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

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(LEAD) S. Korea’s exports down for 7th month in April on falling chip demand

SEOUL — South Korea’s exports fell for the seventh consecutive month in April due mainly to sagging global demand for semiconductors amid an economic slowdown, the industry ministry said Monday.

Outbound shipments fell 14.2 percent on-year to US$49.6 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

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Son Heung-min extends double-digit scoring streak to 7 seasons in loss

SEOUL — Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has reached double figures in Premier League goals for his seventh consecutive season, though the milestone goal came in a losing cause.

Son scored his 10th goal of the 2022-2023 season in the 77th minute of Tottenham’s 4-3 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on Sunday (local time).

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N. Korea slams allies’ deterrence plan as ‘legal justification’ for strategic asset dispatch

SEOUL — North Korea denounced the latest summit agreement between South Korea and the United States on Monday for providing “legal justification” to the regular deployment of a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine and other strategic assets against Pyongyang.

In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency, Choe Ju-hyon, an analyst on international security affairs, slammed Seoul and Washington for justifying the “paradox” that the planned deployment of a U.S. strategic nuclear submarine does not breach the 1991 inter-Korean denuclearization declaration and has no legal problem.

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Labor groups to hold various Labor Day rallies in Seoul

SEOUL — Various labor groups, including the nation’s two major umbrella unions, are set to hold large-scale rallies throughout downtown Seoul on Monday to commemorate Labor Day.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the more militant of the two major umbrella unions, plans to organize a rally, named “world Labor Day convention” in the central district of Jongno at 2 p.m. and declare its plan to stage a general strike in July.

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Yoon to commend members of Sudan evacuation operation

SEOUL — President Yoon Suk Yeol will invite members of a military operation to airlift 28 South Koreans out of war-torn Sudan to the presidential office on Monday to commend their successful completion of the mission, according to his office.

The participants in the Operation Promise will be invited to the presidential office in the afternoon, the presidential office said in a release. It is Yoon’s first official schedule since returning from his six-day state visit to the United States.

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‘Suzume’ becomes 3rd most-viewed animated film of all time in S. Korea

SEOUL — “Suzume” has become the third most-viewed animated film ever released in South Korea, the film’s importer said Monday.

Japanese director Makoto Shinkai’s latest animation gathered 5.118 million admissions as of Sunday, surpassing the cumulative audience of “Kung Fu Panda 2” at 5,064,000, Media Castle said.

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BOK chief to attend ASEAN finance chiefs and central bankers meeting

SEOUL — South Korea’s central bank chief will attend a series of meetings of ASEAN finance ministers and central bank governors in South Korea this week to discuss a variety of issues, including current economic and financial market conditions, the central bank said Monday.

Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Rhee Chang-yong will take part in the 23rd Trilateral Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting to be held in Songdo, 36 kilometers west of Seoul, on Tuesday where he and other top financial officials will discuss regional financial cooperation and current economic situations.

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Yoon’s approval rating rebounds after 4 weeks: poll

SEOUL — President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating has rebounded for the first time in four weeks, thanks to positive feedback on his recent state visit to the United States, a poll showed Monday.

In the poll of 2,507 adults aged 18 or older conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday of last week, the positive assessment of Yoon’s performance went up 1.8 percentage points from the previous week to 34.5 percent.

Source: Yonhap News Agency