ID :
98296
Tue, 01/05/2010 - 15:31
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/98296
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Yonhap News Summary
Yonhap News Summary
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Tuesday.
-------
(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea pays 'steep price' for political altercations: Speaker Kim
SEOUL -- Parliamentary Speaker Kim Hyung-o said Tuesday that the country is
paying a "steep price" for its fractious National Assembly, urging political
leaders to step up efforts to negotiate on contentious bills and rid the chamber
of violent confrontations.
"I hope to drive out violence out of the National Assembly this year. Party
leaders should be prepared to redouble their efforts to reach compromises. Some
(Assembly) members who do not understand the principles of democracy and who are
self-indulgent enough to spit out verbal abuse are polluting the parliament" Kim
said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
-------
Hyundai Steel starts its first-ever integrated furnace
DANGJIN, South Korea -- Hyundai Steel Co., South Korea's No.2 steelmaker, on
Tuesday started its first-ever integrated blast furnace in this southwestern
coastal city after a three-year construction period.
The company plans to start in April the commercial operations of the first blast
furnace that has an annual production capacity of 4 million tons of steel
products, according to Hyundai Steel.
-------
(LEAD) Kumho Asiana to carry out drastic restructuring
SEOUL -- South Korea's financially troubled Kumho Asiana Group said Tuesday that
it will cut 20 percent of its executives and raise 1.3 trillion won (US$1.1
billion) by selling its units' own assets as part of a restructuring plan.
On Dec. 30, Kumho Asiana agreed with its main creditor Korea Development Bank
(KDB) to put the group's two units -- Kumho Industrial Co. and Kumho Tire Co. --
under a debt rescheduling program to help the group ease cash shortages sparked
by the delayed sale of its unit Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co.
-------
S. Korean banks to lend less to smaller firms in Q1
SEOUL -- South Korean banks are expected to strengthen their grip on lending to
smaller firms in the first quarter as the credit risk of such companies still
remains high, the central bank said Tuesday.
An index gauging lender attitudes on loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
reached minus 6 for the January-March period, compared with zero for the fourth
quarter of last year, according to a survey of 16 lenders by the Bank of Korea
(BOK).
-------
U.S. hopes for N. Korea's return to 6-way talks: State Dept.
WASHINGTON -- The United States Monday expressed hope that North Korea will
return to the six-party talks on its denuclearization, which the North has
boycotted over international sanctions for its nuclear and missile tests early
last year.
"We hope that North Korea will agree to resuming the six-party talks," State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. "We are hopeful that we'll get some actions
toward that end and not just words. We are hopeful we can all sit down and reach
our desired goal, which is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a
verifiable manner."
-------
Korea's troop deployment in Afghanistan serves Korea's national interest: scholar
WASHINGTON -- Seoul's planned redeployment of troops to Afghanistan should be
seen as in the country's national interest as the move will boost U.S. commitment
to South Korea's defense, a U.S. scholar said Monday.
"The Lee Myung-bak administration has clearly grasped the negative implications
of sitting on the sidelines in Afghanistan while simultaneously seeking constant
but necessary reassurance from the U.S. that the defense of Korea remains a
priority," Michael Finnegan, senior research associate at the National Bureau of
Asian Research, said in the January, 2010 news letter of the Center for
U.S.-Korea Policy at the Asia Foundation.
--------
S. Korea's foreign reserves dip from record high in Dec.
SEOUL -- South Korea's foreign exchange reserves fell from a record high in
December as a strong U.S. dollar eroded the conversion value of assets in other
currencies, the central bank said Tuesday.
The country's foreign reserves totaled US$269.99 billion as of the end of
December, down $900 million from the previous month and the first decline in 10
months, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
--------
S. Korea steps up spending for North Korean defectors: document
SEOUL -- The South Korean ministry overseeing North Korean affairs plans to
increase its spending this year by 27 percent, expanding programs designed to
support defectors from the communist neighbor, according to a document obtained
Tuesday.
The Unification Ministry increased its budget to 154.2 billion won (US$134.4
million) this year from 121.5 billion won last year, according to the plan for
fiscal 2010 ratified last month.
