Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) S. Korea scrambles some 80 fighter jets after 180 N.K. warplane activities detected

SEOUL -- South Korea scrambled dozens of stealth fighter jets and other warplanes Friday after detecting more than 180 North Korean military aircraft activities in various locations via radar, Seoul's defense authorities said.

The North's planes, including fighters and bombers, were spotted flying between around 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. over its inland areas as well as off the western and eastern coasts without approaching close to the inter-Korean border, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The bombers conducted air-to-ground firing.

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Police chief not informed of crowd crush before going to bed Saturday night

SEOUL -- The nation's police chief was not notified of the occurrence of the tragic crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district until he went to bed Saturday night, police said Friday.

Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the National Police Agency (NPA), was visiting the North Chungcheong Province city of Jecheon, about 170 km southeast of Seoul, at the time of the crowd crush and fell asleep around 11 p.m. without receiving any report on the accident, they said.

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(LEAD) S. Korea sends letter explaining stance on IRA to U.S.

SEOUL -- South Korea on Friday sent an official written opinion to the United States regarding an act that excludes electric vehicles (EVs) assembled outside of North America from tax credits.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden in August, gives up to US$7,500 in tax credits to buyers of EVs assembled only in North America.

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(2nd LD) Whereabouts of 2 senior police officers under question in Itaewon crush investigation

SEOUL -- The whereabouts of two senior police officers at the time of the deadly Halloween crowd crush have emerged as a focal point of an investigation into the tragedy that killed more than 150 people in Seoul's Itaewon district.

Police have been under fire following revelations that about a dozen emergency calls came in warning of a dangerous level of overcrowding in Itaewon in the few hours leading up to Saturday's crush but police did little to prevent the tragedy that killed least 156, mostly people in their 20s.

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(LEAD) Ruling party says not time for parliamentary probe into Itaewon tragedy

SEOUL -- The floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) said Friday it is not time to conduct a parliamentary probe into the deadly Itaewon crowd crush, saying an ongoing police investigation should be the priority.

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has called for a parliamentary probe into the tragedy that killed at least 156 people, saying it makes no sense for police to investigate themselves over allegations they failed to respond properly to the disaster.

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Yoon, German president vow close cooperation against N.K. threats

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday shared their concern about North Korea's recent missile tests and agreed to work closely together to respond to the North's nuclear and missile programs.

The two discussed a range of issues, including the North Korean threat, cooperation on supply chains and the war in Ukraine, during talks at the presidential office in Seoul, both leaders told reporters following the talks. Steinmeier is in the country on a three-day official visit.

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PM urges utmost efforts to rescue 2 trapped miners

SEOUL -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday called for utmost efforts to rescue two miners trapped underground for 10 days.

They have been isolated in a vertical shaft about 190 meters underground at a zinc mine in the county of Bonghwa, 244 kilometers southeast of Seoul, since the mine collapsed on Oct. 26.

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Multimedia artist Kang Ik-joong showcases extensive artworks in Seoul exhibition

SEOUL -- Multimedia artist Kang Ik-joong said Friday he wants to play a bridging role between the divided Koreas through his imaginative artworks, as he believes art can connect people, places and ideas.

The New York-based Korean artist, known for his art projects involving moon jars and the Korean alphabet, hangeul, will showcase a wide range of his artworks in the exhibition "The Moon is Rising," which runs through Dec. 11 at Gallery Hyundai in Seoul. It is his first solo exhibition held in South Korea in 12 years.
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