Yonhap News Summary

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

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■ (3rd LD) N. Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles just ahead of U.S. election

SEOUL -- North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, in the latest saber-rattling just hours ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches at about 7:30 a.m. from the Sariwon area in the western province of North Hwanghae, and they flew about 400 kilometers before splashing into the sea.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241105001354315?section=national/defense

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■ (2nd LD) Sports ministry demands suspension of top football official over coaching hiring

SEOUL -- The sports ministry on Tuesday demanded at least the suspension of the country's top football official over the controversial hiring of the men's national team head coach, along with other irregularities.

In announcing the final findings of its investigation into the Korea Football Association (KFA), the ministry asked that Chung Mong-gyu at least be suspended from duty, along with other senior KFA officials.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241105006052315

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■ S. Korea hopes China's visa waiver will help promote 'friendly sentiment' between 2 nations

SEOUL -- The foreign ministry on Tuesday welcomed China's recent decision on a temporary visa waiver for South Korea, voicing hopes that the move will help further promote "friendly sentiment" between the two neighbors.

Beijing made a surprise announcement Friday that it will waive visa requirements for visitors from South Korea and several other countries, effective through the end of next year. The measure will allow visitors to stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241105007300315?section=national/diplomacy

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■ (2nd LD) Consumer inflation slows to lowest level in nearly 4 years in Oct.

SEOUL -- South Korea's consumer prices slowed to the lowest level in 45 months in October on stabilizing oil prices, staying below 2 percent for the second consecutive month, data showed Tuesday.

Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose 1.3 percent on-year last month, compared with a 1.6 percent on-year increase in September, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241105001652320?section=search

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■ (2nd LD) UNESCO likely to list Korean 'jang-making' culture as cultural heritage

SEOUL -- Korea's tradition of making fermented sauces using soybeans is likely to be added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.

UNESCO said Tuesday its deliberative body has categorized "knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to jang-making in the Republic of Korea" as recommended for inscription.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241105002152315?section=search

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■ Meta fined for illegally collecting sensitive data of 980,000 users

SEOUL -- Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was ordered to pay 21.6 billion won (US$15.6 million) in fines for collecting sensitive data from users without notice and handing it over to advertisers, South Korea's data protection watchdog said Tuesday.

The Personal Information Protection Commission said it decided to impose the penalty on Meta during a plenary meeting Monday after finding that the company had collected data, such as religious and political views, marital status, and sexual orientation, of some 980,000 local Facebook users in violation of the law.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241105005000315?section=search

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■ (2nd LD) Hybe's Q3 earnings decline amid dispute with former ADOR CEO

SEOUL -- Leading K-pop company Hybe reported a decline in both sales and operating profits for the third quarter of this year amid a protracted legal feud with Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of its sublabel ADOR.

Hybe's regulatory filing showed an operating profit of 54.2 billion won (US$39 million) for the quarter, a 25.4 percent decrease year-on-year, falling short of 55.7 billion won forecast by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241105003152320?section=search
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