November 9, Thursday, 2023

1. The foreign ministers of the United States and South Korea have agreed to take concerted actions against the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his South Korean counterpart Park Jin shared “profound concerns” about North Korea’s “growing and dangerous military cooperation with Russia,” calling it a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a serious threat to the world. 2. A joint coastal defense drill has begun in the Philippines with five countries participating, including the US and Japan. The drill is part of efforts by Manila to strengthen multilateral security cooperation at a time when China is growing aggressive in the disputed South China Sea. 3. Japan is experiencing an unprecedentedly warm fall. Weather officials say most of the snow on the summit of Mount Fuji has now melted away. The Meteorological Agency on Wednesday said most of the snow on the top of Mt. Fuji has melted due to unseasonably warm weather over the past few days.