Yonhap News Summary

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

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(3rd LD) Major powers agree on resolution to sanction N. Korea for nuke test:
diplomats
WASHINGTON -- An agreement has been reached among five permanent members of the
U.N. Security Council on a draft resolution to sanction North Korea for its
recent nuclear test, diplomats said Wednesday.
"The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- the U.S., Britain,
France, China and Russia, and South Korea and Japan -- have agreed on a draft
resolution on North Korea's second nuclear test," a diplomat said, requesting
anonymity. "The draft has been circulated to all the 15 members of the security
council and we expect it to be put to a vote Friday."
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(2nd LD) South, North Korea meet over joint venture amid tension on peninsula
SEOUL -- Officials of South and North Korea met again at a joint industrial
complex in the North on Thursday, trying to narrow differences on the last
remaining inter-Korean venture that had ruptured their previous talks.
The rare meeting, held some 50 days after the first talks ended bitterly, comes
as border tensions remain high. North Korea has been threatening naval clashes
along the Yellow Sea border with South Korea and has been holding a South Korean
worker since March, accusing him of a "dishonest hostile act" against the
communist regime.
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(2nd LD) Bank of Korea freezes key rate for 4th month
SEOUL -- South Korea's central bank froze its key interest rate for the fourth
straight month on Thursday, saying that a free-fall in the local economy has
stopped but economic uncertainty still persists.
In a monthly policy meeting, the Bank of Korea (BOK) left the benchmark seven-day
repo rate unchanged at a record low of 2 percent, as widely expected. The BOK
made six consecutive rate cuts totaling 3.25 percentage points between October
and February in a bid to bolster the slumping economy.
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(News Focus) KORUS FTA-ratification
KORUS FTA likely to get boost at next weeks' Washington summit
SEOUL -- Despite some positive noises on the pending free trade accord between
South Korea and the United States ahead of their summit slated for next week,
experts see little chance of the deal gaining imminent ratification.
But Tuesday's forthcoming summit in Washington, the second of its kind since the
U.S. President Barack Obama was inaugurated earlier in the year, is likely to
help the free trade agreement (FTA) gain momentum in a battle to win legislative
approval in both states, they said.
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S. Korean court finds Microsoft guilty in anti-trust case
SEOUL -- A South Korean court ruled Thursday that Microsoft Corp. violated
anti-trust regulations by bundling programs with its Windows operating system,
but dismissed demands for monetary compensation from rival companies.
Two South Korean software companies, Digito.Com and Sanview Technology Inc., had
filed suits against the global software giant, requesting 30 billion won (US$24
million) and 10 billion won, respectively. They claimed Microsoft caused them
financial damages by packaging its instant messenger program and Windows Media
Service with its dominating operating system.
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S. Korea's Q1 exports rank 11th-largest in world
SEOUL -- South Korea surpassed Russia during the first quarter of this year to
become the world's 11th-largest exporting country, data showed Thursday.
South Korea's exports amounted to US$74.7 billion during the January-March
period, trailing Britain and Canada whose exports amounted to $80.1 billion and
$77.7 billion, respectively, according to the data by the Ministry of Knowledge
Economy.
(END)