Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) N. Korea's Kim arrives in Russia's Far East, set to visit aircraft plant

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un headed straight to an aircraft plant that builds fighter jets after arriving in Russia's Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, following his rare summit with President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, according to Russian news agencies Friday.

Kim arrived at a railway station in the city earlier in the day and was welcomed in accordance with traditions for a special guest, Russian news agencies reported.

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S. Korea's economic slowdown to ease on improving exports: finance ministry

SEOUL -- South Korea's economic slowdown appears to be gradually easing on signs of a recovery in exports, the finance ministry said Friday, although volatility in global raw material prices is a threat.

"The economic slowdown has seen some relief due to the improving trend in exports, including semiconductors, along with the recovery in consumer sentiment and employment," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a report.

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SK to spend 8 tln won on green transition of Ulsan complex: chief

ULSAN -- SK Group plans to invest 8 trillion won (US$6.02 billion) to transform its main refinery and chemical complex in the country's southeast into eco-friendly businesses, its chief has said.

Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, made the announcement as he reinforced the company's commitment to shifting its key areas of fossil fuel-based energy segments to green energy.

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(Movie Review) 'Cobweb': Kim Jee-woon's ode to Korean filmmaking in 1970s

SEOUL -- Director Kim Jee-woon's new film "Cobweb" captures the ugly, honest truth of the Korean film industry in the 1970s and agony behind the scenes in a satirical spin, showing why cinema of the past is essential to the period we're in today.

Kim's 11th feature work focuses on an era of Korean film history that probably isn't the most appealing to a mass audience, when films were still shot in black and white and under strict censorship guidelines.

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(LEAD) PSG's Lee Kang-in to join Asiad squad during group stage

SEOUL -- Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Lee Kang-in will join the South Korean men's Asian Games football team in the middle of the group stage in China, the sport's national governing body announced Friday.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said PSG agreed to release Lee for South Korea after their UEFA Champions League group stage match Tuesday. Lee is then scheduled to leave France on Wednesday for Hangzhou, China, to join South Korea's under-24 squad at the Asian Games.

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V's 'Layover' achieves biggest debut week sales for K-pop soloist

SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- The debut solo album by V, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, has set the biggest first-week sales record for an album by a K-pop soloist with 2.1 million copies sold, data showed Friday.

According to the data from Hanteo Chart, a leading local tracker of physical album sales, "Layover" had sold 2,101,974 copies as of the previous day.

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Inflation set to ease in Oct. amid oil price woes: finance minister

SEOUL -- South Korea's inflation is anticipated to begin slowing down next month amid lingering woes over soaring oil prices, the top economic policymaker said Friday.

"This year, the country's consumer prices are continuing on a path of decline," Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said during a government meeting ahead of the Chuseok holiday.

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Pentagon warns N. Korea's arms support would prolong Ukraine war

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Defense warned North Korea Thursday that its arms support to Russia would not only prolong the war in Ukraine but also be tantamount to "directly" joining the killing of innocent Ukrainians.

Deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh made the remarks after this week's summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the prospects of Pyongyang sending more ammunition to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

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