ID :
73037
Fri, 07/31/2009 - 10:10
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/73037
The shortlink copeid
Yonhap News Summary
Yonhap News Summary
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Thursday.
-----------------
(4th LD) S. Korean fishing boat towed to N. Korean port: officials
SEOUL -- A South Korean fishing vessel was hauled to a North Korean port after
straying across the East Sea border and being seized by a North Korean patrol
boat, officials said.
The 29-ton South Korean boat "800," carrying four crewmembers, "was tugged to the
port of Jangjon at 9:30 a.m.," Lee Bung-woo, a defense ministry spokesperson in
Seoul, told reporters.
-----------------
(LEAD) Korean banks urged to lower bad loan ratio to 1 pct
SEOUL -- South Korea's financial watchdog urged local banks Thursday to lower
their bad loan ratio to below 1 percent by year-end, citing mounting concerns
about their balance sheets.
As of end-June, their problem loans totaled 19.6 trillion won (US$15.8 billion),
or 1.5 percent of total lending and up from 19.3 trillion won three months
earlier. A bad loan ratio refers to the rate of nonperforming loans to aggregate
lending.
-----------------
(LEAD) Pyongyang says 'will check' into South Korean boat incident
SEOUL -- North Korea said it will look into the seizure of a South Korean fishing
vessel and get back to Seoul, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Thursday.
"They said, 'We received (the South Korean message). We will check the
situation,'" ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.
-----------------
N. Korea may face anarchy after Kim Jong-il's death: scholar
WASHINGTON -- North Korea may face anarchy after the death of its leader, Kim
Jong-il, due to a lack of a clearly powerful successor despite reports that Kim
has anointed one of his sons as heir, a Korea expert here said Wednesday.
"The fact that no succession process has been put into place openly makes one
thing certain: the potential for anarchy within North Korea following Kim's death
is very real," Bruce Bechtol, a professor at the Marine Corps Command and Staff
College, told a forum at the Korea Economic Institute.
-----------------
Envoy calls for U.S. approval of Korea FTA to buttress alliance
WASHINGTON -- South Korean ambassador to the U.S. Han Duck-soo called on Congress
Wednesday to approve a pending bilateral free trade deal, saying it will enhance
the two nations' decades-old alliance.
"The Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, which is beneficial to both of our
economies with its geopolitical significance for the Northeast Asian region, will
be the cornerstone of strengthened partnership and friendship in the future," Han
told a gathering at the Rayburn House Office Building to commemorate the 56th
anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.
-----------------
S. Korean firms, consumers most upbeat among OECD nations
SEOUL -- South Korean business and consumer sentiments were the highest among
major economies in June, a report said Thursday, raising hopes for their
increased spending deemed vital for the fast recovery of the local economy.
According to the report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), South Korea's business confidence index (BCI) stood at 101.2
last month, the highest among the member countries of the Paris-based body.
-----------------
Lee orders ministers to speed up corporate restructuring
SEOUL -- President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday instructed economy-related ministers
not to slow the pace of corporate restructuring, noting that the South Korean
economy still remains in a crisis phase.
"We can't afford to go slow on corporate sector reforms," Lee was quoted by his
spokesman as telling his economic policy team during a meeting held at the
presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
(END)
The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Thursday.
-----------------
(4th LD) S. Korean fishing boat towed to N. Korean port: officials
SEOUL -- A South Korean fishing vessel was hauled to a North Korean port after
straying across the East Sea border and being seized by a North Korean patrol
boat, officials said.
The 29-ton South Korean boat "800," carrying four crewmembers, "was tugged to the
port of Jangjon at 9:30 a.m.," Lee Bung-woo, a defense ministry spokesperson in
Seoul, told reporters.
-----------------
(LEAD) Korean banks urged to lower bad loan ratio to 1 pct
SEOUL -- South Korea's financial watchdog urged local banks Thursday to lower
their bad loan ratio to below 1 percent by year-end, citing mounting concerns
about their balance sheets.
As of end-June, their problem loans totaled 19.6 trillion won (US$15.8 billion),
or 1.5 percent of total lending and up from 19.3 trillion won three months
earlier. A bad loan ratio refers to the rate of nonperforming loans to aggregate
lending.
-----------------
(LEAD) Pyongyang says 'will check' into South Korean boat incident
SEOUL -- North Korea said it will look into the seizure of a South Korean fishing
vessel and get back to Seoul, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Thursday.
"They said, 'We received (the South Korean message). We will check the
situation,'" ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.
-----------------
N. Korea may face anarchy after Kim Jong-il's death: scholar
WASHINGTON -- North Korea may face anarchy after the death of its leader, Kim
Jong-il, due to a lack of a clearly powerful successor despite reports that Kim
has anointed one of his sons as heir, a Korea expert here said Wednesday.
"The fact that no succession process has been put into place openly makes one
thing certain: the potential for anarchy within North Korea following Kim's death
is very real," Bruce Bechtol, a professor at the Marine Corps Command and Staff
College, told a forum at the Korea Economic Institute.
-----------------
Envoy calls for U.S. approval of Korea FTA to buttress alliance
WASHINGTON -- South Korean ambassador to the U.S. Han Duck-soo called on Congress
Wednesday to approve a pending bilateral free trade deal, saying it will enhance
the two nations' decades-old alliance.
"The Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, which is beneficial to both of our
economies with its geopolitical significance for the Northeast Asian region, will
be the cornerstone of strengthened partnership and friendship in the future," Han
told a gathering at the Rayburn House Office Building to commemorate the 56th
anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.
-----------------
S. Korean firms, consumers most upbeat among OECD nations
SEOUL -- South Korean business and consumer sentiments were the highest among
major economies in June, a report said Thursday, raising hopes for their
increased spending deemed vital for the fast recovery of the local economy.
According to the report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), South Korea's business confidence index (BCI) stood at 101.2
last month, the highest among the member countries of the Paris-based body.
-----------------
Lee orders ministers to speed up corporate restructuring
SEOUL -- President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday instructed economy-related ministers
not to slow the pace of corporate restructuring, noting that the South Korean
economy still remains in a crisis phase.
"We can't afford to go slow on corporate sector reforms," Lee was quoted by his
spokesman as telling his economic policy team during a meeting held at the
presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
(END)
