1. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, met with US Secretary of State Antony Bliken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in New York on Thursday. The top diplomats expressed concern about North Korea’s adoption of a new law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, calling for a "strong and resolute response.”

2. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 2,290 on Friday, hitting the lowest level in roughly 2 months. The local currency ended at 1,409.3 won against the US dollar on Friday.

3. On Friday, referendums on Russia’s annexation began in four areas of Ukraine backed by Russia. Western capitals condemned the move as a clear violation of international law that could aggravate the ongoing conflict.