Yonhap News Summary

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

------------------
(LEAD) S. Koran president arrives in Berlin

SEOUL, July 5 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for a Group of 20 summit and talks with world leaders, which are likely to focus on tensions over North Korea's powerful missile test, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul said.

Moon's five-day trip comes after the North's launch on Tuesday of what is believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which immediately prompted international condemnation and thrust its military ambition to the center of the summit of G-20 leaders to be held Friday and Saturday.

------------------
(LEAD) Moody's maintains S. Korea's credit rating at Aa2

SEJONG -- Global rating agency Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday reaffirmed its rating on South Korea at a record high of Aa2, with its rating outlook also remaining stable.

It also revised South Korea's 2017 growth forecast up by 0.3 percentage point to 2.8 percent on the back of a clear economic recovery in the first quarter. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) rose 2.9 percent in the January-March period, up from 2.4 percent growth tallied a quarter earlier.

------------------
(2nd LD) Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo speak for first time since wedding announcement

SEOUL -- Actor Song Joong-ki expressed his feelings about the surprise wedding announcement with "Descendants of the Sun" co-actor Song Hye-kyo in a letter published on his fan page Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the celebrity couple dropped the bombshell that they are seeing each other and will tie the knot on Oct. 31. They previously claimed they were just close friends.

------------------
(News Focus) Wonder women: Ladies put men to shame in 2017 K-pop

SEOUL -- It is without question that the Korean pop music scene has always emphasized youth and aesthetics among female artists -- sometimes at the expense of nurturing genuine creative talent -- to varying degrees.

But 2017's female chart toppers have proven that music fans not only want good looks. They also dig and demand pure talent from women too, who have virtually obliterated their male counterparts both creatively and competitively in hard-fought chart battles.

------------------
Nuke envoys of S. Korea, U.S. and Japan condemn N.K. provocation, vow stern action

SEOUL -- Top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan have strongly condemned North Korea's latest missile provocation and agreed to pursue stern action at the United Nations, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the ministry, held emergency phone conversations with his Japanese counterpart Kenji Kanasugi on Tuesday and U.S. envoy Joseph Yun on Wednesday, according to the ministry.

------------------
Complaint filed against McDonald's Korea over 'undercooked' burger patty

SEOUL -- A criminal complaint was lodged against the South Korean unit of McDonald's on Wednesday by parents who claim that their daughter became permanently ill after eating one of its burgers that was served with undercooked meat.

The plaintiffs said their four-year-old girl was diagnosed with hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a food-borne disease that mostly results in acute kidney failure, after she ate a burger at a McDonald's store in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, in September, according to the prosecution.

------------------
(END)