▲ Said Kouzehchi, Iran's ambassador to South Korea, reportedly said Korean ships "can pass through at any time once coordination is in place" regarding their passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Rep. Kim Young-bae, the Democratic Party of Korea's chief secretary on the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said on a radio program on the 26th that Ambassador Kouzehchi made the remarks during a meeting at the National Assembly the previous day with himself and Rep. Kim Seok-gi of the People Power Party, who chairs the committee. However, 26 Korean ships and 178 Korean crew members are currently stranded at the Strait of Hormuz. Trustworthy measures must be taken to ensure that no Korean nationals suffer any harm from the Iran conflict.
▲ The Bank of Korea (BOK) said in its Financial Stability Report released on the 26th that as of March last year, young people in their 20s and 30s accounted for 34.9% of the 459,000 high-risk households with elevated debt-to-asset ratios. This means one in three high-risk households — where debts exceed assets — is a young household. As more young people take on debt to purchase homes and invest in stocks, the so-called "yeongkkeul" generation — those who borrow to the maximum — continues to grow. With financial volatility widening, a sharp downturn in real estate and stock markets could deal a significant blow not only to individuals but to the broader economy. The government must make every effort to manage the smoldering risks of excessive leveraged borrowing.