Yonhap News SummaryThe following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday . ----------------( 4 th LD ) N . K . refuses to answer calls from S . Korea at noon after vowing to sever all phone lines SEOUL -- North Korea did not answer daily phone calls from South Korea via liaison and military hotlines on Tuesday after vowing to cut off all inter - Korean communication lines in anger over anti - Pyongyang leaflets sent from the South . The decision to sever all phone lines at noon Tuesday was the latest in a series of angry protests the communist nation has made since last week while blasting Seoul for failing to stop North Korean defectors from sending propaganda leaflets criticizing Pyongyang ' s leadership . ----------------( LEAD ) S . Korea ' closely communicating ' with U . S . about N . K . decision to sever all inter - Korean phone lines SEOUL -- South Korea is closely consulting with the United States about North Korea ' s decision to sever all communication channels with the South , the foreign ministry said Tuesday . " Yes , we are closely communicating with the U . S . side at all times . I believe such communication is one of the foreign ministry ' s major roles , " ministry spokesperson Kim In - chul said when asked if Seoul discussed the current situation with Washington and Beijing . ---------------- Cheong Wa Dae plays it low - key over N . Korea ' s threat of cutting all lines of communication SEOUL -- The office of President Moon Jae - in refused Tuesday to issue its own statement on North Korea ' s officially stated threat to sever all inter - Korean communication channels and regard South Korea as an enemy . " The government has already expressed its position ( on the matter ) via the Ministry of Unification , " a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters . ----------------( 3 rd LD ) S . Korea faces growing risk of virus spike in greater Seoul , cluster infections in focus SEOUL -- South Korea is teetering on the brink of losing momentum in its virus fight , as cluster infections in the Seoul metropolitan area could fuel further community spread amid eased social distancing , health authorities warned Tuesday . The country added 38 new cases , including 35 local infections , raising the total caseload to 11 , 852 , according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( KCDC ) . It marked daily new cases of below 40 for the second straight day , and a decrease from 57 cases a day earlier and 51 on Saturday . ----------------( 3 rd LD ) Court rejects arrest warrant for Samsung heir Lee in succession probe SEOUL -- A court in Seoul early Tuesday refused to issue an arrest warrant for Samsung Group ' s de facto leader , Lee Jae - yong , who is under investigation over succession - related allegations . The Seoul Central District Court turned down the prosecution ' s request to put Lee , vice chairman of Samsung Electronics , behind bars , citing that there is not sufficient probable cause for his arrest . ----------------( LEAD ) S . Korean kidnapped by pirates off Gabon released : foreign ministry SEOUL -- A South Korean national kidnapped off the coast of Gabon last month has been released unharmed , Seoul ' s foreign ministry said Tuesday . The man in his 50 s was among six crew members abducted after unidentified pirates attacked their fishing boats near the Gabonese capital of Libreville in West Africa in early May . ---------------- Heat wave advisory issued for Seoul SEOUL -- The season ' s first heat wave advisory was issued in Seoul on Tuesday , according to the Korea Meteorological Administration ( KMA ) , as the nation continues to grapple with scorching temperatures . The KMA said the heat wave advisory was put into effect at 11 a . m . in eastern Seoul , marking the first heat wave advisory for the capital this year . ----------------( LEAD ) HDC wants to renegotiate Asiana acquisition due to increased debt SEOUL -- HDC Hyundai Development Co . , a major construction company here , on Tuesday called for a renegotiation with the creditors of Asiana Airlines Inc . over its planned acquisition of the country ' s No . 2 airline due to a sharp rise in debts and the growing impact of the new coronavirus on the airline industry . In December , HDC Hyundai Development formed a consortium with major financial group Mirae Asset Daewoo to sign a deal to acquire a 30 . 77 percent stake in Asiana from Kumho Asiana Group , as well as new shares to be issued and Asiana ' s six affiliates , for 2 . 5 trillion won ( US $ 2 . 2 billion ) . ----------------( LEAD ) Seoul stocks extend rally to 8 th session , won sharply up SEOUL -- South Korean stocks closed higher Tuesday , extending a winning streak to an eighth consecutive session on hopes for economic recovery and ahead of the Fed meeting this week . The Korean won sharply rose against the U . S . dollar . The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index ( KOSPI ) rose 4 . 63 points , or 0 . 21 percent , to close at 2 , 188 . 92 . Trading volume was high at about 805 . 3 million shares worth some 14 . 5 trillion won ( US $ 12 . 1 billion ) , with losers outnumbering gainers 473 to 366 . ( END )