Yonhap News Summary

South Korea, the United States and Japan held a series of telephone consultations on Monday to discuss responses to North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, the South Korean foreign ministry reported. On Sunday, Pyongyang fired two short-range missiles towards the East Sea, marking the country's 14th missile launch this year and its first in eight days. North Korean state media did not comment on the launches early Monday.

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae Myung embarked on a two-nation trip on Monday, starting in New York to address the UN General Assembly before heading to Mexico for a state visit. During his UN High-Level Week, he intends to seek dialogue with US President Donald Trump through various channels, according to National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac. Lee is scheduled to deliver a speech at the UN session on Tuesday (U.S. time).

According to a poll, President Lee's approval rating reached 34.8 percent for the first time in 10 weeks, thanks to his clarification of key political issues during a press conference. Positive assessments of his performance rose by 1 percentage point to 34.8 percent, while negative assessments increased by 0.1 percentage point to 63.4 percent, according to the poll conducted by Realmeter.

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) announced that it will maintain electricity rates unchanged for the fourth quarter, despite higher raw material prices and financial difficulties, as the adjusted fuel cost remains at the maximum level of 5 won per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the October-December period.

South Korean swimmer Kim Young-beom broke a three-year-old Asian Games record in the men's 50-meter freestyle swimming event at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, winning the heats with a time of 21.71 seconds. This marked the first time since 2018 that a South Korean male swimmer set an Asian Games record in the 50m freestyle.