Yonhap News Summary

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

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(LEAD) Yoon replaces 6 Cabinet ministers, including finance minister

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol carried out a partial Cabinet reshuffle Monday, replacing the finance minister with one of his senior secretaries and naming five other people to ministerial posts mainly handling economic affairs.

Choi Sang-mok, who until last week served as Yoon's senior secretary for economic affairs, was named new finance minister and deputy prime minister, amid speculation the current officeholder Choo Kyung-ho will run for parliament in next April's general elections.

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(2nd LD) S. Korea successfully conducts third test flight of solid-fuel space rocket

SEOUL -- South Korea successfully conducted a third test flight of a solid-fuel space rocket Monday, the defense ministry said, as part of efforts to build its independent space-based surveillance system against North Korea.

The space launch vehicle was launched from a barge floating in waters about 4 kilometers south of Jeju Island at 2 p.m. and placed a small Earth observation satellite into orbit at an altitude of about 650 km, the ministry said.

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S. Korea vows swift consultations with China over delay of urea exports

SEJONG -- South Korea's trade ministry said Monday it would swiftly consult with the Chinese government over Beijing's delay of customs procedures for urea exports to Seoul.

Choe Nam-ho, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, told reporters that South Korea confirmed the delay of customs procedures but it was caused by supply strains in China, not a "political background."

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S. Korea slams N. Korea for making false accusations over 2018 inter-Korean military accord

SEOUL -- The unification ministry on Monday condemned North Korea for repeatedly making false accusations against South Korea over an 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, saying Pyongyang is seeking to drive a wedge in South Korea.

A North Korean commentator said Sunday a "physical clash and war" have become a matter of time on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of the scrapping of the military accord, warning that South Korea will face "total collapse" if it undertakes any hostile act.

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Seoul shares end higher on Fed's rate cut hopes

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks ended higher Monday amid speculation that the U.S. Federal Reserve may start cutting its rates next year amid eased inflation woes. The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 9.94 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 2,514.95.

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N.K. hacking group Andariel steals key defense technologies from S. Korean firms

SEOUL -- Andariel, a North Korean hacking organization, has stolen digital data containing key technologies from South Korean defense firms and repatriated part of the money they acquired via ransomware attacks on other firms, police said Monday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency made the findings in collaboration with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and an investigation is currently under way into the case, police officials said.

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'12.12: The Day' reaches break-even point over weekend

SEOUL -- "12.12: The Day," a historical saga about South Korea's military coup in 1979, attracted more than 1.7 million moviegoers over the weekend, data showed Monday, reaching its break-even point less than 2 weeks after its opening.

The cumulative ticket sales of the title have topped the break-even point of 4.6 million, data from the Korean Film Council showed.
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