Jared Kushner, the U.S. special envoy and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, is meeting with Hamas leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to break the deadlock in Gaza peace negotiations. The meetings come as both sides clash over the sequence of Hamas disarmament and Israeli military withdrawal.On August 16, Kushner met with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and other officials in Egypt, alongside representatives from mediating countries including Egypt, Qatar, and Tur

Kim Min-seok and Jeong Cheong-rae, candidates for the leadership of the Democratic Party, continued their exchanges over allegations of factionalism and ties to the Shincheonji cult during the party convention held on August 17.During a joint speech at the Daejeon Convention Center, both candidates appealed for final support from party members.Kim Min-seok emphasized the need to eradicate election manipulation by fake and dual party members, stating, "I will address dual memberships and phantom

As the U.S. prepares to announce the results of its investigation into overproduction, the '15% tariff threshold' secured through the Korea-U.S. trade agreement is under scrutiny. This comes amid existing forced labor tariffs of up to 12.5% and pressures for early implementation of U.S. investments, compounded by the unexpected dismissal of Trade Negotiations Chief Yuhan-koo. The South Korean government aims to leverage the existing Korea-U.S. agreement and its investment plans to keep the final

The Korean Football Association has completed the application review process for the interim coach who will lead the national football team. This week, the association will begin online interviews to expedite the search for the next interim coach.On August 17, the association announced, "We completed the document eligibility review and result verification for the public recruitment of the interim coach and coaching staff over the weekend, and we have notified applicants of their acceptance or re

The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Employment and Labor remain at an impasse regarding the application of exceptions to the 52-hour workweek for the semiconductor mega-cluster special law. The Labor Ministry emphasizes that a special extended work hours system already exists, while industry representatives criticize it as bureaucratic.As of August 17, the positions of the two ministries on the 52-hour workweek exception have not converged. On August 12, M

During the Liberation Day holiday, Geoje, South Korea, experienced over 800 mm of record rainfall, resulting in a fatal landslide and widespread flooding of roads and homes. The region's two major shipyards, Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries, implemented emergency measures, restricting employee access. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration and fire authorities, Geoje received 815.5 mm of rain from August 15 to August 17. Notably, on the morning of August 17, rainfall pea

The planned recount of ballots at Seoul's Olympic Park on August 18 has become uncertain due to the People Power Party's insistence that a special prosecutor must be involved in the process.According to political sources on August 17, the People Power Party intends to negotiate the recount schedule with the special prosecutor, who is set to be appointed that day. The party argues that the special prosecutor, tasked with investigating the overall infringement of citizens' voting rights, should co

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul City government will meet on August 20 to discuss plans for expanding housing supply in Seoul. Following the government's real estate measures announced on August 13, there remain differences regarding the easing of regulations on redevelopment projects and the housing supply volume in the Yongsan International Business District, drawing attention to the outcome of this meeting.According to the Ministry and the city, Minister Kim Y

Unwanted promotional calls have become a nuisance for many consumers. In France, a new regulation prohibits telemarketing calls unless consumers have given prior consent.As of August 11, France has implemented a ban on telemarketing calls that do not have the explicit consent of the consumer. This shift to an 'opt-in' system means that companies must obtain permission before making such calls, reversing the previous practice where consumers had to opt out.Exceptions apply for calls related to ex