Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) Typhoon Hinnamnor exits S. Korea into waters near Ulsan, leaving 1 missing

SEOUL -- Super Typhoon Hinnamnor moved out of South Korea early Tuesday morning about 2 1/2 hours after making landfall on the southern coast, leaving one person missing and thousands others evacuated, authorities said.

This year's 11th typhoon moved off the southeastern coastal city of Ulsan, 307 kilometers southeast of Seoul, toward the East Sea at 7:10 a.m. after making landfall near the southern city of Geoje at 4:50 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

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(LEAD) DP leader Lee decides not to comply with prosecution summons

SEOUL -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung decided not to comply with a prosecution summons for questioning, because he has answered all questions in writing, an official said Tuesday, as the party has bristled at the subpoena and denounced it as political revenge.

Lee of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has been asked to come to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office by 10 a.m. Tuesday for questioning over allegations that he violated the election law by making false statements about development projects pushed for when he was mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul.

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S. Korean trade minister arrives in U.S. for talks on Inflation Reduction Act

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun arrived in the U.S. on Monday for talks on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that excludes electric vehicles assembled outside of North America from tax incentives.

Ahn said the new U.S. law, which Seoul believes violates the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, will be an important test for the two countries and their trade relations.

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S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 100,000 amid virus slowdown

SEOUL -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 100,000 on Tuesday, marking a moderate decline from a week ago, as the spread of the virus has been waning.

The country reported 99,837 new COVID-19 infections, including 273 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,706,477, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

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S. Korean Kim Joo-hyung nominated for PGA Tour's top rookie prize

SEOUL -- South Korea's Kim Joo-hyung is up for the top rookie award on the PGA Tour, on the strength of a stunning victory in August.

The PGA Tour announced three nominees for its Rookie of the Year honor, dubbed the Arnold Palmer Award, on Monday (U.S. time). Kim, 20, has been shortlisted alongside two Americans, Cameron Young and Sahith Theegala.

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(LEAD) Yoon holds meetings overnight to oversee response to Typhoon Hinnamnor

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol held multiple meetings at the presidential office between Monday night and Tuesday morning to oversee the response to the powerful Typhoon Hinnamnor as thousands moved to safety or were left without power.

Yoon stayed at the presidential office overnight as the typhoon approached the Korean Peninsula and made landfall in the southeastern city of Geoje at 4:50 a.m. Shortly after 7 a.m., the weather agency announced the typhoon had moved out of the country off the southeastern coast.

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(2nd LD) Fires break out at POSCO plants in Pohang

POHANG, South Korea -- Multiple fires broke out at steel plants of POSCO in the southeastern city of Pohang on Tuesday, residents and company officials said.

The fires began at around 7:30 a.m., they said.

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S. Korea's top nuclear envoy leaves for Japan for talks on N. Korea

SEOUL -- South Korea's top nuclear envoy headed to Japan on Tuesday for consultations with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts on North Korea and other issues of shared concerns.

Kim Gunn, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is scheduled to meet with Sung Kim, Washington's special representative for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Japan's foreign ministry, in Tokyo on Wednesday.

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N. Korean leader holds meeting on disaster prevention amid concern about typhoon damage

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un chaired a meeting to review his country's disaster prevention and response system, Pyongyang's state media said Tuesday, as the powerful Typhoon Hinnamnor hit the southern swathes of the peninsula.

Kim and other attendees checked the North's preparedness and discussed measures for strengthening its crisis response capabilities during the session held on Sunday and Monday in Pyongyang, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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Seoul shares turn lower late Tues. morning amid recession woes

SEOUL -- Seoul stocks traded a tad lower late Tuesday morning as investors took to the sidelines amid concerns over the U.S. Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary tightening and a global economic downturn.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 1.83 percent, or 0.08 points, to 2,401.85 as of 11:20 a.m.
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