Yonhap News Summary

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

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S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases top 100,000 in over 3 months

SEOUL -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases surpassed the 100,000 mark for the first time in more than three months on Wednesday as the new wave of an omicron subvariant is spreading fast.

The country added 100,285 new COVID-19 infections, including 532 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 19,446,946, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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(LEAD) Police gathering called off as standoff over police bureau plan cools down

SEOUL -- A planned gathering of police officers opposed to the establishment of a police bureau under the interior ministry has been called off, an organizing officer said Wednesday, in a sign that the standoff between police and the government is cooling down.

Kim Seong-jong, a senior inspector at Seoul Gwangjin Police Station, had called for all 140,000 police personnel to gather in a meeting Saturday to protest the police bureau plan that they claim would compromise political neutrality of the law enforcement agency.

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(LEAD) PPP floor leader apologizes over text conversation with president

SEOUL -- The acting chairman of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has apologized after a text conversation he had with President Yoon Suk-yeol was caught on camera, in which Yoon was seen backbiting about suspended party chief Lee Jun-seok.

PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong took over as acting leader of the party early this month after the party's ethics committee suspended Lee's party membership for six months over allegations of sexual bribery and a cover-up.

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Expected inflation hits record high, consumer sentiment dips to 21-month low, in July

SEOUL -- Expected inflation in South Korea hit a record high in July amid rising energy and commodity costs, while consumer sentiment fell to the lowest point in 21 months, central bank data showed Wednesday.

Expected inflation, an index gauging 12-month consumer price gains, hit a 4.7 percent, the highest since 2008 when the central bank began compiling related data, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

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S. Korea's SK Group chief unveils plan to invest US$22 bln in meeting with Biden

WASHINGTON -- Chey Tae-won, chairman of South Korea's SK Group, on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious plan to invest an additional US$22 billion in the United States in a rare meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Biden welcomed the announcement, calling it one of the most "significant investments" ever seen in the U.S.

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(LEAD) N. Korea holds national conference of war veterans without leader Kim's attendance

SEOUL -- North Korea held a national conference of war veterans earlier this week to celebrate the 69th anniversary of what it claims to be victory in the three-year conflict against South Korea and the U.S.-led U.N. troops, according to state media Wednesday.

The 8th National Conference of War Veterans took place in Pyongyang the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. It made no mention of the country's leader Kim Jong-un, suggesting he has skipped this year's conference.

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New Korean War monument to be unveiled in Washington D.C. this week

SEOUL -- A new Korean War monument is set to be unveiled in Washington, D.C. this week, the veterans affairs ministry said Wednesday, as South Korea and the United States mark the 69th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 conflict.

Some 3,000 people, including Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, will attend a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall at 10 a.m. on Wednesday (local time).

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BTS nominated in 4 categories at MTV Video Music Awards

SEOUL -- South Korean superband BTS has won four nominations at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, the U.S. TV station said Tuesday (U.S. time).

The septet was nominated in the categories of Best K-pop, Best Choreography, Best Metaverse Performance and Best Visual Effects.
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