Quick Look
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will attend ASEAN and APEC summits in the Philippines and China next week while North Korea is unlikely to attend APEC or hold talks with the U.S., according to officials.
- Seoul shares rose amid Nvidia controversies, and a poll showed Lee's disapproval rating surpassing his approval rating.
- The government and ruling party agreed to tighten rules for reappointment of CEOs at financial holding firms.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
This is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday, covering North Korea's unlikely attendance at APEC or talks with the U.S., President Lee Jae Myung's planned attendance at ASEAN and APEC summits, Seoul shares performance, a presidential approval poll, and government-ruling party agreement on financial holding firm CEO reappointment rules.
SEOUL -- North Korea is unlikely to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit set to be held in China next week, a South Korean presidential official said Thursday.
"It would be difficult to say there is zero possibility of talks (between North Korea and the United States), but I think the probability might not be high," the official said when asked about the possibility of North Korea attending multilateral diplomatic events or holding talks with Washington.
SEOUL -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will attend summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) next week, his national security adviser said Thursday.
The South Korean president will depart Monday first for Manila where he will attend the ASEAN summit until Tuesday, followed by a two-day trip to China's Shenzhen beginning Wednesday, where he will attend the APEC summit, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told a briefing.
SEOUL -- South Korean stocks traded fairly higher late Thursday morning on strong gains in tech shares amid escalating controversies over Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 61.41 points, or 1.14 percent, to 5,436.77 as of 11:20 a.m.
SEOUL -- President Lee Jae Myung's disapproval rating rose to 47 percent this week, surpassing his approval rating, a survey showed Thursday.
In a survey of 1,001 adults nationwide conducted Monday through Wednesday, positive assessments of Lee's job performance fell 2 percentage points to 44 percent from two weeks earlier, according to the National Barometer Survey (NBS).
SEOUL -- The government and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday agreed to push for stricter requirements for the reappointment of chief executives of holding companies in the banking sector.
The plan was announced during a meeting between government officials and DP lawmakers at the National Assembly to discuss ways to improve corporate governance.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
President Lee Jae Myung will attend the ASEAN summit in Manila and the APEC summit in Shenzhen next week as announced
Very likely · Within days
North Korea will not attend the APEC summit in China next week
Likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What specific stricter requirements were proposed for reappointment of CEOs at financial holding firms?
- What are the specific Nvidia controversies affecting tech shares?
- When exactly will the ASEAN and APEC summits take place next week?
