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Pres. Yoon issues executive order for cement-field striking truckers to return to work at Cabinet meeting

Over in Berlin. Justice ministers from the G7 nations are meeting to address war crimes in Ukraine. German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann is hosting the two-day talks that began on Monday. Participants are exploring ways. to coordinate investigations into the appalling atrocities in Ukraine amid Russia's invasion. Invited to the talks are the EU Commissioner for Justice the Ukrainian Justice Minister and the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Britain's antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, has suggested that it could approve the proposed merger between South Korea's two full-service air carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.

With the Bank of Korea raising interest rates, the average rate on household loans at commercial banks last month rose to the highest level in 10 years. According to the BOK, the rate on new loans in October increased from the month before by zero-point-1-9 percentage points to 5-point-3-4 percent. Mortgage rates rose to 4-point-8-2 percent, also the highest since May 2012. Higher rates have raised concerns about Korea's ratio of household debt to GDP, which is the highest among 36 major economies, as chosen by the Institute of International Finance. Rates on business loans rose by the most since 1998, in the aftermath of the Asian Financial Crisis, hitting 5-point-2-7 percent.

The government is offering financial support to businesses in the Seoul neighborhood of Itaewon who've seen a dramatic decline in customers since the deadly crowd crush that occured a month ago. Businesses in the area will be able to get tens of thousands of dollars in low-interest loans to keep them afloat. The area had only just begun to recover from the loss of business during the pandemic. Choi Min-jung reports.

The Finance Ministry and other government agencies are also urging truckers to end their strike, saying those who refuse will be dealt with strictly according to the law. More talks were held today, but the cargo truckers' union say their protest will continue. Eum Ji-young reports.

Over in Ukraine. intense shelling continues around Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Fighting there reportedly descended into bloody trench warfare. According to Ukraine’s top office on Monday, at least four civilians were killed and 11 others wounded in the latest Russian attacks. Meanwhile, this week, NATO foreign ministers are set to hold talks in Bucharest to discuss more support for Ukraine.

Seoul's unification minister visited Panmunjom and reiterated the government's willingness to engage in talks with North Korea. The official emphasized that the main obstacle to overcome is the lack of trust. Han Seong-woo shares with us his remarks.

South Korea's Prime Minister delivered a presentation to the World Expos governing body to help with the country's bid to host the global event. At the BIE, Han Duck-soo stressed Busan is the ideal place to gather and address common challenges under the theme "Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future."

A month has passed since the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon. Investigations are still underway while discussions are set to begin on compensation for the victims’ families. Lee Kyung-eun gets us up to speed with the developments

Ongoing protests in China against the country's zero-COVID prevention scheme have led to global figures voicing their concerns. The United States has reiterated its position in support of the peaceful protests, while the IMF said it's been recommending that China eases its curbs. Our Oh Soo-young has the latest.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will co-host the Second Summit for Democracy. The other co-hosts are U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia. The gathering will take place across two days starting March 29th next year and, according to a press release, build on the first Summit for Democracy held in December 2021. The summit will demonstrate how transparent, accountable governance remains the best way to deliver lasting prosperity, peace, and justice. The second Summit for Democracy will assemble world leaders in a virtual, plenary format, followed by hybrid gatherings in each of the countries featuring representatives from government, civil society, and the private sector. South Korea will chair the meeting for the Indo-Pacific region and share with the world its experiences in democratization and tackling corruption.

Joining the current series of strikes in South Korea are Seoul's subway system workers whose strike on Wednesday is affecting lines 1 to 8 as well as parts of line 9. Seoul Metro workers started their strike at 6:30 AM on Wednesday as the labor union and the employer couldn't come to an agreement after 8 hours of talks. Seoul Metro and Seoul City have put in extra workers to make sure the early morning rush hour isn't affected, but during the day, the schedule will be cut by nearly 30 percent. During the evening rush hour, the operation rate will be around 85 percent compared to a normal weekday.

Hello, I am Lee Jeehyun with the latest weather updates. What a dramatic change in the weather in just one day! Morning temperatures in the northern parts of the country have dropped more than 15 degrees Celsius compared to yesterday morning with a cold wave warning issued.

Unmanned ground vehicles are considered a key part of future warfare. On Tuesday, South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace demonstrated its own U-G-V to American forces at Camp Humphreys in South Korea for the first time. Lee Seung-jae has more.

LG Electronics' 'LG gram' laptop, has been selected as one of the 'Best Laptops of 2022.' U.S.-based Consumer Reports selected the best devices across five different sizes based on a consumer survey on reliability and satisfaction. LG's 'LG gram 16' was chosen as the best laptop in the 15 to 16 inch category. Consumer Reports said the laptop is not only light,.. at just over 1-point-3 kilograms,.. but its battery lasts up to 18 hours. Apple's 'MacBook Air M2' was the best product among 12 to 13 inch laptops.

This week, Seoul has been hosting the Global Health Security Agenda, a framework of dozens of countries aimed at preventing and responding to global health threats, like the pandemic. And today, it wrapped up with members adopting the new Seoul Declaration. In the declaration, the members extended their commitment to the framework to 2028. It also includes a commitment to setting up a global health security office in Seoul. This was the first face-to-face meeting of the GHSA since the start of the pandemic. The keynote speech on Monday was given online by Dr. Fauci, the medical expert who led America's pandemic response.

The commander of U.S. Space Command says Washington is working to improve its missile warning system. Speaking at an event on Tuesday, James Dickinson said the U.S. was looking to integrate a sensor that gives the U.S. the earliest possible warning of any type of missile activity from North Korea. He said this would provide the U.S. and its allies with as much advanced warning as possible. The U.S. Space Force set up a new component command at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command last week, a move apparently aimed at enhancing its missile defense capabilities in the region.

The South Korean economy may be experiencing a slowdown. Industrial output dropped in October, for a fourth consecutive month. Data from Statistics Korea shows the related index stood at 115-point-4 last month. That's down one-point-five percent compared to September, the biggest on-month fall since April 2020, when the pandemic was in full swing. The agency attributed the drop to lower production in the services and manufacturing sectors. Retail sales, a barometer for consumer demand, also edged down point-two percent on-month, falling for the second month in a row.

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