YON - Yonhap News Agency of Korea articles from December 2003

YON - Yonhap News Agency of Korea archives from December 2003

(LEAD) Vendors Clash with Police as Cheonggyecheon Street Stalls Torn Down.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- Street vendors and riot police clashed violently for hours Sunday morning as store owners fought with fire, rocks and firebombs to block the removal of their stalls intended to make way for the restoration of a...

Gov't Reveals Lack of Information on Firms Working in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government has disclosed a problem in locating local companies working in Iraq after two South Koreans were killed and two others wounded in an ambush in the Middle Eastern country Sunday, local...

KCC Adds Three Private Equity Funds to its Business Group.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Kumgang Korea Chemical has incorporated three private equity funds that played a key role in the conglomerate's recent effort to acquire a leading stake in Hyundai Elevator, the Fair Trade Commission said Monday. ...

N. Korea's Industries Similar to China's 25 Yrs Ago, Report Says.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The industrial infrastructure of North Korea is similar to that of China's a quarter-century ago when the latter launched gradual economic reforms in 1978, a report released on Monday said. According to the Bank...

Housing Prices Continue to Fall in Wake of Gov't Measures.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Housing prices in the Seoul area have steadily moved down following a government announcement Oct. 29 that it would take tough measures against speculators, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Monday. It...

Several Thousand Riot Policemen to Withdraw from Buan.
December 1, 2003... BUAN, South Korea, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) - About 3,000 riot police will withdraw Monday from Buan, North Jeolla Province, after demonstrators promised to change the location of rallies and candlelight vigils against a government plan to build a...

Seoul to Send Two Officials to Iraq Over Tragic Incident.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will send two officials of the Foreign Ministry to Iraq Tuesday to make arrangements to bring home the bodies of the two South Korean dead, a spokesman for the ministry said Monday. One of the two is...

Local Non-life Insurers' Profits Fall by More Than 15 Percent.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The combined net profits of local non-life insurers fell by more than 15 percent in the first half of the 2003 fiscal year, the South Korean financial watchdog said Monday. According to data released by the Financial...

LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Agree on Technical Tie-up.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc. and the Hyundai Motor Group have agreed on a technical association in the car multimedia field, industry sources said Monday. They said the two recently signed a memorandum of understanding to...

Omu Electric Confirms Identities of Workers Killed in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A local electric company confirmed on Monday the identities of two South Korean men killed in an ambush in Iraq, but said it has yet to receive more information on the incident from its office in the war-torn Middle...

Gov't to Slap High Taxes on People Who Own More than 3 Homes.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The government will move to levy high capital gains taxes on people who own more than three homes nationwide, regardless of where they are, sources at the finance and construction ministries said Monday. An...

Legislators to Urge Transfer of Iraqi Authority from U.S. to U.N.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's pro-government party said Monday it will submit a bill this week urging the United States to hand over Iraq to the United Nations. Rep. Song Young-kil of the Uri (Our) Party told Yonhap News Agency...

Seoul Shares Approach 810-Level.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks finished higher Monday with the main market approaching the 810-point level again. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index surged 1.41 percent, or 11.21 points, to 807.39. The barometer of...

(LEAD)Gov't to Hold Bidding for Kookmin Bank on Dec. 12.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The Ministry of Finance and Economy said Monday that it will hold a bid to sell off the government's 30.62 million share holding in Kookmin Bank on Dec. 12. The bid, organized by the Samsung Securities, LG...

Prosecution Brings to Court Alleged Illegal Everland Stock Deal.
December 1, 2003... Seoul, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Seoul prosecutors said Monday they brought to court an allegation that the eldest son of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee inherited equities in Samsung's amusement park, Everland, in an inappropriate manner. The...

Defense Ministry Maintains Alert on Korean Troops in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean Defense Ministry said Monday that it is closely watching the development of the Iraqi situation following the deaths of two South Koreans and injuries of two others by terrorist attack in Tikrit on...

Number of S. Korea's Mobile Phone Users Rises to 33.44 Mln in Nov.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's mobile phone subscriber base rose to about 33.44 million as of the end of November, driven by competitive marketing efforts by operators to attract more customers, according to phone companies. The...

