Yonhap News Summary
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.
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(2nd LD) No new coronavirus infections reported for 2nd day, total unchanged at 28
SEOUL -- South Korea on Thursday reported no new novel coronavirus cases after the latest case was identified on Tuesday, and the number of cases here remained unchanged at 28.
As of Thursday morning, the number of people being checked for the COVID-19 virus under quarantine came to 670, down from 785 on Wednesday, with seven patients having recovered and been released from hospitals, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
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(LEAD) All 147 Wuhan evacuees given clear from coronavirus
SEOUL -- All evacuees airlifted earlier this week from Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus outbreak, tested negative for the illness, the country's health authorities here said Thursday.
A total of 147 South Koreans, their Chinese spouses and family members were evacuated from China on Wednesday.
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(LEAD) Coronavirus hits mobile carriers' launch ceremonies for Galaxy S20
SEOUL -- South Korean mobile carriers are moving to cancel launch ceremonies for Samsung Electronics Co.'s new Galaxy S20 smartphone amid the coronavirus scare, industry sources said Thursday.
South Korea's top mobile phone operator SK Telecom Co. and No. 2 industry player KT Corp. had originally planned to hold launch ceremonies for Samsung's new flagship smartphone on Feb. 27.
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Senior Cheong Wa Dae official in Moscow over Putin's plan to visit S. Korea
MOSCOW -- South Korea's Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Hyun-chong said Wednesday he would discuss the details of Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming trip to South Korea and other pending issues related to Seoul-Moscow ties as he began a three-day stay here.
"There are pending bilateral issues. (This year) marks the 30th anniversary of (South Korea and Russia) establishing diplomatic relations. And there's a matter to discuss in connection with President Putin's visit to South Korea," Kim told reporters upon arriving at the Moscow international airport.
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N.K. denounces S. Korea's main opposition party for scouting defector for elections
SEOUL -- A North Korean propaganda outlet lashed out at South Korea's main opposition party on Thursday over its decision to scout a North Korean defector, known for his appearance at a U.S. State of the Union address, ahead of April's general elections.
Last month, the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) announced its decision to recruit Ji Seong-ho as one of the new faces who will run for the April 15 parliamentary elections. Ji is known for his surprise appearance at U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech in 2018.
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U.S. Treasury says it will continue to use financial sanctions against N. Korea
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Treasury Department will continue to focus on applying financial sanctions against North Korea, according to the agency's budget request for fiscal year 2021.
In the budget proposal published on the Treasury's website this week, the department's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence outlined its efforts last year to support the administration's efforts to achieve the final and fully verified denuclearization of North Korea.
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Korean stocks up late Thursday morning
SEOUL -- South Korean stocks traded higher late Thursday morning, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was up 11.66 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,250.04 as of 11:20 a.m.
(END)
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Ateez to drop new Japanese EP next week
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Gov't to significantly increase international flights to meet travel demand
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(2nd LD) BTS wins three Billboard Music Awards, marking 6th year to win an award
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Crypto investor probed over allegedly visiting house of Terraform's CEO
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(2nd LD) N. Korea still unresponsive to S. Korea's outreach for talks on COVID-19: official
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S. Korea to send condolence delegation to UAE over death of president
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(LEAD) N. Korea confirms first case of omicron variant of COVID-19: state media
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Seoul's daily subway ridership hits pandemic-era high on eased restrictions
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(5th LD) N.K. leader, wearing mask, chairs meeting on omicron outbreak
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(URGENT) N. Korea says fever symptoms reported among more than 18,000 people Thursday alone amid COVID-19 outbreak
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(LEAD) S. Korea looks into cryptocurrency market following TerraUSD, Luna crash
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U.S. Forces Korea launches permanent Apache helicopter unit
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S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 30,000 for 2nd day amid omicron slowdown
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Yoon, PPP lawmakers travel to Gwangju en masse to commemorate 1980 democracy uprising
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U.S. concerned about COVID outbreak in N. Korea, no delay in nuclear test expected: State Dept.