Yonhap News Summary

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

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S. Korean won drops to 6-yr low vs dollar
SEOUL -- South Korea's won fell to an over six-year low on Tuesday on increased
concerns that the global credit crunch is deepening as it is exacerbated by
slumping stock markets, dealers said.
The won was trading at 1,330.00 against the greenback as of 9:30 a.m., down 61.00
won from the previous session's close.
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Seoul shares down on weak confidence
SEOUL -- South Korean stocks traded lower late Tuesday morning as an ongoing
global credit crunch led foreign investors to sell off blue chips, analysts said
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 7.7 points, or 0.57
percent, to 1,351.05 as of 11:20 a.m. The key index, however, managed to reduce
out its losses after falling as low as 1,322 in the morning.
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(LEAD) S. Korea's regulator downplays possible financial crisis
SEOUL -- South Korea's financial watchdog brushed off growing concerns on Tuesday
that the country may face a similar financial crisis to the one it underwent in
1997-98.
"Global financial markets are in trouble and there is some talk about a
possibility of another financial crisis, but the current financial situation in
South Korea is different from that of the United States and Europe," Rhee
Chang-yong, vice president of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), said in a
meeting with local analysts.
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Sung Kim set to return home without revisiting Pyongyang: State Dept.
WASHINGTON -- A senior U.S. official in charge of North Korean nuclear affairs
will return to Washington Wednesday without going back to Pyongyang, the State
Department said Monday.
"Sung Kim is in Seoul right now. He's planning to have some further consultations
with South Koreans and the Japanese," deputy spokesman Robert Wood said at a
daily press briefing. "His plan right now is to return to Washington on
Wednesday."
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U.S. to maintain current troop level in Korea after OPCON transfer: commander
WASHINGTON -- The United States will maintain the current level of forces in
South Korea after Seoul's retaking of wartime command over its troops from the
U.S. in 2012, the commander of U.S. forces in Korea said Monday.
Speaking to reporters after a wreath laying ceremony for U.S. Korean War victims
here, Gen. Walter Sharp said, "The United States is not leaving after the OPCON
transfer," adding that the (South Korea-U.S.) alliance will "continue to stay
strong."
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