Yonhap News Summary

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

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New virus cases hit over 2,100 as infections spike ahead of easing of virus curbs

SEOUL -- South Korea's new daily coronavirus cases surged to more than 2,100 on Thursday, as the virus spread is gaining ground amid efforts to ease the distancing rules and return to normalcy.

The country added 2,111 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 2,095 local infections, raising the total caseload to 358,412, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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(LEAD) Samsung logs record sales, second-highest operating profit in Q3 on buoyant chip biz

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday reported strong third-quarter earnings on the continued robust performance of its key semiconductor business.

Its net profit rose 31.3 percent from a year earlier to 12.29 trillion won (US$10.5 billion) in the July-September period, the world's largest memory chip and smartphone vendor said in a regulatory filing.

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Moon leaves for Italy for meeting with Pope Francis, G20 on Europe swing

ROME -- President Moon Jae-in left for Italy on Thursday for a meeting with Pope Francis and a Group of 20 summit with other global leaders expected to focus on tackling the climate crisis and helping the world end the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting with the pope, set for Friday at the Vatican, is expected to focus on efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolve pending global issues, such as the pandemic, poverty and climate change, presidential officials said.

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U.S. offers condolences over death of former S. Korean President Roh

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department on Wednesday expressed its condolences for the recent death of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo.

"We send our deepest condolences to the people of the Republic of Korea (ROK) for the passing of former President Roh Tae-Woo," the department said in a released statement, referring to South Korea by its official name.

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Moderna vaccines made by Samsung Biologics available in S. Korea

SEOUL -- Samsung Biologics Co., a major South Korean contract drugs manufacturer, on Thursday began to supply the first batch of Moderna vaccines manufactured in South Korea.

In May, the biotech unit of South Korea's largest conglomerate Samsung Group, signed a contract with Moderna Inc. to provide contract manufacturing organization services for the U.S. biotech company's mRNA vaccine at its plant in Songdo, Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul.

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Biden nominates Korean-American to work as U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated four new federal attorneys, including a woman of Korean descent.

Cindy Chung, an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, has been nominated to become U.S. attorney for the same district she has been serving since 2014, according to the White House.

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Actress Youn Yuh-jung to receive highest order of cultural merit

SEOUL -- Oscar-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung will be awarded the highest national cultural medal for her contributions to the promotion of the Korean film industry, the government said Thursday.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will give Youn the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest class of the South Korean cultural decoration, during the 2021 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards ceremony to be held at the National Theater of Korea later in the day.

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S. Korea discovers more Korean War remains in DMZ

SEOUL -- South Korea has found more than two dozen bone fragments presumed to be from troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during recent excavation work in a former battle site, the defense ministry said Thursday.

The military has discovered 26 bone pieces and 5,132 articles, including combat gear, in the White Horse Ridge, the site inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. Many of them are thought to be from fallen South Korean troops, the ministry said.
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