Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) N. Korea denies missile plan, defends activity as 'space development'
SEOUL -- North Korea denied on Monday it was preparing to test-launch a
long-range missile, claiming its recent moves are related to "space development."

A statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) was
reminiscent of the North's comments in 1998, when it claimed a rocket it launched
was really a satellite.
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(LEAD) N. Korea celebrates leader's birthday amid health concerns, military tension
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il turned 67 on Monday amid lingering
skepticism about his health, as his country sharpened combative diplomacy against
South Korea while trying to draw the new U.S. administration to the dialogue
table.
The nationally celebrated birthday also comes on the coat tails of reports on
Pyongyang's suspected missile activity and growing speculation about Kim's
successor.
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Clinton begins four-nation Asian tour on N. Korean nuke
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embarked on a weeklong trip
to Asia Sunday, her first overseas tour as top U.S. diplomat, to discuss North
Korea and other bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern.
Clinton will be in Seoul Thursday on the third leg of the four-nation tour that
also brings her to Japan, Indonesia and China.
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Hillary Clinton to advocate women's rights during Seoul trip
SEOUL -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will try to demonstrate her
belief in the empowerment of women during her visit to traditionally
male-dominated South Korea later this week, South Korean and U.S. embassy
officials said Monday.
Clinton, who led a formidable campaign for the Democratic Party's presidential
nomination, has arranged a meeting with a group of South Korean female college
students despite her tight schedule here, according to the officials.
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Russian deputy PM due in Seoul for energy talks
SEOUL -- Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin will visit South Korea later
this week to discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation in the energy sector,
officials here said Monday.
Sechin, who oversees Russia's energy policy, will arrive in Seoul aboard his
personal plane on Wednesday, shortly after attending a ceremony to mark the
opening of his country's first-ever liquefied natural gas (LNG) production
terminal on the island of Sakhalin in its Far East.
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(LEAD) Seoul announces ambitious plans for 'green growth'
SEOUL -- South Korea will spend over 1.2 trillion won (US$852 million) in the
next 10 years to build a nationwide network of bicycle paths under an ambitious
plan to make the country one of the top "green" nations in the world, the
presidential office said Monday.
The government also unveiled other green projects, which include increasing the
use of renewable energy such as solar and wind power, and replacing all
incandescent light bulbs at public facilities with more energy-efficient LED
bulbs by 2012.
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Economic slump causes sharp drop in temporary, daily workers: report
SEOUL -- South Korea's current economic slump has driven the number of temporary
and daily workers down below the 7-million mark for the first time in over four
years, a government report said Monday.
The report by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the National Statistical
Office (NSO) said there were 6.95 million workers whose employment contracts did
not exceed one year as
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