Lee Jae Myung, the president of South Korea, has stated that he is considering apologizing to Pyongyang for allegedly ordering cross-border provocations under his leadership.
Following the indictment of former president Yoon Suk-yeol last month over alleged ordering of drones carrying propaganda flyers to fly over the North, Lee said on Wednesday that he felt an apology was appropriate in response. According to prosecutors, Lee said the move was to stir up tension and increase his political support.
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The comments were made as Seoul commemorated Yoon’s disastrous declaration of martial law, which was spurred by similar intentions but instead caused a severe crisis in South Korea.
Kim Jong Un, the North’s leader, has so far ignored Lee’s attempts to strike up a dialogue with Pyongyang after he became president.
Lee said at a press conference in Seoul, “I feel I should apologize, but I hesitantly say it out loud.”
If I do, he said, “I worry that it will serve as fodder for ideological rivalries or accusations of being pro-North.”
North Korea claimed that Yoon’s government flew drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets three times in October 2024.
During the former administration’s time in power, the military also flew balloons carrying propaganda across the border, according to South Korean media on Monday.
deep division
Lee’s remarks coincided with Yoon’s attempt to implement martial law.
South Korea entered a unique crisis as a result of the decree, which saw lawmakers and protesters encroach on the country’s parliament.
The Supreme Court quickly upheld its constitutionality.
Yoon is currently imprisoned while awaiting trial for insurrection and other charges stemming from his unsuccessful martial law attempt. He was later impeached and removed from office.
However, the stunt has divided South Korea deeply, with Yoon’s supporters voicing their anger at his hardline policy toward the North and his political rivals accusing him of attacking the South’s democracy.
As Seoul celebrated its anniversary on Wednesday, opposing marches took place.
Dialogue
Lee, a liberal who won a slew of presidential elections in April of this year, stated to reporters that he is eager to mend relations with Pyongyang.
He has removed propaganda loudspeakers along the border since taking office in June, among other things.
A law in Seoul that forbids activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda into the North was passed on Tuesday.
Kim claims that his government isn’t interested in dialogue, despite Kim’s assertion that North Korea has so far refrained from trying to stop it.
The president of South Korea reaffirmed his resolve despite this. He suggested that Pyongyang might take advantage of the regular military exercises, which Pyongyang views as a provocation, to encourage the North to resume discussions.
Mahmoud Essam Wadi, a journalist who was killed on Tuesday by an Israeli drone strike, was laid to rest in Khan Younis. Another journalist was hurt in the attack. Since October 2023, more than 220 journalists have died in Gaza.
The biggest edition of football’s most famous showpiece ever held will be held on Friday in Washington, with US President Donald Trump expected to be prominently in the draw.
From June 11 through July 19th, the expanded 48-team competition, which included 32 nations competing at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, will take place in all 50 states.
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Trump’s confirmation of his attendance at the Kennedy Center’s ceremony on Tuesday, which was confirmed by the White House, strengthens his relationship with Gianni Infantino, who has visited the White House numerous times and even has attended a joint North American bid more than once.
Given Infantino’s close ties to Trump, it is widely anticipated that the US leader will be chosen as the first recipient of a new FIFA Peace Prize, which will be decided at the drawing.
Trump’s second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence will both feature in the World Cup.
He has not paused to discuss domestic politics and has threatened to move World Cup games from Democratic-run cities if he believes the situation is “unsafe.”
Iran said it will boycott the draw because US authorities refused to grant visas to several members of its delegation in response to the global tensions surrounding a World Cup that will have 11 of its 16 locations in the US.
Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian football team, stated: “We have told the head of FIFA that this behavior must be told to stop at [Washington] because it is purely political.”
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw will take place on Friday at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center in Washington, DC.
First-time qualifiers
The contenders for the title will be divided into 12 categories, including a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina that won for the third time in Qatar in 2022.
Argentina, the host country’s USA, Mexico, and Canada, record-holder Brazil, two-time champions France, four-time champions Germany, Spain, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium are the top seeds.
The 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be playing in his sixth World Cup finals with Portugal, would enjoy a long career with his nation’s first global title. He has stated that his will be his last.
