1. North Korea's state-run KCNA reported on Tuesday that Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, said North Korea will refuse all contact with Japan, after Tokyo took issue with the problem of Japanese abductees and the North's nuclear program.

2. According to the Bank of Korea on Wednesday, business sentiment slightly improved in March with the Business Survey Index for all industries at 69, up one point from the previous month. This marks a slight improvement from February, when it posted the lowest figure since September 2020.

3. China on Tuesday initiated dispute settlement proceedings against the United States at the World Trade Organization to safeguard its interests in the electric vehicle industry. China said it was contesting "discriminatory subsidies" under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.