Yonhap News Summary

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

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'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' tops Netflix chart for 7th straight week

SEOUL -- The South Korean legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has extended its hot streak to seven consecutive weeks on Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows, the global video streaming service said Wednesday.

The TV sensation, which aired every Wednesday and Thursday on the local cable channel ENA from June 29 to Aug. 18, marked 31.6 million hours of viewing for the week of Sept. 5-11 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to the company.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. to discuss 'concrete' deterrence steps against N.K. threats in this week's talks: official

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States will discuss "concrete" steps to sharpen deterrence against North Korea's evolving military threats during their high-level security talks later this week, according to a senior Seoul official Tuesday.

Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul made the remarks upon arriving at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., to attend a session of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) slated for Friday (local time).

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(2nd LD) Won hits over 13-yr low following disappointing U.S. inflation data, rate hike woes

SEOUL -- The South Korean currency on Wednesday tumbled below the 1,390 won mark against the greenback for the first time in over 13 years as the higher-than-expected inflation data in the United States stoked worries over the Federal Reserve's more aggressive monetary tightening.

The local currency had been trading at 1,390.9 won against the U.S. dollar as of 11:00 a.m., down 17.3 won from the previous session's close. The won dipped to as low as 1,395.5 at one point.

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SK to spend 73 tln won by 2023 to boost domestic production facilities

SEOUL -- SK Group, South Korea's second-largest conglomerate by assets, said Thursday it will spend 73 trillion won (US$52.4 billion) by 2023 to boost its domestic production facilities for chips, green energy and bio.

The energy-to-telecom business group will also spend 25 trillion won on research and development (R&D) over the next five years to shore up its technological competitiveness in those areas it is pushing for as future growth drivers.

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Hyundai Glovis wins 2.2 tln-won vehicle delivery deal

SEOUL -- Hyundai Glovis Co., the logistics unit of Hyundai Motor Group, said Wednesday it has received a record 2.2 trillion-won (US$1.6 billion) vehicle delivery deal from a global carmaker.

Under the deal, Hyundai Glovis will deliver the unidentified carmaker's vehicles to Europe, the United States and Asia for three years from 2023, the company said in a statement.

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(LEAD) S. Korea's COVID-19 cases jump to over 90,000 after holiday

SEOUL -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases jumped to over 90,000 on Wednesday after the Chuseok fall harvest holiday that ended early this week amid worries over a spike in the virus infections.

The country reported 93,981 new COVID-19 infections, including 314 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,193,038, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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(Yonhap Interview) Iraq football legend hails Son Heung-min as 'one of the best,' predicts strong World Cup showing

SEOUL -- After lifting war-torn Iraq to the improbable title at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in 2007, their captain and all-time great Younis Mahmoud earned a nomination for the Ballon d'Or, the prestigious annual award given to the game's top player.

Mahmoud, who led the Asian Cup in scoring and was named the tournament MVP, became the first Asian player to earn a vote for the Ballon d'Or and finished 29th. It may have been one small step for Mahmoud but an important leap for Asian football.

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Apple to open 4th retail store in S. Korea this month

SEOUL -- U.S. tech giant Apple Inc. said Wednesday it plans to open its fourth retail store in South Korea later this month, expanding its presence in the country to compete with local rival Samsung Electronics Co.

Named "Apple Jamsil," the store will open at Lotte World Mall in Seoul's southeastern neighborhood of Jamsil on Sept. 24, the company said. Apple's Korean website opened a special menu announcing the store's opening.
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