A few of the first-time qualifiers, including Cape Verde, Jordan, and the tiny Caribbean island of Curacao, will also have a chance to participate in the enlarged cast.
The favorites want to avoid Italy, who won the World Cup in 2006 but haven’t qualified since 2014, with six more playoffs still to be decided.
The Italians can still advance to the finals by winning two sudden-death games despite a qualification campaign that has been rife with errors.
The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which also hosted the 1970 and 1986 championship matches, will host the opening match, which will take place before the nearly six-week long tournament, which will culminate in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, will host the final game.
Teams will only learn the full details of their matchday locations and kickoff times on Saturday, the day after the draw, due to the complexity.
Fans’ organizations have been warned that because of FIFA’s decision to use dynamic ticket pricing, fans could be paying eye-watering prices for tickets to the most attractive games.
Prices for the July 19 World Cup final in New Jersey starting at about $7, 000 have already soared on popular US secondary market websites like StubHub and SeatGeek.
The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, where the opening match of the 2026 World Cup will take place on June 11, is a panoramic view of the work being done.
Despite the ceasefire, which put an end to Israel’s genocidal war on the island, the Islamic University of Gaza has made a significant step toward reopening.
For the first time in two years, the university resumed in-person classes on Saturday, which limited students’ attempts at online learning due to displacement, power outages, and the destruction of university facilities.
After two years of forced academic interruptions due to a conflict that has ruined the enclave’s educational infrastructure, the gradual return to in-person learning takes place inside buildings that have been damaged by air strikes and partially destroyed.
“Today is a historic day. Despite the tragedy and cruelty caused by the genocide, Asaad Yousef Asaad, president of the Islamic University, declared.
“Palestinians, as everyone knows, love education and life,” he continued.
According to the president, a sizable number of students from the medical and health sciences departments retreated to their classrooms on Saturday.
He continued, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, a gradual plan is being developed to bring the university’s functions back to full.
4, 000 students overall received their degrees during the war via distance learning, and for the first time since October 2023, the university is now accepting new students in person.
The Gaza Government Media Office reports that over the past two years or so, some 165 educational facilities have been destroyed by Israeli strikes, and another 392 have experienced partial damage.
Eagle Mujinga walks a tightrope in DRC’s dangerous mines to meet the world’s demand for cobalt. Eagle Mujinga defends workers’ welfare.
Workers at the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Shabara cobalt mine are led by Eagle Mujinga. The DRC contributes to the global supply chain that fuels renewable energy and electric vehicles. It is the world’s largest producer of cobalt. Miners in the DRC are exposed to risky working conditions and only make a few dollars per day to supply the multibillion-dollar industry.
When miners accuse foreign buyers of underweighing and undervaluing the cobalt they extract, there is an ape caught in the middle. Can Mujinga manage demands from miners while maintaining contact with foreigners once he becomes a miner himself?
Republican nominee Matt Van Epps, who defeated Democratic state Representative Aftyn Behn, won Tuesday’s special US House election in Tennessee thanks to US President Donald Trump.
Mark Green, a former representative, resigned in July, taking the seat that Van Epps has vacated.
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The Republicans’ 219-213 House majority would have been even more narrowed if they had gotten upset by a Democratic upset.
What should I know:
What were the special election results in Tennessee in the end?
Middle Tennessee’s election was won by Van Epps. After Republican leaders made a late push to woo their voters, the Associated Press called the election.
Van Epps received 53.9 percent of the votes, while Behn received 45 percent, according to the AP.
In a statement, Van Epps stated that “this race was bigger than just one campaign.” It marked a turning point for Tennessee, the country, and the country’s direction, according to the author.
He added that cost-of-living issues would be one of his top priorities as a result of the greater attention given to those issues in races this year, including the governors’ races in Virginia and New Jersey and the New York City mayoral race.
Republican nominee for the House of Representatives, Matt Van Epps, delivers his victory speech [Brett Carlsen/Getty Images via AFP]
Republicans typically enjoy a seat in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. Trump increased that margin to 22 points in 2024 after winning by 15 points in 2020. However, unexpected outcomes can occur during special elections, as revealed by recent polls.
