Yonhap News Summary

SEOUL -- South Korea plans to expand its anti-piracy mission off Somalia to waters near the Strait of Hormuz with additional military assets, including a maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team, to be deployed, officials said Thursday, signaling the country's first contribution to the conflict-stricken region.

The move follows months of deliberation over its role in international efforts to keep the strategic waterway open since the U.S.-Iran war erupted in February. Seoul has effectively turned down requests from its ally Washington for military support against Tehran.

WASHINGTON -- Democratic control of the U.S. Congress could make it harder for South Korea to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and limit President Donald Trump's ability to reach a deal with North Korea, even as he may seek another summit with leader Kim Jong-un, according to experts Wednesday.

The assessments came after the Democratic Party scored a landslide victory in Tuesday's midterm elections, with the party poised to take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, dealing a major political blow to Trump.

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks traded sharply lower late Thursday morning as investors were worried about the future of U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) policies after the midterm elections.

After opening 1.82 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) extended losses, dropping 185.77 points, or 3.27 percent, to 5,498.03 as of 11:20 a.m.

SEOUL -- South Korea posted an all-time high current account surplus of over US$60 billion in September on strong exports of semiconductors, central bank data showed Thursday.

The current account surplus totaled $61.46 billion in September, up from $46.11 billion the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

SEOUL -- More than 470,000 personal data records have been leaked from 37 companies across the financial sector over the past month, with the amount of funds stolen estimated at 1 billion won (US$745,000), the financial regulator said Thursday.

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) held a meeting with officials from financial trade associations and government agencies, including the Financial Supervisory Service and the Financial Security Institute, to review data protection systems and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in the financial sector.

SEOUL -- The knowledge and skills associated with the production of "hanji," or traditional Korean paper, are likely to be added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.

In a document released Wednesday (France time), UNESCO said its deliberative body has categorized "traditional knowledge and skills associated with the production of hanji, traditional Korean paper, and related cultural practices in the Republic of Korea" as recommended for inscription. The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.