Yonhap News Summary

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

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Yoon meets Japanese political leaders, voices hope for stronger cooperation

TOKYO -- President Yoon Suk Yeol met Friday with Japanese political leaders, including the chief of the main opposition party, and voiced hope for stronger cooperation between the two countries' peoples, his office said.

Yoon, who arrived in Tokyo the previous day for a summit with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, held a meeting with members of three groups promoting friendly ties between South Korea and Japan, including the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union and the Japan-Korea Cooperation Committee.

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Sherman backs S. Korea's push for mending ties with Japan: ministry

SEOUL -- A senior United States diplomat on Friday expressed support for South Korea's determination to develop relations between Seoul and Tokyo following a summit between the neighboring countries the previous day, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

In her phone consultations with her South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun-dong, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman expressed "strong support" for President Yoon Suk Yeol's "determination and leadership for the future-oriented development of the South Korea-Japan relationship," the ministry said.

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Leader of disability rights protests arrested on illegal demonstration charges

SEOUL -- The leader of a disability rights advocacy group who led yearslong rush-hour subway protests was arrested Friday on charges of illegal demonstrations.

Police apprehended Park Kyoung-seok, the 63-year-old leader of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD), for investigation in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency headquarters in central Seoul where he was holding a press conference.

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(2nd LD) Allies to resume large-scale amphibious drills next week after 5-year hiatus

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States plan to kick off their first large-scale amphibious landing exercise in five years next week, in a show of the allies' "overwhelming" military capabilities, the Navy and Marine Corps here said Friday.

The Ssangyong training is set to take place in and around Pohang, 272 kilometers southeast of Seoul, from Monday through April 3 to enhance the allies' combat readiness and interoperability, according to the armed services. "Ssangyong" means double dragon in Korean.

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Yoon meets with S. Korean, Japanese business leaders

TOKYO -- President Yoon Suk Yeol met with a group of business leaders from South Korea and Japan on Friday, calling for cooperation in cutting-edge industries, such as semiconductors and batteries, his office said.

Yoon attended a roundtable with 12 business leaders from the South Korean side, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, and 11 from the Japanese side, including Sumitomo Chemical Chairman Masakazu Tokura and Mitsui & Co CEO Tatsuo Yasunaga.

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