ID :
187657
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 08:32
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/187657
The shortlink copeid
Yonhap News Summary
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday.
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S. Korea to probe another claim of Agent Orange burial at ex-U.S. base
SEOUL -- South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it will soon investigate another allegation that the U.S. military buried a highly toxic defoliant Agent Orange at one of its former bases in the South, amid growing concerns over possible environmental contamination by U.S. troops here.
Since mid-May, South Korea and the U.S. have launched a joint probe into a U.S. military base in Chilgok, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where some retired American soldiers claimed that they had helped bury drums of leftover Agent Orange there in 1978.
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Galaxy S2 sales to consumers top 1 mln in S. Korea
SEOUL -- More than 1 million units of the Galaxy S2, Samsung Electronics Co.'s flagship smartphone, were activated in South Korea in slightly over one month since its debut, local mobile carriers said Friday.
SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile operator, said it has activated 550,000 Galaxy S2 smartphones since the product's April 29 debut. No. 2 mobile operator KT Corp. sold 300,000 units, and LG Uplus Corp. sold 150,000 phones.
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Unification minister calls for passage of human rights bill on N. Korea
SEOUL -- South Korea's point man on North Korea renewed his calls Friday for the parliamentary endorsement of a bill designed to help improve North Korea's dismal human rights condition.
The bill has been gathering dust in the parliamentary judiciary committee since last year amid concerns that the proposed bill could further sour inter-Korean relations, which plunged to their lowest level in decades following the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year.
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BOK hikes key rate to 3.25 pct on inflation risk
SEOUL -- South Korea's central bank raised the key interest rate by a quarter percentage point on Friday following a two-month freeze, resuming its monetary tightening to curb persistent inflationary pressure.
Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo and his fellow policymakers hiked the benchmark seven-day repo rate, dubbed the base rate, to 3.25 percent for June.
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S. Korea to spend 300 bln won on rare earth processing R&D
SEOUL -- South Korea plans to spend 300 billion won (US$278 million) until 2020 to develop rare earth metal refining knowhow and build up related industrial infrastructure, the government said Friday.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said research and development (R&D) funds will support technology independence and commercialization efforts that can allow the country to refine and make components from rare earth metals.
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S. Korean pop groups surprised by French reception: agency
PARIS -- Some of South Korea's most popular boy bands and girl groups were surprised by the reception they received from French fans after they arrived here this week for weekend concerts, the artists' top representative said Thursday.
At a press conference, Kim Young-min, head of Seoul-based S.M. Entertainment, said members of the agency's top acts were amazed at the sight of throngs of French fans crowding Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport Wednesday. TVXQ, SHINee and f(x), all popular "K-pop" groups, were greeted by about 700 local fans, who chanted their names and sang their hit songs.
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S. Korea to probe another claim of Agent Orange burial at ex-U.S. base
SEOUL -- South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it will soon investigate another allegation that the U.S. military buried a highly toxic defoliant Agent Orange at one of its former bases in the South, amid growing concerns over possible environmental contamination by U.S. troops here.
Since mid-May, South Korea and the U.S. have launched a joint probe into a U.S. military base in Chilgok, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where some retired American soldiers claimed that they had helped bury drums of leftover Agent Orange there in 1978.
----------
Galaxy S2 sales to consumers top 1 mln in S. Korea
SEOUL -- More than 1 million units of the Galaxy S2, Samsung Electronics Co.'s flagship smartphone, were activated in South Korea in slightly over one month since its debut, local mobile carriers said Friday.
SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile operator, said it has activated 550,000 Galaxy S2 smartphones since the product's April 29 debut. No. 2 mobile operator KT Corp. sold 300,000 units, and LG Uplus Corp. sold 150,000 phones.
----------
Unification minister calls for passage of human rights bill on N. Korea
SEOUL -- South Korea's point man on North Korea renewed his calls Friday for the parliamentary endorsement of a bill designed to help improve North Korea's dismal human rights condition.
The bill has been gathering dust in the parliamentary judiciary committee since last year amid concerns that the proposed bill could further sour inter-Korean relations, which plunged to their lowest level in decades following the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year.
----------
BOK hikes key rate to 3.25 pct on inflation risk
SEOUL -- South Korea's central bank raised the key interest rate by a quarter percentage point on Friday following a two-month freeze, resuming its monetary tightening to curb persistent inflationary pressure.
Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo and his fellow policymakers hiked the benchmark seven-day repo rate, dubbed the base rate, to 3.25 percent for June.
----------
S. Korea to spend 300 bln won on rare earth processing R&D
SEOUL -- South Korea plans to spend 300 billion won (US$278 million) until 2020 to develop rare earth metal refining knowhow and build up related industrial infrastructure, the government said Friday.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said research and development (R&D) funds will support technology independence and commercialization efforts that can allow the country to refine and make components from rare earth metals.
----------
S. Korean pop groups surprised by French reception: agency
PARIS -- Some of South Korea's most popular boy bands and girl groups were surprised by the reception they received from French fans after they arrived here this week for weekend concerts, the artists' top representative said Thursday.
At a press conference, Kim Young-min, head of Seoul-based S.M. Entertainment, said members of the agency's top acts were amazed at the sight of throngs of French fans crowding Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport Wednesday. TVXQ, SHINee and f(x), all popular "K-pop" groups, were greeted by about 700 local fans, who chanted their names and sang their hit songs.
