NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

Kim Yong-chol who heads a North Korean organization called the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, has positively assessed U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's remarks, about being open to altering military activity in South Korea if it helps to denuclearize North Korea. Kim said he believes they reflect President Donald Trump's intent to revive momentum for North Korea-U.S. dialogue.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the number of suspected flu patients was about seven out of 1,000 outpatients in the first week of November, exceeding the limit on an influenza epidemic. The agency has advised senior citizens to get flu vaccinations.
According to a survey on one thousand Seoul citizens conducted by the city government, one out of five households in Seoul, about 20%, own a pet. The percentage has increased by 1.2 percent in the past 4 years.
In a bid to reduce side effects of online activities such as concerning peer pressure, starting Friday, the number of views and likes photos and videos received on randomly selected Instagram accounts in Korea will not be shown to the public. Only the account owner can check the numbers.