Yonhap News Summary

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

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Yoon says S. Korea, U.S. in talks over joint nuclear exercises

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol has said South Korea is in talks with the United States to carry out joint planning and joint exercises involving U.S. nuclear forces to counter North Korea's nuclear threats.

In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper published Monday, Yoon said the idea of the U.S. providing a nuclear umbrella or extended deterrence to South Korea is not enough to reassure the South Korean public.

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PM pledges to keep up pace of labor, education, pension reforms

SEOUL -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Monday the government will keep up the pace of labor, education and pension reforms this year, in an effort to increase productivity and revive the economy.

"We will carry out in earnest the three major reforms of labor, education and pension, and the three major innovations of the finance, service and public sectors," Han told the government's kick-off ceremony for the new year.

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Yoon's approval rating falls for 1st time in 3 weeks: Realmeter

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell for the first time in three weeks following the intrusion of North Korean drones into South Korea's airspace last week, a poll showed Monday.

In the poll of 2,511 voters conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, 40 percent positively assessed Yoon's job performance, down 1.2 percentage points from the previous week.

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N. Korean leader visits late father's mausoleum

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the mausoleum of his late grandfather and father in his first reported public activity this year, according to Pyongyang's state media Monday.

Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of state founder and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and his father, Kim Jong-il, are enshrined, on the occasion of the start of the new year, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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Yoon calls for correcting 'evils' blocking growth

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol held a New Year's meeting with the country's leaders Monday and called for quickly rectifying the "evils" blocking economic growth and development.

The meeting was held at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae and brought together some 200 top officials from across the executive, legislative and judicial branches, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. First lady Kim Keon Hee was also in attendance.

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PPP leader delivers Yoon's letter to Lula

SEOUL -- Ruling People Power Party leader Chung Jin-suk said Monday he has delivered a congratulatory personal letter from President Yoon Seok Yeol to Brazil's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Chung left for Brazil last week to attend Lula's inauguration ceremony as a special presidential envoy.

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S. Korea's military to establish new nuke, WMD response division amid N.K. threats

SEOUL -- South Korea's military will launch a new division tasked with countering threats from North Korea's nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) on Monday, officials said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is set to hold a ceremony marking the creation of the Directorate of Countering Nuclear and WMD, which it said will lay the foundation for the envisioned launch of the "strategic command."

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'The Glory' debuts at No. 5 on global Netflix chart

SEOUL -- Netflix's new South Korean original, "The Glory," has landed at No. 5 on a global popularity chart for TV series available on the streaming service.

According to data released by FlixPatrol, a streaming analytics company, Sunday (U.S. time), the drama starring Song Hye-kyo placed fifth on its daily global chart for TV programs on Netflix, two days after its release.
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