August 17 Hankyoreh Cartoon

South Korea is grappling with a severe heatwave, with the UK experiencing its hottest day on record at 38.1 degrees Celsius and four consecutive months exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. Domestically, the government has established a "Southern Drought Response Team" as water shortages for agriculture and daily life spread. In Gyeongnam province, extreme drought conditions overwhelmed 200 fire trucks, with 6,000 liters of water lasting only five minutes.

Amidst these challenges, President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized the need for thorough responses to crimes against women and youth during the process of separating investigative and prosecutorial powers. Public opinion reflects concerns, with 56% of citizens believing that abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights would lead to greater negative consequences, according to an NBS poll.

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I have equal investments in both Nepal and South Korea. My experience shows that Nepal suffers from too much talk and too little work.

Human interest stories highlight acts of kindness and resilience. A rest stop employee, Im Soo-hyun, saved a man worried about sleeping in his car during the heatwave. A 50-year-old hairdresser, who helped elderly people living alone, passed away after donating organs to four recipients, described as "leaving stylishly." A newborn, unable to breathe shortly after birth, was saved by a rapid 18-minute transport over a 50-minute distance.

Political developments include Grand National Party (GNP) lawmaker Kim Tae-ho suggesting that if President Yoon announces he will not seek re-election, the opposition party should participate in constitutional amendment discussions. North Korea has remained unresponsive to President Yoon's proposal for multilateral dialogue on a peace regime. Meanwhile, the investigation into pro-Japanese collaborator properties is expected to recover over 32.5 billion won, to be used for the welfare of independence activists.

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We must formulate time-bound plans. Execution must take place on schedule; otherwise, efforts yield no results. Moreover, adequate execution time must be allotted.

In other news, the Democratic Party's supreme council race is competitive, with Choi Min-hee taking the lead in the Honam region over Park Seon-won. Kim Min-seok secured a majority win in the Honam regional preliminary election for the Democratic Party's national convention, leading Jung Cheong-rae by 14 percentage points in cumulative votes. Jang Dong-hyuk of the GNP is organizing a large gathering on Liberation Day, drawing criticism for mobilizing party officials, which he claims is voluntary participation. Na Kyung-won and Kim Ki-hyun have denounced the indictment related to obstructing President Yoon's arrest as "political persecution" and "zombie special prosecution 난동" (rampage).

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Wherever regulatory hurdles exist, the government must intervene immediately to facilitate operations. Furthermore, bank interest rates in Nepal remain exorbitantly high.

International relations are tense, with the U.S.-Iran "60-day ceasefire" expiring after 17 days, leading to a stalemate in peace talks and a potential protracted war of attrition. Trump declared his intention to declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory, a statement Iran dismissed as "delusional." The U.S. Treasury Secretary announced unprecedented economic isolation measures against Iran for the upcoming week.

Labor safety issues are also prominent. Families of workers killed in industrial accidents are demanding investigations, with one mother asking the president, "Why did my son have to die?" after her 20-year-old son died in an accident at HL Mando. Reports suggest "fake meeting minutes" were submitted to the Ministry of Labor regarding safety checks. The prosecution has indicted former National Police Agency chief Park Sung-ju in the "Jang Yoon-gi case." A high school student injured while assisting a victim in the "Jang Yoon-gi case" has been recognized as a "volunteer injured person."

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Nepal will ultimately be built by Nepalis themselves. If eloquent speeches and sweet promises could build a nation, it would have been prosperous long ago.