Yonhap News Summary

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

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North Korea slams U.S. despite Trump's appeasing words

SEOUL -- North Korea on Monday continued its harsh rhetoric aimed at the United States, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's recent conciliatory remarks that alluded to dialogue with the North.

On Saturday, Trump said that he is willing to directly speak with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and that he hopes the two Koreas will discuss "more than just the Olympics" in upcoming inter-Korean talks on the North's participation in the Winter Olympic Games, to be held in the South Korean alpine town of PyeongChang. The meeting is set for Tuesday.

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(LEAD) Prosecutors seek court order to freeze ex-president's assets over NIS bribery

SEOUL -- Prosecutors requested a court order on Monday to freeze some 6 billion won (US$5.62 million) in assets held by former President Park Geun-hye to forfeit them in case of a conviction of bribery involving the state spy agency.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said it has filed for the temporary asset seizure against her new 2.8 billion-won residence in southern Seoul and some 3 billion won worth of checks.

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(LEAD) Differences on security emerge as key hurdle to minor parties' merger plan

SEOUL -- Stark differences between two minor parties over how to address the escalating nuclear standoff with North Korea resurfaced Monday as a key hurdle to their proposed merger.

Rivals of Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the center-left People's Party, pressed him to clarify whether he would alter its largely dovish approach to the North since he has pushed for the union with the conservative Bareun Party, which takes a tough stance on the communist regime.

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Samsung, LG to showcase latest AI, IoT products at CES

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's top two tech firms, said Monday that they will showcase a wide range of products powered by Internet-of-Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies at a U.S. tech fair slated for later this week.

This year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), under the slogan of "The Future of Smart Cities" will officially kick off on Tuesday (local time) in Las Vegas.

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S. Korean spy agency to regularly brief security ministries on N. Korea

SEOUL -- South Korea's spy agency said Monday it will share intelligence on North Korea with security-related ministries through regular briefings.

The briefings will be given every month to the ministries of unification, foreign affairs and national defense for more consistent and effective policymaking, it said.

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(LEAD) S. Korea seeks deeper cooperation with China, Japan in regulating cryptocurrencies

SEOUL -- South Korea's top financial regulator said Monday it is seeking deeper cooperation with regulators in China and Japan in curbing speculative transactions of cryptocurrencies, warning of "irrational exuberance" among people who pour money into virtual currencies.

Choi Jong-ku, chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), said vice finance ministers from the three nations had exchanged ideas on regulating cryptocurrencies during a meeting in South Korea last December.

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Delivery of T-50TH trainer jets to Thailand begins

SEOUL -- Korea Aerospace Industries Co. (KAI), the country's sole aircraft manufacturer, on Monday began delivery of its advanced T-50 trainer jet to Thailand's air force.

KAI received two separate orders to build four T-50TH trainer jets worth US$110 million in 2015 and eight T-50TH jets valued at $260 million last year. Two of the first four trainer jets will be delivered to the Southeast Asian country via a 12-hour ferry flight, the company said in a statement.

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Kakao Bank's accounts exceed 5 mln in some 6 months

SEOUL -- Kakao Bank, South Korea's second Internet-only bank, said Monday it has attracted over five million accounts in about six months since launching operations.

Kakao Bank, led by Kakao Corp., operator of Korea's dominant messaging app KakaoTalk, started operations last July.
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