1. Candidate registration for the 22nd general election, which will be held on April 10th, closes on Friday at 6 PM. The order number on ballots for parties and candidates will be determined as of the deadline.
2. South Korean poet {κΉνμ}Kim Hye-soon on Thursday became the first Korean ever to win the National Book Critics Circle Award for her work "Phantom Pain Wings." The National Book Critics Circle, an American nonprofit association, announced Kim as the winner in the poetry category.
3. A senior U.S. official on Thursday said South Korean companies' reported move to stop selling used semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China is "encouraging," and that the U.S. is making sure that they have "parity" with allied nations, as Washington seeks tighter export controls on key technologies.
