Yonhap News Summary

Yonhap News Summary

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

■ (4th LD) Lee says Japan an important partner in overcoming global rainstorm together

SEOUL -- President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that Japan is an important partner with which Seoul should cooperate closely in order to overcome the rainstorm on the global stage.

Lee made the comment at the start of his bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a hotel in his hometown of Andong, about 190 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where the two leaders discussed bilateral and regional cooperation.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260519006754315

President Lee Jae Myung (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shake hands before their summit meeting at a hotel in Andong, about 190 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on May 19, 2026, ahead of their summit. (Yonhap)

■ Seoul shares dip 3.25 pct on tech slide; won drops

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks closed lower Tuesday as a foreign-selling spree of major techs continued, tracking an overnight tech slump on Wall Street. The local currency weakened against the U.S. dollar.

After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 244.38 points, or 3.25 percent, to close at 7,271.66.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260519008200320

■ (LEAD) Ex-defense minister sentenced to 3-yr prison term for obstruction of justice

SEOUL -- Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was sentenced to a three-year prison term Tuesday for deceiving the Presidential Security Service into issuing a secure phone for use following former President Yoon Suk Yeol's imposition of martial law.

The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence after convicting Kim of obstruction of official duties by deception for obtaining the phone on Dec. 2, 2024, a day before Yoon's martial law declaration, and handing it to Noh Sang-won, a civilian and a former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260519007851315

■ (2nd LD) Samsung, union hold final mediation amid looming possibility of last-minute deal

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. and its largest labor union resumed government-led wage mediation Tuesday, with the looming possibility of reaching a last-minute deal to avert a strike at the world's largest memory chipmaker.

The two-day negotiations resumed days after the first round of mediation ended without a deal, as the two sides remained divided over performance-based bonuses ahead of an 18-day strike set to begin Thursday.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260519002752320

■ Unification ministry defends white paper against criticism over 'two-state' language

SEOUL -- The unification ministry on Tuesday pushed back against criticism that its newly published white paper violates the Constitution, clarifying the controversial "two-state" language does not reflect official government policy.

"It does not at all mean recognizing North Korea as a legal state," a ministry official told reporters. "It is meant to pursue policy based on acknowledging North Korea's political entity and statehood."

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260519008000315

(END)