Yonhap News Summary

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

■ (2nd LD) N. Korea, China vow new era of ties in Kim-Xi summit: KCNA

SEOUL -- North Korea and China reaffirmed their commitment to supporting each other's interests and pledged to usher in a new era in bilateral relations, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held summit talks the previous day, agreeing to put the two nations' friendly relations "on a more solid basis" and expand cooperation in politics, economy, culture and other fields.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on June 9, 2026, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping posing for a photo as they held summit talks in Pyongyang the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

SEOUL -- President Lee Jae Myung departed for Europe on Tuesday on a 10-day trip that will include his attendance at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France and talks with the leaders of Belgium and Italy.

Accompanied by first lady Kim Hea Kyung, Lee's trip will last from Tuesday through June 18 and include visits to Belgium, Italy and the Vatican, where he is scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV.

■ (2nd LD) S. Korea's economy expands 1.8 pct in Q1, faster than earlier estimate: BOK

SEOUL -- The South Korean economy grew at the fastest pace in more than five years in the first quarter, supported by strong exports and solid domestic demand, central bank data showed Tuesday.

The real gross domestic product (GDP) rose 1.8 percent in the January-March period from the previous quarter, 0.1 percentage point higher than the earlier estimate, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

SEOUL -- Protesters continued to rally outside a vote-counting facility in Seoul for the fifth day Tuesday, demanding a re-run of last week's local elections over ballot shortages at some polling stations.

As of 10 a.m., some 200 protesters surrounded SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Songpa Ward, according to an unofficial police estimate. The number was sharply down from about 2,000 on Monday afternoon.

■ Nvidia chief Huang wraps up visit to S. Korea focused on AI partnerships

SEOUL -- Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang wrapped up his five-day visit to South Korea on Tuesday, focused on expanding partnerships with major Korean technology companies across a broad range of the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem.

Huang depar