Yonhap News Summary

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

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Ex-Prosecutor General Yoon leading all ruling party presidential hopefuls: poll

SEOUL -- Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl was leading all rival presidential hopefuls from the ruling party in hypothetical two-way races against each of them, the latest opinion poll showed Thursday.

The poll by Realmeter put the support rating for Yoon at 44.5 percent, 8.3 percentage points ahead of Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, who garnered 36.2 percent in a hypothetical two-way race.

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COVID-19 self-test kits available at convenience stores, other locations

SEOUL -- Coronavirus self-test kits became available in supermarkets and convenience stores across the country Thursday as South Korea is seeking to step up its testing capacity with no letup of new virus cases in sight.

Self-test kits by two local drugmakers -- Humasis Inc. and SD Biosensor Co. -- have been sold at local pharmacies after receiving approval for emergency use last month, and they have hit shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores to provide easier access to the public.

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Unification ministry views U.S. attempt to reach out to N.K. positively: official

SEOUL -- The unification ministry "views positively" U.S. efforts to reach out to North Korea, an official said Thursday, after a report that the administration of President Joe Biden tried unsuccessfully for a second time to open talks with Pyongyang.

On Wednesday, Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin said in an op-ed piece that the Biden administration has recently reached out to the North to explain the outcome of its policy review on the country, but got no response just like its first reach-out attempt in February.

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Cast of Mnet's audition show 'Kingdom' undergoing virus tests after COVID-19 outbreak

SEOUL -- All cast members of the weekly K-pop audition show "Kingdom: Legendary War" on cable channel Mnet are undergoing COVID-19 tests after one of its background dancers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the broadcaster said Thursday.

Mnet said it was informed that the dancer who participated in the program's filming session on Tuesday was confirmed to have contracted the virus.

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S. Korea's homegrown space rocket set for October launch as planned: space agency chief

SEOUL -- South Korea's first fully homegrown space rocket is on track for its scheduled launch later this year, the chief of the country's space research institute said Thursday.

Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) President Lee Sang-ryool said the 200-ton three-stage rocket, named Nuri, is currently being assembled without a glitch in the process.

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CJ ENM to launch audition program to create K-pop style boy group in Latin America

SEOUL -- South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM said Thursday it is planning to launch an audition program in Latin America to create a K-pop style boy group.

The collaboration with HBO Max and Endemol Shine Boomdog will bring together K-pop artists and Hispanic acts to select potential members of a Latino group, which will debut through the program and train as K-pop groups do.
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