Won Gains vs Dollar; Key Bond Yield Jumps.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean won rose 2.70 against the dollar to end at 1,199.4 Monday, while the nation's benchmark bond yield shot up 0.13 percentage point to 4.01 percent. Seoul shares soared on heavy buying by foreign and...

(RECAST) CORRECTION: Yonhap Corrects July Report on Falun Gong.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Based on information provided by Chinese authorities, Yonhap News Agency reported that a practitioner of Falun Gong poisoned to death 16 beggars and ragpickers in Wenzhou in China's Zhejiang Province in a recent...

Busan Businessman Questioned on Alleged Bribery to Roh's Campaign.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors summoned a Busan-based businessman Monday to look into an allegation that he provided a huge amount of slush funds to the campaign of now-President Roh Moo-hyun before the presidential election late last...

Two Injured in Insurgent Attack in Stable Condition.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The two South Korean workers injured in Sunday's ambush by Iraqi insurgents are hospitalized at a U.S. military hospital and listed in stable condition, a foreign ministry official said Monday. The two employees...

Average Tax Burden to Fall by 113,000 Won Per Person: NTS.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The National Tax Service (NTS) said Monday that changes to current deduction guidelines will translate into annual income tax cuts amounting to 113,000 won (US$94) per person for 2003. The office said an...

Daewoo Int'l Sends Bulletproof Jacket To Its Iraqi Office Chief.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Following a deathly attack Sunday against South Korean nationals working in Iraq, Daewoo International Corp. joined the nation's other major companies in beefing up security for their employees there by sending its...

Mayors File Suit Against Election Law with Constitutional Court.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- A group of South Korean mayors filed a petition Sunday with the Constitutional Court against the law stipulating that the heads of local governments must resign at least 120 days before national elections if they...

Gov't Says Terrorist Attack Will Not Affect Troop Dispatch.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will not link the issue of dispatching troops to Iraq to Sunday's terrorist attack in the Middle Eastern country, in which two South Koreans were killed and two others were wounded, National Security...

(LEAD) Kookmin Bank to Merge Luxembourg, London Offices.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Kookmin Bank, the nation's largest lender, will merge and downgrade its affiliates in Luxembourg and London into one branch as part of efforts to streamline its overseas operations, the head of the bank said Monday....

(2nd LD) Two Foreigners, Possibly Koreans, Attacked in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... CAIRO, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- Two foreigners, possibly Koreans, were seriously wounded Sunday after being attacked on a highway south of Tikrit in northern Iraq, Reuters reported. Locals told journalists at the scene said that the men were...

Hanaro Telecom Near Purchase of Internet Portal.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's number two broadband Internet operator, Hanaro Telecom Inc., said Monday it is set to acquire an Internet portal unit of its affiliate Dreamline. The affiliate, a smaller broadband Internet provider,...

S. Korean Creditors Endorse Onse Telecom Rescue Plan.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean creditors of Onse Telecom, a debt-stricken international call and broadband Internet company, voted Monday for a bail-out plan, opening the way for the company to stay afloat. On the same day, a...

S. Korean, Japanese Students Arrested for Smuggling Drugs.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Police on Monday detained four Japanese and South Korean students and booked 13 others on charges of smuggling narcotics from overseas and smoking them at their homes and in nightclubs. "They started smoking...

U.S. Flies 150 Reconnaissance Missions in November: N. Korea.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The United States flew 150 reconnaissance missions over North Korea near the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas last month, the North's Central Broadcasting Station reported Monday. The broadcaster...

58 Break Anti-Communist Law Since Roh's Inauguration: Civic Group.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A total of 58 people were convicted on charges of violating the country's anti-communist laws since President Roh Moo-hyun took office in February, a civic group said on Monday. Of these, 54 were charged with...

Wireless Equipment Exports to India US$480 Mln in Nine Months.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean exports of wireless equipment to India surged a 35-fold to $480 million from January to September, thanks to aggressive marketing by the manufacturers, the Ministry of Information and Communication said...

S. Korea Becomes Biggest 'Abilympics' Winner for 3rd Straight Time.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- For the third consecutive year, South Korea has won more medals than any other country in this year's Olympics for the physically challenged, a government agency for the disabled said Monday. The Korea Employment...

