Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) South Korea confirms Moon-Trump summit plan

PRAGUE -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss joints efforts to peacefully denuclearize North Korea, an official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, confirming the leaders will meet on the sidelines of the upcoming Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

"South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to hold a summit between President Moon and President Trump during the G-20 summit to be held in Buenos Aires," Moon's chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan told a press briefing.

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S. Korea successfully tests space rocket engine

GOHEUNG, South Korea -- South Korea successfully tested its locally developed rocket engine on Wednesday, officials said, taking a step closer to the development of the country's first space launch vehicle.

The test of the 75-ton thrust engine was conducted using a single-stage rocket that was launched from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, at 4:00 p.m.

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(2nd LD) Koreas agree to begin joint railway inspection on Friday

SEOUL -- South and North Korea agreed Wednesday to launch a joint railway inspection later this week in the latest move aimed at bolstering cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

They will start the field survey on Friday of two railways running along the western and eastern regions of the Korean Peninsula. The inspection will last for about 18 days, according to the unification ministry.

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(2nd LD) Int'l community not prepared for lifting sanctions for rail network with N.K. until FFVD: U.S. official

SEOUL -- A senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday that the international community is not prepared for significantly lifting sanctions for a railway network linking North Korea until the communist state's "final, fully verified denuclearization (FFVD)."

Marc Knapper, acting deputy assistant secretary at U.S. State Department, made the remarks during a peace forum in Seoul, as South Korea is seeking to launch a joint railway field study with Pyongyang for the network across their heavily fortified border.

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S. Korea to provide 50 tons of chemicals to N. Korea to combat pine tree diseases

SEOUL -- South Korea will provide about 50 tons of chemicals to North Korea this week to help it combat the outbreak of pine tree diseases, the unification ministry said Wednesday.

The chemicals will be delivered on Thursday to the North via the western land route across the border between the two Koreas, according to the ministry. Their provision is part of a summit agreement in September to boost inter-Korean cooperation in the forestry field.

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(LEAD) Gas leak at wastewater plant leaves several workers injured

BUSAN -- A toxic gas leak at a wastewater treatment plant left four workers temporarily unconscious on Wednesday, authorities said.

A chemical, believed to be hydrogen sulfide, leaked at around 1:08 p.m at the plant in the southern port city of Busan.

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(LEAD) S. Korean childbirths continue to decline in September

SEJONG -- The number of newborns in South Korea fell again in September, government data showed Wednesday, in the latest sign of the chronically low birthrate that has plagued Asia's fourth-largest economy for more than a decade.

About 26,100 babies were born in September, down 4,000, or 13.3 percent, from 30,100 tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

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(LEAD) Goldman Sachs fined 7.5 bln won for illegal naked short selling in S. Korea

SEOUL -- South Korea's financial regulator said Wednesday it decided to fine the Seoul branch of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. 7.5 million won (US$6.66 million) for carrying out naked short selling, which is illegal here.

It marked the largest fine against a financial institution for violating the rules that ban such short selling in South Korea.

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(LEAD) Seoul shares end higher on foreign buying

SEOUL -- Seoul shares ended higher Wednesday as foreigners bought tech stocks ahead of the U.S.-China trade talks later this week. The won rose against the dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 8.8 points, or 0.42 percent, to 2,108.22. Trading volume was moderate at 274.54 million shares worth 4.59 trillion won (US$3.9 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 418 to 401.
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