Yonhap News Summary

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

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Itaewon crowd crush death toll rises to 156

SEOUL -- One more fatality was confirmed from the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district, raising the death toll from the tragedy to 156, officials said Tuesday.

A 20-year-old Korean woman was pronounced dead Tuesday morning while under treatment in serious condition, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

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Yoon thanks foreign leaders, people for condolences over deadly crowd crush

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol thanked U.S. President Joe Biden and other foreign leaders Tuesday for their condolences over the Halloween crowd crush, saying the government will provide the same assistance to local and foreign victims of the tragedy.

Yoon expressed his thanks during a Cabinet meeting held three days after the incident. At least 155 people, including 26 foreign nationals, were killed during the crowd surge in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon on Saturday.

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PM pledges to help take care of trauma in wake of crowd crush

SEOUL -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday the government will actively provide mental health support to help heal the trauma in the wake of the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon area.

Bereaved families, injured people and ordinary citizens affected by the disaster, which left at least 155 people killed, will be subject to government-organized mental treatment programs, Han told a response meeting.

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Deadly crowd crush spurs people's interest in CPR

SEOUL -- The recent deadly crowd crush in Seoul sparked widespread interest among South Koreans in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that can help save lives during cardiac emergencies.

Videos from Saturday's accident during Halloween festivities in Itaewon, which left 155 dead, showed not only rescue workers but also ordinary people desperately giving CPR to victims on the streets.

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Police delving into possible causes of Itaewon crowd crush

SEOUL -- Police stepped up an investigation Tuesday into the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district amid various blame and claims about possible causes as South Korea reels from the deadliest disaster in years.

The tragedy happened Saturday night when a massive crowd of Halloween partygoers packed a narrow 3.2-meter-wide alley in Seoul's entertainment district of Itaewon. Some of them began to fall over, causing others to fall down like "dominoes" and pile up on one another.

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(2nd LD) S. Korea's exports down for first time in 2 years; trade deficit extended

SEOUL -- South Korea's exports logged an on-year decline in October for the first time in two years on sluggish global demand amid high inflation and an economic slowdown, the trade ministry said Tuesday.

The country also suffered a trade deficit for the seventh consecutive month as imports grew on high global energy prices, sparking concerns over its growth momentum.

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(2nd LD) N. Korea warns of 'more powerful' actions against allies' air drills

SEOUL -- North Korea warned Tuesday that it could stage "more powerful follow-up measures" if the United States continues "military provocations," citing its large-scale combined air exercise with South Korea.

A spokesman at the North's foreign ministry denounced the ongoing combined air drills by the allies, called Vigilant Storm, as "ceaseless and reckless" military provocations.

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S. Korean naval ship to arrive in Japan for next week's fleet review

SEOUL -- A South Korean naval support ship is scheduled to arrive at a Japanese port Tuesday to take part in the country's international fleet review slated for next week, officials here said.

The 10,000-ton logistics support ship Soyang is to arrive in Yokosuka at around noon after departing from Jinhae, 410 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday, they said.

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Rescue workers initially fail to locate 2 miners trapped in zinc mine

SEOUL -- Search and rescue operations for two miners trapped in a zinc mine in southeastern South Korea for six days are making little headway, officials said Tuesday.

The two miners, both surnamed Park, have been isolated in a vertical shaft about 190 meters underground at the zinc mine in the North Gyeongsang Province county of Bonghwa, 244 km southeast of Seoul, since a burial accident last Wednesday.

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(LEAD) Korean mask dance almost sure to be UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

SEOUL -- The traditional Korean mask dance, or "talchum" in Korean, is almost certain to be added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

According to the homepage of UNESCO on Tuesday, "Talchum, Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea" was recommended for inscription on the list by a subpanel of its Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

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(LEAD) Financial groups to pump 95 tln won to ease market crunch

SEOUL -- South Korea's five large financial groups decided Tuesday to inject a large amount of liquidity into the financial market to help ease its recent volatility.

The decision to pump 95 trillion won (US$66.5 billion) into the market by year-end came after the country's top financial regulator met with the heads of those institutions, including KB Financial Group Inc., to ask for their cooperation.

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S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebound to over 50,000 amid 'twindemic' worries

SEOUL -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 50,000 on Tuesday amid concerns over a possible outbreak of a "twindemic" of the pandemic and seasonal influenza this winter.

The country reported 58,379 new COVID-19 infections, including 68 from overseas, bringing the total to 25,615,667, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
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