Yonhap News Summary

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

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Yoon says corruption threatens democracy, curbs freedom

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday all forms of corruption that goes against the truth threatens democracy and suppresses freedom, calling for a fight against corruption at the international level.

Yoon made the remarks at the Indo-Pacific meeting of the second Summit for Democracy in Seoul. South Korea is one of five co-hosts for this year's summit, along with the United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia.

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First vice foreign minister tapped as new ambassador to U.S.

SEOUL -- First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong has been tapped to be the new ambassador to the United States, a diplomatic source said Thursday, a day after the current ambassador was named the new national security adviser.

Cho would replace Ambassador Cho Tae-yong, who was picked to replace Kim Sung-han as the national security adviser Wednesday.

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Presidential office rules out resumption of seafood imports from Japan's Fukushima

SEOUL -- The presidential office on Thursday ruled out resumption of seafood imports from Japan's Fukushima region over radiation contamination concerns, saying the health and safety of people are the foremost priority.

"Fukushima seafood will never come into the country," the office said in a notice to media. "With regard to the import of Japanese seafood products, the government's stance remains unchanged that the health and safety of the people are the top priority."

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S. Korea hosts Indo-Pacific meeting of 2nd Summit for Democracy

SEOUL -- South Korea hosted the Indo-Pacific meeting of the second Summit for Democracy on Thursday, bringing together ministerial-level officials and experts from the region with a focus on the issue of combating corruption.

Attendees at the event held at a hotel in central Seoul included Foreign Minister Park Jin, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

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(LEAD) (News Focus) Abrupt replacement of national security adviser gives rise to much speculation

SEOUL -- The abrupt resignation of Kim Sung-han as national security adviser following the departures of two diplomats under him has left many wondering what really happened that warrants such wholesale replacements less than a month before a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden.

The most widely cited reason is that Kim sat on a U.S. offer to invite South Korean girl group BLACKPINK to perform at a state dinner Biden plans to host when Yoon visits Washington next month.

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S. Korea to name bike path at former Korean War battle site after Turkey

SEOUL -- South Korea will name a bike path at a former battle site after Turkey this week, under a program to commemorate the participation of the country and 21 others in the 1950-53 Korean War, the veterans ministry said Thursday.

The ministry has arranged the program to remember the sacrifices of troops from the countries that supported South Korea under a U.N. mandate during the conflict, as Seoul marks the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted the war.

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S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases post on-week decline

SEOUL -- South Korea reported just over 11,000 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, a mild drop from a week earlier, as the country is adapting to the idea of the virus becoming endemic and is making efforts toward returning to normalcy.

The country reported 11,039 new COVID-19 infections, including 14 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,809,762, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.
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