Yonhap News Summary

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

----------------

Moon vows to expand fiscal spending for new jobs, welfare

SEOUL -- President front-runner Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that he will double the rate of increase in the government's fiscal spending if elected, and redirect government spending to create more jobs and support corporate employees.

The presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party noted the country's fiscal spending was designed to increase by an annual average of 3.5 percent on-year under the current mid and long-term plans.

----------------

China shuts out S. Korean cable TV channels over THAAD row: report

SEOUL -- China has shut out all South Korean cable TV channels in the country in apparent retaliation against the planned deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, in South Korea, Radio Free Asia reported Wednesday.

Because of the THAAD issue, the Chinese authorities have closed cable TV channels dedicated to South Korean news and dramas in Yanji, Jilin Province, the U.S-based media outlet reported, citing an ethnic Korean source in the area.

----------------

S. Korea's jobless rate falls to 4.2 pct in March

SEJONG -- South Korea's jobless rate fell slightly last month on the back of increased employment in the construction and retail sectors, government data showed Wednesday.

The unemployment rate in Asia's fourth-largest economy stood at 4.2 percent last month, edging down 0.1 percentage point from the same month last year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

----------------

Ex-presidential aide again avoids arrest in corruption probe

SEOUL -- A court on Wednesday refused to issue an arrest warrant for a former presidential secretary implicated in an influence-peddling scandal that removed President Park Geun-hye from office.

Prosecutors on Sunday asked the Seoul Central District Court to issue the writ to detain Woo Byung-woo, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs from 2015 to 2016, on charges of abuse of power, dereliction of duty and perjury.

----------------

White House: Trump puts North Korea on notice

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump has put North Korea "clearly on notice," and if he decides to take action, it will be "decisive and proportional" as seen in the U.S. airstrikes on Syria, the White House warned Tuesday.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer made the remark, referring to Trump's tweet earlier in the day that the U.S. will solve the problem of North Korea on its own unless China helps with it. Trump also said the North is "looking for trouble."

----------------

Trump says U.S. will solve N.K. problem alone if China won't help

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he promised a better trade deal to China if it helped solve the North Korea problem and made clear that the U.S. would act alone if China remains uncooperative.

"I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!" he wrote on Twitter, referring to his first summit talks last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

----------------

Hwang pledges to remove regulations impeding bio industry's growth

SEOUL -- Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Wednesday vowed to remove onerous regulations impeding the growth of the bio industry, reiterating the government's commitment to developing it into a future growth engine.

During the opening ceremony of an international forum on the bio industry, Hwang also underscored that the country will capitalize on its cutting-edge medical technologies to help develop the world's health industry.
(END)