NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

The Foreign Ministry confirmed five South Korean sailors were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group in waters off the western African county of Benin. The South Koreans were among 30 crew members aboard the Ghanaian-flagged 990-ton fishing vessel Panofi Frontier. The abduction took place at 12:40 a.m. Thursday, Korean time, in waters some 110 kilometers south of the African nation.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it will disclose clinical and epidemiological data of 5,500 COVID-19 patients as part of efforts to devise quarantine measures in preparation for a possible second wave of the virus. The subjects are those who were hospitalized to receive medical treatment and discharged from quarantine as of April 30. But they will be kept anonymous to protect their personal information. Access to the data will be approved only through deliberations.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki says the government will devise measures to help funnel liquid capital into startup businesses or other productive investment destinations. Placing top priority on promoting productive capital investment in the private sector, the minister announced the plan at an emergency economic meeting he chaired today.