Yonhap News Summary

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

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Hyundai Mobis to spend big for for future car technologies

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's biggest auto parts maker, will secure 9 trillion won (US$7.8 billion) in the next three years for investment in future vehicle technologies, a company executive has said.

In a group interview with South Korean reporters on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) n Las Vegas last week, Hyundai Mobis Vice President Ko Young-suk briefed on how the company will secure the capital and where it will be spent, according to a company spokesperson.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. make some progress in defense cost talks: Seoul's negotiator

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States have made progress "to some extent" in their negotiations for determining Seoul's share of the costs for stationing American troops here, Seoul's chief negotiator said Monday.

Jeong Eun-bo made the remark as he was leaving for Washington to hold another round of talks with his U.S. counterpart, James DeHart, set to run through Wednesday.

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(News Focus) U.S.-N.K. nuke deadlock may continue in H1 with no signs of budging: experts

SEOUL -- The on-and-off nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea could remain stalled through the first half of this year as both appear unwilling to budge, with little wiggle room for South Korea to facilitate their dialogue, experts said Monday.

On Saturday, former North Korean nuclear envoy Kim Kye-gwan reiterated that the North would not return to dialogue without U.S. concessions and showed aversion to the South's role as a mediator.

The negotiations between the U.S. and the North have been stalled since their last talks in Sweden in October, as Pyongyang, steeped in its "self-reliance" ethos, has been clamoring for U.S. concessions and warning of provocations.

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'Parasite' named best foreign film at Critics' Choice Awards

SEOUL -- Bong Joon-ho's black comedy thriller "Parasite" has been named best foreign-language film at this year's Critics' Choice Awards, continuing its rally during the U.S. awards season.

At the ceremony held by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) in Santa Monica, California, on Sunday (U.S. time), "Parasite" won the title given to the top non-English-language film of the year.

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FM Kang to leave for San Francisco for talks with Pompeo

SEOUL -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha was set to leave for San Francisco on Monday for talks with her U.S. counterpart on key bilateral issues, including South Korea's possible contribution to protecting the Strait of Hormuz and peace efforts with North Korea.

Her planned meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, set for Tuesday (U.S. time), comes as Washington has stepped up calls for its allies to join a U.S.-led maritime security coalition to safeguard the strategically vital region off Iran.

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Kia Motors, 2 others still haunted by labor disputes

SEOUL -- Labor disputes are still posing a major hurdle for some of the country's carmakers as they have yet to finish wage deals for the year of 2019 amid a still murky outlook, industry sources said Monday.

Of the country's five carmakers, Hyundai Motor Co. and SsangYong Motor Co. sealed their wage deals last year without strikes.

But three carmakers -- Kia Motors Corp., Renault Samsung Motors Corp. and GM Korea Co. -- have had difficulties in narrowing a gap over wages and working conditions with their unionized workers since last year. Their union leaderships have changed.

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Korean American included in NASA's future Moon, Mars exploration program

LOS ANGELES -- A Korean American doctor has been included in the list of 11 new astronauts who will take part in the upcoming Moon and Mars exploration program, according to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Sunday.

Jonny Kim will be joining the Artemis project, which aims to send people to the Moon by 2024. The program will use the knowhow and experience learned to place astronauts on Mars by the mid-2020s to 2030, according to the agency.

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(LEAD) Korea's exports up 5.3 pct in first 10 days of January

SEJONG -- South Korea's exports rose 5.3 percent in the first 10 days of January, mainly due to rising shipments of semiconductors, customs data showed Monday.

The country's exports stood at US$13.3 billion in the January 1-10 period, compared with $12.7 billion in the same period last year, according to the Korea Customs Service.

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S. Korea's ratio of unemployed in late 20s ranks highest among OECD nations

SEOUL -- The proportion of unemployed people aged 25-29 in South Korea has ranked the highest among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a report showed Monday.

According to the report by the Bank of Korea (BOK), the 25-29 age bracket accounted for 21.6 percent of unemployed people in South Korea in 2018, marking the highest ratio among OECD members.
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