Yonhap News Summary

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

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(3rd LD) Audit agency finds manipulation of key economic data by 22 high-ranking officials under Moon gov't

SEOUL -- The state audit agency announced Friday that high-ranking officials, including a former land minister and key presidential aides from the preceding Moon Jae-in government, manipulated various economic data for several years, allegedly in support of its key economic and real estate policies.

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) disclosed the interim results of its six-month investigation and has formally requested the prosecution to investigate 22 former government officials, including all four former presidential chiefs of staff for policy -- Jang Ha-sung, Kim Su-hyun, Kim Sang-jo and Lee Ho-Seung -- as well as former Land Minister Kim Hyun-mi.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. warn Pyongyang, Moscow's military cooperation violates UNSC resolutions

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States warned that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and will come at a cost during a high-level deterrence dialogue Friday, just days after the leaders of Pyongyang and Moscow held a rare summit meeting.

The fourth meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG), a gathering of the allies' vice-ministerial defense officials and diplomats, took place in Seoul's foreign ministry amid concerns Pyongyang and Moscow may have discussed a potential arms deal at the recent summit.

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(LEAD) 7-yr prison term sought for ex-chief justice in judiciary power abuse scandal

SEOUL -- Prosecutors on Friday demanded a seven-year prison sentence for former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae on charges of unfairly influencing politically sensitive trials under ousted former President Park Geun-hye.

Yang, who headed the top court from 2011-17, is accused of having used trials as bargaining chips in dealings with the Park administration to promote his bid to establish a court of appeals.

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Trains operate at 80 pct capacity on 2nd day of rail strike

SEOUL -- A four-day strike by unionized rail workers entered its second day Friday, forcing passenger trains to operate at less than 80 percent capacity nationwide.

The Korean Railway Workers' Union began its first strike in four years Thursday, demanding improved working conditions and an expansion of the KTX bullet train service to Suseo Station in southern Seoul, which is exclusively used by another high-speed railway service called SRT.

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(LEAD) GS Caltex, HMM begin pilot operation of container ship running on bio marine fuel

SEOUL -- South Korean oil refiner GS Caltex Corp. said Friday it has begun the pilot operation of a container ship that runs on its bio marine fuel in collaboration with the shipping company HMM Co.

The 6,400 twenty-foot equivalent unit vessel, powered by GS Caltex's B30 bio marine fuel, will depart from a port in Busan en route to Singapore, India and South America, the refiner said in a release.

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Man takes out knife in front of DP leader's office in attempt to write pledge in blood

SEOUL -- A man in his 70s was kicked out of the National Assembly on Friday after taking out a knife in an attempt to write a pledge in his blood in front of the office where opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is on a hunger strike.

The 73-year-old man, only identified by his surname Kim, held out a large piece of paper and a knife while calling out, "The country is in ruins," and tried to cut his thumb in front of the Democratic Party (DP) leader's office inside the National Assembly at around noon, according to security forces.

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Yoon vows to uphold spirit of Incheon Landing Operation during Korean War

INCHEON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged on Friday to uphold the spirit of the amphibious landing operation carried out by South Korean and U.S. forces during the 1950-53 Korean War, citing ongoing threats posed by North Korea.

Yoon made the remark during a ceremony commemorating the 73rd anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation, which was carried out under the command of U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul. The operation played a pivotal role in reversing the tide of the war, compelling the invading North Korean army to retreat.

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(LEAD) Seoul shares rally to hit over 1-month high on eased U.S. rate hike woes, China surprise

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks jumped more than 1.5 percent to hit a more than one-month high Friday as investor sentiment was boosted by the latest U.S. inflation data that will probably tame the Fed's hawkish view on interest rates and better-than-expected Chinese economic data. The local currency went down against the U.S. greenback.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 28.39 points, or 1.1 percent, to finish at 2,601.28, the highest since Aug. 10, when the index finished at 2,601.56.
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