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1. As of Thursday, casualties from this week’s torrential rains have increased to 11 deaths, and 8 others missing, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The heavy rain will continue to hit Korea’s central and the southern region tomorrow.

2. The presidential office said Thursday that the US THAAD deployed in South Korea is a “self-defensive tool”, and that its operation, which is planned to restart by the end of August, is non-negotiable.

3. Ukraine claimed on Wednesday local time that 9 Russian warplanes were destroyed at an airbase the day before in Crimea. The successive explosions appear to be caused by Ukranian attack, leading to growing global fear of escalation in the ongoing war.

1. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Qingdao, China to hold high-level talks. During the meeting, Park stressed that South Korea’s decision to participate in the preliminary Chip 4 meeting is to serve the national interest.

2. Heavy downpours which wreaked havoc in the metropolitan area paused in the greater Seoul area and Gangwon region as the stationary front moved South to the Chungcheong-do area. Some parts of the Chungcheong-do province will see up to 300mm of torrential rain today and tomorrow.

3. South Korea reported 151-thousand-7-hundred-92 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday. The number of critically ill patients also soared to 402, and 50 new deaths from COVID were added.

1. The metropolitan area was hit by torrential rain on Monday which was the heaviest rain in 115 years, taking the lives of 8 people. It saw a rainfall of up to 141mm, but the Gangwon Regional Meteorological Administration says 300mm more will fall today.

2. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin is to have his first meeting on Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Qingdao, China. The meeting is held amid escalating tensions surrounding global issues, including Chip 4 and THAAD.

3. The vice minister of education attended the National Aseembly’s education committee today and stated that lowering the elementary school admission age to 5-year-old is no longer to be pushed for.

1. South Korea has decided to join a preliminary meeting of the “Chip 4” which is a semiconductor alliance led by the US. A government official said that Yoon’s administration will serve the national interest as much as possible, and whether to formally join the meeting will be based on the meeting.

2. Education Minister Park Soon-ae tendered her resignation on Monday after 34 days of taking office. If President Yoon accepts her resignation, she will be the first in the cabinet to step down since Yoon’s inauguration. She has been receiving criticisms for mishandling key policies, such as lowering the elementary school starting age to 5.

3. South Korea reported 55-thousand-2-hundred-92 new COVID-19 infections on Monday. The figure grew 1-point-24 times from a week ago. It marked the largest Monday tally in 17 weeks.

1. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrapped up her 2 day visit to South Korea. PELOSI said the visit by her and other members of U.S. Congress reaffirms the "strong bond" between Seoul and Washington.

2. South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the Chinese city of Tsingtao next week, following Wang's invitation. Topics such as THAAD and Taiwan are assumed to be discussed.

3. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea’s first Lunar orbiter, DANURI, has successfully entered its transfer orbit after lifting off today atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Danuri probe will reach the moon in mid-December.

1. National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to support efforts by Seoul and Washington for the denuclearization of North Korea. Both voiced concerns over the North's escalating threats.

2. As tensions between the United States and China have intensified over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, S. Korea’s foreign minister PARK Jin will attend a meeting with Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

3. A special law aimed at boosting South Korea’s semiconductor industry takes effect today.  The new bill provides domestic chipmakers with more extensive tax benefits in return for facility investment and ways to nurture, attract and keep more talent at home.

1. Amid Chinese opposition, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan. Pelosi, a well known China hawk, has a history of prodding China over human rights.

2. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will depart for Cambodia on Wednesday to attend a series of high-level meetings, hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on pending regional and global issues.

3. South Korea reported 119,922 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday. The government states it will not reinstate stringent social distancing rules to fight the surging virus, but impose targeted measures.

1. The police bureau officially kicked off under the umbrella of the interior ministry on Tuesday. It’s the first time in 31 years that the ministry has an organization overseeing the law enforcement agency.

2. South Korea on Monday strongly condemned North Korea for “being the only country that abused the Non-Proliferation Treaty regime” during the United Nations’ NPT Review Conference.

3. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reported to land in Taiwan Tuesday night. The landmark visit would make her the highest-ranking US official to set foot on the island in 25 years. China has warned of consequences if she makes the trip to what it views as Chinese territory.

1. The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut South Korea’s economic growth projections by 0.2% from 2.5% to 2.3%. This is lower than the 2.7% forecast made by the Bank of Korea in May and the OECD in June.

2. Next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice agreement . On July 27, 1953, the ceasefire agreement was signed. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said he will prepare next year’s ceremony with all the best intentions and gratitude.

3. South Korea reported 100 thousand 2-hundred-85 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday. This was the first time it exceeded the 100 thousand mark in 99 days. Figures also showed a record number of imported cases at 5-hundred-32.

1. US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had a two-hour phone call on Thursday, marking the fifth call between the two leaders. Meanwhile, tensions rose as the US leaked plans for a possible visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.

2. Defense chiefs of South Korea and the U.S. are scheduled to meet in Washington on July 29th to discuss various alliance issues, including an earlier-than-expected Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group meeting.

3. South Korea reported 85-thousand 3-hundred-20 new COVID-19 infections on Friday. President Yoon led his first KDCA meeting and said more experts should be included in the decision making process.