NSC Holds Emergency Meeting on Korean Deaths in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The National Security Council (NSC) held an emergency meeting early Monday after reports that four South Koreans were killed or wounded in a terrorist attack in Iraq. NSC Deputy Secretary Lee Jong-seok reported...

Police Enhance Security for Foreign Missions in Seoul.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Police enhanced security on Monday around the U.S., British and Turkish missions here in the wake of intensifying terrorist attacks on U.S. troops and allied forces in Iraq. In the first terrorist attack on South...

Regional Conference on Digital Divide to Open in South Korea.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- More than 200 participants from around Asia will gather in the South Korean capital Seoul Tuesday to share views on how to bridge the digital divide. Hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communication, the...

Dongbu Anam Requests US$1 Billion from Creditors.
December 1, 2003... SEOUl, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Dongbu Anam Semiconductor, a local chip foundry, said Monday it has asked creditors to extend US$1 billion in loans to the company. "Dongbu Anam needs the money to expand its production facility to meet growing...

North Korea's Top Official Hospitalized in Beijing: Report.
December 1, 2003... TOKYO, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A senior official of the North Korean military is receiving hospital treatment in Beijing and may be in critical condition, a Japanese newspaper reported Monday. Jo Myong-rok, first vice chairman of the National...

Daewoo Shipbuilding Wins US$586 Million in Orders.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), the world's second-largest shipbuilder after Korean rival Hyundai Heavy Industries, said Monday it has won $586 million worth of orders for seven vessels. The...

Gov't Vows to Take Steps to Ensure Safety of Citizens in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Monday it would take every possible measure to ensure the safety of its citizens in Iraq after two Korean workers were killed and two others wounded in a terrorist attack in the...

Seoul Chosen as Venue for 15th General Assembly of Red Cross.
December 1, 2003... GENEVA, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- Seoul was named on Sunday as the venue for the 15th general meeting of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 2005. As the IFRC ended its 14th general meeting here,...

LG Electronics to Move Digital Display Media Center to Gumi.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc. said Monday it will move its digital display media center to Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province from Pyongtaek, Gyeonggi Province around mid-December. "Since production in Pyongtaek has been...

Operating Rate Of Smaller Firms Stays at 60 Pct for 9 Months.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The operating rate of small and mid-sized companies remained in the 60-percent range for nine months in a row as of October, business sources said Monday. The findings came from a survey of the Korea Federation of...

KOTRA Office in Baghdad to Take Safety Measures.
December 1, 2003... CAIRO, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade office chief in Baghdad said Sunday it will take realistic safety measures soon in the wake of Iraqi insurgents killing of two South Koreans and wounding of two others. "We will maintain our...

(LEAD) Two Korean Victims Confirmed Employees of Electric Company.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The four South Koreans killed or injured from terrorist attack in Iraq were confirmed to be the employees of a medium-sized electric company in Seoul, informed sources said Monday. The sources said about 60...

Creditors of Byucksan Construction to Sell Controlling Stake.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Creditors of Byucksan Construction Co. decided Monday to sell a controlling 51-percent stake through open bidding, the company said. State-run Korea Asset Management Corp. and five other creditors own 68.4 percent...

Top Headlines in Major Korean Newspapers - Dec.1, 2003.
December 1, 2003... Kyunghyang Daily News - Two South Koreans killed in Iraq Kukmin Daily - Two Korean workers killed in Iraq Segye Times - Two Korean workers killed in Iraq attack Korea Daily News - Two South Koreans killed, two others wounded in...

Two Koreans Dead, Two Others Wounded from Terrorist Attack in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Two South Koreans are dead and two others seriously wounded from a terrorist attack on a highway near Tikrit, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. The identity of the dead men have not yet been confirmed. The two...

Two Korean Victims Most Probably Employees of Electric Company.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The two South Koreans killed from terrorist attack in Iraq were most probably the employees of an medium-sized electric company in Seoul's Guro Industrial Complex, informed sources said Monday. The sources said...

Kookmin Bank to Merge Luxembourg, London Offices.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Kookmin Bank, the nation's largest lender, will merge and downgrade its affiliates in Luxembourg and London into one branch as part of efforts to streamline its overseas operations, the head of the bank said Monday....

