Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) Seoul thinks it is still possible for N.K. leader to visit S. Korea this year

SEOUL -- It is still possible for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit South Korea before the end of this year, the unification ministry said Monday, adding the government continues to make relevant preparations.

"We remain unchanged in our stance that (Kim's visit) will be possible and necessary before the end of this year," Baik Tae-hyun, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing. "We will calmly make the relevant preparations and efforts for agreements reached between the two Koreas to be carried out without a problem."

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Prosecutors seek arrest warrants for two ex-Supreme Court justices

SEOUL -- Prosecutors filed for arrest warrants for two former Supreme Court justices on Monday over their alleged involvement in the ballooning power abuse case involving previous top court leadership.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office requested the writs against Ko Young-han and Park Byong-dae, it said. They face charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice, among others.

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S. Korea, China hold talks to boost investment

SEOUL -- South Korea and China held working-level talks Monday to seek ways to lower trade barriers and boost investment between the two nations, Seoul's trade ministry said.

South Korea's ministry of trade, industry and energy and China's commerce ministry held an investment promotion meeting in Beijing, the second such talks in four years.

Senior trade officials discussed ways to create a joint industrial zone and develop investment platforms and reached an agreement to expand exchanges between companies of the two nations, the Seoul government said.

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S. Korea to overhaul law on consumer protection in e-commerce

SEJONG -- South Korea's antitrust chief pledged Monday to overhaul related rules on consumer protection in e-commerce as part of its effort to improve the rights of consumers.

The latest move comes as a growing number of South Koreans use smartphones to buy things ranging from clothes to electronic goods.

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Celltrion seeks European approval for Remsima SC

SEOUL -- South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion Inc. said Monday that it has sought European approval for the sale of its biosimilar drug Remsima SC.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will review Celltrion's application to sell the subcutaneous (SC) version of Remsima, a biosimilar copy of Janssen Biotech, Inc.'s Remicade, the company said.

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S. Korea to hold Air Force combat drill

SEOUL -- South Korea's Air Force will kick off a five-day combat training Monday to make up for the suspension of a regular combined exercise with the United States, defense authorities said.

The practice is aimed at beefing up the air combat readiness and honing the operational capability of pilots, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

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N. Korean FM visits Vietnam to discuss bilateral ties

SEOUL -- North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has discussed bilateral ties with top Vietnamese officials during his trip to the Southeast Asian country, the North's state media said Monday.

Ri met Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh during his trip there, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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Trump says he will give everything Kim wants following denuclearization: Moon

AIR FORCE ONE -- U.S. President Donald Trump is ready to give everything he promised to North Korea should the communist state faithfully implement its denuclearization steps, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said.

Moon said Trump asked him to relay such a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in their summit held Friday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in Argentina.
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