Yonhap News Summary

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

Moon says S. Korea has shown its dignity by embracing Afghan evacuees

SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in said Monday that South Korea's successful operation to evacuate Afghan people last week is expected to serve as a chance to further enhance its global stature.

In the emergency move, codenamed Operation Miracle, South Korea brought nearly 400 Afghans fleeing the Taliban-controlled nation to its territory on its military aircraft. They have been allowed to stay here with legal status on par with that of a refugee.

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S. Korea's trade ministry launches task force on vaccine production

SEOUL -- South Korea's trade ministry on Monday launched a new task force that will establish a long-term strategy to help Asia's No. 4 economy emerge as a global vaccine production hub amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic.

"Based on South Korea's various free-trade networks with 57 countries, the country will bolster ties with major partners in terms of the global vaccine supply chain," Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said in a statement during a meeting with related organizations.

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Number of new companies drops 9.8 pct in H1

SEOUL-- The number of newly established companies in South Korea declined nearly 10 percent in the first half of the year due to a one-off factor, government data showed Monday.

A total of 730,260 new businesses were set up in the January-June period, down 9.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups.

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Suspect in murder, rape of baby girl sparks public outrage in S. Korea

DAEJEON -- Public outrage has been boiling in South Korea over a man who allegedly abused and murdered a baby girl in June, with some people planning to stage rallies calling for the death penalty.

The 29-year-old man, surnamed Yang, was recently indicted on charges of sexually assaulting and abusing the 20-month-old toddler to death at his home in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 15.

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Kia, union sign 1st wage deal without strike in 10 years

SEOUL -- Kia Corp. and its labor union on Monday signed a wage agreement for 2021 without an industrial action occurring for the first time in a decade.

On Friday, 68 percent of 26,945 Kia workers voted in favor of wage offers that include an increase of 75,000 won (US$64.30) in basic monthly pay, two months of wages in performance-based pay and cash bonuses worth 5.8 million won. More than 1,600 out of the 28,604-member union abstained.

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Culture ministers of S. Korea, China, Japan discuss cooperation amid pandemic

SEOUL -- The culture ministers of South Korea, China and Japan held a virtual meeting Monday and discussed ways to expand cultural cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Seoul's culture ministry said.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee met with his Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Hu Heping and Koichi Hagiuda, for the 12th annual trilateral talks, which were postponed last year due to the pandemic, the ministry said in a press release.

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Seoul stocks gain for 2nd day on U.S. Fed's cautious signal

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks gained for a second consecutive session Monday as investors remained optimistic about the U.S. Federal Reserve's cautious stance on withdrawing its ultra-easing monetary policy. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 10.29 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 3,144.19 points.

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SK Bioscience kicks off phase 3 clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate

SEOUL -- South Korean drugmaker SK Bioscience Co. said Monday it has begun the phase three clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

GBP510, under development by SK Bioscience, a unit of the country's No. 2 family-controlled conglomerate SK Group, was administered to the first participant.

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Nat'l football team opens training camp for World Cup qualifiers sans stars

SEOUL -- The training camp for South Korea's upcoming World Cup qualifying matches opened Monday, though some of the biggest names were missing due to their club duties over the weekend.

To kick off the third round of the Asian qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, South Korea will host Iraq at 8 p.m. Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Next up will be Lebanon at 8 p.m. on Sept. 7 at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of the capital.
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