Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) Yoon meets with U.S. Vice President Harris amid N. Korea threat, IRA concerns

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Seoul on Thursday amid an escalation of North Korea's missile testing and concern about economic repercussions from the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Harris, who traveled to South Korea from Japan, was making her first visit to the country as vice president. The last time a U.S. vice president visited South Korea was in February 2018, when Mike Pence led a delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S., Japan to hold trilateral anti-sub drills in East Sea

SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold trilateral anti-submarine drills in the international waters of the East Sea later this week for the first time in more than five years, Seoul officials said Thursday, amid evolving North Korean military threats.

The three countries are set to stage the training Friday, as Pyongyang has been pushing to develop submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) while codifying an assertive nuclear policy that leaves open the possibility of preemptive strikes in a contingency.

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Yoon touts FM as opposition set to pass no-confidence motion

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol touted Foreign Minister Park Jin on Thursday as a capable diplomat working so hard at a level causing concern about his health as the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was set to pass a no-confidence motion against him.

The remark suggests that Yoon will not comply even if the DP passes the motion calling for Park's dismissal to hold him responsible for what it portrays as Yoon's disastrous trip to Britain, the United States and Canada last week.

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Subway murder suspect gets 9-year prison term over stalking charges

SEOUL -- A stalking suspect now under arrest for the recent murder of a Seoul subway worker was sentenced by a court Thursday to an imprisonment of nine years on charges of stalking and illegally filming his victim.

The Seoul Western District Court also ordered Jeon Joo-hwan, 31, to undergo 80 hours of stalking treatment and 40 hours of sexual offense treatment, in addition to the prison sentence.

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S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases under 40,000 for 3rd day amid eased virus curbs

SEOUL -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 40,000 for the third straight day Thursday as the virus wave has been gradually slowing down.

The county reported 30,881 new COVID-19 infections, including 252 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,740,635, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

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Ruling party to decide on extra penalty for ex-Chairman Lee next week

SEOUL -- The ruling People Power Party (PPP) decided to hold an ethics committee meeting next week to decide on an additional penalty for former Chairman Lee Jun-seok over his harsh criticism of President Yoon Suk-yeol and the party, officials said Thursday.

The PPP held an ethics panel meeting Wednesday, but only suspended the party membership of Rep. Kim Sung-won for making insensitive remarks over flooding in Seoul and elsewhere caused by heavy rains last month.

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(LEAD) Korean Air involved in minor collision at Heathrow Airport

SEOUL -- Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's national flag carrier, said Thursday there was a minor collision involving its aircraft and an Icelandair plane at London's Heathrow Airport. No injuries have been reported on both aircraft.

The incident occurred during the departure of a Korean Air B777-300ER from the airport at around 4:00 a.m. Thursday, Korean Air said in a statement.

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Biz sentiment worsens for October amid high prices, economic uncertainties

SEOUL -- South Korea's business sentiment worsened for October amid high commodity costs and aggressive policy tightening in major economies, a central bank poll showed Wednesday.

The business sentiment index (BSI) came to 79 for October, down three points from the previous month, according to the survey by the Bank of Korea (BOK).
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