News links for September 29, 2009

1. Despite objection from opposition parties, National Assembly approves Chung Unchan as Prime Minister (Korea Times)
2. North Korea's conciliatory gestures to top agenda at October 10 summit of Japan, South Korea, and China (MSNBC)
3. Chinese premier Wen Jiabao to visit North Korean from October 4 to 6 (Bloomberg)
4. Proposed national budget for 2010 includes 2.5 percent increase to bolster economic growth and provide stability for "ordinary people" (Yonhap)
5. Foreign students in South Korea top 50,000, accounting for 1.41 percent of total (Korea Times)
6. EU automakers seek to scuttle EU Commissioner plans for trade deal with South Korea by next month (Wall Street Journal)
7. SK Telecom sells China Unicom stake for US$1.28 billion (Wall Street Journal)
8. Sharp drop in imports leading to record high trade surplus this year (Korea Herald)
9. North Korea removes "communism" from national constitution, adds "cuckoo for Coco Puffs" (Yonhap)