Yonhap News Summary

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

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S. Korea's spy chief on unannounced visit to U.S. amid N.K. security concerns

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Kim Kyou-hyun has made an unannounced visit to the United States amid concerns over the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test or other provocative acts.

Kim was spotted walking out of Dulles International Airport on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning (Washington time) as his staff members held large umbrellas apparently to conceal the movement of the country's top intelligence official.

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(LEAD) S. Korean economy feared to slow down amid external uncertainty: gov't

SEOUL -- The South Korean economy is feared to slow down, as inflationary pressure has mounted and export growth could lose steam amid deteriorating external economic conditions, the finance ministry said Wednesday.

Market volatility and global economic downside risks further increased, led by the Federal Reserve's fast rate hikes, China's economic slowdown, and the protracted war between Russia and Ukraine, the ministry said in its monthly economic assessment report, called the Green Book.

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(LEAD) S. Korea downgraded to Tier 2 in annual U.S. human trafficking report

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- The U.S. State Department on Tuesday downgraded South Korea in its annual human trafficking report by a tier for the first time in two decades, citing insufficient efforts in tackling related crimes and protecting victims.

South Korea was placed on Tier 2 in the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, down from the highest classification of Tier 1 the country had maintained since 2002, along with 132 other nations, including Japan, Norway and Switzerland.

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High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok stands tall on podium with world championship silver

SEOUL -- Twenty-four hours after setting a South Korean athletics record with his world championship silver medal, high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok created another piece of history.

Woo was feted with two other medalists during the official medal ceremony of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Tuesday (local time).

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(LEAD) New infections stay above 70,000 as subvariant spreads

SEOUL -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 70,000 for the second straight day Wednesday as a highly contagious omicron subvariant is spreading fast amid eased virus curbs.

The country reported 76,402 new COVID-19 infections, including 429 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,937,971, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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CJ Group's Lee Mie-kyung receives special award from Int'l Emmys

SEOUL -- South Korean entertainment giant CJ Group executive Lee Mie-kyung, widely known as Miky Lee, has received a special achievement award from the International Emmy Awards for her contribution to international television.

According to the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Tuesday (U.S. time), Lee was named the honoree of this year's Directorate Emmy Award, given to individuals or organizations in management, programming and international relations for yearslong contribution to the arts of international broadcasting.

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Samsung to unveil new foldable phones next month

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday it will unveil its latest foldable smartphone series next month, as the tech giant aims to achieve a breakthrough in the stalled smartphone business.

The next-generation foldable smartphones, Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4, are expected to be showcased during the Galaxy Unpacked online event, "Unfold Your World," slated for Aug. 10.
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