Yonhap News Summary

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

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N. Korea may revive nuclear brinkmanship against new U.S. administration: report
SEOUL -- North Korea may resort to brinkmanship to up the ante in multilateral
talks on its nuclear program, but drastic U.S. concessions are not likely by the
incoming U.S. administration, a report said Monday.
Pyongyang will take a wait-and-see approach to determine the policy of the Barack
Obama administration but then may raise the threat of missiles and a second
nuclear weapon test in order to gain incentives, said the report by the Institute
of Foreign Affairs and National Security, a think tank under the foreign affairs
ministry.
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(LEAD) Korean consumer sentiment dips to 10-year low in December
SEOUL -- South Korea's consumer sentiment in December sank to the worst level
seen since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis as private spending continued to
weaken, hit by the slumping economy, the central bank said Monday.
According to the Bank of Korea (BOK), the consumer survey index (CSI) -- a gauge
of consumers' overall sense of their economic outlook, living conditions and
future spending -- dropped to 81 in December, compared to 84 the previous month.
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Korean retailers downbeat over Q1 biz outlook: poll
SEOUL -- A majority of South Korean retailers remain gloomy about their business
outlook in the first quarter of next year due to weakening domestic demand, a
poll showed Monday.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said its retail business survey index
was down to 73 for the January-March period from 98 for the fourth quarter of
this year.
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(LEAD) Korea's state fund to trim stock investment in 2009
SEOUL -- South Korea's state fund will reduce its stock investment ratio by
nearly 10 percentage points for next year amid global financial turmoil and
worldwide bearish equity markets, the government said Monday.
The National Pension Service (NPS) will trim its stock investment ratio from the
current 29.7 percent to 20.65 percent of the total assets for next year,
according to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.
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Seoul sells over $1 billion worth of weapons in 2008
SEOUL -- South Korea this year sold over $1 billion worth of weapons and defense
articles overseas, possibly becoming one of the world's 15 largest weapons
exporters, Seoul's defense procurement agency said Monday.
This is the first time the country exported more than $1 billion worth of defense
goods since the sale of some $470,000 in rifle ammunitions to Indonesia, the
Philippines and the United States in 1975 in what marked its first-ever export of
defense articles, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration
(DAPA).
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Seoul eyes giving more denizenship for foreign investors
SEOUL -- The South Korean government said Monday it plans to effectively offer
more denizenships, or rights of permanent residence, to foreign investors
contributing to job creation in South Korea.
Officials said they also plan to revive a system under which all foreign
nationals are obliged to undergo fingerprinting upon entering the country and
allow limited dual nationality to overseas nationals with "exceptional talents."
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(LEAD) Assembly speaker vows to enforce vote on pending bills
SEOUL -- National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o vowed Monday to put to a vote by
Wednesday critical bills designed to support the public livelihood, putting his
foot down on a partisan dispute that has held hostage dozens of economic rescue
plans.
With just three days left in the year, rival parties have been locking horns over
several issues, including ratification of a free trade deal with the United
States, leaving hundreds of economy-related bills idled.
(END)