ID :
34923
Wed, 12/10/2008 - 18:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/34923
The shortlink copeid
Yonhap News Summary
The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Wednesday.
-----------------
Top American envoy extends stay in Beijing
BEIJING -- Chief U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill has decided to extend his
stay in Beijing by another day, the U.S. embassy here said Wednesday, amid
speculation the current six-way talks on the North Korean nuclear program could
be prolonged.
"Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill was supposed to leave for
Washington today, but he has decided not to," Susan N. Stevenson, a spokesperson
at the embassy, told Yonhap News Agency.
-----------------
U.S. listing North Korea as nuclear power 'evident error': foreign minister
SEOUL -- South Korea's top diplomat on Wednesday reinforced U.S. officials'
response to a recent defense report listing North Korea as one of five nuclear
powers in Asia, saying it was "evidently in error."
The controversial report made headlines as chief negotiators from the six-party
nuclear disarmament talks were meeting in Beijing Monday, striving to reach a
compromise on how to verify Pyongyang's declaration of its nuclear programs.
-----------------
(LEAD) Seoul shares end up 3.6 pct on bank, auto gains
SEOUL -- South Korean stocks closed 3.62 percent higher Wednesday as investors
picked up bank and automobile shares, shrugging off overnight Wall Street losses,
analysts said. The local currency jumped against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 40.03 points to
1,145.87. Volume was heavy at 548.4 million shares worth 7.33 trillion won
(US$5.26 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 621 to 200.
-----------------
Central banks of Korea, China, Japan to hold regular meeting
SEOUL -- The central bank chiefs of South Korea, China and Japan have agreed to
hold regular meetings starting next year to promote monetary and financial
stability in the region, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Wednesday.
"The three banks have decided to set up this Tripartite Governors' Meeting to
strengthen the existing process of informal dialogue among the three governors
that has taken place for many years," the BOK said in a joint statement.
-----------------
(LEAD) S. Korea's jobless rate rises to 3.1 pct in Nov.
SEOUL -- South Korea's jobless rate inched up in November with job creation
slumping to a 5-year low as companies refrained from hiring amid a bleak economic
outlook, a government report showed Wednesday.
The unemployment rate was 3.1 percent last month, up from the previous month's 3
percent, according to the report by the National Statistical Office. The figure
is in line with a median forecast in a poll conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the
financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.
-----------------
Renault Samsung closes its sole plant for 2 weeks amid sales slump
SEOUL -- The local unit of French automaker Renault SA said Wednesday it will
keep its sole plant in South Korea closed for two weeks amid a sharp decline in
sales.
Renault Samsung Motors Corp. closed its plant in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast
of Seoul, from Wednesday to Saturday and will keep it closed for another eight
days from Dec. 24, company officials said.
-----------------
(LEAD) Appeals court says Hong Kong oil tanker responsible for oil spill
DAEJEON -- An appeals court, overturning the lower court's verdict, on Wednesday
found a Hong Kong-registered oil tanker accountable for the largest oil spill in
Korean history.
The Daejeon District Court handed down a one-year jail sentence and a fine of 20
million won (US$14,316) to the captain of the oil tanker owned by the Hong
Kong-registered Hebei Spirit Shipping Co.
-----------------
(LEAD) Female N. Korean worker defected from Kaesong complex: activist
SEOUL -- A North Korean defector who escaped from an inter-Korean industrial
complex in the border city of Kaesong where she was employed remains in a third
country, a South Korean activist here said Wednesday.
The 27-year-old woman, whose identity was withheld for her safety, fled Kaesong
in late September and has since asked for help to travel to South Korea,
according to Kim Yong-hwa, who leads a Seoul-based civic group advocating for the
human rights of North Korean defectors.
(END)
on Wednesday.
-----------------
Top American envoy extends stay in Beijing
BEIJING -- Chief U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill has decided to extend his
stay in Beijing by another day, the U.S. embassy here said Wednesday, amid
speculation the current six-way talks on the North Korean nuclear program could
be prolonged.
"Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill was supposed to leave for
Washington today, but he has decided not to," Susan N. Stevenson, a spokesperson
at the embassy, told Yonhap News Agency.
-----------------
U.S. listing North Korea as nuclear power 'evident error': foreign minister
SEOUL -- South Korea's top diplomat on Wednesday reinforced U.S. officials'
response to a recent defense report listing North Korea as one of five nuclear
powers in Asia, saying it was "evidently in error."
The controversial report made headlines as chief negotiators from the six-party
nuclear disarmament talks were meeting in Beijing Monday, striving to reach a
compromise on how to verify Pyongyang's declaration of its nuclear programs.
-----------------
(LEAD) Seoul shares end up 3.6 pct on bank, auto gains
SEOUL -- South Korean stocks closed 3.62 percent higher Wednesday as investors
picked up bank and automobile shares, shrugging off overnight Wall Street losses,
analysts said. The local currency jumped against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 40.03 points to
1,145.87. Volume was heavy at 548.4 million shares worth 7.33 trillion won
(US$5.26 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 621 to 200.
-----------------
Central banks of Korea, China, Japan to hold regular meeting
SEOUL -- The central bank chiefs of South Korea, China and Japan have agreed to
hold regular meetings starting next year to promote monetary and financial
stability in the region, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Wednesday.
"The three banks have decided to set up this Tripartite Governors' Meeting to
strengthen the existing process of informal dialogue among the three governors
that has taken place for many years," the BOK said in a joint statement.
-----------------
(LEAD) S. Korea's jobless rate rises to 3.1 pct in Nov.
SEOUL -- South Korea's jobless rate inched up in November with job creation
slumping to a 5-year low as companies refrained from hiring amid a bleak economic
outlook, a government report showed Wednesday.
The unemployment rate was 3.1 percent last month, up from the previous month's 3
percent, according to the report by the National Statistical Office. The figure
is in line with a median forecast in a poll conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the
financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.
-----------------
Renault Samsung closes its sole plant for 2 weeks amid sales slump
SEOUL -- The local unit of French automaker Renault SA said Wednesday it will
keep its sole plant in South Korea closed for two weeks amid a sharp decline in
sales.
Renault Samsung Motors Corp. closed its plant in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast
of Seoul, from Wednesday to Saturday and will keep it closed for another eight
days from Dec. 24, company officials said.
-----------------
(LEAD) Appeals court says Hong Kong oil tanker responsible for oil spill
DAEJEON -- An appeals court, overturning the lower court's verdict, on Wednesday
found a Hong Kong-registered oil tanker accountable for the largest oil spill in
Korean history.
The Daejeon District Court handed down a one-year jail sentence and a fine of 20
million won (US$14,316) to the captain of the oil tanker owned by the Hong
Kong-registered Hebei Spirit Shipping Co.
-----------------
(LEAD) Female N. Korean worker defected from Kaesong complex: activist
SEOUL -- A North Korean defector who escaped from an inter-Korean industrial
complex in the border city of Kaesong where she was employed remains in a third
country, a South Korean activist here said Wednesday.
The 27-year-old woman, whose identity was withheld for her safety, fled Kaesong
in late September and has since asked for help to travel to South Korea,
according to Kim Yong-hwa, who leads a Seoul-based civic group advocating for the
human rights of North Korean defectors.
(END)