Yonhap News Summary

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

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S. Korea, Japan reaffirm commitment to sex slaves deal

SEOUL -- South Korea and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to implementing a bilateral deal to resolve the issue of the Japanese military's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and his Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama met in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday (local time) to discuss bilateral issues ahead of three-way talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

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(LEAD) Seoul shares keep upward trend on foreign buying

SEOUL -- South Korean shares extended a winning streak into a fourth day on Thursday, paring early losses, as foreigners stuck to a buying mode.

The South Korean won rose sharply against the U.S. dollar after the nation's central bank froze the key interest rate at the record low of 1.25 percent.

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S. Korea helps nationals leave violence-hit South Sudan

SEOUL -- South Korea said Thursday it has been helping its nationals evacuate from South Sudan following deadly clashes in the African country.

Foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck told a regular press briefing that some 30 South Koreans are known to be residing in South Sudan, mostly working for U.N.-related organizations or missionary and relief groups.

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'Korean pronunciation, as beautiful as song'

SEOUL -- A Czech teacher of Korean in Prague said she began learning the language after watching Korean films in her home country as a teenager.

"For me, Korean pronunciation sounds as beautiful as a song. This charm led me to learn the language," Linda Stockelova said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.

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N. Korean provocations impair S. Korea's border tourism

PAJU/YEONCHEON, South Korea -- Security tourism in South Korea's northwestern border areas has suffered a blow due to cooling inter-Korean relations amid a series of incessant North Korean provocations, including missile tests.

The number of tourists visiting security attractions, including observatories and underground tunnels dug by the North, has been decreasing every year, the border towns of Paju and Yencheon, north of Seoul, said Thursday.

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S. Korea military stresses missile battery radars pose no health risks

SEOUL -- South Korea's military on Thursday stressed that electromagnetic waves generated by radars used by the Patriot PAC-2 and other missile systems pose no health risks, as authorities move to calm worries following the decision to deploy an advanced anti-missile system in the country.

In a media event held at a Patriot PAC-2 missile base in southern Seoul, the Ministry of National Defense conducted a test on the radar used on the PAC-2.
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