
military art squad, the state media said Monday, marking what appears to be three
consecutive days of his public appearance.
Kim, who turned 67 last week, sharply raised public visits this year as the
country strives to build a "great, prosperous and powerful nation" by 2012, the
100th anniversary of Kim's father and North Korean leader Kim Il-sung's birth.
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S. Korea set to conclude legal process for sending navy ship to Somalia
SEOUL -- South Korean lawmakers are expected to approve later this week the
government's plan to send a 4,500-ton destroyer to pirate-infested Somali waters,
officials said Monday.
"The National Assembly will likely pass the motion for the dispatch around Feb.
27," Choe Jong-hyun, deputy spokesman at the foreign ministry said after a weekly
meeting of senior ministry officials.
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S. Korea, Japan expected to extend currency swap line: official
PHUKET, Thailand -- Japan will likely extend its bilateral currency swap facility
with South Korea, helping Seoul secure a tightened safety net for a possible
financial crisis, a top Seoul financial policymaker said Monday.
"We expect that the currency swap arrangement with Japan will be extended
automatically if there are any particular problems," Deputy Finance Minister Shin
Je-yoon told Yonhap News Agency. "Of course, this is an issue to be decided by
Japan's central bank but we believe things will be done in a good direction."
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Watchdog downplays 'March crisis' scenario
SEOUL -- South Korea's financial watchdog on Monday shrugged off speculation that
a capital flight by Japanese investors from the local market may trigger a
financial crisis in March and pledged to closely monitor the situation.
Market jitters have deepened amid fears that Japanese financial companies may
pull their money out of the Seoul market en masse in March when they close their
books.
(END)