Yonhap News Summary

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

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N. Korea fires unspecified ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

SEOUL -- North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Friday, the South Korean military said, less than a week after its launch of two medium-range ones.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the launch. It did not immediately provide other details.

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Opposition leader cries foul against prosecution summons

SEOUL -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung protested strongly Friday after prosecutors asked him to appear for questioning over bribery allegations surrounding corporate donations to a football club.

Lee was asked to come to the Suwon District Prosecutors Office next week over allegations the city government of Seongnam attracted some 16 billion won (US$12 million) in corporate donations to its municipal football club in return for administrative favors.

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Ex-Yongsan police chief attends court hearing on arrest warrant over Itaewon tragedy

SEOUL -- A former chief of the Yongsan Police Station attended a court hearing Friday to determine whether he should be arrested for allegedly failing to promptly respond to the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood.

It was the second time that prosecutors have sought an arrest warrant for Lee Im-jae, former head of the Yongsan Police Station covering the Itaewon district, after the earlier request was denied earlier this month.

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PPP finalizes revision of party charter to elect new leader only by vote of party members

SEOUL -- The ruling People Power Party (PPP) finalized revision of the party charter Friday to allow only party members, not the general public, to vote for a new party leader.

During a national committee meeting, the PPP passed proposals to revise its constitution and regulations, including electing a new chairman only by vote of party members and holding a run-off vote if none of the candidates wins a majority.

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656 police personnel to be deployed for crowd control on Christmas

SEOUL -- More than 600 police personnel will be deployed for crowd control in major tourist spots across the country for Christmas, which falls on the upcoming weekend, police said Friday.

A total of 656 police officers and eight riot squads will be mobilized for the duty in the 37 spots, such as Myeongdong, a major shopping district in downtown Seoul, and Haeundae Beach in the southern port city of Busan, during the weekend, according to the National Police Agency (NPA).

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Yoon's office voices dissatisfaction with compromise on budget

SEOUL-- The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday the government will do its best to overcome the economic crisis even though it is dissatisfied with the rival parties' compromise over next year's budget.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) reached the compromise Thursday, weeks after the Dec. 2 legal deadline for the budget's passage, and are scheduled to pass it through the National Assembly later Friday.

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Seoul restaurant suspected as secret Chinese police station said to close next month

SEOUL -- A Chinese restaurant in southern Seoul, suspected of having functioned as a secret Chinese police station, is said to discontinue business next month, restaurant officials said Friday.

The restaurant has received media attention after the Spain-based human rights watchdog Safeguard Defenders insisted early this month that China was operating more than 102 clandestine police stations in 53 countries, including South Korea, to monitor and repatriate dissidents living in exile.

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(LEAD) Seoul shares slump nearly 2 pct on rate hike woes

SEOUL -- Seoul stocks retreated nearly 2 percent Friday amid expectations of further rate hikes in the United States. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 43.04 points, or 1.83 percent, to close at 2,313.69 points.
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