Yonhap News Summary

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

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Clinton talked to Obama aide on N. Korean trip: White House
WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has briefly talked to an aide to
President Barack Obama on his just-concluded trip to North Korea to win the
release of two American journalists, the White House said Thursday.
The briefing was made late Wednesday, soon after Clinton brought back the
journalists, held since March for illegally crossing the Chinese border on a
reporting tour, spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
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S. Korean, U.S. nuke envoys meet to revive 6-party talks: State Dept.
WASHINGTON -- The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and the U.S. have discussed
ways to restart the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs, stalled
over its recent nuclear and missile tests, the State Department said Thursday.
Ambassador Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's representative to the six-party talks, met
with his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, on the margins of a seminar hosted by the
East-West Center, Hawaii, Wednesday, spokesman Robert Wood said in a daily news
briefing.
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U.S. to continue sanctioning N. Korea until it returns to 6-way talks: White House
WASHINGTON -- The United States Thursday warned that it will continue sanctioning
North Korea until Pyongyang returns to the six-party talks on its
denuclearization.
In a daily news briefing, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "Regardless of
this mission or not -- we certainly hope that they'll come back to implementing
the agreements that they entered into, while at the same time we will continue to
take the steps necessary to enforce Security Council resolutions to ensure that
weapons of mass destruction are not spread by the North Koreans."
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(News Focus) Clinton's trip spurs hopes for South Koreans' release
SEOUL -- The release of two American journalists from North Korea this week gave
a new urgency to South Korea's efforts to bring home its citizens held in the
North, with analysts eyeing next week's important anniversary as an opportune
time.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton during some three hours of talks with North
Korean leader Kim Jong-il pressed him to free a South Korean worker and four
fishermen held in his country.
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(LEAD) S. Korea, India sign bilateral trade agreement
SEOUL -- South Korea and India signed a bilateral trade agreement on Friday to
cut duties on such goods as auto parts and electronics and to boost cooperation
between the two Asian economic powerhouses.
Both sides started negotiations for the so-called Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in March, 2006, committing themselves to drastically
lower import tariffs on cars and other manufactured items.
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Bank of Korea to freeze key rate for August: poll
SEOUL -- South Korea's central bank is widely expected to keep its key interest
rate unchanged for August for a sixth month amid signs of economic improvement
and eased inflation, a poll showed Friday.
All economists at 16 financial institutions predicted that the Bank of Korea
(BOK) will freeze the benchmark seven-day repo rate at a record low of 2 percent
on Tuesday, according to the poll by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of
Yonhap News Agency.
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Creditors of Ssangyong Motor to withdraw liquidation petition
PYEONGTAEK -- A number of the creditors of Ssangyong Motor Co. said Friday they
plan to withdraw their petition to early liquidate the troubled carmaker, a day
after an epic 77-day strike by fired workers ended.
On Thursday, union leaders and the management of Ssangyong agreed on the number
of layoffs, ending violent clashes with hundreds of the laid-off workers who had
occupied part of the carmaker's only assembly plant since May 22.
(END)