Yonhap News Summary

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

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■ N. Korea likely planted 960,000 land mines along inter-Korean border since 2024: lawmakers

SEOUL -- North Korea has planted an estimated 960,000 land mines along the inter-Korean border since 2024, according to multiple lawmakers Friday, a move seen as part of its border fortification work after Pyongyang declared a "two hostile states" policy toward Seoul.

The South Korean military has reported the estimate to the National Assembly, lawmakers affiliated with the parliamentary intelligence and defense committees told Yonhap News Agency.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261023002100315?section=national/defense

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■ (LEAD) SK hynix halts review of Solidigm U.S. IPO

SEOUL -- SK hynix Inc. said Friday it has decided to suspend plans for the listing of its U.S. subsidiary Solidigm, citing market conditions.

Reports have circulated that Solidigm was considering an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States as early as next year, potentially valuing the subsidiary at up to US$150 billion.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261023000951320?section=economy-finance/finance

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■ Trump-Kim summit unlikely in near future amid N. Korean demands: U.S. experts

WASHINGTON -- The prospects of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the near future remain slim, U.S. experts said, citing Pyongyang's demands for a shift in Washington's policy toward the North, including its approach to denuclearization.

Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, and Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, offered their assessments during a podcast discussion hosted by Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), published Thursday.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261023000300315?section=national/diplomacy

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■ Lee's approval rating hits 40 pct for 1st time since early Sept.: poll

SEOUL -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose to 40 percent for the first time since early September, a poll showed Friday.

The survey, conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,001 people aged 18 and older, showed that positive assessments of Lee's performance increased 1 percentage point from the previous week.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261023003200315?section=national/politics

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■ Seoul stocks trade sharply lower Fri. morning on profit-taking

SEOUL -- South Korean stocks traded sharply lower late Friday morning as investors offloaded major chip shares to take profits following overnight losses in U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor stocks.

After opening 2.36 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 135.29 points, or 2.44 percent, to 5,398.48 as of 11:20 a.m.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261023003900320?section=economy-finance/economy
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