1. Key government figures, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, gathered at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday morning to attend a ceremony marking the 4,355th National Foundation Day.
2. According to the International Monetary Fund’s Global Debt Database, South Korea’s household debt-to-GDP ratio increased to 108-point-1 percent last year from 92 percent in 2017. South Korea experienced the largest increase among 26 nations.
3. The U.S. government avoided a federal shutdown after both the House and Senate agreed on a short-term funding deal. The bill allows the government to stay open for 45 days, and was signed into law by President Joe Biden just minutes before the deadline.
