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1. With official campaigning for the April 10 general elections starting on Thursday, South Korea's government issued a statement vowing to punish all illegal acts related to the elections under a zero tolerance principle.

2. Unionized bus drivers in Seoul returned to work 11 hours after going on a general strike Thursday for the first time in 12 years to demand a wage hike, causing delays for commuters in the morning rush hour. The Seoul Bus Labor Union reached a deal on a 4-point-48 percent wage hike plus holiday bonuses with their employers.

3. In coordination with South Korea, the U.S. Treasury Department announced Wednesday it had imposed new sanctions on six North Korean nationals and two third-country entities for their role to help finance Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs.

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.

1. South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance said Tuesday that the government will focus next year's fiscal policy on better promoting next-generation research and development projects, boosting the country's low birthrate, and bolstering necessary medical services.

2. The National Election Commission said Tuesday that overseas voting for the April 10th general elections is set to begin on the 27th and run for six days. A total of 147-thousand-989 people are eligible for overseas voting at 220 polling stations across 115 countries between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. everyday.

3. The United Nations Security Council on Monday called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages, while the U.S. abstained from the vote. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of having "abandoned" its previous policy.

1. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday relevant ministries have begun work to hold talks with the medical community, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday called for a "flexible" measure over the government's move to suspend licenses of defiant trainee doctors.

2. Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, said Monday that Japan had proposed summit talks. In response, Kishida later said that while he is not aware of the specific statement, a summit between the two countries is "important" to resolve many pending issues.

3. South Korea's foreign ministry on Saturday expressed condolences to the victims and their families of a tragic terror attack at a concert hall in Moscow. At least 137 have been killed after gunmen opened fire on Friday. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.

1. Candidate registration for the 22nd general election, which will be held on April 10th, closes on Friday at 6 PM. The order number on ballots for parties and candidates will be determined as of the deadline.

2. South Korean poet {김혜순}Kim Hye-soon on Thursday became the first Korean ever to win the National Book Critics Circle Award for her work "Phantom Pain Wings." The National Book Critics Circle, an American nonprofit association, announced Kim as the winner in the poetry category.

3. A senior U.S. official on Thursday said South Korean companies' reported move to stop selling used semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China is "encouraging," and that the U.S. is making sure that they have "parity" with allied nations, as Washington seeks tighter export controls on key technologies.

1. The Third Summit for Democracy hosted by South Korea closed in Seoul on Wednesday. The U.S.-led annual summit was held for three days starting on March 18th. In his closing remarks, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the "journey for democracy" will continue.

2. Candidate registration for the April 10 parliamentary elections opened on Thursday. The ruling People Power Party called for voter support in the face of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, while the main opposition Democratic Party urged voters to pass stern judgment on the Yoon administration.

3. The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday held its benchmark lending rate steady in the 5.25 to 5.50 percent range for a fifth consecutive time, and signaled that it could lower the rate three times this year in line with policymakers' previous projections.

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol and the leaders of Denmark and Kenya will jointly open the leaders' plenary during the third Summit for Democracy, which is scheduled to be held virtually on Wednesday. President Yoon will host the second session on "Technology, Elections, and Fake News."

2. South Korea's Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said Wednesday the government allocated an additional 2,000 medical school admission seats to universities nationwide, pushing ahead with the medical reform initiative, despite threat of a general strike from the doctors' group.

3. The Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday that North Korea successfully conducted a ground jet test of a solid-fuel engine for its new type intermediate-range hypersonic missile amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

1. The second day of the third Summit of Democracy hosted by South Korea opened on Tuesday with a civil society and youth event. A North Korean defector called for more global attention on the North's human rights situation during the opening ceremony.

2. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday reaffirmed his determination to push ahead with medical reform, calling it the demand of the people and a task for the good of the public.

3. Oil prices climbed about 2 percent to a four-month high on Monday on lower crude exports from Iraq and Saudi Arabia as well as signs of stronger demand and economic growth in China and the U.S. / U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2-point-1 percent to nearly 83 U.S. dollars.

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday called for participants in the Summit of Democracy to share their experiences and pool their wisdom to ensure artificial intelligence and new digital technologies protect the safety of individuals and society while promoting democracy.

2. South Korea’s Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo on Monday told reporters that the government plans to revamp a scheme to help doctors in essential medical fields receive more fees from the national health insurance through the adoption of a value-based payment system.

3. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday claimed a landslide election victory, as predicted, securing a fifth term. This means Putin will overtake Joseph Stalin and become Russia’s longest-serving leader in more than 200 years.

1. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Friday said health authorities will have top-tier medical emergency centers to prioritize patients in critical condition, while addressing concerns over delays in emergency treatment amid the prolonged walkout by junior doctors.

2. South Korea's finance ministry announced Friday that the economy has been recovering on the solid growth of exports, but disparities among sectors remain wide amid weak consumption and investment. The ministry's assessment report also said the slowdown in inflation has become stagnant.

3. People across Russia and the annexed regions of Ukraine began three days of voting on Friday to decide the country's next president. Incumbent President Vladimir Putin is largely expected to win and secure a fifth term as leader.