Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) Thousands of S. Koreans to exit N. Korea as it cuts joint projects
SEOUL -- Thousands of South Koreans working at joint facilities in North Korea
will pack up and begin to leave on Friday, as Pyongyang stepped up its threats to
suspend such programs, officials said.
About 1,200 South Koreans working at a joint industrial complex and nearby
offices in the border city of Kaesong will make an overland trip across the
heavily-armed border into the South, Unification Ministry Spokesman Kim Ho-nyoung
told reporters.
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Lee asks for swift parliamentary passage of 2009 budget bill
SEOUL -- President Lee Myung-bak on Friday called for a swift parliamentary
approval of his government's 2009 budget bill, warning a further delay will
hamper his effort to implement economic stimulus measures designed to fight the
economic crisis.
"I urge the National Assembly to ratify the new year's budget bill as soon as
possible, so the government can enforce extraordinary (stimulus) measures to
revitalize the economy," Lee was quoted by his spokesman as saying in a meeting
with Assembly leaders.
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Seoul receives first shipment of Patriot missiles for 2010 deployment
SEOUL -- The South Korean Air Force on Friday received the first shipment of 48
Patriot missiles from Germany that will replace the country's aging air defense
missiles, the armed service said.
The anti-missile and anti-aircraft missiles will be deployed by 2012 after two
years of trial operation and integration with the country's existing command,
launch systems, it said.
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Gov't to inject 3 tln won to create jobs in high-tech, energy sectors
SEOUL -- The government said Friday that it will spend 3 trillion won (US$2.05
billion) next year to create 18,000 new jobs in high-tech industries and
energy-related sectors.
The plan calls for 383.0 billion won to be poured into cutting edge industries
like bio-engineering, robotics, radio frequency identification tags-ubiquitous
sensor networks (RFID-USN) and light emitting diodes (LED) that could contribute
5,800 fresh jobs, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.
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S. Korea's foreign debts hit record high in Q3
SEOUL -- South Korea's overseas debts reached a record high in the third quarter
of the year as local banks and companies increased borrowing, the central bank
said Friday.
Foreign debts reached US$425.1 billion at the end of September, compared with
$420.6 billion three months earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
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S. Korea's industrial output shrinks 2.4 pct in October
SEOUL -- South Korea's industrial output fell for the first time in 13 months in
October amid sluggish domestic demand and spreading concerns over a global
slowdown, a government report showed Friday.
According to the report by the National Statistical Office (NSO), industrial
production shrank 2.4 percent last month from a year earlier, sharply slowing
from a 6.2 percent on-year advance in September. This marked the first decline
since the output contracted 3.1 percent in September 2007.
(END)