Yonhap News Summary

The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Monday -----------------■ Bessent says will visit Seoul ahead of Trump-Xi summit SEOUL -- U. S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to visit South Korea before heading to China for a U. S.-China summit, his social media post showed Monday. "I will depart on Monday for a quick series of meetings in both Japan and South Korea. ... On Wednesday, I will stop in Seoul for a discussion with Vice Premier He Lifeng of China, before continuing on to Beijing for the Leaders' Summit between President Trump and President Xi," he said on X, formerly Twitter. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260511000300315?section=national/diplomacy U. S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens as President Donald Trump speaks at a charter school in Florida, in this AP file photo from May 1, 2026. (Yonhap) -----------------■ FM Cho says further, closer examination needed into strike on S. Korean vessel in Hormuz SEOUL -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Monday a closer examination is needed regarding a recent strike on a South Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as the government has yet to determine who was responsible for the incident. The remarks came after the foreign ministry said Sunday that the strike by two "unidentified airborne objects" was found to have caused an explosion and fire aboard the Panama-flagged cargo ship HMM Namu, operated by the South Korean major shipping firm HMM Co., last week, announcing the results of an investigation conducted by a government team. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260511003200315?section=national/diplomacy Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R) speaks with Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung speak during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on May 6, 2026. (Yonhap) -----------------■ (LEAD) Exports up 43.7 pct during first 10 days of May on robust chip demand SEJONG -- South Korea's exports jumped 43.7 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of May, driven by strong overseas demand for semiconductors, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached US$18.4 billion in the May 1-10 period, compared with $12.8 billion tallied in the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260511002451320?section=economy-finance/economy -----------------■ Search enters 2nd day for missing boy in mountain park SEOUL -- Authorities were searching for a missing elementary school student for the second day Monday after he disappeared while visiting a mountain park with his family. The 11-year-old visited a Buddhist temple in Juwangsan National Park, about 280 kilometers southeast of Seoul, with his family Sunday afternoon and went missing after hiking alone to the park's main peak, according to police and rescue workers. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260511003000315?section=national/national -----------------■ KRX issues buy-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp rise SEOUL -- The Korea Exchange (KRX) on Monday activated a trading halt on the main bourse amid an extended bull run of big-cap semiconductor shares. A buy-side order in the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) futures was suspended for five minutes at around 9:29 a.m., according to the KRX. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260511002800320?section=economy-finance/economy(END)