PRESS DIGEST - South Korean newspapers - Nov 23

SEOUL, Nov 23 (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.

DONGA ILBO

A North Korean source said Rhee Jong-Hyuk, vice chairman of North Korea's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, informed the chairwoman of Hyundai Group, who visited the North's Mt. Kumgang on Nov 18, that talks with the South were possible on reopening Mt. Kumkang and Kaesong to tourism, as well as on-site investigations by South Korean officials into last year's shooting of a tourist from the South at Mt. Kumgang. The South's unification ministry said it had no knowledge of the comments.

THE KOREA TIMES

The Ministry of Public Affairs and Security said Sunday it would shut down 59 regional offices of the government employees' union, which have refused to close since ignoring government orders to dismiss fired workers from the union in September.

MAEIL BUSINESS NEWSPAPER

According to POSCO Co Ltd (005490.KS) and the Gangwon provincial government, the steel company will sign an MOU with the economy ministry and the province this month to build the nation's first magnesium plant there. The project will be worth an estimated 200 billion won ($172.7 million).

The Financial Supervisory Service and the Korea Stock Exchange said Sunday that cash reserve ratios at the top 10 companies in South Korea had reached 1013.88 percent, topping 1000 percent for the first time.

KOREA ECONOMIC DAILY