PRESS DIGEST - South Korean newspapers - Oct 5

SEOUL, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The following is a summary of major South Korean newspapers on Monday, prepared by Reuters in Seoul. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not guarantee their accuracy.

CHOSUN ILBO

The unification ministry said on Sunday the government had rejected North Korea's request to send back 11 North Koreans who defected to the South on October 1.

MAEIL BUSINESS NEWSPAPER

Dongwon Group said StarKist, the U.S. canned tuna maker it acquired a year ago, swung back to operating profit in the first half of this year and was planning to expand into the South American and European markets.

DONG-A ILBO

South Korea's National Intelligence Services and the maritime police seized four North Korean containers loaded onto a Panamanian cargo ship in mid-September to investigate if they were related to weapon sales, government sources said on Sunday.

THE KOREA TIMES

The annual parliamentary inspection of government ministries, agencies and state-run firms begins today and will run through Oct 24.

Trade between the two Koreas from January to August 2009 totaled $923 million, down 24 percent from a year ago, an opposition Democratic Party representative said on Saturday, citing a unification ministry report. ($1=1172.0 Won)