Yonhap News Agency: Major Stories Summary for Thursday

Seoul shares soared nearly 6 percent Thursday as investors bet on stronger shareholder returns from chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, and eased U.S. bond market concerns. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 381.41 points, or 5.89 percent, to end at 6,852.58, after rising as high as 6,904.55.

Police said Thursday they have booked 32 individuals, with 13 of them in detention, for allegedly smuggling, distributing or administering etomidate, a sleep anesthetic newly classified as a narcotic six months ago.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency seized 2 liters of the drug worth 1.2 billion won (US$ 861,468) and 1,400 e-cigarette cartridges used to portion and distribute the liquid. Authorities also confiscated 120 million won in criminal proceeds.

Unionized members of Naver Corp., South Korea's major portal operator, called on the company Thursday to engage in integrated bargaining that encompasses its affiliates.

Around 300 members made the demand as they gathered at the lobby of the company's second office building in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul. The members blamed Naver for avoiding direct accountability as the parent company by forcing separate, decentralized negotiations across its affiliates instead of engaging in groupwide bargaining.

With the next Asian Games in Japan a month away, South Korea on Thursday declared its goal of capturing up to 45 gold medals for a top-three finish in the medal race.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) gathered Japan-bound athletes at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 85 kilometers south of Seoul, for a media day marking the 30-day countdown to the 20th Asian Games. The quadrennial competition will be held in and around Aichi Prefecture, with the prefecture's capital, Nagoya, serving as the main host.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Thursday that he met with Land Minister Kim Yun-duk to discuss the government's proposal to build apartments in Yongsan Park in central Seoul, but the two were unable to narrow their differences.

"I met with Minister Kim to discuss several pending issues but, ultimately, we were unable to bridge our differences regarding Yongsan Park," Oh said in a press briefing at Seoul City Hall.

Police said Thursday they plan to implement comprehensive suicide prevention measures across the police force to tackle the high rate of suicide among officers.

The National Police Agency (NPA) unveiled the plan after reporting an annual average of 23 police officers taking their own lives between 2020 and 2024. The number came to 25 in 2025.

Police said Thursday they have booked an officer over allegations he closed a missing person case without confirming the safety of the person who went missing on the southern island of Jeju.

Jang Mi-ran, 37, was first reported missing by her family on May 15, two days after she left her home. The family has claimed the police officer who filed the report told them he had spoken with her by phone and confirmed her safety.