Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) Yoon says S. Korea-U.S.-Japan summit to take place in Southeast Asia

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday he will hold a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of upcoming regional gatherings in Southeast Asia.

Yoon is set to leave Friday on a six-day trip that will take him first to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for regional summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and then to Bali, Indonesia, for a summit of the Group of 20.

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(2nd LD) S. Korea to begin eased lending rules next month

SEOUL/SEJONG -- South Korea will carry out eased lending rules for first-time homebuyers and owners of one home next month as the once-hot housing market appears to be entering a downturn amid rising interest rates, the land ministry said Thursday.

The government has adopted stricter lending rules and other regulations to help stabilize the country's real estate market in recent years. Home prices are on the decline across the country, and an even sharper downturn in the market is likely, as surging borrowing costs are scaring away buyers.

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(LEAD) Yoon cites national interests after his office bans MBC reporters from boarding Air Force One

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday that important national interests are at stake during presidential overseas trips, after his office decided to ban local TV station MBC's reporters from boarding Air Force One to cover his upcoming trip to Southeast Asia.

The presidential office informed MBC of the decision Wednesday, two days before Yoon departs for his tour of Cambodia and Indonesia, citing the broadcaster's repeated "distorted" coverage.

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S. Korean economic growth estimated below 2 pct in 2023 on weak exports

SEJONG -- South Korea's economic growth is expected to hover below 2 percent in 2023, a state-run think tank said Thursday, due to the country's weakening exports amid worries over a global recession.

The export-reliant economy is estimated to grow 1.8 percent on-year in 2023, according to the Korea Development Institute (KDI), hovering below the 2.7-percent growth outlook suggested for this year.

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Unification minister says law banning sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets unconstitutional

SEOUL -- The law banning the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea is unconstitutional and restricts the freedom of expression and political activities, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se has said in an opinion submitted to the Constitutional Court.

Kwon recently submitted the opinion for the court's constitutionality review of the so-called anti-North Korea leaflet prohibition law, initiated at the request of 27 civic groups, according to the Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea, which is also one of the petitioners.

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DP spokesman apologizes for misquoting EU ambassador

SEOUL -- The spokesman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has apologized for misquoting European Union Ambassador Maria Castillo Fernandez during her meeting with party leader Lee Jae-myung earlier this week.

The EU envoy met with the opposition leader in a closed-door meeting Tuesday and discussed issues ranging from North Korea's intensifying military threats to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

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1st ultrafine dust advisory in 9 months issued across Seoul

SEOUL -- The first ultrafine dust advisory in nine months was issued across Seoul on Thursday, the city government said.

The advisory was issued at midnight over the capital, the first since Feb. 11, according to the Research Institute of Public Health and Environment of the city government.
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