Yonhap News Summary

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

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Yoon orders military to swiftly punish N. Korea in case of provocations

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the military on Wednesday to swiftly punish North Korea in case of provocations as he presided over a meeting of top commanders for the first time since taking office.

"(The president) ordered our military to swiftly and firmly punish North Korea in the event that it carries out a provocation," his office said after Yoon's meeting with the commanders from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul.

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Yoon's disapproval rating again exceeds approval rating

SEOUL -- More South Koreans disapprove of the way President Yoon Suk-yeol handles state affairs for the third straight week, with the gap between his disapproval and approval ratings widening outside the margin of error, a survey showed Wednesday.

The Rnsearch poll of 1,028 voters conducted from Saturday to Monday showed 42.6 percent of respondents approved of the way Yoon handled state affairs while 53 percent gave a negative assessment of his performance.

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S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases up for 2nd day amid resurgence concerns

SEOUL -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases increased for the second straight day on Wednesday, as the virus spread at a faster pace amid eased social distancing restrictions.

The country added 19,371 new COVID-19 infections, including 224 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,433,359, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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Industry chief calls for export growth, nuclear energy use over 'multiple crises'

SEJONG -- Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang has vowed measures to strengthen export competitiveness and maximize nuclear energy in the face of major economic challenges over surging inflation and fuel costs.

"We are now facing multiple crises, as high inflation and surging energy prices have given a shock to our economy. As we are highly dependent on imports for our energy needs, we are fully feeling the pains," Lee told reporters Tuesday.

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aespa calls for action on sustainable development goals

SEOUL -- Rising South Korean girl group aespa has called for future generations to pay attention to and take action for the sustainable development goals during a speech in a U.N. forum.

The band addressed the 2022 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development held at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday (U.S. time).

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BLACKPINK to drop new album in August

SEOUL -- BLACKPINK, a top K-pop girl group, will make a long-awaited comeback in August, its management agency said Wednesday.

"BLACKPINK is now at the final stage of recording its new album. They will embark on the filming of a music video within this month and release new songs in August," YG Entertainment said in a press release.

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Seoul shares down 1 pct in late Wed. morning trade

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks traded 1.01 percent lower late Wednesday morning, as steelmakers, financial companies and shipbuilders extended their losses.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 23.57 points to 2,318.21 as of 11:20 a.m.

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S. Korea recaptures No. 1 shipbuilding nation status in H1

SEOUL -- South Korea has captured the No. 1 spot in global shipbuilding orders for the first time in four years on the back of rising demand for high-priced vessels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and container ships, data showed Wednesday.

The country's shipbuilders secured a total of 9.79 million compensated gross tons (CGTs) during the January-June period, accounting for 45.5 percent of the orders placed worldwide, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, citing data from Clarkson Research Services Ltd.

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Homegrown blockbusters set to hit screens in summer

SEOUL -- The local box office in the upcoming summer peak season will highly likely be a four-way race among Korean blockbusters as theaters are gearing up for a continuous rush of filmgoers.

The sci-fi action fantasy "Alienoid" will hit local theaters July 20, opening the largely all-Korean competition for the season.

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Four Navy soldiers detained for allegedly assaulting fellow in rowdy discharge ceremony

SEOUL -- Four South Korean Navy service members have been detained for an investigation into allegations that they assaulted a fellow in a rowdy ceremony celebrating his planned discharge from military service, officials said Wednesday.

A total of seven Navy personnel, including the four, are purported to have assaulted the man for around two hours at a unit in Donghae, 279 kilometers east of Seoul, on June 16.

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(LEAD) N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases below 3,000 for 2nd day: state media

SEOUL -- North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 3,000 for the second consecutive day, according to its state media Wednesday.

More than 2,140 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.
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