NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

North Korean state media said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong-un held a meeting with top officials on Monday to discuss economic policies for the second half of the year, ahead of a plenary session of the ruling party's Central Committee. In the meeting, Kim reportedly reviewed issues related to state economic projects and listed key tasks for implementation. Without providing details, the report said Kim presented a blueprint to bring about substantive transition in the national economy and people's livelihood.
According to tentative Bank of Korea data, South Korea posted a current account surplus of 1.91 billion dollars in April, continuing a surplus streak for the 12th month since May last year. The goods balance logged a surplus of 4.5 billion in April, a sharp increase from just 700 million a year ago. The service account balance also turned black after running a deficit in the same month last year. The transport balance also saw a huge increase in surplus from 40 to 800 million dollars, with the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index or SCFI surging more than 230 percent on-year in April.
Footballer and former coach of K League's Incheon united Yoo Sang-chul has died at the age of 50. A key member of the national team in the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups passed away Monday after battling cancer. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in November 2019. His condition improved at one point but again deteriorated this year and had to be hospitalized. The star player was a face of Korean football during his professional career spanning 12 years. He retired in 2006 and has sine been coaching.