The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Monday.
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(2nd LD) S. Korea attempts to send message to North over aid; Pyongyang unresponsive: ministry
SEOUL — The South Korean government has attempted to send a formal message to North Korea through their liaison office for cooperation against the COVID-19 outbreak, with Pyongyang unresponsive, a related ministry said Monday.
The unification ministry said it had sought to deliver the fax message, signed by its chief Kwon Young-se, to the North’s head of the United Front Department, Kim Yong-chol, at 11 a.m. the same day. But the North has not yet clarified its intention on whether to “accept” the notification, it added.
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N.K. nuke test possible in ‘short period’: S. Korean military official
SEOUL — The South Korean military is not ruling out the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test in a “short period of time,” an official here said Monday.
The defense official’s remarks came amid concerns the North could conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test around the time when South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, meet in Seoul for a summit set for Saturday, or afterward.
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(LEAD) Seoul shares end lower amid fears over rate hike
SEOUL — Seoul shares finished lower Monday amid investors’ jitters over possibly aggressive rate hikes in major economies. The South Korean won slightly rose against the U.S. dollar.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 7.66 points, or 0.29 percent, to close at 2,596.58.
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New land minister vows supply of over 2.5 mln new homes to stabilize housing market
SEOUL — New South Korean Land Minister Won Hee-ryong vowed Monday to announce soon a detailed road map for providing more than 2.5 million new homes with a focus on increasing supplies in metropolitan areas to stabilize the housing market.
“Over the past five years, housing…