Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) NSC discusses N. Korea issue, results to be made public: Cheong Wa Dae

SEOUL -- South Korea's top security officials had discussions Thursday on the North Korea issue in their weekly National Security Council (NSC) meeting, Cheong Wa Dae said.

The NSC's standing committee session opened at 3 p.m., presided over by Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office, according to a Cheong Wa Dae official, who spoke to reporters.

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(3rd LD) New virus cases slow slightly, cluster infections still grip greater Seoul

SEOUL -- South Korea's new virus cases slowed slightly Thursday, but the greater Seoul area is still haunted by a steady rise in cluster infections despite toughened measures to stem further community spread in the metropolitan area.

The country added 45 new cases, including 40 local infections, raising the total caseload to 11,947, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

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(LEAD) S. Korea soon to decide whether to extend short-selling ban

SEOUL -- South Korea has yet to decide whether to lift or extend a temporary short-selling ban, the financial regulator said Thursday.

In March, South Korea imposed the six-month ban on stock short selling to cope with a stock market rout triggered by the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

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(LEAD) Unification ministry files criminal complaint against leaflet-sending defector groups

SEOUL -- The unification ministry filed a criminal complaint with police Thursday against two North Korean defector groups for sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border, officials said.

The move came days after North Korea defined the South as an "enemy" and vowed to cut all inter-Korean communication lines in anger over anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by North Korean defectors.

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(LEAD) Negotiations kick off to set next year's minimum wage amid pandemic

SEOUL -- A national commission launched negotiations Thursday to decide the legal minimum wage for next year amid the continuing economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Minimum Wage Commission hosted a plenary meeting in Sejong, an administrative city south of Seoul, setting out to determine the yearly revised minimum wage for 2021.

The minimum wage for 2020 stands at 8,590 won (US$7.22) per hour, up 2.9 percent from last year.

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BTS to release 'Stay Gold' from upcoming Japanese album next week

SEOUL -- K-pop superstar BTS will release "Stay Gold," the title track of its upcoming new Japanese full-length album, next week.

The original Japanese song will be revealed to the public at 6 p.m. on June 19, according to an announcement posted on the website of the band's official Japanese fan club Thursday.

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Kia Motors suspends 2 plants near capital over coronavirus

SEOUL -- Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker by sales, halted its two domestic plants Thursday, as two workers at the plants near the capital were confirmed to have contracted the new coronavirus.

The suspension came after the two worker at the plants in Gwangmyeong, just southwest of Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19.

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(LEAD) Seoul stocks end 9-day winning streak ahead of Fed outlook, won falls

SEOUL -- South Korean shares closed lower to end its nine-day winning-streak on Thursday, with a gloomy outlook from the U.S. Fed for the pandemic-hit economy spooking investors. The Korean won fell against the U.S. greenback.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 18.91 points, or 0.86 percent, to close at 2,176.78. Trading volume was high at about 814 million shares worth some 16.6 trillion won (US$13.7 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 660 to 218.
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