Welcome to Arirang News. This is Key Kim. We start with the top headlines at this hour. 1. Concerns over disruptions in the country''s medical system are worsening,. . . after professors of medicine at one of the so-called Big Five major hospitals here began an indefinite walkout on Monday. Essential care including emergency rooms, intensive care units and delivery rooms will continue to operate. But with professors from all 20 clinical departments at the hospital joining the walkout,. . . outpatient treatments and surgeries have inevitably been affected,. . . being reduced by around 40-percent. While saying the collapse of the medical system has already begun,. . . the SNU''s emergency committee demanded the government to fully scrap all administrative orders issued against trainee doctors who walked off their jobs in February. It also added it would be willing to end the walkout and engage in dialogue,. . . but only if the government readjusts the new medical school quota for next year. Though the doctors'' pressure is getting stronger,. . . the government is still firm on the issue. President Yoon urged officials to thoroughly prepare emergency measures to cope with the collective action,. . . calling it an illegal rejection of their work duties. The government previously urged hospitals to request a review of their compensation claims,. . . if they suffer losses due to the prolonged crisis. 2. Korea landed significant deals on transport, energy, and infrastructure in all three countries -- such as working on Turkmenistan’s gas processing facility,. . . smart cities in Kazakhstan, and Korea''s first export of its high-speed rail system in Uzbekistan. Another major achievement was establishing critical mineral partnerships with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as South Korea’s semiconductor and battery industries rely on stable supplies of minerals like nickel, lithium, and tungsten. Seoul also secured stable supplies of crude oil and uranium for nuclear energy from Kazakhstan. Beyond economic security,. . . Yoon''s office says Korea''s basic resource cooperation has evolved into a sustainable strategic partnership. The leaders of all three countries expressed support for Yoon''s ‘K-Silk Road Initiative'' which aims to bolster cooperation in resources, development, and culture with five Central Asian countries including Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. 3. South Korea and China are scheduled to hold high-level talks between their foreign and defense officials on Tuesday,. . . the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely visit Pyongyang. South Korea''s foreign ministry announced Monday that the 2+2 meeting, set to take place in Seoul, will be led by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and his Chinese counterpart Sun Weidong. Defense officials at the director-general level from the two countries will also be joining the meeting. During Tuesday''s meeting, the two sides will likely discuss the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula -- including the North''s trash balloons, and the South''s decision to suspend the inter-Korean military agreement. South Korea is expected to once again ask China to play a constructive role in resolving North Korea issues,. . . and highlight the importance of communication between Seoul and Beijing to maintain peace in the region.   4. Amid an ongoing parliamentary power struggle, National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik has urged the rival parties to swiftly agree on the distribution of the standing committee leadership posts. During a press conference on Monday, Woo stated that he will ensure the June extraordinary session proceeds as scheduled. He added that in order to do so, the best approach is to allocate the 11 positions to the main opposition Democratic Party and seven to the ruling People Power Party,. . . and quickly finalize the organization of the committees. After the press conference, Woo met with the rival floor leaders of the PPP and the DP to further discuss the matter. Despite a two-hour long discussion, the two parties couldn''t bridge the differences and failed to reach an agreement.   5. Korean Air held a meeting with the board of directors on Monday to select Air Incheon, -- a cargo transport specialized airline, as the preferred bidder for Asiana''s cargo division. The sales agreement will be settled. . . next month. Selling off the cargo service. . . was one of the EU''s conditions. . . to approve the merger between the two South Korean airlines,. . . and the other condition being. . . that Korean Air allows low-cost carrier T''way to start four new passenger flight routes. The merger process has been ongoing for more than 3 years. All that''s left now is for approval from the United States.   Moving to weather forecast, Scorching heat continued throughout the day all over the country today. Highs in Seoul moved up to 30 degrees. This summer heat is expected to get stronger. A heat wave warning was issued this morning in southeastern Gyeonggi-do, eastern Jeollanam-do, and the Gyeongsang-do provinces. Tomorrow, the daytime temperature in Seoul will soar to 33 degrees, and the temperatures will rise higher than today all over the country. In addition, both UV rays and ozone levels will soar very high. Tomorrow morning will start off at 18 degrees in Daejeon and Gyeongju. 59:30’ The current temperatures are: _______ degrees in Seoul _______ degrees in Pyeongchang _______ degrees in Busan And _______ degrees on Jejudo Island 59:39’ You’re listening to Arirang Radio 59:42’