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1. North Korea fired off two fresh rounds of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday, marking the regime's second missile test in just eight days in its latest series of protests against the ongoing Seoul-Washington joint military drills. 2. According to the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov in a tweet on Sunday, Russia has made a &#39...

1. According to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korea tested a new nuclear underwater attack drone under leader Kim Jong Un's guidance this week from March 21st to 23rd for three days. 2. Terraform Labs co-founder Kwon Do-Hyung, more commonly known as Do Kwon, has been charged with fraud by U.S. prosecutors several hours after his arrest on Thursday local time in Mo...

1. The Fed raised its key rate by 25 basis points to a range of 4.75 percent to 5 percent on Wednesday, lower than a 50 basis points hike forecasted by analysts. 2. The National Assembly on Thursday passed a revised grain management act that obligates the South Korean government to purchase rice when rice production exceeds 3 percent of estimated consumption or when the price drops by more than 5...

1. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Chips and Science Act will limit the expansion of semiconductor producing capacity in foreign countries of concern, including China, to 5 percent for companies that receive funds under the new act. 2. The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended on Tuesday. After their meeting, the two leaders...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting that South Korea and Japan have to overcome history to normalize relations with Japan. Yoon also said there “still exist forces that hail exclusive nationalism, shout anti-Japanese sentiments, and take political gains”. 2. According to the latest climate report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chan...

1. A U.S. B-1B strategic bomber came back to South Korea for joint exercises on Sunday, as North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea. 2. The South Korean government lifted the indoor mask mandate on public transportation starting from Monday which means the mask requirement is lifted for most indoor facilities with the exception of hospitals and high-risk areas. 3. Chines...

1. In regards to the South Korea-Japan summit, the ruling party gave a positive evaluation, stating that a new era of mutual prosperity between the two countries have opened, while the opposition party criticized the meeting as "the most humiliating moment" in the country's diplomatic history. 2. South Korea's finance ministry said Friday that the country continues to experience...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met for a summit in Japan today signaling a significant warming of long-strained relations between the two countries. The summit will be followed by a joint press briefing and a state dinner. 2. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile, presumed to be an intercontinental...

1. The South Korean government announced Wednesday that it will end the mask mandate for public transportation next week, while the mandate will remain in place for medical facilities, pharmacies and other vulnerable facilities. 2. Just a day ahead of South Korea-Japan's Presidential summit, South Korea's leading steelmaker POSCO Holdings has donated four billion won, or around three million U.S....

1. According to Seoul's military Tuesday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Tuesday, a day after South Korea and the United States kicked off its Freedom Shield exercise. 2. The United States released the details of its largest-ever defense budget on Monday as it increased its missile defense budget in preparation for the hypersonic and ballistic missile t...

1. South Korea and the United States kicked off its Freedom Shield exercise Monday amid heightened tensions caused by North Korea's missile tests and hardening rhetoric against the allies. 2. According to South Korea's finance minister Monday, the collapse of the U.S.-based Silicon Valley Bank is expected to have limited impact on the global financial market, although uncertainties will linger ami...

1. North Korea announced Friday its leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a "fire assault drill" of an artillery unit on Thursday as he stressed the need to "overwhelmingly respond" to any war preparations by its "enemy." Kim reportedly also took his daughter Kim Ju-ae, to the artillery training. 2. Chinese President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term as his country’s head of state, completing a...

1. According to South Korea’s presidential office on Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit Japan next week for a summit with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Yoon's trip from March 16 to 17 comes at the invitation of the Japanese government. The visit of the South Korean leader to Japan takes place for the first time in almost 4 years. 2. South Korea's Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun said Wednesda...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to make a state visit to the United States in late April. In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, the two leaders will discuss a range of issues, from extended U.S. deterrence and cooperation in economic security to cutting-edge technology and people-to-people exchanges. 2. Four-term lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon was elected new leader of...

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Seoul's forced labor compensation plan announced on Monday is the outcome of respecting the positions of the victims while considering the shared interests and future development of South Korea and Japan. 2. South Korea's per capita income in dollars decreased by nearly eight percent last year on the back of the won’s depreciation against the U.S. currency. 3. North...

1. The South Korean government formally proposed Monday compensating more than a dozen victims of Japan's wartime forced labor through a Seoul-backed public foundation, instead of direct payment from responsible Japanese firms. 2. China set this year's growth target at around 5 percent, in a cautious forecast after the pandemic-hit economy. Pundits say, as the Korean economy is highly dependent on...

1. For the first time in 5 years, South Korea and the U.S. will hold a large-scale combined field training exercise called ‘Eulji Freedom Shield’ for 11 days from March 13th to the 23rd to reinforce allied defense and response capabilities. 2. China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, begins its annual Two Sessions this weekend, months after President Xi Jinping secured his third term as...

1. Elementary, middle and high schools nationwide are returning for the new school year on Thursday without the mask mandate for the first time in 4 years since the outbreak of COVID-19. 2. Data from Statistics Korea on Thursday shows that South Korea’s overall industrial production stood at 109.7, up 0.5 percent from the previous month. However, retail sales edged down 2.1 percent on-month. 3. Th...

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday said Japan has transformed into a partner in tackling security and economic challenges during his first speech marking the March 1 Independence Movement at the Memorial Hall of Yu Gwan-sun. 2. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Wednesday, South Korea’s exports fell for 5 straight months in February mainly due to weak glob...

1. Four ministerial-level figures of the previous Moon Jae-in administration, Chung Eui-young, Noh Young-min, Suh Hoon, and Kim Yeon-chul, were indicted on Tuesday on charges related to forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019. 2. Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova [마리아 자카로바] issued a statement on Monday saying that the South Korean government’s decision...

1. The National Assembly voted on Monday on the government’s request for consent to arrest Democratic Party leader, Lee Jae-myung, over allegations of corruption. 2. The local currency on Monday ended at 1,323.0 won against the US dollar, up 18.0 won from the previous trading day, breaching the 1,320 won mark for the first time since December 7, 2022. 3. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said...

1. A motion requesting parliamentary consent for the arrest of Democratic Party leader, Lee Jae-myung, over allegations of corruption was reported at a plenary session of the National Assembly on Friday. The motion will be put to a vote in the National Assembly on Feb 27. 2. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in a press briefing on Wednesday that South Korea and the United States conducted t...

1. The Bank of Korea decided on Thursday to freeze its benchmark interest rate at 3.5% after a 17 month rate-hike campaign to deal with an economic slowdown. 2. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, South Korea’s fertility rate has dropped to another record low of 0.78 in 2022, down from 0.81 the previous year. The country’s population suffered a natural decrease of 123 thousand 800 last yea...

1. The local currency on Wednesday ended at 1,304.9 won against the US dollar, up 9.0 won from the previous day, breaching the 1,300 won mark in two months. 2. South Korea’s Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and UAE’s Minister of State for Defense Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi held talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in joint investment, research, and technology development. 3....

1. The United States on Monday criticized the United Nations Security Council for not holding North Korea accountable for its recent missile provocations due to opposition from China and Russia. 2. The U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his state of nati...