1. The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party agreed Thursday to open an extraordinary National Assembly session on December 11th, and hold two plenary meetings on December 20th and 28th to deal with the 2024 national budget and pending bills, respectively.

2. Paek Kee-bong, a South Korean lawyer, was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court for the 2024-2033 period on Wednesday, during a session of the Assembly of State Parties at U.N. headquarters in New York. This marks the third time a South Korean national has secured a seat at the court.

3. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a rare move on Wednesday by invoking Article 99 of the UN Charter to formally warn the Security Council of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza, and urged its members to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.