(END)
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Tuesday.
-------
(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea pays 'steep price' for political altercations: Speaker Kim
SEOUL -- Parliamentary Speaker Kim Hyung-o said Tuesday that the country is
paying a "steep price" for its fractious National Assembly, urging political
leaders to step up efforts to negotiate on contentious bills and rid the chamber
of violent confrontations.
"I hope to drive out violence out of the National Assembly this year. Party
leaders should be prepared to redouble their efforts to reach compromises. Some
(Assembly) members who do not understand the principles of democracy and who are
self-indulgent enough to spit out verbal abuse are polluting the parliament" Kim
said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
-------
Hyundai Steel starts its first-ever integrated furnace
DANGJIN, South Korea -- Hyundai Steel Co., South Korea's No.2 steelmaker, on
Tuesday started its first-ever integrated blast furnace in this southwestern
coastal city after a three-year construction period.
The company plans to start in April the commercial operations of the first blast
furnace that has an annual production capacity of 4 million tons of steel
products, according to Hyundai Steel.
-------
(LEAD) Kumho Asiana to carry out drastic restructuring
SEOUL -- South Korea's financially troubled Kumho Asiana Group said Tuesday that
it will cut 20 percent of its executives and raise 1.3 trillion won (US$1.1
billion) by selling its units' own assets as part of a restructuring plan.
On Dec. 30, Kumho Asiana agreed with its main creditor Korea Development Bank
(KDB) to put the group's two units -- Kumho Industrial Co. and Kumho Tire Co. --
under a debt rescheduling program to help the group ease cash shortages sparked
by the delayed sale of its unit Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co.
-------
S. Korean banks to lend less to smaller firms in Q1
SEOUL -- South Korean banks are expected to strengthen their grip on lending to
smaller firms in the first quarter as the credit risk of such companies still
remains high, the central bank said Tuesday.
An index gauging lender attitudes on loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
reached minus 6 for the January-March period, compared with zero for the fourth
quarter of last year, according to a survey of 16 lenders by the Bank of Korea
(BOK).
-------
U.S. hopes for N. Korea's return to 6-way talks: State Dept.
WASHINGTON -- The United States Monday expressed hope that North Korea will
return to the six-party talks on its denuclearization, which the North has
boycotted over international sanctions for its nuclear and missile tests early
last year.
"We hope that North Korea will agree to resuming the six-party talks," State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. "We are hopeful that we'll get some actions
toward that end and not just words. We are hopeful we can all sit down and reach
our desired goal, which is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a
verifiable manner."
-------
Korea's troop deployment in Afghanistan serves Korea's national interest: scholar
WASHINGTON -- Seoul's planned redeployment of troops to Afghanistan should be
seen as in the country's national interest as the move will boost U.S. commitment
to South Korea's defense, a U.S. scholar said Monday.
"The Lee Myung-bak administration has clearly grasped the negative implications
of sitting on the sidelines in Afghanistan while simultaneously seeking constant
but necessary reassurance from the U.S. that the defense of Korea remains a
priority," Michael Finnegan, senior research associate at the National Bureau of
Asian Research, said in the January, 2010 news letter of the Center for
U.S.-Korea Policy at the Asia Foundation.
--------
S. Korea's foreign reserves dip from record high in Dec.
SEOUL -- South Korea's foreign exchange reserves fell from a record high in
December as a strong U.S. dollar eroded the conversion value of assets in other
currencies, the central bank said Tuesday.
The country's foreign reserves totaled US$269.99 billion as of the end of
December, down $900 million from the previous month and the first decline in 10
months, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
--------
S. Korea steps up spending for North Korean defectors: document
SEOUL -- The South Korean ministry overseeing North Korean affairs plans to
increase its spending this year by 27 percent, expanding programs designed to
support defectors from the communist neighbor, according to a document obtained
Tuesday.
The Unification Ministry increased its budget to 154.2 billion won (US$134.4
million) this year from 121.5 billion won last year, according to the plan for
fiscal 2010 ratified last month.
(END)
