Yonhap News Summary

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

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(5th LD) N.K. leader in Beijing for talks with Xi ahead of possible summit with Trump

SEOUL/BEIJING -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping apparently aiming to coordinate strategies ahead of his possible second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

A special train carrying Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, arrived at a highly secure station in Beijing at around 10:55 a.m. Escorted by Chinese police, he and his entourage headed in prearranged limousines to Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

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(2nd LD) President Moon replaces top aides amid surveillance controversy

SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday replaced his chief of staff and two other senior secretaries in what was widely seen as a move to put behind a scandal that is apparently hurting his approval rating.

The president named Noh Young-min, currently the ambassador to China, as his new chief of staff.

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(3rd LD) KB Kookmin Bank stages strike, 600 branches affected

SEOUL -- Workers at KB Kookmin Bank, South Korea's leading lender, launched a nationwide strike Tuesday for the first time in 19 years over wage system reforms and bonuses, its labor union said.

The one-day walkout started at 9 a.m., as last-minute overnight negotiations between the labor and the management did not lead to a breakthrough.

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(LEAD) LG Electronics' Q4 operating profit dips 79.5 pct on mobile losses

SEOUL -- South Korean home appliance maker LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter operating profit plunged 79.5 percent compared with a year earlier, far below the market estimate.

The company's operating profit reached 75.3 billion won (US$67 million) in the October-December period, compared to 366.8 billion won tallied a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.

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(2nd LD) N. Korean leader commences another round of summit diplomacy

SEOUL -- As North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has effectively kicked off his new year summit diplomacy with a trip to China this week, South Korea expressed hope Tuesday that it will be conducive to progress in the denuclearization and peace process.

"The government expects that summit and high-level exchanges between the North and China, including a meeting between Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Xi Jinping, will be able to contribute to the complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," Noh Kyu-duk, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press briefing.

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