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1. The National Assembly voted on Monday on the government’s request for consent to arrest Democratic Party leader, Lee Jae-myung, over allegations of corruption.

2. The local currency on Monday ended at 1,323.0 won against the US dollar, up 18.0 won from the previous trading day, breaching the 1,320 won mark for the first time since December 7, 2022.

3. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that he hopes South Korea will find an opportunity to provide military support to Ukraine. He also said he is preparing to invite South Korean leadership to Ukraine.

1. A motion requesting parliamentary consent for the arrest of Democratic Party leader, Lee Jae-myung, over allegations of corruption was reported at a plenary session of the National Assembly on Friday. The motion will be put to a vote in the National Assembly on Feb 27.

2. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in a press briefing on Wednesday that South Korea and the United States conducted the eighth Deterrence Strategy Committee Table-Top Exercise on Tuesday. The United States warned Pyongyang that using any level of nuclear weapons would mean the end of the regime.

3. The UN General Assembly on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to approve a resolution calling for an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

1. The Bank of Korea decided on Thursday to freeze its benchmark interest rate at 3.5% after a 17 month rate-hike campaign to deal with an economic slowdown.

2. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, South Korea’s fertility rate has dropped to another record low of 0.78 in 2022, down from 0.81 the previous year. The country’s population suffered a natural decrease of 123 thousand 800 last year.

3. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday announced a labor reform agenda to normalize unions by supporting newly formed unions with 50% of this year’s related budget.

1. The local currency on Wednesday ended at 1,304.9 won against the US dollar, up 9.0 won from the previous day, breaching the 1,300 won mark in two months.

2. South Korea’s Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and UAE’s Minister of State for Defense Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi held talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in joint investment, research, and technology development.

3. U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed to support Ukraine and said that Russia will never win, in a speech in Warsaw to mark the coming one-year since Russia invaded Ukraine.

1. The United States on Monday criticized the United Nations Security Council for not holding North Korea accountable for its recent missile provocations due to opposition from China and Russia.

2. The U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his state of nation speech at noon Tuesday.

3. According to the Bank of Korea on Tuesday, South Korea’s expected inflation stood at 4 percent in February. The expected inflation rose for two consecutive months due to rising utility costs.

1. According to South Korea’s military, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Monday, following a long-range ballistic missile on Saturday.

2. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin said he urged Japan’s top diplomat, Yoshimasa Hayashi, to make a political decision during a bilateral meeting between two countries in Munich on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

3. The government of Turkiye announced that it will end rescue efforts  in all but two areas struck by a devastating earthquake two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the death toll climbed up to more than 46 thousand.

1. South Korea and Japan’s Foreign Ministers Park Jin and Hayashi Yoshimasa are expected to attend the Munich Security Conference which will be held from Feb 17 to 19. The two top diplomats will hold a bilateral talk on the sidelines of the Conference.

2. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance on Friday, South Korea’s economy slowed against the backdrop of high inflation and persistent slumps in exports.

3. At least 43,885 people have died across Turkiye and Syria due to the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Turkiye’s Hatayi province forced people onto the streets again as they feared the collapse of additional buildings.

1. South Korean prosecutors on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, over the Daejang-dong real estate corruption.

2. According to the Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho on Thursday, South Korea will continue its endeavors to diversify the country’s export portfolio and improve its trade balance.

3. The South Korean government decided on Wednesday to dispatch an additional team of 21 relief personnel and deliver 55 tons of relief supplies to Turkiye which was struck by a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol said on Wednesday that the government will slow down the increase of public utility bills, and urged telecommunication companies and banks to join the efforts to curb skyrocketing costs for the nation’s most vulnerable people.

2. The National Assembly agreed on Tuesday to endorse a government reorganization scheme under which the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will be elevated to the ministry level and a sub-ministry-level agency which handles consular affairs to be newly established.

3. The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Turkiye and Syria is Europe’s worst natural disaster in a century. Meanwhile, the death toll has crossed 41,000.

1. Vice foreign ministers of South Korea, United States, and Japan reaffirmed their joint objective to completely denuclearize North Korea and enhance communication and cooperation between allies.

2. South Korea’s National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution to fast forward support measures for Turkiye and Syria which were hit by a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

3. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged Monday for putting a limitation on excessive profits of banks to alleviate the suffering of the people under high interest rates.