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≡ S. Korea, Nepal To Send More Rescue Workers To Accident Scene At Annapurna
[Anchor]
Heavy snowfall is hampering search and rescue operations to locate four South Korean school teachers who have gone missing after an avalanche hit their trekking course in the Himalayas last week.
Over 30 additional workers and officials from Nepal and South Korea are expected to join the rescue efforts at the scene.
Our Sehhyeong Kim reports.
[Reporter]
The Korean Embassy in Nepal says six to 10 officials were additionally dispatched to the accident site Sunday morning, while local authorities have decided to send another rescue team of nearly 30 personnel who will continue the rescue operation.
According to an official from Nepal's tourism ministry, they have sent a rescue squad to the scene of the avalanche, but were unable to land a chopper due to harsh weather conditions.
South Korean officials said two more government workers were set to leave for Nepal today to join the emergency response team at the scene.
They explained Seoul's foreign ministry will continue to provide consular assistance for a swift operation in coordination with the Nepalese government and other related agencies.
President Moon Jae-in in a Facebook post today called for all-out efforts to locate the missing, assuring a "close cooperation with the Nepal government until the end of the operation."
Sehhyeong Kim, eFM News.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
[2020.01.19]
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≡ Lotte Group Founder Shin Kyuk-Ho Dies At Age 99
Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho has passed away at the age of 99.
The group said in a statement that he died at 4:30 p.m. at Asan Medical Center in Seoul.
He was the last of the first-generation founders of South Korea's top five conglomerates that include Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK.
Shin was a self-made business leader who started with a small chewing gum business in the late 1940s in Japan which later became South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate.
His image, however, was in part tarnished by the family feud over control and charges of embezzlement and breach of trust that sentenced him to four years in prison.
He was allowed to remain free on health issues and since suffered from various diseases of old age, including dementia.
Shin's assets are estimated at well over 1 trillion won.
It was not immediately known how Shin's assets will be inherited by his family.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>[2020.01.19]
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≡ N. Korea To Have Appointed New Foreign Minister: Yonhap
North Korea is known to have appointed Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country as its new foreign minister.
Yonhap News reported today citing informed sources that the North has notified foreign ambassadors based in Pyongyang of its recent appointment late last week.
The appointment, if confirmed, puts Ri in place of Ri Yong-ho.
The incoming foreign minister has often represented his country in inter-Korean talks since 2006.
Analysts say Ri's appointment suggests any changes are likely to be made in the near future regarding the North's policy on denuclearization talks with the United States.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
[2020.01.19]
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≡ Ultrafine Dust Advisories Issued In N. Chungcheong Province
Ultrafine dust advisories have been issued in five districts in North Chungcheong Province as of 5 p.m. as high levels of fine dust continue to affect air quality nationwide.
Preventative fine dust reduction measures are also in place in the capital region.
Officials advise children, the elderly and those with respiratory illnesses to avoid outdoor activities.
Authorities have also urged the use of protective masks when outdoors.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
[2020.01.19]