Welcome to Arirang News This is Yoon Se-young And we start with our top headlines at this hour, 1. Foreign and defense officials from South Korea and China met in Seoul for high-level talks on Tuesday,. . . the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin headed to Pyongyang. During Tuesday''s meeting,. . . the two sides likely discussed the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula,. . . as well as North Korea''s military cooperation with Russia. South Korea is expected to have once again asked China to play a constructive role in resolving North Korea issues. Meanwhile, a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely take place soon,. . . after Putin''s arrival in Pyongyang late on Tuesday. Moscow and Pyongyang are likely to sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement,. . . a huge step up from the current relationship which can be defined as friendly cooperation largely focused on economic exchanges. 2. North Korean troops briefly crossed,. . . the Military Demarcation Line again. . . Tuesday morning. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff,. . . some 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers intruded over the border at around 8:30 AM. They immediately returned North,. . . after the South Korean military fired warning shots and aired warning messages. A similar intrusion took place on June 9th,. . . when troops appeared to get lost while working in the DMZ. As was the case then,. . . the South Korean military says Tuesday''s border crossing appears to be accidental. 3. Nationwide strikes led by the Korean Medical Association has resulted in little disruption for patients so far, but stern responses from the government. The health ministry reported that around four percent of medical institutions around the country indicated that they would suspend services on Tuesday, but so far, there has been no major break in medical treatment at community hospitals. Doctors were immediately ordered to return to work, with the government stating that failure to comply could lead to medical license suspensions. The KMA was also reported to the Fair Trade Commission for encouraging the illegal practice of refusing to treat patients. 4. South Korea saw its global competitiveness soar to a record high in rankings released by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development. According to the finance ministry on Tuesday,. . . South Korea placed 20th overall out of 67 countries that were assessed in the 2024 IMD World Competitiveness Rankings,. . . its highest ever. And it''s also up eight places compared to last year when it came in at 28th. The rankings --- which are published in June each year --- assess a country''s ability to create a conducive business environment. The rise in Seoul''s global competitiveness this year was mostly driven by business efficiency and infrastructure ratings. 5. Recent data has shown that the prices of necessities in South Korea are among the highest among high-income world economies. A report released by the Bank of Korea on Tuesday showed that the prices of daily necessities in the country rose over 16 percent from December 2020 to May this year – outpacing inflation for consumer prices overall. Data from market research company E-I-U showed that food costs, clothing, and shelter in South Korea were 55 percent higher than the OECD average – with apples and t-shirts the priciest out of all the 38 member countries. The Bank of Korea attributed high prices of agricultural products to low production rates and distribution costs, and clothing to consumer tendencies to prefer more expensive items. Moving to the weather forecast, The scorching heat is getting worse. This morning, the heatwave warning expanded to Gwangju, Busan, and Daejeon. It will also take effect in northern Gyeonggi-do Province, Chuncheon in Gangwon-do Province, and the Chungcheong-do provinces and other central inland areas from tomorrow morning. It is better to refrain from outdoor activities as much as possible. Tomorrow, the daytime temperature in Seoul will rise to 35 degrees and scorching heat will be felt across the country. Unlike the clear inland areas, Jeju Island will have its first rainy season this summer from tomorrow. This rain will continue until Friday, but there is a possibility that it will rain again over the weekend. The current temperatures are: _______ degrees in Seoul _______ degrees in Suwon _______ degrees in Daegu _______ degrees in Busan And _______ degrees on Jejudo Island You’re listening to Arirang Radio