Internet Spam Mail Could Cost US$2.15 Billion in Korea, Study Says.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A flood of unsolicited advertising e-mail, or spam, could cost Internet users as much as 2.6 trillion won ($2.15 billion) this year in highly wired South Korea, according to a recent study by Nara Research released...

(LEAD) Two Koreans Dead, Two Others Wounded from Terrorist Attack in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Two South Koreans were ambushed and killed, with two others seriously wounded, from a terrorist attack on a highway near Tikrit in northern Iraq, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. The victims are from Omu Electronics...

S.Korean Investment Conditions Far Short of China: FKI.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's investment conditions fall far short of China's, the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said Monday. In a sample comparison between Ansan Industry Complex in South Korea and Qingdao Complex in...

Samsung Blasts Indictment as 'Incomprehensible'.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Group, the nation's largest conglomerate, rejected Monday the prosecution's claim that the son of the group's owner, Lee Kun-hee, is suspected of inheriting a controlling stake in the group's amusement park...

(LEAD) S. Korea's Trade Surplus Hits 59-month High.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade surplus in November posted US$2.87 billion, the highest since $3.77 billion in Dec. 1998, a government report showed Monday. The country exported $18.62 billion worth of products and imported...

Surveys Show Anti-Troop Dispatch Sentiment Rises After Iraq Attack.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- After a Sunday ambush that killed two South Korean engineers in Iraq, opponents of the government's planned troop dispatch to Iraq are gaining momentum, according to several online surveys Monday. In an Internet...

Daewoo Shipbuilding Delivers Destroyer to South Korean Navy.
December 1, 2003... GEOJE, South Korea, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co, (DSME) Monday delivered a 4,500-ton-class destroyer to the South Korean Navy, company officials said. The warship, the first to be commissioned under the...

"Today in Korean History - 2 Dec 2003.
December 1, 2003... Tuesday, Dec. 2 (Yonhap): 1946 -- Korean independence fighter Rhee Seung-man visits the United States and suggests that South Korea set up its own government. Korea was liberated from Japanese rule on Aug. 15, 1945, 36 years after Japan...

Fire Kills 3 People in Apartment.
December 1, 2003... HWASEONG, South Korea, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Three people were killed and seven others injured seriously in a fire that gutted an apartment house early Monday in this Gyeonggi Province city, some 40 kilometers southwest of Seoul, police said....

Two South Korean Victims in Iraqi Ambush Identified.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The two South Koreans, killed in an ambush in Iraq on Sunday, were identified as Kim Man-soo, 46, and Kwak Kyung-hae, 61, officials said Monday. They are employees of a South Korean electric firm, Omu Electric...

Bidding for Kookmin Bank Stake to Take Place Dec. 12.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The government will offer a tender for its stake in Kookmin Bank, the nation's largest lender, on Dec. 12, the Ministry of Finance and Economy announced Monday. The bidding will take place between 10:00 a.m. and 6...

Roh Condemns Terrorist Attack on Civilians.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec.1 (Yonhap) South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Monday condemned a terrorist attack in Iraq against South Korean civilians, saying it is "unacceptable and inhuman behavior." In an ambush attack Sunday near the northern Iraqi city...

Hyundai Corp. to Supply Electronic Products to Thailand.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Corporation will supply electronic products bearing its trademark to Thailand's market, the company said Monday. According to the firm, Hyundai will provide products such as PDP TVs, DVD players and mobile...

S. Korea's Trade Surplus to Hit 59-month High.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's November trade surplus posted US$2.87 billion, the highest in 59 months since it recorded $3.77 billion in Dec. 1998, according to a government report released Monday. The country exported $18.62...

(LEAD) Two Foreigners, Possibly Koreans, Attacked in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... CAIRO, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- Two foreigners, possibly Koreans, were seriously wounded Sunday after being attacked on a highway in Tikrit, Reuters reported. Locals told journalists at the scene that the men were believed to be Korean...

Two Foreigners, Possibly Koreans, Attacked in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... CAIRO, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- Two foreigners, possibly Koreans, were wounded Sunday after being attacked on a highway in Tikrit, Reuters reported. (THROUGH ASIA PULSE)

Annual Inflation Rate 3.6 Pct as of November: Statistical Office.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's annual inflation rate as of November was 3.6 percent, the National Statistical Office (NSO) said Monday. The NSO also reported that consumer prices edged down 0.2 percent last month because...

