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≡ S. Korea Confirms 2nd Case Of African Swine Fever
[Anchor]
South Korea has reported its second confirmed case of African swine fever, raising concerns over the spread of the deadly disease across the country.
The government is on alert and taking all measures to prevent it from becoming an epidemic.
Claudia Kim has this report.
[Reporter]
The new case was confirmed today at a pig farm in Yeoncheon County, near the heavily fortified border with North Korea.
This comes a day after South Korea's first case of African swine fever was reported at a farm some 48 kilometers away in Paju.
Quarantine authorities said they will cull some 4,700 pigs at the affected farm and others in the area.
In Paju, over 4,000 pigs have already been slaughtered.
The agriculture ministry says the two cases may not be related, however, they are still looking into the exact route of the disease.
All-out efforts are being made to prevent ASF from spreading, including establishing quarantine checkpoints on roads near infected farms.
There are some 6,300 pig farms across the country.
While not harmful to humans, ASF is fatal and highly infectious to pigs with no vaccine or cure available.
The government has assured that local supplies of pork will not be affected as the number of pigs raised nationwide exceeds the yearly average.
Retail pork prices, however, jumped more than 30 percent Tuesday, reflecting market fears.
Claudia Kim, eFM News.■[2019.09.18]
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≡ S. Korea Scales Downs Inter-Korean Summit Anniversary Event
South Korea will hold a scaled-down event this week to mark the first anniversary of the 2018 inter-Korean summit as it deals with its first outbreak of African swine fever.
According to the unification ministry, a celebratory event will be held in central Seoul on Thursday to "remember the meaning and achievements of the Pyongyang Declaration."
North Korea has not been invited to the event, apparently reflecting the recently chilled relations between the countries.
The government earlier said it would hold the event at Dorasan Station in Paju, just south of the inter-Korean border, to mark the third summit held between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.■
[2019.09.18]
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≡ Seoul Drops Tokyo From List Of Trusted Trade Partners
South Korea has officially removed Japan from its list of trusted trade partners.
Under a new classification scheme that takes effect today, Seoul's trade ministry has regrouped its trading partners into three from the previous two, placing Tokyo in the in-between group.
Local companies shipping strategic goods to Japan will now have to submit five documents to win individual export approval.
According to the ministry, this process will take around 15 days, longer than the previous five.
Seoul has said that all trusted partners "operating an export control system that violates international norms" and "having difficulties in seeking an international cooperation" will no longer be given favors, although Japan will be the only country in the in-between bracket.■
[2019.09.18]
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≡ N. Korean Fishing Crew Attacks Russian Maritime Guards In East Sea
Crew members of a North Korean vessel have reportedly injured three Russian maritime border guards in a clash in the East Sea.
Tass news agency on Tuesday cited the Russian Federal Security Service as saying the North Korean ship "carried out an armed attack" against the members of a monitoring group on a border guard ship.
According to the report, two North Korean vessels and 11 motorboats were caught poaching in Russia's exclusive economic zone and more than 80 North Korean citizens were detained.
Russia's Foreign Ministry is said to have summoned North Korea's top diplomat and expressed "serious concern" over the incident.
Disputes over fishing rights in the East Sea are not uncommon as it's surrounded by South and North Korea, Japan and Russia.■[2019.09.18]
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≡ Seoul Stocks In Midday Trade
Turning to the local bourse, stocks in Seoul are trading _______ at this hour.
As of noon, the benchmark KOPSI was up/down/flat _____ percent at _______ while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ was up/down/flat _____ percent at _______.
The Korean currency was trading at _______ won against the greenback, up/down/unchanged _____ won from the previous close.■1,191[2019.09.18]
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≡ King Sejong Institute To Open First Learning Center In S. Korea
The first King Sejong Institute Center in Seoul will open next month amid rising demand for Korean language and culture education from foreigners living in South Korea.
The Yongsan Sejong Institute in central Seoul is set to start a three-month test run from October 14th in cooperation with the Yongsan District Office.
According to the King Sejong Institute Foundation, the new center is designed to give opportunities to a growing number of foreign residents who want to learn Korean.
Government data shows about 2.4 million foreigners resided in the country as of the end of 2018.
Currently, there are about 180 King Sejong Institutes in 60 countries around the world.■[2019.09.18]
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≡ Weather Update 1200
Taking a look at the weather, most of the nation is under clear, sunny skies at this hour.
Expect good air quality while temperatures peak in the mid to high 20s in most parts, slightly cooler than yesterday.
The local mercury will get up to around 26 degrees.
Be aware of the big temperature gap from day to night.
As for the current reading in central Seoul, it is _____ degrees Celsius or _____ degrees Fahrenheit.■[2019.09.18]