1. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held phone talks on Tuesday during which Austin explained to Lee about media reports on leaked U.S. military documents and affirmed that the U.S. will cooperate with the South Korean government in handling the issue.
2. South Korea’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called in the deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Naoki Kumagai, to deliver a formal protest to Japan’s latest edition of the Blue Book of Foreign Affairs in which Japan renewed its territorial claim to Dokdo.
3. A level 3 wildfire, fanned by strong winds, spread along the east coast in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province, on Tuesday, destroying dozens of homes and forcing residents to relocate. Level 3 is the second-highest level in the four-notch system.
