Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korea

SEOUL -- North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, as Seoul, Washington and Tokyo crank up diplomacy to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

The missile was launched eastward from a site in the vicinity of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It said the launch was detected at 10:17 a.m. but gave no other details.

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(LEAD) NSC expresses 'deep regret' over N.K. ballistic missile launch

SEOUL -- The National Security Council expressed "deep regret" Tuesday over North Korea's launch of a short-range ballistic missile and urged Pyongyang to return to dialogue.

The council met shortly after the North fired the missile toward the East Sea, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

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(2nd LD) U.S. representative for N. Korea to visit Seoul this week

WASHINGTON -- U.S. special representative for North Korea Sung Kim will visit Seoul this week for talks with his South Korean counterpart on ways to restart dialogue with the reclusive North, the U.S. diplomat said Monday.

Kim's trip to Seoul will follow his meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, here in Washington this week.

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S. Korean, U.S., Japanese intel chiefs to hold trilateral talks in Seoul

SEOUL -- The intelligence chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan were to hold a closed-door trilateral meeting in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss North Korea and other pending issues, a government source said.

Park Jie-won, the head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), was set to sit down with Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, and Hiroaki Takizawa, Japan's Cabinet intelligence director, according to the source.

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New virus cases less than 2,000 for 11th day amid rising vaccination rate

SEOUL -- South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 2,000 for the 11th straight day Tuesday, as vaccine effects are taking hold with rising inoculations amid preparations for a gradual return to normalcy.

The country reported 1,073 new cases, including 1,048 local infections, raising the total caseload to 344,518, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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S. Korea's planned scheme of 'living with COVID-19' raises hope, concerns

SEOUL -- South Korea is set to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions starting next month as the vaccination rate rises, joining a list of countries embracing a new scheme of returning to normal life with the coronavirus.

The scheme, dubbed "Living with COVID-19," is set to take effect in early November. It means that COVID-19 will be treated as an infectious respiratory disease, like seasonal influenza, with eased social distancing being implemented.

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S. Korea to develop space weather forecast system for military operations by 2024

SEOUL -- South Korea has launched a 16.2 billion-won (US$13.9 million) project to develop a space weather forecast system by 2024 to ensure the stable operations of military assets, such as high-altitude drones, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it signed a contract with the local company, Satrec Initiative Co., last week to develop the system to predict space weather conditions and issue related alerts.

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(LEAD) S. Korean shipbuilders surpass annual targets on brisk new orders

SEOUL -- South Korea's major shipbuilders have outpaced their annual order targets backed by brisk global new orders, company officials said Tuesday.

According to data provided by global market researcher Clarkson Research Service, global new orders for ships came to 37.54 million compensated gross tons (CGTs) in the January-September period, up nearly threefold from 13.22 million CGTs a year ago.

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BTS to join L.A. stop of this year's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour

SEOUL -- Globally popular K-pop group BTS will perform on the Los Angeles stop of this year's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, the largest year-end radio show in the United States, organizers said Tuesday.

The septet was included in a star-studded lineup for the L.A. show scheduled for Dec. 3, the iHeartRadio, the country's largest online radio platform, announced on its website and social media.

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