Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) Yoon vetoes legislation requiring gov't purchase of surplus rice

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday vetoed a contentious bill requiring government purchase of surplus rice, marking his first veto of a bill since he took office.

Yoon rejected the revision to the Grain Management Act during a Cabinet meeting, requesting the National Assembly to reconsider the bill amid criticism that it would lead to a waste of government resources.

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Firefighters combating wildfires in central regions for 3rd day

HONGSEONG/DAEJEON -- Thousands of firefighters and forestry personnel were combating wildfires Tuesday in South Chungcheong Province and the nearby city of Daejeon that have continued for the third day.

The wildfires in the county of Hongseong, 114 kilometers south of Seoul, and the nearby cities of Dangjin and Daejeon broke out on Sunday when a dry weather warning was issued in the region, and remain unextinguished as of Tuesday morning.

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BIE delegates visit Busan to inspect bid to host 2030 World Expo

SEOUL/BUSAN -- A delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is set to visit Busan on Tuesday to inspect the southeastern port city's candidacy for the 2030 World Expo.

The eight-member team led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE administration and budget committee, arrived in South Korea on Sunday for an on-site inspection to evaluate Busan's bid to host the global fair.

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(2nd LD) BTS Jimin becomes first K-pop soloist to top Billboard Hot 100

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- Jimin, a member of the K-pop superstar BTS, has made history with his single "Like Crazy" reaching the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, becoming the first South Korean solo artist to top the list.

"Jimin's 'Like Crazy' blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, marking his first leader -- and the first for a member of superstar South Korean pop group BTS. He is also the first South Korean solo artist to lead the list," Billboard said Monday (U.S. local time) on social media.

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(4th LD) S. Korea's consumer prices up 4.2 pct in March

SEOUL -- South Korea's on-year growth in consumer prices fell to the lowest level in a year in March, data showed Tuesday, in the latest signal that inflation could slow throughout this year.

Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose 4.2 percent last month from a year earlier, slowing from the rise of 4.8 percent tallied in February, according to the report from Statistics Korea.

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Police looking into possible mastermind behind abduction murder of woman

SEOUL -- Police investigating last week's kidnapping and murder of a woman are expanding their probe considering the possibility of a mastermind behind the crime, officials said Tuesday.

Three suspects were formally arrested Monday for allegedly abducting a 48-year-old woman in Seoul's posh Gangnam district and killing her.

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S. Korea to start issuing mobile national ID cards next year

SEOUL -- South Korea will begin issuing mobile national identification cards in the second half of next year that have the same legal status as the current plastic identification cards, the interior minister said Tuesday.

The ministry has recently put up a pre-legislation notice about the planned revision of the Resident Registration Act to introduce the mobile resident registration cards amid the increasing social trend to go walletless, ministry officials said.
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