Yonhap News Summary

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

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New cases in 600s for 3rd day as eased distancing rules set to run from July

SEOUL -- South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 600s for the third straight day Friday due to sporadic cluster infections as the country is set to implement eased social distancing rules starting next month.

The country reported 634 new cases, including 602 local infections, raising the total caseload to 153,789, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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KOSPI races to another record high late Fri. morning on recovery hopes

SEOUL -- South Korea's stock market is heading for another all-time high late Friday morning, backed by a Wall Street rally that stemmed from hopes of a quick economic rebound and a massive stimulus package.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 23.3 points, or 0.71 percent, to 3,309.4 points as of 11:20 a.m.

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DP opts not to postpone primaries for next year's presidential election

SEOUL -- The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Friday decided not to postpone its primary elections to pick the standard bearer for next year's presidential election in March.

The DP's supreme council made the decision at a close-door meeting held earlier in the day, confirming the party's schedule to pick its sole presidential candidate before Sept. 10.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, Central American nations agree in summit to deepen comprehensive cooperation

SEOUL -- The leaders of South Korea and eight Central American countries adopted a joint vision Friday for the development of comprehensive partnerships especially in the digital and environment-friendly sectors.

The accord came at the first South Korea-Central American Integration System summit in 11 years. The regional group, widely known as SICA, consists of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

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S. Korea to give all-out support for phase 3 trials of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine candidates

SEOUL -- South Korea said Friday it will strengthen support for homegrown COVID-19 vaccine development so that candidates can enter late-stage phase three clinical trials by the end of the year in a move to bolster its vaccine arsenal against the pandemic.

The country will also step up efforts to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology to catch up to global pharmaceutical giants.

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(Yonhap Feature) Jeju leads the way in traffic innovations

JEJU, South Korea -- The telecom advertisement shows an emergency vehicle rushing a pregnant woman to a hospital, and thanks to a smart transport system, all the traffic lights are green. Such a system is not a dream of the future; it currently exists on the southern resort island of Jeju.

Prioritized signal services for emergency vehicles are part of the cooperative intelligent transport system (C-ITS) on Jeju Island, which aims to become the country's leading smart city.

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(LEAD) Manufacturers' biz sentiment improves for July

SEOUL -- South Korean manufacturers' business sentiment rose for July mainly due to growing demand for semiconductors and electronic parts, central bank data showed Friday.

The business sentiment index (BSI) for local manufacturers came to 99 for July, up from 97 for June, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).
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