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1. South Korea lifted its indoor mask mandate for most of its facilities after more than 2 years on Monday. Meanwhile, the country reported 7,416 new COVID-19 cases on Monday.

2. A working level meeting between Director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at South Korea’s foreign ministry, Seo Min-jung and her Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, was held on Monday to discuss ways to compensate Korean victims of Japan’s wartime forced labor.

3. A group of bipartisan national assemblymen was launched on Monday to discuss ways to reform South Korea’s current electoral system.

1. South Korea’s human rights record was put under the microscope on Thursday as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review. While welcoming South Korea’s improvements on human rights, the member states requested the nation to resolve issues such as the abolition of the death penalty.

2. According to Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Friday, South Korea will reduce the number of COVID-19 beds to 3900.

3. The U.S. Commerce Department reported Thursday that in the fourth quarter, the country's GDP rose at a 2.9 percent annualized pace despite global economic hardship.

1. South Korea’s gross domestic product for the fourth quarter of last year shrank by 0.4% from the previous quarter due to weak exports. The nation’s economy grew 2.6% in 2022 which still exceeded the Bank of Korea’s annual growth outlook.

2. The U.N. Command led by the United States has concluded on Wednesday that both South and North Korea breached armistice by flying drones into each other’s territory last month.

3. The Biden Administration announced Wednesday that the U.S. will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. This came after Germany’s announcement earlier that it will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks.

1. A cold spell from Siberia has hit South Korea since yesterday, the last day of the Seollal holiday, leading to cold alerts being issued almost everywhere across the country.

2. Former South Korean lawmaker Na Kyung-won, said on Wednesday that she will not run for leader of the ruling People Power Party because she does not want her party to be divided.

3. According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency, a Chinese hacking group attacked websites of 12 state-run Korean agencies over the Seollal holiday.

1. According to the White House on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Julie Turner to serve as a new special envoy for North Korean human rights.

2. Cold wave alert has been issued on Tuesday as Seoul saw the coldest weather of this season. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration the morning low tomorrow in Seoul is predicted to hit -18.

3. A gunman took the lives of 11 people and injured 10 more in a shooting on Saturday in Los Angeles during the city’s Lunar New Year festival. The suspected gunman was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

1. According to South Korea’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the country’s indoor mask mandate will be lifted from January 30th with the exception of hospitals and public transportations.

2. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up his overseas tour on Friday after visiting the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland. He is returning on Saturday morning which is the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday.

3. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, an icy blast will freeze much of the country during the Seollal holiday, with rain and snow in the forecast across Korea. Heavy snow is expected in Jeolla-do province and Jeju.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gave a special speech on cooperation in crises to business leaders of Korean and global companies Wednesday during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

2. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Thursday raided a dozen construction union offices, including those affiliated with South Korea’s two largest umbrella labor unions, to carry out a probe into an alleged wrongdoing at construction sites.

3. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her intention to step down on Thursday. Her last day in the office will be Feb 7.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee attended a meeting with South Korean residents in Switzerland on Tuesday. During the meeting Yoon said South Korea will cooperate with advanced technology powerhouses like Switzerland.

2. According to South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the nation’s homegrown KF-21 fighter prototype achieved supersonic speeds in a test flight on Tuesday.

3. Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigned on Tuesday for being responsible for several amid high-profile corruption scandals. This comes after the dismissal of two deputy prime ministers in early January.

1. South Korean companies and the United Arab Emirates signed a 6.1 billion U.S. dollar contract to reinforce cooperation on energy and new industry sectors.

2. The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting began on Monday without U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, accompanied by a large number of business leaders, attended the forum.

3. South Korea’s health authorities started their discussion regarding the removal of the indoor mask mandate on Tuesday. The indoor mask mandate is the last remaining antivirus measure left in the country.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his state visit to the United Arab Emirates. The UAE announced its decision to invest 30 billion U.S. dollars in South Korea's industries, the largest investment ever by the UAE in a single nation.

2. The director-general for Asia and Pacific Affairs at Seoul's Foreign Ministry, Seo Min-jung, met with her Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, at Japan's Foreign Ministry to discuss compensation for Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.

3. At least 68 people including 2 South Koreans have lost their lives in a tragic plane crash in Nepal on Sunday. Hundreds of responders scoured the region but had to call off the search after dark on Sunday, and left it to be resumed on Monday.