NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

The Ministry of National Defense says the two Koreas had successful phone calls via recently restored communication channels in the East Sea and the West Sea. In particular, the two sides exchanged information about Chinese fishing boats’ illegal operations during the phone contact over the West Sea. The ministry said Tuesday that the inter-Korean military communication line in the West Sea was re-connected, 13 months after it was severed. But the restoration of the communication line in the East Sea was delayed due to technical problems. With both the communications channels working normally, South and North Korea will have phone contacts twice a day on a trial basis.
Samsung Electronics announced it earned 63.67 trillion won in sales and 12.5 trillion won in operating profit in the second quarter of this year. The figures are up over 20 percent and 54 percent, respectively, year on year. Its net profit jumped a whopping 73.4 percent. The tech giant explained the better-than-expected business performance is thanks to a recovery in the chip market and bullish sales of smartphones and home appliances.