Samsung, Kakao unions to strike; US diplomat to visit Seoul; Israel seizes flotilla

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■ (LEAD) Samsung Electronics' union says it will proceed with strike Thurs.

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co.'s union said Wednesday it will proceed with the strike scheduled for later this week, arguing management has rejected a government-mediated proposal.

"We accepted the mediator's proposal," the company's largest union said, adding that it will go ahead with the legally scheduled general strike as planned.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260520005551320?section=economy-finance/economy

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■ Kakao union says strike vote passes at 5 affiliates

SEOUL -- A labor union of Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's popular messenger service, said Wednesday that unionized members across five affiliates have approved a vote to stage a strike amid failed wage negotiations.

Unionized workers across five affiliates of the IT company, including Kakao Pay and Kakao Enterprise, backed the strike authorization vote, and detailed action plans will be announced soon, according to a union official.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260520006600315?section=national/national

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■ (2nd LD) Senior U.S. diplomat to visit Seoul in coming weeks to launch working groups on Oct. summit agreements

WASHINGTON -- A senior U.S. diplomat will visit Seoul in the coming weeks to launch bilateral working groups to implement agreements from a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in October, the countries' governments said Tuesday.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker will lead a U.S. delegation to the South Korean capital, Seoul's foreign ministry and the State Department said, after she and Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo held talks at the department in Washington.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260520000453315?section=national/diplomacy

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■ (LEAD) Israeli forces seize another aid flotilla carrying Korean activists: civic group

SEOUL -- Israeli forces have seized another humanitarian aid flotilla, carrying two activists from a South Korean civic group, headed for the Gaza Strip, the group said Wednesday.

The Lina Al Nabulsi, carrying South Korean activist Kim Ah-hyun and Korean American activist Jonathan Victor Lee, was confirmed to have been intercepted by the Israeli military in waters near the Gaza Strip at 2:50 a.m. Wednesday (Seoul time), according to the Korean Flotilla for a Free Palestine.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260520002652315?section=national/national

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■ Seoul stocks tad lower late Wed. morning despite tech gains

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks trimmed earlier losses late Wednesday morning as heavyweight technology shares turned higher despite an overnight slump on Wall Street.

In choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 7.37 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,264.29 as of 11:20 a.m.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260520004900320?section=economy-finance/economy

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■ Trump says U.S. could resume strikes on Iran within days if no deal is reached

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump indicated Tuesday that a U.S. attack on Iran could resume in the coming days if a peace deal is not reached, after he announced a decision the previous day to hold off on a planned assault against the Islamic Republic.

During a press availability, Trump said that he has given Iran a "limited period of time," after he said Monday he had instructed the U.S. military not to go ahead with an attack on Iran, planned for Tuesday, following requests from the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.