1. Rival parties won crucial regional by-elections in their respective strongholds. The ruling People Power Party won the mayoral races in Busan's Geumjeong District and Incheon's Ganghwa County, while the main opposition Democratic Party won in the South Jeolla Province counties of Yeonggwang and Gokseong.
2. Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan strongly denounced North Korea on Wednesday for deliberately escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
3. The South Korean government on Thursday expressed disappointment and "deep regret" after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, which is seen as a symbol of Japan's militaristic past.
