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1. The National Intelligence Service said Tuesday that South Korea's election systems may be vulnerable to foreign hacking threats and are in need of fortification ahead of next year’s general election.

2. South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Wednesday the country has signed a joint statement on the conclusion of negotiations for the Strategic Economic Cooperation Agreement, a type of free trade deal, with Ecuador. This is South Korea's 23rd FTA.

3. The armed conflict between Israel and Hamas continued for a fifth day on Wednesday, claiming at least 2,100 lives on both sides. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday nearly 1,000 deaths since Saturday, while Israel's Defense Forces reported at least 1,200 deaths.

1. The death toll of the Israel-Hamas armed conflict rose to nearly 1,600 on both sides as of Monday. Israel previously reported 900 deaths while Palestinian authorities reported 700 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank. A senior Hamas official said the group is holding more than 100 people captive.

2. South Korea’s Presidential Office said Monday that the U.S. has decided to allow exports of its semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix factories in China without a separate approval process.

3. South Korea’s new Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said Tuesday that he will push for the suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement, citing its impact on limiting Seoul’s surveillance capabilities against North Korean military activities.

1. As the war between Israel and Palestine enters its third day, the death toll has reportedly surpassed 1,100 on both sides, and continues to rise. Lebanon’s State-run National News Agency said Sunday, Hezbollah fighters fired dozens of rockets at three Israeli positions.

2. The Taliban administration said on Sunday that more than 2,400 people were killed in Afghanistan after an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude hit the west of the country on Saturday.

3. A celebration for the 577th Hangul Day was held in Sejong City on Monday. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is currently overseas, delivered a speech through Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Interior and Safety, saying “Hangul will be the language that leads the world in the era of AI.”

2. CBS news reported on Thursday that North Korea has begun transferring artillery to Russia, citing a U.S. official. CBS news said it was not immediately clear whether the transfer is part of a new, long-term supply chain or a more limited consignment.

3. South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor said Friday it will make amendments to the law so that if parents take childcare leave together to care for a child under 18 months of age, each parent may receive 100% of their regular wage as childcare leave pay for the first six months.

2. Japan on Thursday morning began the second phase of discharging wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Japanese media reported the second phase to last until October 23rd, and estimated the total discharge amount at 7,800 tons.

3. FIFA on Wednesday revealed plans for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by six countries across three continents to celebrate its 100th anniversary as Uruguay, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will co-host, with Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina each holding an opening match.

1. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, South Korea’s industrial output advanced 2-point-2 percent in August from a month earlier on the back of a robust recovery in the chip sector.

2. Japan’s local news reported on Wednesday that Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun preparation to release the second batch of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, starting on Thursday

3. The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to unseat Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, following a backlash over the weekend passage of a stopgap measure meant to avert a government shutdown. The 216-to-210 vote marked the first time in history that the House removed its leader.

1. Key government figures, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, gathered at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday morning to attend a ceremony marking the 4,355th National Foundation Day.

2. According to the International Monetary Fund’s Global Debt Database, South Korea’s household debt-to-GDP ratio increased to 108-point-1 percent last year from 92 percent in 2017. South Korea experienced the largest increase among 26 nations.

3. The U.S. government avoided a federal shutdown after both the House and Senate agreed on a short-term funding deal. The bill allows the government to stay open for 45 days, and was signed into law by President Joe Biden just minutes before the deadline.

1. South Korea's Disease Control and Prevention Agency said ahead of the Chuseok holiday that confirmed patients of COVID-19 "should refrain from gatherings with relatives.” This year is the first Chuseok that confirmed patients are not obligated to isolate since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Senior U.S. administration officials said Wednesday that Private Travis King, the American soldier who crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea in July, is in U.S. custody. His release comes shortly after the Korean Central News Agency reported Pyongyang decided to "expel" him.

3. Oil prices surged 3% on Wednesday to the highest settlement in 2023, after a steep drop in U.S. crude stocks intensified worries of tight global supplies. Data showed that crude stocks at the delivery point for U.S. crude futures, fell to the lowest since July 2022.

1. The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday rejected an arrest warrant sought for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, over corruption charges.

2. At the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song accused South Korea and the U.S. for the Korean Peninsula’s "current dangerous situation." The deputy U.N. ambassador of South Korea dismissed all of North Korea’s claims as "groundless, illogical and absurd."

3. South Korean stocks finished slightly higher Wednesday following recent sharp losses amid concerns over the Federal Reserve’s further interest rate hikes. The local currency ended at 1,349.3 won against the U.S. dollar, the weakest against the greenback this year.

1. South Korea’s military showcased “high-power” missiles and other key weapons systems on Tuesday… as the country held a large-scale military parade on the streets of Seoul for the first time in ten years to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces.

2. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung attended a court hearing Tuesday on an arrest warrant request against him over corruption charges. The Seoul District Court is expected to make a decision as early as Tuesday night if the hearing proceeds as scheduled.

3. South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday that it will supply 120-thousand public homes in addition to the existing plan to deliver 2-point-7 million new homes by 2027, …to offset the declining private-sector home supply amid higher lending rates.