Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) Prosecution asks DP leader Lee to appear for questioning

SEOUL -- The prosecution has notified new leader Lee Jae-myung of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) to appear for questioning next week, a party spokesperson said Thursday, denouncing the investigation as "political revenge."

Lee was asked to come to the prosecution next Tuesday as part of an investigation into allegations that he lied during the presidential campaign about a land development project pushed for in Seongnam, south of Seoul, when he was its mayor.

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Yoon visits with senior citizen ahead of Chuseok

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday visited the home of a senior citizen who lives alone and depends on welfare benefits, seeking to demonstrate his commitment to helping the socially vulnerable.

Yoon's visit with the 84-year-old woman came a week before the Chuseok fall harvest holiday, which runs from Sept. 9-12 this year and often leaves the weak and vulnerable feeling lonelier than usual.

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S. Korean lunar orbiter to undergo critical trajectory maneuver on journey toward moon: KARI

SEOUL -- South Korea's unmanned space vehicle Danuri is scheduled to undergo a critical trajectory maneuver this week to travel toward the moon for the country's first lunar mission, officials said Thursday.

Danuri, also known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, was launched last month aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida for South Korea's first space mission beyond Earth's orbit.

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Won hits yearly low against dollar amid Fed's rate hike drive, trade deficit

SEOUL -- South Korea's currency on Thursday slid to a yearly low against the U.S. dollar amid the Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary tightening and the country's widening trade deficit.

The local currency ended at 1,354.90 won per dollar, down 17.30 won from the previous session's close. The Korean won fell to as low as 1,355.10 versus the dollar at one point.

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(LEAD) S. Korean, U.S. troops end two-week combined exercise

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States wrapped up a major combined military exercise Thursday, Seoul officials said, in a conclusion highlighting their pursuit of stronger deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The allies completed the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which kicked off Aug. 22, despite North Korean state media slamming the annual drills as a rehearsal for war against the reclusive regime.

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U.N. rapporteur urges efforts to address human rights problem of N. Korean women

SEOUL -- The new U.N. special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights called Thursday for efforts to draw attention to the situation of women in the reclusive country.

Elizabeth Salmon raised the issue during the Korea Global Forum for Peace, hosted by South Korea's unification ministry in Seoul, as she vowed to try and engage with Pyongyang among other efforts to improve the country's human rights situation. She was on her first trip to Korea since assuming the post early last month.

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(LEAD) Rival parties agree on revising bill to ease comprehensive real estate tax burden

SEOUL -- The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party agreed Thursday to revise a bill to ease tax burdens on those owning only one home as part of efforts to improve people's financial situations, officials said.

Under the revision bill, long-term owners of one home will be allowed to postpone payment of the comprehensive real estate holding tax and those who own two homes temporarily will be considered as single householders.
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