Yonhap News Summary

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

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(3rd LD) Lotte heir vows all-out efforts to end family feud

SEOUL -- Shin Dong-bin, the younger son and heir apparent of Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, pledged Monday to do his best to resolve a bitter family conflict over control of the retail empire whose business spans from amusement parks and hotels to department stores in South Korea and Japan.

"It is my role to resolve the crisis and swiftly normalize and improve the companies, following in the footsteps of the general chairman's entrepreneurship," Dong-bin told reporters after arriving in Seoul from Tokyo, pledging to do his best to end the family feud.

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S. Korea, U.S. well equipped to detect N. Korean missile despite cover

SEOUL -- South Korea and the U.S. are well equipped to detect any signs of a North Korean missile launch despite the reported cover being installed over the North Korean launching pad, the Defense Ministry said Monday.

Japan's Kyodo News reported earlier in the day that the North is installing a cover over the Tongchang-ri rocket launch pad to "evade surveillance by spy satellites."

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(LEAD) 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Assassination' sweep weekend box office

SEOUL -- "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" topped the local box office last weekend, pushing the star-studded Korean action film "Assassination" down to second place, data showed Monday.

The fifth installment in the nearly 20-year-old film series earned 16 billion won (US$13.76 million) over the July 31-Aug. 2 weekend, according to the computerized box office data from the Korean Film Council.

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Presidential office rules out tax hike

SEOUL -- The presidential office Monday ruled out a tax hike as it renewed calls for the reform of South Korea's rigid labor market to help create jobs for young people.

"The government's position remains unchanged that a tax hike is the last resort," An Chong-bum, the senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, told reporters.

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S. Korea-China-Japan ties will advance with correct historical view

SEOUL -- The trilateral relations involving South Korea, China and Japan will gain a tailwind if the countries face up to historical misdeeds, a South Korean vice foreign minister said Monday.

"If the countries seriously inherit the historical understanding that has been the backbone of the postwar order and learn a lesson from it, the trilateral cooperation will gain a tailwind," Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong said during a local forum held at Korea University in Seoul.

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Japanese opposition leader vows efforts for better Seoul-Tokyo ties

SEOUL -- A Japanese opposition leader vowed Monday to make efforts to develop the Seoul-Tokyo relationship into a future-oriented one in a landmark year, despite many challenges such as tension over their shared history.

Katsuya Okada, leader of Japan's opposition Democratic Party, made the remarks in his meeting in Seoul with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. Okada arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a three-day trip, his first visit to Seoul in this capacity.

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