Yonhap News Summary

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

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(2nd LD) S. Korea OKs additional civilian exchanges with N. Korea

SEOUL -- South Korea's government on Friday approved an additional eight requests by local aid providers and religious groups to have contact with North Koreans over inter-Korean exchanges.

The Ministry of Unification said that it gave the green light to plans by two humanitarian aid providers and six religious groups to come in contact with North Korea as the government decided to revive civilian exchanges with the North.

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(2nd LD) FTC chief nominee grilled over policy orientations, ethical issues

SEOUL -- Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman-designate Kim Sang-jo was grilled over his policy orientations and ethical qualifications during a parliamentary confirmation hearing Friday.

Opposition lawmakers pelted him with questions over allegations against him and his family, saying he is unfit for the post tasked with promoting corporate transparency and fair competition.

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(LEAD) Moon wins support, advice of former U.N. chief Ban

SEOUL --President Moon Jae-in asked former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for advice on foreign and security policies in a meeting Friday, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.

Ban said he will gladly offer his views whenever asked, they added.

"(I) will gladly respond to the president and the new government's request for advice at any time," the former U.N. chief said, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun.

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Man gets 30-year term for killing 3 compatriots in Philippines

SEOUL -- A Seoul court on Friday sentenced a South Korean man who shot three compatriots to death in the Philippines last year to 30 years in prison.

The Seoul Central District Court convicted the man, identified only by his last name Kim, of murdering three Koreans -- two men and one woman -- who were found in a sugar cane field in Bacolor, some 70 kilometers northwest of Manila, on Oct. 11. All three had gunshot wounds to their heads.

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Minister to clarify Seoul's position on THAAD in talks with Mattis

SINGAPORE -- South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Friday he will deliver the new South Korean government's position on the issue of deploying the THAAD missile defense system in talks here with U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis this week.

They are scheduled to meet bilaterally on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit to open later in the day.

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Top court confirms guardianship over Lotte founder

SEOUL -- The nation's top court has confirmed the designation of a nonprofit subsidiary of a law firm as the guardian of the founder of the country's retail giant Lotte Group, legal sources said Friday.

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by Shin Kyuk-ho against a family court's decision that put him under the Sun's legal supervision. It is a subsidiary of law firm One Law Partners that handles matters of public interest.
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