Yonhap News Summary

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

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Seoul to enforce fingerprinting policy for foreign visitors
SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government will fingerprint and
photograph all foreigners visiting South Korea starting next year, as part of
efforts to strengthen its immigration control, officials said Friday.
According to the officials at the Ministry of Justice, all foreign visitors,
including tourists, will be obliged to undergo fingerprinting and have their
photo taken before entering South Korea from the second half of 2010.
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LEAD) Hyundai Motor sees amicable wage deal amid industry gloom
GOYANG, South Korea, April 3 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday it expects
to strike an amicable deal on wages with its labor union as the company is
feeling the pain of the global economic crisis.
Hyundai and its 45,000-strong union will begin annual wage negotiations on April
10. The union is demanding Hyundai increase its monthly basic salary by 4.9
percent this year.
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(2nd LD) Cloudy skies, moderate winds over N. Korean launch site: weather agency
SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- Cloudy skies and moderately strong winds are expected
this weekend for North Korea's northeast region, where the country may soon
launch a rocket, South Korea's weather agency said Friday.
Wind speed in Musudan-ri, a mountainous village along the east coast in North
Hamgyong Province, where the launch could occur as early as Saturday, will be 6
to 10 meters per second, a range categorized as "moderately strong," the Korea
Meteorological Administration said in a statement. The wind direction will likely
blow out of the northwest or west, it said.
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About 1,000 temporary workers at GM Daewoo face layoffs, union says
GOYANG, South Korea, April 3 (Yonhap) -- About 1,000 temporary workers at GM
Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. were on the verge of losing their jobs this month as
the financially troubled company extended plant shutdowns due to weakening
demand, union officials said Friday.
GM Daewoo, the South Korean unit of General Motors Corp., has intermittently
suspended production since December last year as sales have collapsed. This
month, GM Daewoo plans to cease production at its main plant in the city of
Bupyeong, near Seoul, for 13 days, according to the GM Daewoo union.
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S. Korea to continue malaria aid to N. Korea
SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will continue its annual aid to North
Korea to help eradicate malaria north of the border despite tensions over
Pyongyang's imminent rocket launch, Seoul officials said Friday.
Seoul will donate US$1.09 million to the World Health Organization to help North
Korea's fight against malaria, said officials from the Unification Ministry
handling inter-Korean affairs.
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(LEAD) Two S. Korean firms fail screening for Iraqi oil deal
SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- Two South Korean oil companies failed a second
prequalification screening of eligible bidders for oil field development in
southern Iraq, company officials said Friday.
The two companies -- top refiner SK Energy Co. and the state-run Korea National
Oil Corp. (KNOC) -- took part in the screening in January.
"We believe that the failure of the screening came from failing to meet Iraq's
requirements," said Jeon Byong-hyuk, a spokesman for KNOC.
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(END)