Yonhap News Summary

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

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(3rd LD) New cases back above 500 amid possible hike woes

SEOUL -- South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose back above 500 on Tuesday, with health authorities remaining on alert over a potential spike amid spreading variant cases.

The country reported 511 more COVID-19 cases, including 483 local infections, raising the total caseload to 128,283, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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(LEAD) Seoul stocks dip on inflation worries

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks tumbled Tuesday, led by technology stock sell-offs, as investors' sentiment worsened over inflation woes. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 39.87 points, or 1.23 percent, to close at 3,209.43 points.

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Kakao acquires 2 U.S. webtoon apps to target global market

SEOUL -- Kakao Entertainment, an entertainment arm of Kakao Corp., said Tuesday it has acquired U.S.-based online comic app Tapas and fiction app Radish for US$510 million and $440 million, respectively.

The subsidiary of Kakao Corp, the operator of South Korea's top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, said the latest deals could help it make further inroads into the North American market and other English-speaking regions.

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Seoul's spy chief departs for Japan to meet Japanese, U.S. counterparts

SEOUL -- South Korea's intelligence chief departed for Japan on Tuesday to attend a trilateral meeting with his Japanese and U.S. counterparts, sources said.

National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Ji-won left Inchon International Airport, west of Seoul, earlier in the day for Tokyo, according to the sources.

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3 S. Koreans die from COVID-19 in India: official

SEOUL -- Three South Korean citizens have died from COVID-19 in virus-ravaged India, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday.

They were among 173 South Koreans in India confirmed to have contracted the virus. Of them, 115 have recovered as of Monday, according to the official.

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Israeli FM cuts short Seoul trip after Hamas rocket attacks

SEOUL -- Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi cut short his trip to Seoul and left for home Tuesday, after the Hamas militant group launched rocket attacks on Israel earlier this week, the foreign ministry said.

Ashkenazi, along with Economy Minister Amir Peretz, arrived here Monday for a four-day visit for bilateral talks with their South Korean counterparts and to attend a ceremony for the signing of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).

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Unification minister planning to visit Washington next month: official

SEOUL -- Unification Minister Lee In-young is planning to visit the United States next month, an official said Tuesday.

Details of Lee's visit have yet to be finalized, and the exact schedule could change depending on the coronavirus situation and the South Korea-U.S. summit slated for next week, according to the official.
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