Yonhap News Summary

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

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Obama urged to send emissary, hold summit with N. Korean leader
WASHINGTON -- An American expert on North Korea urged U.S. President Barack Obama
on Sunday to send an envoy to Pyongyang and meet directly with the North Korean
leader to persuade him to abandon his nuclear ambitions.
"After consulting with South Korea and Japan, the Obama administration should
promptly send a high-level emissary, perhaps former President Bill Clinton or
former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, to Pyongyang to offer a little more
for a little more," said Leon V. Sigal, director of the Northeast Asia
Cooperative Security Project at the Social Science Research Council in New York.
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Clinton expected to visit S. Korea this month
SEOUL -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to visit South Korea this
month as part of her first regional trip since assuming the post, officials here
said Monday.
"I know that Secretary Clinton has such a plan," a foreign ministry official
said. "But we have yet to consult on details, including her itinerary."
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American experts due in Pyongyang in mixed expectations
SEOUL -- A group of seven former U.S. government officials and experts were en
route to North Korea Monday in the first major civilian exchange between the two
nations since new American President Barack Obama took office last month,
officials here said.
The visit, which has garnered considerable interest as it may provide a glimpse
of Pyongyang's stance on the Obama administration, includes high-profile
academics and experts who could help shape Obama's foreign policy.
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Six-way meeting on peace regime set for Feb. 19-20 in Moscow
SEOUL -- North Korea and its five dialogue partners in ongoing denuclearization
talks will convene a meeting later this month as scheduled in Moscow on ways to
establish a regional security mechanism, officials here said Monday.
The announcement comes despite a stall in broader talks over the North's nuclear
program.
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Activists to resume flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets despite escalating tension
SEOUL -- South Korean activists said Monday they will send North Korean bills
along with anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into North Korea this month, a move
certain to provoke Pyongyang amid heightened inter-Korean tension.
Pyongyang warned on Friday that it was scrapping all peace accords with South
Korea and would no longer respect a volatile sea border in the Yellow Sea, a site
of two bloody skirmishes over the past decade.
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(2nd LD) S. Korea's Jan. exports plunge record 32.8 pct
SEOUL -- South Korea's exports plunged a record 32.8 percent in January from a
year earlier as the worldwide economic slump cut into overseas demand for locally
made goods, a government report showed Monday.
The country's exports reached US$21.7 billion, with imports decreasing 32.1
percent to $24.6 billion for a trade deficit of $2.9 billion, according to the
report by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
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S. Korea's greenhouse gas emissions up slightly in 2006: report
SEOUL -- Construction of power plants and cars caused South Korea's greenhouse
emission levels to edge up slightly in 2006 compared to the year before, a
government report said Monday.
The country's annual greenhouse gas inventory report showed 599.5 million carbon
dioxide (CO2) equivalent tons being released into the atmosphere in the cited
year up 0.9 percent from 594.4 million CO2 tons tallied for 2005, the report by
the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.
(END)