ID :
194977
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 09:06
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/194977
The shortlink copeid
Yonhap News Summary
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.
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(2nd LD) BOK freezes key rate at 3.25 pct on external risks
SEOUL -- South Korea's central bank froze the key interest rate on Thursday, following a rate hike in June, as external economic uncertainty like the eurozone debt crisis persists despite inflation risks.
Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo and his fellow policymakers held steady the benchmark seven-day repo rate, dubbed the base rate, at 3.25 percent for July, as widely expected.
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S. Korea demands Japan withdraw measure against Korean Air over Dokdo
SEOUL -- South Korea has demanded the Japanese government withdraw its measure against Korean Air over the South Korean airline's special flight last month near the Dokdo islets, an official said Thursday.
Japan's foreign ministry has instructed its officials to refrain from taking Korean Air flights for one month from Monday in protest of the airline's flight by its first Airbus A380. Japanese embassy officials in Seoul also visited Korean Air this week to protest the flight.
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(LEAD) Top Marine commander offers to resign over shooting rampage
SEOUL -- South Korea's top Marine commander has offered to resign to take responsibility for the deadly shooting rampage by a marine in his barracks early this month, a military official said Thursday.
Marine Corps Chief of Staff Yoo Nak-joon submitted his resignation to Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin on Tuesday, the official said on the condition of anonymity.
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Lee to name new justice minister as early as Friday: official
SEOUL -- President Lee Myung-bak is expected to nominate a new justice minister and new prosecutor-general as early as Friday, an official said Thursday, as Lee faces opposition from within his own party against naming one of his secretaries for the minister's post.
The nominations will be announced after consultations with the ruling Grand National Party and background checks on candidates to see if they are fit for the jobs, the presidential official said on condition of anonymity, declining to talk about specific candidates.
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Apple makes first payout in S. Korea over user location tracking
CHANGWON, South Korea -- The local unit of Apple Inc. paid its first ever compensation in South Korea to an iPhone user over a controversial function that tracks users' locations, a regional court said on Thursday.
In late June, Apple Korea paid 1 million won (US$946.5) in compensation to Kim Hyung-suk, a 36-year old attorney and iPhone user. Kim asked the Changwon District Court to order the global tech giant to pay the sum as compensation for violating his privacy through the hit smartphone's movement-tracking function, according to the court.
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Obama still uncertain on ways to proceed with FTA bill
WASHINGTON -- The Barack Obama administration is still looking for the best timing to send a bill on a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea to Congress, a senior official said Wednesday, with no clear signs of a breakthrough in federal debt limit talks.
"Senior-level discussions continue on the timing for formal submission of the bill," Carol Guthrie, assistant U.S. trade representative for public and media affairs, told Yonhap New Agency.
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S. Korea, Spain sign social security agreement
SEOUL -- South Korea and Spain on Thursday signed an agreement that will allow South Korean workers in the European nation to pay pension contributions only to their country.
The agreement was signed between South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and his Spanish counterpart Trinidad Jimenez, who is in Seoul on a two-day visit, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
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(2nd LD) BOK freezes key rate at 3.25 pct on external risks
SEOUL -- South Korea's central bank froze the key interest rate on Thursday, following a rate hike in June, as external economic uncertainty like the eurozone debt crisis persists despite inflation risks.
Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo and his fellow policymakers held steady the benchmark seven-day repo rate, dubbed the base rate, at 3.25 percent for July, as widely expected.
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S. Korea demands Japan withdraw measure against Korean Air over Dokdo
SEOUL -- South Korea has demanded the Japanese government withdraw its measure against Korean Air over the South Korean airline's special flight last month near the Dokdo islets, an official said Thursday.
Japan's foreign ministry has instructed its officials to refrain from taking Korean Air flights for one month from Monday in protest of the airline's flight by its first Airbus A380. Japanese embassy officials in Seoul also visited Korean Air this week to protest the flight.
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(LEAD) Top Marine commander offers to resign over shooting rampage
SEOUL -- South Korea's top Marine commander has offered to resign to take responsibility for the deadly shooting rampage by a marine in his barracks early this month, a military official said Thursday.
Marine Corps Chief of Staff Yoo Nak-joon submitted his resignation to Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin on Tuesday, the official said on the condition of anonymity.
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Lee to name new justice minister as early as Friday: official
SEOUL -- President Lee Myung-bak is expected to nominate a new justice minister and new prosecutor-general as early as Friday, an official said Thursday, as Lee faces opposition from within his own party against naming one of his secretaries for the minister's post.
The nominations will be announced after consultations with the ruling Grand National Party and background checks on candidates to see if they are fit for the jobs, the presidential official said on condition of anonymity, declining to talk about specific candidates.
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Apple makes first payout in S. Korea over user location tracking
CHANGWON, South Korea -- The local unit of Apple Inc. paid its first ever compensation in South Korea to an iPhone user over a controversial function that tracks users' locations, a regional court said on Thursday.
In late June, Apple Korea paid 1 million won (US$946.5) in compensation to Kim Hyung-suk, a 36-year old attorney and iPhone user. Kim asked the Changwon District Court to order the global tech giant to pay the sum as compensation for violating his privacy through the hit smartphone's movement-tracking function, according to the court.
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Obama still uncertain on ways to proceed with FTA bill
WASHINGTON -- The Barack Obama administration is still looking for the best timing to send a bill on a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea to Congress, a senior official said Wednesday, with no clear signs of a breakthrough in federal debt limit talks.
"Senior-level discussions continue on the timing for formal submission of the bill," Carol Guthrie, assistant U.S. trade representative for public and media affairs, told Yonhap New Agency.
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S. Korea, Spain sign social security agreement
SEOUL -- South Korea and Spain on Thursday signed an agreement that will allow South Korean workers in the European nation to pay pension contributions only to their country.
The agreement was signed between South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and his Spanish counterpart Trinidad Jimenez, who is in Seoul on a two-day visit, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
