Focus on Headline

1. In a press conference Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol laid out priorities for his remaining time in office for the next three years while pledging to improve livelihoods and create a new ministry to boost the country’s low birthrate.

2. According to data released by the Bank of Korea on Thursday, South Korea logged a current account surplus for the 11th consecutive month in March, reaching 6-point-93 billion U.S. dollars, on the back of strong exports of semiconductors.

3. U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would halt some shipments of American weapons to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.

1. The Ministry of Government Legislation on Tuesday received from the National Assembly a bill that calls for a special counsel probe into controversies surrounding a military report on the death of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun last year.

2. The South Korean government announced Wednesday that it will provide 9.7 trillion won, or roughly 7.1 billion U.S. dollars, in policy financing this year to support the country's battery and automotive industries. The announcement comes as the U.S. decided to extend tax credits for electric vehicles containing Chinese graphite for two years.

3. A statement reflecting the international community's concerns over North Korea's illegal weapons trade was adopted for the first time at the MIKTA Speakers' Meeting on Tuesday. MIKTA is an informal cooperative group created by South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkiye and Australia in 2013.

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he has revived the position of senior presidential secretary for civil affairs and appointed Kim Joo-hyun, a former prosecutor who served as vice justice minister in 2015.

2. A senior official at South Korea's Embassy in Beijing said Monday that South Korea and China are in the final stage of talks to set up a visit to Beijing by Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, that would make him the first South Korean foreign minister to visit the Chinese capital in more than six years.

3. French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen urged Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday to ensure more balanced trade with Europe during a meeting in Paris. The Chinese leader, however, showed little sign of being ready to offer major concessions.

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday invited around 360 children and their families to the Blue House, the former presidential office, to commemorate Children's Day.

2. According to Statistics Korea on Monday, the growth of dining out prices surpassed the inflation rate in April for the 35th consecutive month. The average prices of major food items at restaurants increased three percent in April, 0-point-1 percentage point higher than the 2-point-9 percent inflation rate.

3. According to the Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday, a Korean man in his 40s was fatally shot at a house in Koreatown by police officers responding to a call from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, sparking allegations of excessive force by the police.

1. The ruling People Power Party on Thursday approved the appointment of {황우여}Hwang Woo-yea, a former five-term lawmaker, to head its interim emergency leadership committee. The main opposition Democratic Party on Friday elected {박찬대}Park Chan-dae as its floor leader.

2. South Korea on Thursday launched the "2024 Korea Season," a six-month program to showcase its diverse artistic and cultural landscape in major cities around France, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

3. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Thursday, the OECD revised its outlook for South Korea's economic growth this year to 2-point-6 percent. The figure marked a 0-point-4 percentage-point increase from its projection of 2-point-2 percent made in February.

1. Rival parties on Thursday passed a special bill mandating a new investigation into the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush incident during a plenary parliamentary session. The special bill was passed with 256 voting in favor and three abstentions.

2. According to data from Statistics Korea, South Korea's inflation rose 2-point-9 percent on-year in April, marking the first time in three months that the index fell below 3 percent. Agricultural products spiked 20-point-3 percent on-year last month.

3. South Korean defense firm Hyundai Rotem announced Thursday that the company has been selected as a preferred bidder to export 30 K-808 White Tiger wheeled armored vehicles to Peru. STX Engine will serve as the main contractor for the deal.

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to protect the "value of labor" at all costs as South Korea marked Labor Day on Wednesday. In a social media post, president Yoon said the government will make active efforts to provide a safer and fairer workplace for laborers.

2. According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Wednesday, South Korea's exports extended on-year gains for seven consecutive months in April on the back of robust chip demand. Outbound shipments climbed 13-point-8 percent on-year to 56-point-2 billion U.S. dollars last month.

3. South Korea and Australia on Wednesday held a so-called "two plus two" meeting of their foreign and defense ministers in Melbourne, and discussed the possibility of including South Korea in the AUKUS security partnership which comprises the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Australia.

1. Among Seoul's "Big 5" hospitals, Seoul National University Hospital and Severance Hospital suspended outpatient clinics and surgeries Tuesday, as senior doctors began taking a weekly day off amid a protracted walkout by junior doctors in protest of the government's medical reform.

2. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Angolan President (후앙 루렌쑤) João Lourenço on Tuesday held a summit in Seoul, the first bilateral visit by an Angolan leader since 2001. The two called for expanding bilateral cooperation based on their countries' respective strengths in technology and natural resources.

3. According to data from Statistics Korea on Tuesday, South Korea's industrial output decreased two-point-one percent from a month earlier in March, the first fall in five months, posting the largest drop in about four years.

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol and opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday sat down for their first-ever meeting since President Yoon came into office in May 2022. The two met over tea at the presidential office, accompanied by three aides each.

2. South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-Pyo and Angolan President Joao Lourenco held a courtesy meeting on Monday. Angola's president is set to hold a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday, during his official three-day visit to South Korea which started Sunday.

3. According to the South Korean government's report on climate change released Monday, frequent occurrences of abnormal high temperatures last year resulted in flowers blooming two weeks earlier than 50 years ago.

1. According to a senior presidential secretary on Friday, President Yoon Suk Yeol and opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will meet for the first time at the presidential office next Monday. The two sides reportedly agreed on the date following a third round of preparatory talks.

2. Seoul’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday that South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have held talks and agreed to bolster cooperation in the fields of export controls and technology protection.

3. Medical professors at all the “Big Five” general hospitals in Seoul have decided to suspend outpatient consultations and surgeries one day each week, amid extended work hours due to the trainee doctors’ mass walkout.