Trump congratulated Van Epps and called it “another fantastic night for the Republican Party” in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday night.
What caused this special election to take place?
After Green, who had previously won the seat in 2018, resigned in July as a result of his decision to retire, Tennessee decided to hold the special election.
He had won the district’s re-election by 21 points to lead the district.
The seat he vacated belongs in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, a sizable portion of Nashville’s downtown area that extends from the Kentucky border to Alabama. After the state’s Republican-controlled legislature redefined congressional boundaries in 2022, the district’s political climate shifted more significantly.
Nearly all of Nashville was grouped under one firmly Democratic district prior to that redistricting.
The seventh district was then divided into three distinct districts by the city’s leaders, who combined Nashville’s heavily Republican suburban and rural counties.
By dispersing the city’s overwhelmingly Democratic, urban voters, who are disproportionately younger, Black, and more progressive, across a number of districts, the new map diluted Nashville’s Democratic voting bloc.
Large suburban and rural areas that consistently vote Republican, made up of older, whiter, and more conservative voters, were then combined with each other’s parts of the city.
Seats like the 7th Congressional District’s Democratic bloc were significantly more likely to elect Republican candidates because of this redrawing, which dispersed the Democratic bloc in Nashville’s Republican-leaning districts.
However, national Republican groups had to intervene this time to save the seat.
Aftyn Behn’s supporters watch the results of the US 7th Congressional District’s special election on December 2, 2025. [George Walker IV/AP Photo]
What were some of the factors that led to Van Epps’ victory?
Van Epps’ 8.9-point victory is notable in contrast to the district’s previous Republican victories.
The significant investment from national Republican groups, who viewed the race as closer than expected, is credited as a key factor in shaping the outcome, according to analysts.
According to Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane, who is based in Washington, DC, “It is undoubtedly going to concern the Republicans,” so much so that a poll suggested Behn might actually win.
Trump’s personal Political Action Committee (PAC), which she claims traveled to a rally with the candidate for more than $1 million, said the candidate. The president also called the rally at a campaign rally.
The super PAC, which supports Trump, has been funding campaigns for the first time since the election of last year.
Van Epps firmly supported Trump in his victory speech, stating that “running with Trump is how you win.”
He praised the president for his unwavering support, which he said propelled us to victory and charted this movement. “President Trump was in complete agreement with us.” That was crucial. I’ll support him in Congress.
One of his main goals, he added, was to stop rising living costs, which is a theme that is becoming apparent in a lot of campaigns this year.
Democrats recently had impressive victories in key races, including the New York mayoral contest, and they hoped a strong showing in Tennessee would help the party prepare for the midterm elections in November.
Behn stated in the Tuesday evening press release that “the momentum has been on our side.” “We are losing less in other areas than we should be,” the statement reads.
Aftyn Behn addresses supporters at a watch party after the party’s special election ended on December 2, 2025.
What did Matt Van Epps run on, and who is he?
Van Epps, a West Point graduate, a decorated helicopter pilot, and a lieutenant colonel who served in the Tennessee Army National Guard, are described on his campaign website.
His public service includes positions in the governor’s office’s office and the state government of Tennessee, where he served as the department’s commissioner of general services’ deputy chief operating officer.
Van Epps describes himself as a strong fiscal conservative who supports tax cuts, Medicaid changes, and supports the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. As part of Trump’s agenda, the bill passed in July increases immigration funds, cuts welfare programs, and increases tax cuts.
Additionally, he supports a “secure border”.
Matt will work with President Trump to finish the wall, give Border Patrol more authority, and put an end to the woke left’s open-border agenda to keep our borders safe. They will restore law and order, safeguard American families, and prioritize our country’s security, according to his website.
He has endorsed Israel on issues of foreign policy and Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza, saying he will “ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.”
Congressman-elect Matt Van Epps, welcome to the @HouseGOP! 🇺🇸 pic. twitter.com/HUw5T3qlxU
Analysts claim that the outcome is still a “big warning sign for Republicans” despite his victory.
According to Al Jazeera’s Culhane, “This will give Democrats a little bit of energy,” and it will serve as a referendum on Donald Trump.
