1. Japan on Thursday started releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean at 1 PM, despite concerns raised by neighboring countries. The controversial move comes a month after the International Atomic Energy Agency gave final approval to the discharge last month.
2. North Korea said Thursday its second attempt to launch a spy satellite has ended in failure. According to the Korean Central News Agency, the launch failed due to “an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight.”
3. The Bank of Korea said Thursday it will hold its key interest rate steady for the fifth straight time. The monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea kept the benchmark seven-day repo rate unchanged at 3-point-5 percent, as the economy faces the prospect of slowing down and household debts increase.
