1. The opposition-majority National Assembly passed a motion calling for the dismissal of Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min over the Itaewon tragedy on Sunday. The motion was backed by the Democratic Party which controls the parliament whereas the members of the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote. 2. South Korea started administering bivalent vaccines designed for Omicron subvariants to teenagers aged 12 to 17 on Monday. 3. Special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, Kim Gunn, embarked on a trip to Indonesia on Sunday to discuss North Korean nuclear issues with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts. He will meet with U.S. special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim today.

1. Striking truckers voted Friday to put their 16-day long strike to an end after 62% voted in favor of ending the strike. This comes after their walkouts caused major supply disruptions across industries and the South Korean government invoked return-to-work orders. 2. The UN General Assembly adopted several resolutions urging North Korea to refrain from additional nuclear tests on Wednesday. China and Russia also voted in favor of resolution 52 which stipulates condemning the six previous nuclear tests by North Korea. 3. China's President Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia for a summit with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. On Thursday, the leaders of the two countries signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement”.

1. The South Korean government has invoked return-to-work orders for striking truckers in the steel and petrochemicals sectors on Thursday. The strikes have already cost some 2.6 billion U.S dollars of losses to related industries. 2. During a plenary session of the National Assembly today, the parliament passed a bill that requires the use of the international age counting system, rather than the"Korean age" counting system. 3. The United States' Senate and the House of Representatives have reached an agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2023 fiscal year released Tuesday, as the US Congress reaffirms its commitment to security on the Korean Peninsula.

1. According to Interior Minister Lee Sang-min on Wednesday, the South Korean government will decide whether to lift the indoor mask mandate, which is the last remaining COVID-19 restriction, by the end of this month. Meanwhile, South Korea reported 74,714 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday. 2. Polish President Andrzej Duda said that the first shipment of weapons including K-2 tanks and K-9 howitzers, purchased from South Korea arrived in the country on Tuesday. 3. The UN Security Council will discuss the human rights situation in North Korea behind closed doors on December 9th for the third consecutive year.

1. South Korea's miracle run at the 2022 Qatar World Cup came to a halt after a 4-1 loss to Brazil during their round of 16 game. South Korean team’s head coach Paulo Bento said that he will not be renewing his contract. 2. South Korea plans to revive the ‘enemy’ expression for the North Korean regime and its military in its defense white paper which will be published next month under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. It’s been 6 years since North Korea has been referred to as an ‘enemy’. 3. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday that the government will firmly deal with an ongoing strike by unionized truckers without compromising with illegality, as the nationwide strike has entered its 13th day, disrupting the national economy.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has told his Cabinet on Sunday to prepare to issue an imminent back-to-work order on striking truck drivers in the oil and steel industries. The Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union's strike has entered its 12th day Monday. 2. According to the presidential office, President Yoon Suk Yeol met with his Vietnamese counterpart on Monday for a summit to discuss measures to further develop the relations between South Korea-Vietnam. 3. The South Korean men’s national football team reached the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup for the third time in history, after beating Portugal 2-1 on Friday with a dramatic last-grip goal. They will play Brazil in its first match of the knockout round at 4am on Tuesday Korea time.

1. According to the Foreign Ministry on Friday, the South Korean government decided to impose additional sanctions on 8 individuals and 7 institutions linked with North Korea’s weapons programs. 2. South Korea’s rival political parties, the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party, continue their negotiations to approve next year’s budget plan on Friday which is the legal deadline for the National Assembly to pass next year’s budget bill. 3. U.S. President Joe Biden hinted at a possible adjustment to the Inflation Reduction Act. Signed into law, the act has triggered apprehension that South Korean electrical vehicles might lose their competitiveness in the U.S. market.

1. Trade ministry data on Thursday shows South Korea's on-year exports declined for 2 consecutive months. November’s exports plunged by 14% compared to the same period last year, following October’s  5.7% on-year fall. 2. A nationwide strike by South Korea's truckers union Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union is now into its eighth day. Observers said South Korea’s government may convene a Cabinet meeting on Friday to invoke the back-to-work order on fuel tanker drivers. 3. Vietnam's President will make a three-day state visit to South Korea next week for talks with the South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday. He will be the first state guest to the country since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office.

1. The South Korean government met with the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union for more negotiations on Wednesday, however, the 40-minute long negotiations broke down. This came after President Yoon Suk-yeol issued an executive order to force cement truckers to return to work on Tuesday. 2. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea decided to pass a bill to impeach the Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min if the safety minister doesn’t resign himself.  3. According to South Korea’s presidential office on Wednesday, President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden will hold the second Summit for Democracy on March 29, 2023 for 2 consecutive days to seek opportunities to reinforce the resiliency of the democracies worldwide.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed to the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union that there is no choice for the government but to issue a return-to-work executive order for those refusing to transport goods in the cement sector, as the strike is threatening the livelihoods of many. 2. South Korea's second World Cup group match against Ghana ended in 3-2 loss against Ghana, despites Cho Gue-sung’s two goals, marking the first time a South Korean player scored twice in a single World Cup match. 3. Protests across China against the government's ‘zero–COVID-19’ policy, demonstrated mostly by aggressive lockdowns, have triggered worldwide concerns over the country’s economy.