PRIME TIME NEWS 22:00
Korean health officials lay out some cautious optimism,... saying the deadly MERS outbreak appears to have leveled off, with just one new patient reported today.
And Korea′s new prime minister apologized for the government′s insufficient initial response to the MERS outbreak... during an interpellation session at the National Assembly his first attendance as the premier.
Elliott Associates′s clash with Samsung Group over the proposed merger of two units goes to court,... which says... it will rule by July 1st.
Stay tuned... for these stories more.

Hello... and welcome to Prime Time News... on this Friday June 19th.
I′m Hwang Ji-hye.
And I′m Daniel Choy.
Thanks for tuning in.
Title: Korean health authorities believe MERS spread on decline
We begin with some news that may ease some public fear.
While we did have one additional confirmed MERS case overnight,... hundreds were released from quarantine.
For more, we connect with our Kim Min-ji at the news center.
Min-ji, fill us in.
Good evening, guys.
Like you said, only one new case was confirmed today and that brings the number of MERS cases to 166.
The new patient contracted the virus after caring for a family member at Samsung Medical Center.
It marks the lowest daily increase in the number of patients since the outbreak was first confirmed in the country on May 20.
One death was also confirmed overnight,... raising the death toll to 24.
The deceased was a 75-year-old patient who was undergoing treatment at a hospital.
The fatality rate is currently at 14-point-5 percent.
As of Friday, the number of those quarantined stands at 5-thousand-930,... with nearly 800 people released from quarantine overnight,... which is down about 12 percent from the previous day.
Also, 30 people previously diagnosed with MERS have been discharged from hospitals after fully recovering.
That′s good news.
So the government is now assessing that there will be a decline in cases from this point on?
Yes, that′s right.
With the daily number of new cases dropping to the single digits this week and only one reported today,... the government says it′s an indication that the outbreak may be on the wane.

"Our judgement is that the MERS outbreak will start to let up. But we will have to wait and see whether there will be additional spreading from hospitals currently under intensive monitoring."
Now this weekend will be crucial in curbing the further spread of the virus.
Health authorities will closely monitor four hospitals deemed as potential risk zones.
It includes, Samsung Medical Center where the majority of new cases continue to come from.... as well as Asan Chungmu Hospital where some are expecting a rush of new cases after a nurse at the hospital tested positive, and some ten other medical staff began displaying symptoms.
Also on the list is Kyung-hee hospital at Gangdong which has stopped taking new patients after a MERS patient entered a dialysi

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