1. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that the North Korean regime is an "irrational group" that has legalized the preemptive use of nuclear weapons and will likely carry out multiple provocations to interfere with South Korea's April parliamentary elections.

2. The finance ministry said Tuesday that the International Monetary Fund projected the South Korean economy to grow two-point-three percent this year, up zero-point-one percentage point from its previous forecast made last October, in light of the recovery of the global economy.

3. South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 4-2 on Tuesday in a penalty shootout to advance to the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup. The national football team will face Australia on Saturday as the side seeks their first Asian Cup title since 1960.