ID :
61519
Wed, 05/20/2009 - 14:35
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/61519
The shortlink copeid
Yonhap News Summary
Yonhap News Summary
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Wednesday.
-----------------
Internal political instability led to recent provocations by N. Korea: CIA chief
WASHINGTON -- North Korea's recent provocations have come from political
instability following the alleged health problems of its leader Kim Jong-il late
last year, a top U.S. intelligence official said.
"There also are legitimate questions being raised about the internal stability of
North Korea, given Kim Jong-Il's health problems, uncertainty about succession,
the weak economy, and the persistent food shortages," Leon Panetta, director of
the Central Intelligence Agency, told a forum in Los Angeles Monday. "The result
is that North Korea remains one of the most difficult and unpredictable threats
that we face in that part of the world."
-----------------
Korea, ASEAN to mark 20 years of friendship in special summit
SEOUL -- South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will
mark their 20th year of diplomatic relations next month with a special summit
meeting aimed at further strengthening their ties and boosting cooperation, Seoul
said Wednesday.
The summit will be held on the southern resort island of Jeju on June 1-2, and
will be attended by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and the heads of state
of the 10 member countries of ASEAN -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
-----------------
S. Korea should keep expansionary monetary, fiscal policies: experts
SEOUL -- The government and the central bank should keep their expansionary
policies as it is premature to say the South Korean economy is beginning to
recover, experts here said Wednesday.
"The financial market has recently stabilized and a decline in the real economy
has eased... But (authorities) should continue to make efforts in terms of
monetary and fiscal policies as it is too early to say that the economy is
entering a recovery phase," experts were quoted by saying in a statement released
after Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Lee Seong-tae met with five economists.
-----------------
Recovery of S. Korean economy has long way to go: economists
SEOUL -- South Korea's financial markets are showing some signs of stabilization,
but the nation's real economy still has a long way to go before seeing a full
recovery, a survey of 20 economists showed Wednesday.
South Korea's export-dependent economy has been hit hard by slumping exports and
sluggish consumption at home amid the global economic slump.
-----------------
Korean firms see 2008 profitability dip, suffer higher debt
SEOUL -- South Korean companies' profitability deteriorated to a seven-year low
in 2008 as a weaker won led to foreign exchange losses, eclipsing their increased
sales, the central bank said Wednesday.
The ratio of local companies' pre-tax net income to sales, a key barometer of
profitability, reached 2.9 percent last year, sharply down from 5.5 percent from
a year earlier, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a report based on a survey of
7,097 companies. The ratio marked the lowest level since 2001 when the rate
reached 1.7 percent.
-----------------
S. Korea ranks 27th in global competitiveness this year: report
SEOUL -- South Korea's global competitiveness rose by four notches this year on
the back of an increase in corporate efficiency, an international report showed
Wednesday.
According to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2009, South Korea ranked 27th
in terms of competitiveness among 57 countries surveyed. In the previous year,
the nation's global ranking stood at 31st.
(END)
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Wednesday.
-----------------
Internal political instability led to recent provocations by N. Korea: CIA chief
WASHINGTON -- North Korea's recent provocations have come from political
instability following the alleged health problems of its leader Kim Jong-il late
last year, a top U.S. intelligence official said.
"There also are legitimate questions being raised about the internal stability of
North Korea, given Kim Jong-Il's health problems, uncertainty about succession,
the weak economy, and the persistent food shortages," Leon Panetta, director of
the Central Intelligence Agency, told a forum in Los Angeles Monday. "The result
is that North Korea remains one of the most difficult and unpredictable threats
that we face in that part of the world."
-----------------
Korea, ASEAN to mark 20 years of friendship in special summit
SEOUL -- South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will
mark their 20th year of diplomatic relations next month with a special summit
meeting aimed at further strengthening their ties and boosting cooperation, Seoul
said Wednesday.
The summit will be held on the southern resort island of Jeju on June 1-2, and
will be attended by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and the heads of state
of the 10 member countries of ASEAN -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
-----------------
S. Korea should keep expansionary monetary, fiscal policies: experts
SEOUL -- The government and the central bank should keep their expansionary
policies as it is premature to say the South Korean economy is beginning to
recover, experts here said Wednesday.
"The financial market has recently stabilized and a decline in the real economy
has eased... But (authorities) should continue to make efforts in terms of
monetary and fiscal policies as it is too early to say that the economy is
entering a recovery phase," experts were quoted by saying in a statement released
after Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Lee Seong-tae met with five economists.
-----------------
Recovery of S. Korean economy has long way to go: economists
SEOUL -- South Korea's financial markets are showing some signs of stabilization,
but the nation's real economy still has a long way to go before seeing a full
recovery, a survey of 20 economists showed Wednesday.
South Korea's export-dependent economy has been hit hard by slumping exports and
sluggish consumption at home amid the global economic slump.
-----------------
Korean firms see 2008 profitability dip, suffer higher debt
SEOUL -- South Korean companies' profitability deteriorated to a seven-year low
in 2008 as a weaker won led to foreign exchange losses, eclipsing their increased
sales, the central bank said Wednesday.
The ratio of local companies' pre-tax net income to sales, a key barometer of
profitability, reached 2.9 percent last year, sharply down from 5.5 percent from
a year earlier, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a report based on a survey of
7,097 companies. The ratio marked the lowest level since 2001 when the rate
reached 1.7 percent.
-----------------
S. Korea ranks 27th in global competitiveness this year: report
SEOUL -- South Korea's global competitiveness rose by four notches this year on
the back of an increase in corporate efficiency, an international report showed
Wednesday.
According to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2009, South Korea ranked 27th
in terms of competitiveness among 57 countries surveyed. In the previous year,
the nation's global ranking stood at 31st.
(END)