(2nd LD) Seoul Condemns Terrorist Attack, Rejects Link to Dispatch.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign minister issued a strong condemnation Monday of a terrorist attack in Iraq against South Korean civilians, vowing it would not interfere with Seoul's plan to send more troops for U.S.-led...

(LEAD) Seoul Condemns Terrorist Attack, Rejects Link to Dispatch.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun strongly condemned Monday a terrorist attack in Iraq against South Korean civilians, describing it as "inhuman behavior which cannot be accepted." U.S. President George W. Bush...

Korean Companies Reeling From Ambush Attacks in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The shooting deaths of two Korean workers and the wounding of two others in Iraq Monday sent major Korean companies scrambling to take measures to strengthen the safety of their own workers in the war-ravaged...

(3rd LD) Omu Electric Confirms Identities of Workers Killed in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A local electric company confirmed on Monday the identities of two South Korean men killed in an ambush in Iraq, saying it was informed by its branch in Baghdad of the tragic incident. The Foreign Ministry...

LG Telecom Plans to Offer Walkie-Talkie Service Next Year.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Hoping to find new customers in South Korea's hyper-competitive wireless market, LG Telecom Co., the smallest mobile phone operator, is moving ahead with the introduction of a walkie-talkie service by June of next...

(5th LD) Two South Koreans Killed, Two Others Wounded in Terrorist Attack in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Two South Koreans were killed and two others wounded in an ambush in Iraq on Sunday local time, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Monday. The first South Korean casualties since the Iraq war were confirmed the...

(2nd LEAD) Omu Electric Confirms Identities of Workers Killed in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A local electric company confirmed on Monday the identities of two South Korean men killed in an ambush in Iraq, saying it was informed by its branch in Baghdad of the tragic incident. The Foreign Ministry...

(4th LD) Two South Koreans Killed, Two Others Wounded in Terrorist Attack in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Two South Koreans were killed and two others wounded in an ambush in Iraq on Sunday local time, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. The attack took place around 2 p.m. on a highway near the northern Iraqi city of...

(3rd LD) Two South Koreans Killed, Two Others Wounded in Terrorist Attack in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Two South Koreans were killed and two others wounded in a terrorist attack in Iraq, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. The attack took place around 2 p.m. Sunday local time on a highway near the northern Iraqi...

(LEAD) Civic Groups Urge Gov't to Retract Troop Dispatch Plan.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- Major civic groups called Monday on the government to retract its decision to send additional troops to Iraq, saying Sunday's attack on South Koreans in the Middle Eastern country was aimed at pressuring Seoul not...

Seoul Condemns Terrorist Attack, Rejects Link to Troop Dispatch.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun strongly condemned Monday a terrorist attack in Iraq against South Korean civilians, describing it as "unacceptable and inhuman behavior." Despite the setback, however, South...

Legislators Rekindle Debate on Troop Dispatch to Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The deaths of South Korean workers in Iraq rekindled a political debate Monday on whether the country needs to think again about sending more troops to the Middle Eastern country. Reflecting the complexity of...

Parties' Agreement Raises Chances for Parliament's Normalization.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The disrupted Korean parliament may return to normal as early as this week, after parties reached an agreement Monday to override a presidential veto on an independent counsel investigation bill. Splinter parties...

Ministry to Look at Economic Indexes When Setting Minimum Wage.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The labor ministry said Monday that starting next year, it will look at the nation's economic growth and other industry indexes when deciding the minimum wage, a decision labor unions say will keep the wage at its...

Chronology of Major Events Related to U.S.-led War on Iraq.
December 1, 2003... Seoul, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- The following is a chronology associated with the war in Iraq and postwar terrorism in the Gulf state. March 20 -- War on Iraq, led by the U.S., breaks out. The South Korean government announces its support for...

(LEAD) Omu Electric Confirms Identities of Workers Killed in Iraq.
December 1, 2003... SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- A local electric company confirmed on Monday the identities of two South Korean men killed in an ambush in Iraq, but said it has yet to receive more information on the incident from its office in the war-torn Middle...