Yonhap News Summary

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

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China to oppose referring N. Korea to int'l court

BEIJING -- China said Friday that it would oppose referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court, dimming chances of the regime being held accountable for human rights abuses detailed in a ground-breaking U.N. probe earlier this year.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the remarks a day after the U.N. General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution calling for North Korea to be sent to the international court. The U.N. Security Council is expected to hold a meeting next week to discuss the issue.

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Park's approval rating hits record low: poll

SEOUL -- President Park Geun-hye's approval rating has hit a record low amid a high-profile influence-peddling scandal involving some key presidential officials, a poll showed Friday.

The survey of 1,006 adults nationwide by Gallup Korea showed only 37 percent approved of Park's job performance. In a similar poll by Realmaster, released earlier this week, Park's approval rating stood at 39.7 percent.

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(LEAD) BOK policy board member stresses household debt risk

SEOUL -- A central bank policy board member on Friday stressed the need for a soft landing of the country's household debt, citing it as one of the economy's weakest spots.

"The household debt issue has mounted for decades. While it was not a problem when the property market was booming, situations have changed," Bank of Korea (BOK) policy board member Ha Sung-keun told reporters at a luncheon, calling it "one of the biggest weaknesses."

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S. Korea intensifies quarantine measures against bird flu

SEJONG -- South Korea has intensified its watch against a fresh outbreak of avian influenza (AI) after the animal disease was confirmed in a migratory bird found in the central region of the country, the government said.

A special quarantine area of a 10-kilometer radius has been set up in Jeungpyeong, North Chungcheong Province, where two wild ducks were tested Monday.

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Gov't vows swift follow-up steps on ruling against pro-N. Korea party

SEOUL -- The government will take swift measures to adhere with the Constitutional Court's decision to disband a pro-North Korean political party, the prime minister said Friday.

The court delivered the ruling earlier in the day, saying the principles and activities of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) violated the "basic democratic order" of South Korea, which remains technically at war with North Korea.

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(2nd LD) S. Korea bans pro-N. Korean minor party

SEOUL -- South Korea's Constitutional Court on Friday ordered the dissolution of a pro-North Korean minor opposition party, outlawing a political party here for the first time since the country adopted its first constitution in 1948.

The 8-1 ruling effectively spelled the immediate demise of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) created in 2011.

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Pro football federation says refs prone to wrong calls

SEOUL -- The national professional football federation on Friday said referees in its top competition made incorrect calls in one in every seven matches in the 2014 season, adding that guilty officials were all punished for their mishaps.

The K League said referees made wrong calls in 33 out of 225 matches this past season in the K League Classic, unveiling for the first time the exact number of matches marred by poor officiating.

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U.S. lawmaker calls for 'comfort women' apology for regional stability

SEOUL -- U.S. congressman Mike Honda said Friday that peace and prosperity can only take root in Asia if Japan apologizes for its wartime sexual enslavement of South Korean and other Asian women.

Rep. Honda (D-CA), who is of Japanese descent, is known for speaking out against Japan's coercion of Asian women, mostly Koreans, into sexual slavery during World War II. In 2007, he spearheaded an effort to pass a landmark resolution condemning Japan's sex slavery in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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(LEAD) Cheil Industries surges on hopes for addition to global indices

SEOUL -- Shares of Cheil Industries Inc., the de facto holding firm of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung, rose by the daily permissible limit of 15 percent Friday on news that global index providers would add the company to their indices earlier than expected.

Cheil Industries closed at 129,500 won (US$117) on the second day of trading. On its market debut on Thursday, the company closed at 113,000 won, more than doubling its initial public offering price of 53,000 won.

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Gov't to frontload 58 pct of available budget, funds, public projects in H1

SEJONG -- The government said Friday it plans to frontload 58 percent of available budget, funds, public work projects in the first half of 2015 to vitalize the national economy struggling with sluggish growth.

In a fiscal management meeting chaired by Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, policymakers agreed to spend 176 trillion won (US$159.7 billion) of the 303.5 trillion won it has at its disposal before the end of June.

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Price of natural gas to be cut by 5 pct next month

SEJONG -- The local price of natural gas supplied by the state-run Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) will be cut by an average 5 percent from the start of next year, the government said Friday.

The move follows a recent plunge in the global prices of oil and natural gas, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

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S. Korea reports four more cases of foot-and-mouth disease

SEJONG -- South Korea confirmed four more cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Friday, further indicating the animal disease may be spreading widely.

The four additional cases brought to 13 the total number of FMD cases confirmed since the first reported outbreak at a pig farm in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, on Dec. 3, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
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