Yonhap News Summary

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

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Resumption of Kaesong complex hinges on resolution of N.K. nukes: nominee

SEOUL -- South Korea will push to reopen the industrial park in North Korea only in step with progress in the resolution of its nuclear problems, the nominee for South Korea's unification minister said Wednesday.

Cho Myoung-gyon made the remarks apparently to stress that Seoul would not move hastily on the now-suspended Kaesong Industrial Complex.

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Defense chief calls suspected N.K. drone infiltration 'grave' armistice violation

SEOUL -- South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday called a recent drone infiltration, presumably by North Korea, a "grave" violation of the armistice agreement, saying his ministry will lodge a complaint through the Seoul-based U.N. Command (UNC).

"That a North Korean vehicle crossed the military demarcation line and flew into South Korean territory is a grave violation of the armistice agreement," Han told a parliamentary session. The accord halted the 1950-53 Korean War, but has left the two Koreas technically at war.

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Moon to send special envoy to India, Australia

SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in will send a special envoy to India and Australia this week to deliver his wish for enhanced economic and diplomatic cooperation, his office said Wednesday.

Park Soo-hyun, presidential spokesman, said that former Culture Minister Chung Dong-chea will embark on the trip on Thursday to explain Seoul's diplomatic policy vision and deliver Moon's handwritten letters to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

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Annual AIIB meeting to be held in Jeju later this week

SEJONG -- The second annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will be held on South Korea's southern island of Jeju later this week, the finance ministry said Wednesday.

The three-day event will kick off at the Jeju International Convention Center on Friday with the theme "sustainable infrastructure" and more than 10 seminars and discussion sessions, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

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N. Korea says willing to respond to dialogue, cooperation on human rights

SEOUL -- North Korea said Wednesday it is willing to respond to suggestions of any dialogue and cooperation on the humanitarian front, announcing the result of a meeting with a United Nations human rights investigator.

Ri Hung-sik, North Korea's human rights ambassador, met with U.N. Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities Catalina Devandas-Aguilar at the U.N. on Monday during which they discussed ways to promote human rights, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

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(2nd LD) 'Okja' director throws jab at Cannes for abrupt rule change

SEOUL -- South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho on Wednesday threw a jab at the organizers of this year's Cannes Film Festival, saying that it should have fixed its rules regarding streaming-only films before inviting his Netflix movie "Okja."

"It would have been preferable if the Cannes festival would have put the rules in order before inviting us. Inviting us and creating a controversy, what an embarrassment," Bong told reporters at a media event for "Okja" in Seoul.

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S. Korea to host largest-ever world championships in taekwondo

SEOUL -- This year's taekwondo world championships to be held in South Korea will be the largest in the competition's history, organizers said Wednesday.

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) said 917 athletes from 183 nations have signed up for the June 24-30 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, some 240 kilometers south of Seoul.

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Most elder abuse committed by family members: report

SEOUL -- Seven out of 10 people who abused elderly people were family members last year while the number of such cases increased, according to a survey revealed Wednesday by the welfare ministry.

Out of 12,009 reported cases in 2016, 4,280 were confirmed by judiciary institutions as elder abuse, up 12.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the report. The victims were men in 1,187 cases and women in 3,093.

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Senior U.S. diplomat to honor Korean soldier killed in Afghanistan

SEOUL -- Thomas Shannon, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, plans to pay tribute to a South Korean soldier killed in Afghanistan, an informed source said Wednesday.

Shannon is visiting here for meetings with South Korean officials mainly to discuss agenda items for the summit talks between the presidents of the two countries to be held later this month.

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(LEAD) Seoul stocks end lower as investors wait for U.S. Fed meeting results

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks ended mildly lower Wednesday as investors took a wait-and-see stance to check the results of the U.S Federal Reserve's policy rate-setting meeting, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 2.06 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 2,372.64. Trade volume was moderate at 386 million shares worth 6.63 trillion won (US$5.89 billion), with losers slightly outnumbering gainers 418 to 407.

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