(LEAD) Yonhap News Summary

(ATTN: REPLACEMENT news story titled "(News Focus) S. Korea seeks direct nuclear talks with N. Korea" with "Majority of foreign buyers hail inter-Korean deal"

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

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China's Xi unlikely to meet N. Korean official during military parade

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to hold a one-on-one meeting with a senior North Korean official who will visit Beijing this week to attend a military parade marking the end of World War II, a diplomatic source said Monday.

Choe Ryong-hae, a member of the Politburo Presidium and the secretary of the Central Committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, is set to attend the military parade on Thursday. Choe visited China as a special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2013 and met with Xi at that time.

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(News Focus) Koreas to hold reunion of separated families amid uncertainties

SEOUL -- Long-strained inter-Korean ties are likely to improve, boosted by a much-awaited reunion of families separated by the Korean War, but uncertainties such as a possible missile launch by North Korea may hamper progress, experts said.

In a landmark deal, the two Koreas agreed last week to resume the reunion of separated families on the occasion of Korea's fall harvest holiday slated for September this year. Officials from the two Korea's Red Cross are scheduled to have working-level talks next Monday.

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Majority of foreign buyers hail inter-Korean deal

SEOUL -- More than 7 in 10 foreign investors and buyers welcome the recent inter-Korean deal to defuse tensions on the peninsula, a poll showed Monday, raising hopes that it could boost overall trade and foreign investment.

After days of intensive high-level talks, Seoul and Pyongyang reached the agreement last Tuesday to end their showdown and work toward better relations via a series of measures, including increased civilian exchanges.

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Finance minister urges early compromise on labor reform

SEOUL/SEJONG -- The finance minister urged members of the tripartite committee Monday to reach a compromise on ways to reform labor market competitiveness early next month so the government can set aside funds to strengthen its social security net.

Speaking to economic news editors of local media outlets in Seoul, Choi Kyung-hwan said the committee needs to come up with a compromise by Sept. 10 if the government is to set aside the necessary budget to help people who may be affected by an overhaul in the country's labor rules.

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(News Focus) Economic outlook dim despite output gain in July

SEJONG -- South Korea's economic outlook remains uncertain though the country's industrial production rose for the second month in July as it pulled out of the fallout of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak that pounded consumer spending, analysts said Monday.

The latest data by Statistics Korea showed South Korea's overall industrial production advancing 0.5 percent last month from the previous month and inching up 0.2 percent from a year earlier.

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(LEAD) Unification minister not to attend Russia forum

SEOUL -- Seoul's point man on North Korea will not attend an upcoming forum in Russia as Pyongyang has not indicated its willingness to hold talks there, government officials said Monday.

Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo was considering attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok this week but dropped the plan as North Korea has not confirmed the participation of its foreign trade minister, Ri Ryong-nam, in a trilateral session also involving Russia, one official said on condition of anonymity.
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