Seoul, Apr. 14 : The South Korean government has for first time officially admitted that the rocket fired by the DPRK (Democratic People''s Republic of Korea) last week followed the trajectory of a satellite.

South Korea''s Yonhap News Agency and China's official Xinhua news agency quoted South Korean Defence Minister Lee Sang-hee as saying: "The rocket launched by the North followed the trajectory of a satellite and later separated in its final two stages before crashing into the Pacific Ocean."

Seoul - South Korea on Tuesday welcomed a statement by the United Nations Security Council condemning North Korea's rocket launch earlier this month. "North Korea will have to clearly recognize that the international community issued a stern and unified stance through the Security Council's presidential statement and refrain from provocative acts undermining the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and North-East Asia," Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.

Seoul  - Shares jumped Thursday on the Seoul stock exchange on the central bank's decision to freeze its key interest rate for the second straight month and expectations for better corporate earnings ahead. South Korea's won rose against the dollar.

The benchmark Kospi index soared 54.28 points, or 4.3 per cent, to close at 1,316.35.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners 780 to 109.

The main index of the technology-heavy Kosdaq market gained 20.62 points, or 4.47 per cetn, to close at 481.45.

Seoul - Ailing South Korean carmaker SsangYong Motor plans to cut 2,650 jobs, about one-third of its workforce, the company said Wednesday.

The cash-strapped SUV maker, which is under creditor protection, also announced wage cuts and sales of property and other company assets. China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) holds a 51-per-cent state in the South Korean company.

The lay-offs are part of a package of survival measures which the smallest of South Korea's five carmakers had to come up with to prevent the company's dissolution.

Seoul  - Shares fell almost 3

Seoul, Apr. 4 : Weather conditions on Saturday have reportedly prevented North Korea from going ahead with the launch of its missile on Saturday.

"We thought the launch was likely today, but weather conditions at the (North Korea) rocket base may not have been favourable," South Korea''s Yonhap news agency quoted a presidential Blue House official as saying.