Yonhap News Summary

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

■ (2nd LD) China's Xi to visit N. Korea next week for 1st time since 2019

SEOUL -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to North Korea next week, Pyongyang's state media said Friday, a rare trip that will likely highlight the countries' efforts to strengthen their ties.

Xi will visit Monday and Tuesday at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, without providing further details.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 4, 2025, in this file photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Kim visited the Chinese capital to attend a military parade marking the 80th anniversary the previous day of Japan's surrender and the end of World War II. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

■ (LEAD) S. Korea posts 2nd-largest current account surplus in April: BOK

SEOUL -- South Korea posted its second-largest monthly current account surplus in April, driven by strong exports of semiconductors, central bank data showed Friday.

The current account surplus totaled US$28.29 billion in April, down from an all-time high of $37.93 billion in March, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

Containers are stacked at a port in the city of Busan on June 1, 2026. (Yonhap)

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260605001351320?section=economy-finance/economy

■ (LEAD) U.S. open to dialogue with N. Korea, committed to complete denuclearization: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea "without preconditions," and committed to the "complete" denuclearization of the recalcitrant country, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday.

The spokesperson's remarks came after Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday (Seoul time) that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a newly launched nuclear material production facility earlier this week, vowing to "exponentially" strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260605000451315?section=national/diplomacy

■ (LEAD) Ex-U.S. diplomat says wartime OPCON transfer not end of S. Korea-U.S. alliance

WASHINGTON -- A former U.S. diplomat said Thursday the envisioned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea from the United States does not mean "the end" of the bilateral alliance, amid lingering concerns that