PRESS DIGEST - South Korean newspapers - May 12

SEOUL May 12 (Reuters) - The following is a summary of major South Korean newspapers on Tuesday, prepared by Reuters in Seoul. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not guarantee their accuracy.

KOREA ECONOMIC DAILY

Dongbu HiTek (000990.KS) has agreed with Korea Development Bank (KDB) to conclude a deal to sell its unit Dongbu Metal to a fund established by KDB by the end of the month, according to financial industry sources.

A guide who led two American journalists to the China-North Korea border may have tipped off North Korean security authorities to their arrival, multiple Chinese and government sources have said. The pair are currently detained in North Korea.

THE HANKYOREH

South Korea and Japan will resume talks on a bilateral free trade deal this summer, a high-ranking South Korean trade official said, despite previous negotiations in 2003 and 2004 reaching an impasse.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has sent a letter to President Lee Myung-bak expressing concerns about the administration allegedly "increasing pressure on the media," citing recent arrests and replacements of journalists.

Prosecutors are calling on Supreme Court Justice Shin Young-chul to step down after the court's ethics committee said he would not face any punitive actions related to alleged attempts to interfere with court decisions on anti-government protesters.