Yonhap News Summary

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

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(2nd LD) Yoon says N.K.'s recent artillery firing a violation of inter-Korean military agreement

SEOUL -- President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday that North Korea's recent artillery firing was a violation of an inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement.

Yoon made the remark during a meeting with members of his transition team, two days after South Korea's military said North Korea fired four shots from multiple rocket launchers into the Yellow Sea.

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(2nd LD) Moon vows to fulfill duty as commander-in-chief amid row over Yoon's relocation plan

SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for watertight national security and vowed to fulfill his duty as commander-in-chief until his term ends, a day after his office voiced concern successor-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office could leave a security vacuum.

Moon, whose term ends on May 9, said during a Cabinet meeting that his "last mission" is to "fulfill duties as head of state, chief of the administration, and commander-in-chief of the military that the Constitution has granted to the president."

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58.1 pct oppose Yoon's plan to relocate presidential office

SEOUL -- About 58 percent of South Koreans are against President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae, while some 33 percent support the idea, a poll showed Tuesday.

According to the poll of 1,018 adults, conducted by pollster Mediatomato on Saturday and Sunday, 58.1 percent said the presidential office should remain at Cheong Wa Dae and 33.1 percent said they back the relocation plan.

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(LEAD) Daily coronavirus cases spike to over 350,000, total caseload nears 10 mln

SEOUL -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases spiked to over 350,000 on Tuesday, adding to concerns that infections could spike again as the accumulated caseload nears 10 million.

The country reported 353,980 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight, raising the total caseload to 9,936,540, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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'Comfort women' sculptor couple wins libel suit against internet media chief

SEOUL -- A sculptor couple, known for their "comfort women" statue representing wartime sex slaves, has won a libel suit against an internet media operator who claimed another of the couple's sculpture representing forced labor victims was modeled after a Japanese man.

The Seoul Western District Court ordered the head of an internet media outlet and another person to pay 7 million won (US$5,720) and 5 million won in damages, respectively, in the civil suit filed by the couple, Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, according to legal sources.

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Card use grows in 2021 on spending recovery, less reliance on hard currency

SEOUL -- Card use for settlement in South Korea jumped 9.4 percent last year as consumption rebounded from a pandemic-caused slowdown and people reduced reliance on hard currency, central bank data showed Tuesday.

The daily average settlement made through credit card and other card services came to 2.76 trillion won (US$2.26 billion) last year, up from 2.52 trillion won tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.

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Moon congratulates high jumper Woo for winning gold at world indoor championships

SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday congratulated high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok for capturing a historic gold medal at the world indoor championships.

Moon said Woo recorded a "milestone that will shine throughout Korea's track and field" as he became the first athlete from the nation to win a world title in any track and field event.

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