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) S. Korea testing 5 suspected swine flu cases
SEOUL -- South Korean health authorities said Wednesday that they are conducting
tests on five more suspected cases of swine flu amid a heightening alert against
the deadly virus that is rapidly spreading across the globe.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement
that the five individuals being tested, including a 15-month-old baby, recently
returned from trips to Mexico or the United States and showed flu-like symptoms
such as coughing and fever.
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N. Korea reaffirms boycott of nuclear talks
SEOUL -- North Korea will make good on its pledge to quit the multilateral
disarmament talks and bolster its nuclear deterrence despite sanctions from the
United Nations, the communist nation's leading newspaper said Wednesday.
"We state again that our country will no longer enter into the six-way talks and
will strengthen nuclear deterrence power in every way," the Rodong Sinmun,
published by the North's powerful Workers' Party, said in a commentary carried by
the country's official news agency.
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Senior S. Korean official to visit U.S. for discussions on alliance
SEOUL -- South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon was to leave for
Washington later Wednesday to discuss alliance issues with senior U.S. officials,
a diplomatic source here said.
Lee's three-day trip will set the stage for the start of full-scale face-to-face
consultations on a working level between the allies under the U.S. administration
of Barack Obama.
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(2nd LD) S. Korea's current account surplus hits new record in March
SEOUL -- South Korea posted a record current account surplus in March as imports
declined more sharply than exports and is likely to see another surplus for
April, the central bank said Wednesday.
The current account surplus widened to US$6.65 billion last month from $3.56
billion in February, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a report. The current
account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade.
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Finance minister says downturn abating but cautions against optimism
SEOUL -- South Korea's economic downturn is easing, but it is still too early to
be overly optimistic as exports and domestic demand are taking more time to fully
recover, the nation's top economic policymaker said Wednesday.
"The pace of the economic downturn is easing slightly but the overall direction
still points downward. It is too early to become optimistic under current
conditions," Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun told a weekly crisis management
meeting in central Seoul.
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S. Korea's May business sentiment hits 1-year high
SEOUL -- South Korea's business sentiment index reached a one-year high in May on
expectations that the economy may have bottomed out, an industry survey showed
Wednesday.
The monthly business survey index, an indicator of companies' outlook for the
coming month, was 103.8 in May, compared with 86.7 in April, the Federation of
Korean Industries said in a statement.
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Police chief warns against illegal protests ahead of large May rallies
SEOUL -- The national police chief vowed Wednesday to enforce a tight clampdown
on violent and disruptive demonstrations, a warning directed at nationwide labor
and anti-government rallies scheduled later this week.
"We will fully allow peaceful and legitimate rallies but sternly deal with
violence in accordance with the law," Kang Hee-rak, commissioner of the National
Police Agency, said at a press briefing.
(END)