Yonhap News Summary

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

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(2nd LD) S.Korea reports first two suspected cases of monkeypox

SEOUL -- South Korea has reported its first two suspected cases of monkeypox, public health officials said Wednesday.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said two probable cases were found Tuesday and diagnostic tests are being conducted.

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(LEAD) Two new BTS songs on Billboard singles chart, 'Yet To Come' at 13th

SEOUL -- Two new singles from the BTS anthology album "Proof" have entered the Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart for this week.

According to the latest chart unveiled Tuesday (U.S. time), "Yet To Come," the main track of the album, debuted at No. 13 and "Run BTS," also off the same album, at 73rd on the chart.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, Japan to resume Gimpo-Haneda flight service next week

SEOUL -- South Korea and Japan have agreed to reopen an air route between Seoul's Gimpo and Tokyo's Haneda airports after more than two years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the transport ministry said Wednesday.

The flight service between the two airports will resume next Wednesday eight times per week, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

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Samsung expected to announce mass production of 3nm chip next week

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to announce mass production of 3-nanometer semiconductors next week, sources said Wednesday, beating its foundry rival TSMC in advanced chipmaking process.

The next-generation 3nm chips will be built on the Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology, which Samsung said will allow up to 45 percent area reduction while providing 30 percent higher performance and 50 percent lower power consumption, compared with the existing FinFET process.

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(LEAD) N. Korea holds party meeting on defense policy; nuclear testing issue may be discussed

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a major party meeting to discuss the country's military line and defense policies, state media reported Wednesday amid keen attention on whether or when the unpredictable regime will carry out another nuclear test.

The third enlarged meeting of the eighth Central Military Commission (CMC) of the ruling Workers' Party opened the previous day in order to "review the overall work for national defense in the first half of the year," according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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Foreign currency deposits up in May amid increased corporate savings

SEOUL -- Foreign currency deposits at banks in South Korea grew in May due to increased corporate savings, central bank data showed Wednesday.

Residents' outstanding foreign currency-denominated deposits reached US$89.17 billion as of end-May, up $2.18 billion from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).
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