■ “There seems to be air and food”… Nepal goes all out to search for survivors in power plant tunnel
On the 3rd (local time), the 9th day since the massive floods struck the Himalayan mountainous region on the border between Nepal and China, rescue authorities are focusing on finding dozens of missing people who may have survived trapped in a hydroelectric power plant. According to Reuters on this day, Nepalese rescue teams are attempting to search four tunnels among the hydroelectric power plant where hundreds of employees are missing. In particular, search capabilities were gathered considering that there was a possibility that about 90 employees might be trapped alive in two of these tunnels.
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260903095751084
■ Outline of the first Heavy Water Investigation Commissioner comes out... Today’s Candidate Recommendation Committee Meeting
The outline of the first head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency will be revealed on the 4th. According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the Candidate Recommendation Committee for the Commissioner of the Serious Water and Fisheries Service will hold a meeting at 2 p.m. on this day to select candidates for the Commissioner of the Heavy Water and Fisheries Service to recommend to the Minister of Public Administration and Security. The committee recommends to the minister three or more candidates, including those recommended by the public, whom the Minister of Public Administration and Security determines to be suitable for nomination as the head of the Central Investigation Agency, with the approval of more than two-thirds of the registered members. Upon completion of this procedure, the committee is dissolved.
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260903174800530
■ "Possibility of North Korea-US summit in November-December... Kim Jong-un may be invited to the G20 meeting on the U.S. mainland."
There has been speculation that a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could take place as early as November or December of this year. In a talk held on the 3rd (local time) hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank in Washington DC, former commander of US Forces Korea Vincent Brooks emphasized, “We must recognize that signals are constantly being sent (from North Korea).” North Korea is "leaving the door open" for dialogue in that it is not using the "insulting expressions" it uses toward South Korea toward the United States, and it is a signal that it is "not ready right now" in that it would have sent a different signal if it was ready for dialogue.
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260904000700071
■ LH splits again after 17 years of integration… Will we speed up the supply of ‘public housing’?
On the 2nd, the government finally took out the construction separation card to reform the structure of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), the largest public enterprise in Korea. From LH's perspective, 17 years after its launch through the merger of Korea Land Corporation (Tokyo) and Korea National Housing Corporation (Jukong) in 2009 in accordance with the Lee Myung-bak administration's public enterprise advancement plan, the company is once again on the path of restructuring. The government plans to speed up the housing supply announced in the August 13th Measures by separating LH, but there are also many concerns that the conflicts and costs resulting from the separation of organizations will be significant.
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260903140100003
■ Yong Hye-in, 6 years ago, argued that “state subsidies produce parasitic political parties… they must be abolished”
It was confirmed on the 4th that Yong Hye-in, a candidate for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, who is criticized for not resigning from her National Assembly position to protect her party's government subsidies, had advocated for the abolition of subsidies six years ago, comparing political parties receiving subsidies to 'parasites'. The Basic Income Party announced the news of a press conference in February 2020 and posted a press conference and photo titled, 'Abolish government subsidies that spawn parasitic political parties and introduce political basic income' on the party's website. The photo, which was processed to parody the movie 'Parasite' poster, showed Candidate Yong standing side by side with other attendees holding a sign that said, 'Abolish state subsidies and introduce basic political income.'
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260903174700001
■ Financial union holds general strike today at Gwanghwamun to block relocation of state-run banks to regional areas
The Korea Financial Industry Workers' Union (Financial Workers' Union) will hold a large-scale general strike rally in the Sejong-daero area of Gwanghwamun, Seoul on the 4th. The Financial Services Union reported that a rally of 30,000 people would be held in the section from Dongwha Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu to Daehanmun from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The biggest issue in this year's union struggle is to block the relocation of state-run banks such as Korea Development Bank, IBK Industrial Bank, and Korea Export-Import Bank in response to the government's plan to relocate public institutions to local regions.
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260903182300004
■ U.S. Vance: “We will not talk with Iran without stopping attacks on merchant ships… There are many additional means.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on the 3rd (local time) that there would be no dialogue with Iran unless Iran stopped attacking commercial ships. Vice President Vance said at a press briefing at the White House that day, "President Trump has been very clear about the possibility of negotiations with Iran," and added, "We are not talking to them, and we will not talk to them unless they stop attacking merchant ships." Vice President Vance emphasized that despite Iran's series of attacks on merchant ships, crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have almost recovered to pre-conflict levels.
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260904004451071
■ Will the health insurance premium rate be frozen or increased next year? Tug of war over 4 scenarios
Ahead of next year's decision on health insurance premium rates, the tug-of-war over the increase is in full swing. While the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee (Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee), the highest decision-making body related to health insurance, has begun deliberation on the 2027 health insurance premium rate, four major scenarios are reportedly being discussed: freeze, 0.5%, less than 1-2%, and increase of more than 2%. Currently, health insurance finances are under intense pressure due to a rapid shift to deficit and increased spending.
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260903078400530
■ New York stock market rises by 1% due to easing concerns about interest rate hike
On the 3rd (local time), the three major indices of the New York Stock Exchange rose by more than 1%. The recent surge in U.S. Treasury yields, which had put a burden on the stock market, has calmed down, and a series of dovish (favoring monetary easing) comments from high-ranking members of the U.S. Federal Reserve have been interpreted as a result of a relaxation of caution about an interest rate hike in September. On this day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended trading at 53,686.11, up 624.16 points (1.18%) from the previous day.
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260904006351072
■ A modern version of Bongi Kim Seon-dal? One ‘Fireworks Festival’ mat sold for 300,000 won
“We will secure you a spot at the Yeouido Fireworks Festival on September 5th. The main spot is closing soon.” On the 3rd, dozens of posts were posted on a second-hand trading site for sale of 'prestigious' seats for the Seoul International Fireworks Festival, which will be held in Yeouido starting on the 4th. Prices range from 100,000 won to 300,000 won. When I inquired about the price from the seller, who had been in charge of the space for several years, the reply was, “250,000 won for 4 people.”
View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260903176400004
