1.President Yoon Suk Yeol left for Prague on Thursday for a trip focused on ensuring a major nuclear energy project in the Czech Republic. Ahead of his departure, President Yoon expressed confidence in a written interview with Reuters that Korea will clinch the deal despite legal concerns.
2.The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its benchmark interest rate by half of a percentage point to the 4.75 to 5.0 percent range, and hinted at possibly further lowering the rate later this year.
3.The opposition-dominated National Assembly passed three contentious bills on Thursday, including two mandating special counsel probes - one to look into the death of a marine last year and another to examine allegations against First Lady Kim Keon-hee. The ruling People Power Party chose to boycott Thursday's plenary session.
