Yonhap News Summary

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

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(4th LD) Cargo ship carrying 22 sinks off Jeju, 14 rescued but 9 unconscious

SEOGWIPO -- A Hong Kong-registered cargo ship carrying 22 crew members sank off the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday, and 14 of them were rescued, while a search is under way for the others, the Coast Guard said.

Fourteen Chinese and eight Myanmarese crew members were aboard the Jin Tian, a 6,551-ton, wood-carrying ship, when it sent out a distress signal at 3:07 a.m. in international waters 148.2 kilometers southeast of the city of Seogwipo on Jeju, according to the Coast Guard.

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(2nd LD) Na bows out of PPP leadership race

SEOUL -- Former lawmaker Na Kyung-won said Wednesday she will not run for leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), giving in to apparent objections from the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol and raising questions about whom her supporters will back instead.

Na said she made the decision because she does not want to see division in the party.

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(LEAD) S. Korean baseball MVP hires top agent for potential MLB jump: source

SEOUL -- The reigning South Korean baseball MVP Lee Jung-hoo has hired Scott Boras as his U.S. agent ahead of a potential jump to the majors, an informed industry source said Wednesday.

The source, requesting anonymity, told Yonhap News Agency that Lee, star outfielder for the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), hired Boras Corp. to represent him, confirming an earlier report by New York Post columnist Jon Heyman.

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'Jung_E' debuts at No. 1 on Netflix's non-English film chart

SEOUL -- Korean director Yeon Sang-ho's sci-fi thriller "Jung_E" was the most watched non-English film on Netflix in the first week of its release, data showed Wednesday.

"Jung_E" was watched for 19.3 million hours in the first three days after its release on Friday, topping the non-English film chart in the week of Jan. 16-22, according to Netflix's Top 10 chart.

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Opposition leader Lee expected to appear for prosecutors' questioning alone this weekend

SEOUL -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is expected to appear for a scheduled questioning at a prosecutors office this weekend without the company of party lawmakers, sources said Wednesday.

Lee plans to show up for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Saturday as part of an investigation into corruption allegations surrounding a property development project in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, launched while Lee was serving as the city's mayor from 2010 to 2018.

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Number of workers taking parental leave up 18.6 pct in 2022: data

SEOUL -- The number of South Korean workers who took time off to take care of their children rose 18.6 percent in 2022 from a year earlier on the back of more government support for parental leave, government data showed Monday.

A total of 131,087 workers took parental leave to take care of their children last year, up 20,532 from the previous year, according to the data by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

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(LEAD) Seoul shares close more than 1 pct higher on tech gains

SEOUL -- Seoul stocks closed more than 1 percent higher Wednesday on tech gains, as investors were hopeful that the U.S. Federal Reserve could ease the pace of rate increases. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 33.31 points, or 1.39 percent, to 2.428.57.
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