Yonhap News Summary

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

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Yoon gov't unveils National Security Strategy highlighting N.K. threat

SEOUL -- The Yoon Suk Yeol administration on Wednesday unveiled a National Security Strategy highlighting the threat of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and outlining its objectives for the realization of a "global pivotal state."

The Office of National Security under the presidential office published the strategy in a booklet -- 107 pages in Korean and 150 pages in English -- to present the administration's policies for foreign affairs, unification and defense in the context of a rapidly changing security environment marked by North Korea's advancing nuclear capabilities, the intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China, and emerging security issues, such as supply chain anxieties and climate change.

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(News Focus) Apple's Vision Pro likely to accelerate Samsung's race in XR eyewear biz

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to speed up the development of virtual and augmented reality eyewear, as Apple Inc. unveiled its much-anticipated mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, earlier this week.

The U.S. tech company, on Monday (local time), introduced what it called its first "spatial computing" headset during the Worldwide Developers Conference at the Apple Park Campus in Cupertino, California, joining Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., and other players in the race to make high-end, tech-laden devices.

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S. Korea expresses 'stern' protest to China, Russia over air defense zone incursion

SEOUL -- South Korea's defense ministry lodged a "stern" protest with China and Russia on Wednesday over their warplanes' entry into the country's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without notice the previous day, it said.

On Tuesday, four Chinese and four Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ and exited it, prompting the South Korean Air Force to scramble fighter jets to the scene. They did not violate South Korea's air space.

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OECD cuts S. Korea's 2023 growth outlook to 1.5 pct

SEOUL -- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday lowered its 2023 growth outlook for South Korea to 1.5 percent, citing weak exports and sluggish private investment.

The latest estimate by the Paris-based organization marks a 0.1 percentage point drop from a 1.6 percent growth projection in March. The growth projection for 2024 was also lowered to 2.1 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from the previous estimate.

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(LEAD) Umbrella union decides to boycott presidential advisory board in protest over labor crackdown

GWANGYANG, South Korea -- The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), one of South Korea's two main umbrella labor unions, decided Wednesday to boycott the presidential advisory board for labor policies in protest against a recent police crackdown on a labor sit-in.

The FKTU has been representing the labor sector in the Economic, Social and Labor Council, a consultation body between the government, business and labor sectors in charge of policy recommendation to the president for labor affairs.

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Seoul's annual LGBTQ festival to take place in Euljiro on July 1

SEOUL -- An annual LGBTQ festival by local sexual minorities will take place in downtown Seoul on July 1, organizers said Wednesday, expecting some 50,000 people to participate in the day's street parade.

The 24th Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) will be held in the Euljiro 2-ga area and participants will march through downtown Seoul, including Seoul Plaza, the organizing committee said at a press conference.

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U.S. Senate launches 'Korea Caucus' to mark 70th anniv. of alliance

SEOUL -- A group of U.S. senators with keen interest in the Korean Peninsula has launched a bipartisan caucus earlier this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance.

The U.S. "Senate Korea Caucus," led by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), was launched Tuesday (U.S. time) to promote exchanges and strengthen the relationship between the two countries, according to the senator's office.
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