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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Friday stated that the country’s immediate task is to rebound its potential growth rate, emphasizing that bold structural reforms are needed to achieve this goal. At a senior aides’ meeting that day, he warned that whenever a new administration takes office, the potential growth rate could fall by about one percentage point, potentially turning negative if not addressed. He identified six core reform targets—regulation, finance, public sector, pensions, education, and labor—and said the current moment is ripe for an economic recovery through reform. He added that next year could mark the starting point for a national transformation through structural reforms and pledged to move swiftly. He urged aides to treat this moment as a historic turning point and to work with greater responsibility and pride.

NewJeans, previously entangled in a contract dispute with their agency Adore, announced a full comeback, sending Hybe’s stock up about 5.7% to 307,500 won at the close and briefly peaking near 310,000 won. Intraday, the stock touched around 310,000 won as investors reacted to the news. Following yesterday’s close, Adore had argued that the contracts remained valid and filed suits to uphold the agreements, while the court granted Adore’s injunction in both the provisional and first-instance rulings. The development comes amid ongoing legal wrangling over the group’s activities, but the market chose to focus on the comeback announcement.

Seoul’s apartment prices rose slowly overall after the 10·15 measures, yet gains remained pronounced in the Han River Belt. Data from Korea Real Estate Board showed the city-wide increase at about 0.17%, while districts along the Han River—Songpa, Seongdong, Yongsan, and Seocho—posted a more noticeable rebound. Songpa District led with the largest gain, about 0.47%, driven largely by redevelopment projects in the area. Analysts point to the tightened mortgage and regulatory environment as factors shaping the market, with prices still buoyed by cash-rich buyers in high-demand districts.

The National Intelligence Agency warned that some KT smartphones had their text encryption effectively unlocked, a finding the government said could threaten cyber security. In certain KT models, messages were not end-to-end encrypted and could be decrypted on intermediate servers. A KT-hacking investigation team is examining whether this vulnerability exists across KT’s broader network. KT had previously acknowledged incidents of credential theft in small-payment hacks, and investigators indicated that attackers manipulated malware to bypass encryption. Allegations have also surfaced that KT concealed a malware incident last year, adding to the controversy surrounding the company.

The Trump administration announced that the longest U.S. federal government shutdown on record ended after the House passed the Senate’s amended bill by 222 to 209 votes. President Trump signed the temporary funding measure, bringing the 43-day shutdown to a close. He described the development as “a great day” and urged Democrats to remember what they did to the country. The stopgap funding will restore government operations at existing levels through January 30 of next year, resuming programs such as low-income food assistance and federal employee pay. As the year ends, observers expect political rhetoric over Obamacare subsidies to intensify between Trump, Republicans, and Democrats.

In nuclear news, Korea’s Kori Unit 2 has had its operating life extended to 2033 after a safety board vote. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved the continued operation, with KHNP planning safety-margin upgrades and on-site verifications before the reactor restarts. While some environmental groups staged protests and temporarily halted proceedings, the decision clears the way for a decade-long extension of the unit’s life.