1. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 2,169.29 on Wednesday, below the 2,200 mark for the first time in 2 years and 2 months. The local currency ended at 1,439.9 won against the US dollar, up 18.4 won from the previous trading day.
2. During a meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday, South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said to Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, that there is an urgent need to improve the relations between S.Korea and Japan, and that such improvement would better serve their mutual interests.
3. Voting came to an end in four Russia-backed referendums in Moscow-controlled areas of Ukraine on Tuesday, with the respective Kremlin-installed governments claiming victories. Watchers say the referendums pave the way for Russia’s President Putin to announce the annexation of those regions.
