Yonhap News Summary

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

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S. Korea warns of actions over N. Korea's unauthorized use of Kaesong complex

SEOUL -- South Korea's unification ministry said Thursday it will take necessary steps if North Korea does not respond to Seoul's call to stop the unauthorized use of a now-shuttered joint industrial park in the North.

The ministry's call came as Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, carried photos of South Korean buses running in Pyongyang on Wednesday that were used in the Kaesong Industrial Park to transport North Korean workers before the complex was closed down in 2016.

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(LEAD) Court sides with medical school in revoking admission of ex-justice minister's daughter

BUSAN -- A regional court rejected a lawsuit that the daughter of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk filed to seek the cancellation of Pusan National University (PNU)'s decision to nullify her admission to its medical school over academic fraud.

Last April, the state-run university in the southeastern port city retroactively canceled Cho Min's admission in 2015, after the Supreme Court convicted her mother of forging some of the academic credentials used in the daughter's application.

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(LEAD) FSC urges banks to intensify competition, improve services for customers

SEOUL -- South Korea's financial regulator on Thursday urged banks to beef up competition and provide better services amid criticism that they sought easy profits from loan-deposit margins without making sufficient efforts to diversify income sources.

Banks have been under fire for reaping record profits from interest income last year and handing out hefty bonuses to employees while people are suffering from high borrowing costs caused by the central banks' monetary tightening to tame inflation.

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BIE delegation wraps up assessment of Busan's expo bid

BUSAN -- The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation is set to wrap up its on-site inspection of Busan's bid for the 2030 World Expo with attendance in the final bidding presentation, a lunch with young citizens, a press conference and a fireworks show on Thursday, the third day of its visit to the southeastern port city.

The eight-member team led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE administration and budget committee, received the fourth and final bid presentation from the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan.

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Yoon considers taking bipartisan parliamentary delegation to U.S.

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol is considering taking a bipartisan parliamentary delegation with him on his state visit to the United States this month, an official said Thursday.

Yoon is set to hold a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on April 26 and address a joint session of the U.S. Congress the next day as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of their alliance this year.

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S. Korean biz tycoons discuss battery, solar cooperation with U.S. senator

SEOUL -- Business leaders of top South Korean conglomerates, including SK and Hanwha, have met with visiting U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and discussed investment and cooperation in areas that included secondary batteries, battery equipment and solar panels, according to industry sources and the senator's office Thursday.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won met with Ossoff at the SK headquarters in Seoul the previous day and discussed SK's investment in Georgia.
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