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1. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired 2 short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday morning. Following the launch, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged through security measures based on a stronger alliance with the US and Japan, and called the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the afternoon.

2. Defying diplomatic pressure from the US, OPEC and non-OPEC partners on Wednesday decided to impose deep output cuts. The OPEC-plus agreed to cut its production by two million barrels per day from November.

3. South Korea’s minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min announced on Thursday the organization plan that includes abolishing the gender equality ministry with most of its functions moving to a new department under the health ministry.

1. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korea and the U.S. each fired two Army Tactical Missile System missiles towards waters east of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, in response to North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missile launch the day before.

2. The State Duma, Russia’s lower parliament,  has approved the annexation of the four Ukrainian territories following referendums in the Moscow-controlled areas on Tuesday.

3. According to Statistics Korea’s report reikleased Wednesday, last month's consumer price index came in at 108.93 which is an increase of 5.6 percent compared to the same period last year, indicating that the country’s recent inflation appears to be easing.

1. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile eastward, at about 7:23 AM Tuesday morning, and that the missile flew across Japanese airspace before falling into the Pacific Ocean.

2. The National Assembly began its first audit of the Yoon administration on Tuesday. Over the next 20 days some 780 ministries, agencies and public institutions will be subject to scrutiny.

3. The effect of the US Inflation Reduction Act is now being reflected on sales of South Korean electric vehicles as Hyundai's EV sales in September declined on-month. The IRA removes EVs not assembled in North America from its lucrative tax subsidy.

1. The first parliamentary audit under the Yoon administration will begin on Tuesday, with the two rivaling political parties anticipated to clash, each blaming the current and the former Moon Jae-in administration for their misconduct.

2. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that it would purchase a record 450-thousand tons of rice this year. This is to stabilize plunging rice prices which saw a 25% plunge from a year earlier.

3. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired 2 short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Saturday, on Armed Forces Day. The latest launches were the 4th provocation North Korea has demonstrated in a week.

1. Just hours after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Demilitarized Zone on Thursday, North Korea fired two short-ranged ballistic missiles toward the east coast. The launch follows the firing of two short-range ballistic missiles a day earlier, and one on Sunday.

2. South Korea has been added to the watch list for potential inclusion on the World Government Bond Index yesterday by FTSE Russell, a move that could bring in up to 90 trillion won of foreign investment. The final decision will be made by September 2023.

3. The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will sign a decree on Friday annexing four occupied regions of Ukraine. This comes after referendums in those areas earlier this week which the western countries claim were rigged.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with US Vice President Kamala Harris at his office on Thursday, and said that the South Korea-US alliance is evolving to a global alliance and expanding to an economic and technological alliance. Harris touted the alliance as a "linchpin of security and prosperity" on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 2,197.75 on Thursday, up 28.46 points from the previous trading day. The local currency ended at 1,438.9 won against the US dollar.

3. The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the three leaks that occurred across the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Western countries accuse Russia of damaging the pipelines, while Russia denies the accusations.

1. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 2,169.29 on Wednesday, below the 2,200 mark for the first time in 2 years and 2 months. The local currency ended at 1,439.9 won against the US dollar, up 18.4 won from the previous trading day.

2. During a meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday, South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said to Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, that there is an urgent need to improve the  relations between S.Korea and Japan, and that such improvement would better serve their mutual interests.

3. Voting came to an end in four Russia-backed referendums in Moscow-controlled areas of Ukraine on Tuesday, with the respective Kremlin-installed governments claiming victories. Watchers say the referendums pave the way for Russia’s President Putin to announce the annexation of those regions.

1. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 2,223.86 on Tuesday, up 0.13% from the previous trading day. During intraday,, it fell below 2,200 points for the first time in two years and two months.

2. South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in Japan Tuesday morning, to attend the state funeral of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. There he’ll also hold talks with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

3. Following a mobilization order issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, a gunman was detained after shooting at a military draft office in Siberia on Monday. Another attacker opened fire at a school, killing at least 17 people and injuring 24 others on the same day.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that he will strongly push for normalization of Korea-Japan relations. He added that US President Biden fully understands the concerns of South Korea over the Inflation Reduction Act.

2. The government including the Finance Ministry, Trade, Industry and Energy Ministry and the Korea Development Bank, which holds the largest stake in Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, discussed a plan to sell the company to Hanwha Group, the country's seventh-largest conglomerate.

3. Billboard on Sunday said BLACKPINK became the first K-pop girl group to top the US Billboard's 200 albums chart. They are also the first Asian female group to top the Billboard charts and the Britain’s Official Albums Chart Top 100 charts at the same time.

1. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, met with US Secretary of State Antony Bliken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in New York on Thursday. The top diplomats expressed concern about North Korea’s adoption of a new law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, calling for a "strong and resolute response.”

2. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 2,290 on Friday, hitting the lowest level in roughly 2 months. The local currency ended at 1,409.3 won against the US dollar on Friday.

3. On Friday, referendums on Russia’s annexation began in four areas of Ukraine backed by Russia. Western capitals condemned the move as a clear violation of international law that could aggravate the ongoing conflict.