Yonhap News Summary

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

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(2nd LD) Samsung suspends global sales, replacements of Galaxy Note 7

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it will ask global partners to halt sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 and advised consumers to immediately stop using the smartphone because of continued safety concerns.

The latest warning came about 10 days after Samsung resumed sales of the new Note 7 following an unprecedented replacement program over a battery problem.

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S. Korea holds first policy meeting over N.K. human rights

SEOUL -- South Korea on Tuesday held its first policy meeting on North Korea's human rights to discuss measures to improve Pyongyang's dismal rights records, government officials said.

Vice Unification Minister Kim Hyung-suk hosted the consultations, attended by senior officials from Seoul's foreign and justice ministries and other agencies, according to the Ministry of Unification.

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Park calls for building sufficient capabilities to accept N.K. defectors

SEOUL -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday called on her government to build "sufficient" capabilities to accommodate North Korean defectors and go over a system to better support their resettlement here, saying they are a "test ground for reunification."

During a Cabinet meeting, Park also stressed the need to help North Koreans get a better grasp of the link between the hefty costs of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, and their poverty -- a move to further pressure the North into renouncing its nuclear ambitions.

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S. Korean Air Force chief to visit U.S. to help trainer jet bid

SEOUL -- The chief of South Korea's Air Force will visit the United States next month to help the country's sole aircraft manufacturer sell its advanced trainer jet to the U.S. military, officials in Seoul said Tuesday.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo is planning to promote the T-50A trainer jointly developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin Corp. when he meets his U.S. counterparts, the Air Force said in a parliamentary audit.

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Allied navies conduct strike exercise against N.K. nuke facilities

SEOUL -- The navies of South Korea and the United States have conducted long-range strike exercises against North Korea's nuclear facilities during an ongoing joint drill as the communist regime escalates its saber-rattling, Seoul's military said Tuesday.

In the six-day joint naval maneuvers that will run through Saturday, the allies have applied the concept of "Korea Massive Punishment & Retaliation" (KMPR) to improve striking capabilities of ship-to-ground missiles on top of the usual anti-ship and anti-air exercises, a defense ministry official told Yonhap News Agency.

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Samsung begins mass production of new mobile processor for wearable devices

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it has started mass production of a new mobile processor for wearable gadgets, based on its latest 14-nanometer process technology.

The new mobile processor, or application processor (AP), features higher performance and lower electricity consumption, Samsung said in a statement.

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S. Korea calls in China's ambassador to protest recent sinking of Coast Guard boat

SEOUL -- South Korea called in China's ambassador on Tuesday to lodge a formal complaint over the recent sinking of a Coast Guard boat by a Chinese vessel illegally fishing in its waters, the foreign ministry said.

Deputy foreign minister Kim Hyong-zhin summoned Amb. Chu Guo Hong to his office to protest the incident that took place late last week and demanded efforts to prevent recurrence, according to the ministry.
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