Yonhap News Summary

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

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■ Special counsel to inspect 2.5 mln ballots in local elections shortage probe

SEOUL -- A special counsel team said Monday it plans to examine about 2.5 million ballots at a vote counting center this week as part of its probe into ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections.

Special counsel Lee Tae-han's team will carry out the examination Wednesday at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium, which served as a vote counting center during the local elections marred by the shortages.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261026002300315

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■ People with migrant background take up 5.4 pct of S. Korean population in 2025

SEOUL -- The ratio of people with migrant backgrounds living in South Korea increased in 2025 from a year earlier to 5.4 percent, data showed Monday, with those in their 20s leading the overall gains.

The total migrant population came to 2.81 million in 2025, up from 2.71 million a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. South Korea's total population stood at 51.82 million.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261026003700320

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■ Unification ministry hopes Kim's Dandong trip revives dialogue

SEOUL -- The unification ministry said Monday it hopes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's one-day trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong last week will lead to the resumption of dialogue with neighboring nations.

Kim made a surprise visit to Dandong on Saturday, where he met with Wang Huning, China's fourth-highest-ranking official, as North Korea and China are seeking to deepen their traditional ties.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261026004400315

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■ Drug suspect repatriated from Ghana after 22 yrs on the run

SEOUL -- A man in his 80s, suspected of transporting more than 5 tons of narcotics aboard a fishing vessel in waters off South America in the early 2000s, has been repatriated to South Korea after spending 22 years on the run, police said Monday.

The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said the man, whose identity was withheld, was brought back home on Oct. 20 in coordination with the Busan Coast Guard after being deported by authorities in Ghana, where he had been hiding for about 22 years.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261026003600315

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■ N. Korea sends letter to UNSC calling DMZ mine blast S. Korean fabrication

SEOUL -- North Korea has sent a letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) calling last month's land mine blast near the border an incident "fabricated" by South Korea, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday.

The North's move came less than a week after South Korea sent to the council its own letter calling on North Korea to apologize for the Sept. 21 mine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers and take responsibility for its violation of the Armistice Agreement.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261026000900315
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