Yonhap News Summary

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

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Sinkhole in Yangyang leaves adjacent building in tatters; 97 evacuated

YANGYANG, South Korea -- A large sinkhole opened up at a construction site in the east coast county of Yangyang on Wednesday, causing part of an adjacent building to collapse and forcing 97 people to evacuate, officials said.

The 12 meter-by-8 meter sinkhole, which is five meters deep, formed at 6:40 a.m. at the construction site near Naksan Beach, 155 kilometers east of Seoul, according to county officials and eyewitnesses.

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N.K. nuke missile progress outpacing U.S. missile defense modernization: U.S. expert

SEOUL -- North Korea's nuclear missile program appears to be "unstoppable," with its progress apparently moving faster than U.S. modernization of its missile defense systems, a U.S. expert said Wednesday.

Victor Cha, a senior vice president and Korea chair at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the assessment during a forum here, while citing the nuclear-armed North's recent pushing for advancing its strategic weapons capabilities, including various types of missiles.

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110 Thai tourists from 1 flight denied entry into S. Korea

JEJU -- A total of 110 Thai tourists were denied entry into South Korea for unknown reasons after their arrival at the airport on the southern island of Jeju earlier this week, officials said Wednesday.

Of 184 Thai nationals who arrived at the Jeju International Airport from Bangkok on Tuesday morning, 125 underwent re-examination for their entry, according to the Jeju Immigration Service. Of them, 110 were denied entry and were flown home late Tuesday night.

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S. Korea's top diplomat to visit Cambodia for ASEAN-hosted meetings

PHNOM PENH -- South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will depart for Cambodia on Wednesday to attend a series of high-level meetings, hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on pending regional and global issues.

He is scheduled to attend the South Korea-ASEAN foreign ministers' session Thursday in Phnom Penh followed by an expanded gathering, also involving his Chinese and Japanese counterparts, which is called the ASEAN Plus Three meeting.

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(2nd LD) PPP schedules national committee meetings to approve transition to emergency leadership

SEOUL -- The ruling People Power Party (PPP) said Wednesday it will hold two national committee meetings through early next week to complete all procedures required to switch to an emergency leadership system, sparking protests from suspended party chief Lee Jun-seok.

Rep. Suh Byung-soo, chair of the PPP's national committee, said that a meeting of the committee's standing members will be held Friday before a plenary national committee meeting takes place on Tuesday next week to approve the leadership transition.

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(LEAD) Seoul shares end higher amid woes over fallout from Pelosi's Taiwan visit

SEOUL -- Seoul shares ended higher on gains in automakers and battery makers on Wednesday, with investors eyeing the fallout from U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan amid global recession worries. The South Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 21.83 points, or 0.89 percent, to close at 2,461.45 points.

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