Trump's Approval Rating Hits Record Low at 32% Amid Iran War President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to 32%, marking the lowest point of his presidency.According to a poll released on September 21 by Reuters and Ipsos, only 32% of respondents support Trump's handling of his duties, a decline of 3 percentage points from the previous week's survey, which recorded a 35% approval rating. This is reported to be the lowest approval rating of Trump's political career.The drop in support is attributed to the prolonged Iran War, which has increased the September 22, 2026

Ozone Alerts Decline Despite Summer Heat; Second Lowest Since 2016 Despite a nationwide heat wave this summer, the number of ozone alerts issued has decreased compared to previous years. Analysis suggests that weather conditions such as solar radiation and precipitation days have a greater impact on high ozone levels than temperature alone.The National Institute of Environmental Research, under the Ministry of Climate Energy and Environment, reported on September 22 that the total number of ozone alerts issued nationwide from May to August this year was 48 days September 22, 2026

Hydrogen Consumption for Transportation Rises 47% Ahead of Chuseok 수소차 보급이 늘면서 올해 수송용 수소 소비량이 전년보다 47% 급증한 것으로 나타났다. 정부는 차량 이동이 늘어나는 추석 연휴와 설비점검이 집중되는 4분기에 대비해 대체 물량과 충전소를 확보하는 등 수급 관리에 나선다.기후에너지환경부는 22일 서울 종로구 센터포인트광화문빌딩에서 '2026년 제3차 수송용 수소 수급협의체' 회의를 열고 추석 연휴와 4분기 수송용 수소 수급 상황을 점검했다고 밝혔다.회의에는 국토교통부 등 관계부처와 인천·경기 등 6개 지방정부, 수소기업 등이 참석해 수소 공급 동향과 업체 September 22, 2026

Bitcoin Surpasses $86,000 for the First Time in Eight Months Bitcoin surpassed the $86,000 mark for the first time in eight months on September 21, local time.According to CoinMetrics, Bitcoin traded at $85,863.40, marking a 5.8% increase. At one point, it reached $86,349, setting a new high since late January.While Bitcoin remains down compared to the beginning of the year, its recent upward trend is significant. It has risen over 8% in the past week and 34% in the last three months. However, it is still considerably lower than its all-time high of $126, September 22, 2026

President Lee Arrives in New York for UN General Assembly 이재명 대통령이 21일(현지시간) 오후 미국 뉴욕 JFK 국제공항에 도착했다. 이 대통령은 뉴욕에서 유엔총회 고위급 회의에 참석한 뒤 멕시코를 국빈 방문한다. 공항에서는 차지훈 주유엔대표부 대사 부부와 강경화 주미대사, 김상호 주뉴욕총영사 부부가 이 대통령 부부를 맞았다. 이 대통령은 22일 오후 유엔총회장에서 기조연설로 공식 일정을 시작한다. 연설에서는 글로벌 문제 해결을 위한 유엔 개혁 방향과 한국의 기여 방안을 제시하고, 한반도 평화 공존 구상을 밝힐 예정이다. 이어 유엔 사무총장과 면담하고 미국·호주 등 September 22, 2026

U.S., South Korea, and Japan Urge North Korea to Return to Dialogue The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization while urging the country to return to dialogue.On September 21, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, where they agreed on a joint statement.The statement reiterated their strong commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization September 22, 2026

South Korea to Invest $3 Billion in Sodium and Solid-State Battery R&D The South Korean government plans to establish approximately 400 billion won (about $3 billion) in research and development (R&D) focused on sodium and solid-state batteries to regain its leadership in the global battery market. The private sector is also set to invest around 8 trillion won by 2030 in process innovation and domestic material production.On September 22, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the 'Battery Industry Technology Roadmap' during a meeting with industry re September 22, 2026

Kakao, Toss, and One Store Expand into Growing H5 Game Distribution Market HTML5 (H5) games, which were previously offered as simple services on messaging and financial apps, are now expanding into game distribution platforms. According to Kakao, the number of H5 games available on KakaoTalk has tripled in just over two months, and One Store has entered the market in collaboration with Tencent. Game companies are also responding to market expansion by converting existing mobile games to H5 format to broaden their distribution channels.As of September 22, Kakao reported September 22, 2026

Support for Self-Employed Workers Requires Accurate Solutions, Not Just Funding A self-employed individual in their 50s, operating a Korean restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, took out a personal loan to cover living expenses and insufficient business operating funds. However, due to sluggish domestic demand, customer numbers dwindled, leading to decreased sales while fixed costs such as rent and ingredient expenses continued. Ultimately, they fell behind on loan repayments, damaging their credit score and making it difficult to secure additional loans.What this individual needs September 22, 2026

Hanwha Launches Recruitment Efforts in KAI's Backyard Amid Defense Industry Talent War The domestic defense industry is intensifying its efforts to secure talent in the aerospace sector, a key area for future growth. Hanwha, the largest defense company, is actively recruiting even in the backyard of its competitor, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), located in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, where it is considering acquiring management rights.According to industry sources, large-scale recruitment ads for experienced workers from Hanwha Systems have recently appeared near KAI's September 22, 2026