U.S. takes defense commitment to S. Korea very seriously: Kirby
WASHINGTON — The United States takes its defense commitment to South Korea “very, very seriously,” a White House official said Thursday, following Russia’s threat to arm North Korea if South Korea sends lethal assistance to Ukraine.
John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said the U.S. is grateful for the support South Korea has already provided to Ukraine.
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Producer prices up for 3rd straight month in March
SEOUL — South Korea’s producer prices rose for the third straight month in March, as service and industrial goods prices increased, central bank data showed Friday.
The producer price index, a major barometer of consumer inflation, gained 0.1 percent in March from a month earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.
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(3rd LD) N. Korea says its status as nuclear weapons state ‘final, irreversible’
SEOUL — North Korea’s foreign minister said Friday that the United States and the West have no right to argue about its status as a nuclear weapons power, slamming a recent joint statement by the Group of Seven (G-7) diplomats as interference in internal affairs.
In a statement, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui took issue with the G-7 Foreign Ministers that condemned the North’s unlawful ballistic missile launches and said Pyongyang “cannot and will never” have the status of a nuclear weapons state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
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(LEAD) S. Korea finds solutions to 320 cases of export hurdles
SEOUL — South Korea’s finance ministry said Friday it has addressed 320 cases of export hurdles as part of its efforts to boost struggling outbound shipments.
The announcement came two months after South Korea officially launched what it calls a “one-stop” export support team under the Ministry of Economy and Finance to offer solutions to exporters’ issues.
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S. Korea’s new COVID-19 cases at 10,000 level for 4th day
SEOUL — South Korea’s new coronavirus cases stayed at the 10,000 level for the fourth consecutive day Friday, as the COVID-19 pandemic has loosened its grip on the country for months now.
The country reported 13,596 cases, including 21 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,053,459, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
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S. Korea voices ‘deep disappointment’ over Kishida’s ritual offering at war shrine
SEOUL — South Korea expressed “deep disappointment and regret” Friday over Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s ritual offering at a controversial war shrine in Tokyo that is regarded as a symbol of Japan’s militaristic past.
The government “expresses deep disappointment and regret over the fact that the responsible leaders of Japan have once again sent offerings to and paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan’s war of aggression and enshrines war criminals,” Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for the Seoul foreign ministry, said in a statement.
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Seoul shares down 0.6 pct in late Fri. morning trade
SEOUL — South Korean stocks traded 0.58 percent lower late Friday morning, weighed down by the fall in blue chip chemical and energy sectors.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had lost 14.85 points to 2,548.26 as of around 11:20 a.m.
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Rival parties agree on prioritizing support measures for ‘jeonse’ scam victims
SEOUL — Rival parties agreed Friday to come up with realistic support measures for victims of a series of home rental scams with the goal of passing a special bill through the National Assembly next week.
Source: Yonhap News Agency