Yonhap News Summary

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

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(2nd LD) S. Korea hits grim COVID-19 milestone of over 13,000 daily cases as omicron fears worsen

SEOUL -- South Korea's daily COVID-19 infections reached yet another grim milestone of over 13,000 on Wednesday as worsening fears over the rapid spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant continued to grip the country.

The country added 13,012 new cases, including 12,743 local infections, taking the total caseload to 762,983, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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Lee, Yoon express willingness to include other candidates in TV debate

SEOUL -- The presidential candidates of the ruling and main opposition parties expressed willingness Wednesday to include other contenders in their planned TV debate after a court ruled against it being held one-on-one.

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and main opposition People Power Party (PPP) had proposed a debate between their respective nominees Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol for airing by the three main broadcasters KBS, SBS and MBC on Sunday or Monday.

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Lee vows to push for 4 1/2-day workweek

SEOUL -- Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday he will push to shorten the workweek from five days to 4 1/2 days if elected in March.

Lee of the liberal Democratic Party announced a set of campaign pledges for laborers at a workers' welfare center in Bucheon, just west of Seoul.

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S. Korea, China agree to prior notices in case of resources exports ban

SEOUL -- South Korea and China agreed Wednesday to send prior notifications to each other in case of an exports ban on energy and key mineral resources, Seoul's industry ministry said.

The agreement was made during the fourth joint committee meeting of the South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) held via teleconferencing attended by director-level trade officials, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

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Growth of S. Korean exports forecast to slow in Q1

SEOUL -- South Korea's exports will likely lose some growth momentum in the first quarter of the year due to a string of unfavorable external factors, a state bank said Wednesday.

Overseas shipments by Asia's fourth-largest economy are expected to climb 15-16 percent on-year to US$169 billion in the January-March period, according to the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Exim Bank).

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Seoul's daily COVID-19 tally reaches all-time high of 3,178 cases

SEOUL -- The daily COVID-19 tally of Seoul shot up to an all-time high of 3,178 cases Wednesday amid the fast spread of the omicron variant, officials said.

It marks the second time ever the capital's daily tally has exceeded 3,000 after 3,166 cases were recorded on Dec. 15. Wednesday's total marked a steep jump from 1,724 cases registered a day earlier, according to the Seoul city officials.

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Number of foreigners staying in S. Korea decreased 3.9 pct in 2021 amid pandemic

SEOUL -- The number of foreign nationals staying in South Korea shrank nearly 4 percent on-year in 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Korea Immigration Office said Wednesday.

The number was tallied at 1.96 million as of the end of last year, a 3.9 percent decrease from 2.04 million in 2020 and down 23 percent from a record high of 2.52 million in 2019.

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(LEAD) Seoul stocks down for 4th day on Fed uncertainties, virus worries

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks continued to slide, closing at an over one year low Wednesday, with investors' eyes on the ongoing U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 11.15 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 2,709.24 points. The reading marks the lowest number since the 2,700.93 point closing on Dec. 8, 2020.
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