Yonhap News Summary

The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday.

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■ Choi Bool-am, beloved S. Korean actor for nearly 7 decades, dies at 87

SEOUL -- South Korean actor Choi Bool-am, widely known as the nation's father figure for his portrayals of paternal characters in popular television dramas, has died, his family said Friday. He was 87.

Choi, whose real name was Choi Young-han, died at around 10 p.m. Thursday while receiving treatment at a hospital in western Seoul, according to his family.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261030000252315?section=culture/entertainment

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■ Hegseth calls talk of shaky S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'fake news:' Seoul's defense minister

SEOUL -- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brushed off concerns over a perceived growing rift in the South Korea-U.S. alliance as "fake news," Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Friday after a bilateral meeting with his U.S. counterpart earlier this week.

Kang said the secretary made the comment when the minister brought up South Korean media reports citing alliance friction over key bilateral issues, including an apparent gap in advancing the wartime operational control (OPCON) transition from Washington to Seoul.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261030003200315?section=national/defense

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■ (LEAD) Sept. industrial output growth hits 15-yr high on chips; retail sales, investment also up

SEOUL -- South Korea's industrial output expanded in September from a month earlier at the fastest pace in more than 15 years, led by chips, data showed Friday, with retail sales and facility investment also gaining ground.

Industrial production rose 3 percent on-month in September, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the sharpest gain since the 3.4 percent increase posted in March 2011.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261030001351320?section=economy-finance/economy

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■ Lee's approval rating falls back to 39 pct: poll

SEOUL -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has slipped to below 40 percent following a brief rebound last week, a poll showed Friday.

The survey, conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,000 people aged 18 and older, showed that positive assessments of Lee's performance fell 1 percentage point from a week earlier to 39 percent.

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■ U.S. bill seeks to ease transfer of American munitions to Ukraine via S. Korea, allies

WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has introduced legislation that would streamline the transfer of certain U.S.-origin munitions to Ukraine through South Korea and other American allies, congressional records showed Thursday.

The House bill, introduced Monday by Rep. William Keating (D-MA) and five other lawmakers, would amend the Arms Export Control Act to establish a preapproval mechanism for third-party transfers of specified defense articles originally sold by the United States.

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■ Seoul stocks down over 5 pct late Fri. morning on tech losses amid AI concerns

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks sank more than 5 percent late Friday morning, led by heavy losses in technology shares amid renewed concerns over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

After opening 2.99 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) extended its losses, falling 311.84 points, or 5.25 percent, to 5,626.02 as of 11:20 a.m.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261030005600320?section=economy-finance/economy
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