South Korea welcomes visit by North Korean leader’s sister for Winter Olympics

South Korea and the US are sending a signal to North Korea, which had fired eight short-range missiles a day prior.

The industry association representing 32 petrochemical companies in South Korea said the average daily ex-factory shipments of their member companies had plunged by 90% due to the strike, now in its seventh day. The 22,000-strong union is protesting against soaring fuel prices and demanding minimum pay guarantees.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is going all in on nuclear power, both at home and abroad, marking a shift from his predecessor's undecided approach.

The Quad Leaders' meeting came at the end of Joe Biden's first trip to Asia as President. The rivalry with China still defines US policy in the region and Biden made it a point to visit two of the US's oldest security allies in the region, Japan and South Korea.

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is in Seoul to meet with political leaders. Pelosi was said to have planned a visit to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on the border with North Korea.

Seoul and Washington turn away from a policy of detente with Pyongyang with the largest joint exercises in four years as China and Russia engage in their own displays of force.

Seoul's new conservative government made the offer amid strained relations with Pyongyang over its missile tests. The last reunions were held in 2018.

Palestinian militants took 11 members of the Israeli delegation hostage inside the Olympic village in Munich, Germany, on September 5, 1972. The terrorists, who claimed to be part of the Black September movement, were demanding the liberation of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. After killing two hostages, they negotiated for a plane to take them out of the country. But a German police operation to rescue the Israelis went horribly wrong. In the end, all the hostages were killed, along with five of the eight attackers and a German police officer.

The new all-girl pop group NewJeans is being criticized for sexually suggestive lyrics. The group's management agency insists some of the lyrics are being deliberately misinterpreted.

Each country fired two ground-to-air missiles in a show of strength after North Korea conducted its farthest-ever missile test, which caused evacuations in Japan.

Under a 2019 revision of the law, globally recognized K-pop stars were allowed to put off their service until 30. Military service is hugely controversial in South Korea where all able-bodied men aged between 18 and 28 must fulfil their duties as part of efforts to defend against nuclear-armed North Korea.

President Han Duck-soo said the government would carry out a "thorough investigation" as the casualty count continued to climb overnight. A 561-member task force will interview witnesses to the tragedy.