By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Yonhap) -- An independent U.S. commission Friday listed North
Korea and 12 other countries as the worst in terms of religious freedom.

SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will co-chair a regional meeting with
Vietnam and Bangladesh on counter-terrorism and transnational crime at Asia's

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; para 2-6)
SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities reported Friday

(ATTN: RECASTS lead, headline; ADDS S. Korean response, background; RESTRUCTURES)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday it is deepening its

(ATTN: REPLACES swine flu with new terms in slug, headline and throughout; ADDS
details in para 3-5: TRIMS)

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, comments in paras 4, 12, 15-17)
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade surplus reached a record US$6

(ATTN: photos available)
By Shin Hae-in
JEONJU, South Korea, May 1 (Yonhap) -- From the creations of Park Chan-wook to

SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Friday it has finalized
a plan to increase its assistance to developing countries worldwide by 16.4

SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is expected to become the fourth largest
exporter in the world by 2022 from its 12th place standing as of last year, a

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- Two South Korean soldiers defected to North Korea
apparently through communist forces during the Vietnam War, the defense ministry