PRESS DIGEST - South Korean newspapers - Feb 14

SEOUL, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The following is a summary of major South Korean newspapers on Wednesday, prepared by Reuters in Seoul. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not guarantee their accuracy.

JOONGANG ILBO

- South Korea had the highest suicide rate among OECD countries in 2005, according to the National Statistical Office.

CHOSUN ILBO

- A railway connecting the two airports servicing Seoul has been completed, with the trip between Gimpo Airport and Incheon International airport taking 28 minutes.

KOREA ECONOMIC DAILY

- Matsushita (6752.T) is considering a tie-up with LG. Philips LCD (034220.KS), according to an LG.Philips official.

MAEIL BUSINESS NEWSPAPER

- South Korea will have to pay 11 trillion won ($11.71 billion) over the next 10 years to support North Korea under a proposed agreement from the six-party talks.

THE KOREA TIMES

- About 150 South Korean residents in Pyongtaek, Kyonggi province, agreed to leave their villages to allow for the expansion of a U.S. military base, the defence ministry said.

- According to the National Tax Service, South Korea's alcohol consumption dropped 2.7 percent in 2005, the first decline since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.