[Yonhap News headlines at this time] - 14:30

■ President Lee “There are bound to be differences of opinion between countries… We must avoid subservient and sycophantic attitudes.”

President Lee Jae-myung said on the 13th, “We must always engage in diplomacy that is only for the sake of a proud Republic of Korea and that protects the Republic of Korea’s national interests,” and added, “We must avoid a subservient or tonign attitude in relations between countries.” In his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on this day, President Lee said, "The Republic of Korea's diplomatic policy is pragmatic national interest diplomacy. The Republic of Korea is a sovereign and independent country, and the most important thing is the national interest of the Republic of Korea." This remark appears to be taking into account the growing concern in the political world about the 'rift in the ROK-US alliance' as abnormalities between the ROK-US intelligence authorities have recently surfaced.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013069400001

■ Ministry of Justice, Gender Equality, and Financial Services Commission to Sejong in 2027... 10,000 civil servants move out

44 central administrative agencies (ministries) in the metropolitan area, including the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, and Ministry of National Defense, will be relocated to Sejong from 2027 to 2031. The number of public servants subject to relocation is 9,929, and starting next year, approximately 10,000 public servants will move to Sejong. In 2027, the first year, 27 organizations (2,995 people) that do not need a separate office building will first relocate using privately leased space in the Sejong area.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013101800530

■ Criticism over ‘Black Tuesday’ KOSPI crash… ‘7,000 blood → 5,000 blood’ in five days

As concerns over a slowdown in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment have reignited, KOSPI continues to fall by more than 1,000 points in just 5 trading days. According to the Korea Exchange and Yonhap Infomax, a financial information service provider, on the 13th, as of 11:08 am on this day, KOSPI was at 5,989.18, down 6.19% from the previous day. The index, which started at 6,186.08, down 3.10%, once fell to 5,950.00 (-6.80%).

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013089200008

■ The 2nd trial of the Election Act, which involved national power election expenses of 39.7 billion won, was sentenced on the 27th.

Special prosecutor Min Joong-ki's team requested that former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was indicted on charges of making false statements while a presidential candidate, be sentenced to the same invalidation sentence as the first trial in the second trial. The sentencing will take place at 2 p.m. on the 27th. On the 13th, the special prosecutor's team told the court, "Please dismiss the defendant's appeal," at a trial to decide on former President Yoon's appeal on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, held by Criminal Division 2-1 of the Seoul High Court (High Court Judges Baek Seung-yeop, Hwang Seung-tae, and Kim Young-hyun).

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013100351004

■ Minister of Labor “Extension of retirement age must be processed within the year… Government plan must be presented as soon as possible.”

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon announced on the 13th that the retirement age extension bill needs to be processed within the year, and that he will present a government plan as soon as legislative discussions reach a decision stage. Minister Kim responded to a question from Rep. Kim Wi-sang of the People's Power Party asking about the government's intention to enact an extension of the retirement age during the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee audit of the Ministry of Labor, saying, "I think it is too late to discuss (the extension of the retirement age) today." Minister Kim went on to say, “The bill to extend the retirement age must be passed within the year,” adding, “As discussions have matured over a long period of time through the National Assembly Task Force (TF), etc., if we determine that only a decision remains, we will present a government plan as soon as possible.”

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013100000530

■ Central Investigation Agency, ‘Criticism of Kim Ji-yong’ Lim Eun-jeong’s inspection speed... We also prepare our own instructions

The Serious Crimes Investigation Office (Serious Investigations Office) has begun a full-fledged inspection of Gwangju Regional Serious Investigations Office Director Lim Eun-jung, who has been criticizing Kim Ji-yong, candidate for Serious Crimes Investigations Office (Serious Investigations Office), on a daily basis. According to the legal community on the 13th, the Central Investigation Agency is conducting inspection procedures against Commissioner Lim based on inspection instructions prepared internally. The order will soon be made public through the National Law Information Center.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013099900004

■ Secretary General of the Constitutional Court, regarding dispute over Supreme Court justices’ re-recommendation authority, “Based on precedent, dismissal is possible”

On the 13th, Secretary-General of the Constitutional Court Son In-hyuk said in relation to the authority dispute adjudication requested by the People Power Party regarding President Lee Jae-myung's request for re-nomination of Supreme Court Justice candidate, "Looking at precedent, a judgment of dismissal is also possible." In response to a question from Rep. Kim Han-gyu of the Democratic Party of Korea asking, "How is the authority dispute adjudication requested by the People Power Party progressing?" during the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Constitutional Court held at the National Assembly on this day, Director Son responded, "As far as I know, the case has been filed and we are discussing the direction of handling the case." In response to the question, 'Isn't this subject to dismissal even before looking at the contents?', he said, "If you look at existing precedents and such, such a judgment is possible."

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013082900004

■ IMF forecasts Korea’s growth rate to be 3.3% this year, down 0.7%p... “Semiconductors offset war”

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its forecast for Korea's economic growth rate this year by 0.7 percentage points (p) in three months. It is interpreted that despite the negative impact of the Middle East war, the growth rate is expected to increase due to strong semiconductor exports. The Ministry of Finance and Economy announced that the IMF predicted Korea's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate this year to be 3.3% in the October World Economic Outlook released on the 13th.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013066000002

■ Expectations for the pre-sale market are improving due to rising housing prices in the metropolitan area… Local areas worsen due to unsold units

As apartment prices continued to rise in the metropolitan area, expectations for the pre-sale market improved, while in regional areas, the outlook for the pre-sale market deteriorated due to the backlog of unsold units and shrinking housing demand. According to a survey of housing business operators conducted by the Housing Industry Research Institute on the 13th, the national apartment sales outlook index this month was 82.3, down 4.0 points from the previous month (86.3). The national apartment sales outlook index fell for two consecutive months and fell below the standard of 100 in all regions except Seoul.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013071500003

■ Victim of stalking and domestic violence... Even if you report it to the police and receive protection, there is a ‘hole’

As there are a series of cases where victims of stalking and domestic violence are murdered even after reporting it to the police and receiving protective measures, there are loud voices calling for increasing the effectiveness of the protection system. It is pointed out that in order for the provision of smart watches and restraining orders to lead to actual safety, it is necessary to check not only device management but also risk assessment of the perpetrator, re-access monitoring, and continuity of protective measures.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261013085300004