1. Extreme heat continues to grip the country. Heavy heatwave warnings have been issued for the greater Seoul area, parts of South Chungcheong Province, and the Jeolla region. The morning low hit 29.1°C (84°F), making it the hottest morning of the year so far. Temperatures in Seoul are forecast to soar up to 39°C (102°F) in the afternoon, with sweltering conditions persisting. There is no rain forecast in the near future to ease the heatwave. The Korea Meteorological Administration urged the public to take special care of their health as the extreme heat is expected to continue.
2. Police have launched their first compulsory investigation into Starbucks amid suspicions that the company's "Tank Day" promotion insulted those who contributed to the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. Having found circumstances indicating that Starbucks Korea's internal audit was conducted improperly, authorities included the mobile phones and data of executives and employees in the search and seizure operation. Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it has imposed heavy disciplinary action on two students who led a cheer shouting "Let's go to Starbucks" during a sports match.
3. President Lee Jae-myung addressed the recently surfaced controversy surrounding the Army's 1st Corps guard duty with unloaded rifles, pointing out that there must not be even the slightest crack in military discipline. President Lee made the remarks during a briefing on foreign affairs and national security held at the Blue House on the morning of today (the 5th), bringing up the controversy where soldiers in the front-line area of the Army's 1st Corps stood guard without loading live ammunition into public crew-served weapons. President Lee pointed out that they likely thought, "Instead of making a mistake while loading and causing an accident, let's just leave it out; if something happens, we can quickly insert it and respond," adding, "While that kind of thinking might not be entirely wrong in everyday life, it is not acceptable in national defense." He also made the following remarks: "There have been three military coups, and the Korea Military Academy was at the center of them. Yet, no one has ever taken responsibility. Integrating the military academies would reduce that possibility."
4. Coupang has reportedly recorded an operating loss of 835 billion won in the second quarter of this year. This marks the largest quarterly loss since its listing on the New York Stock Exchange, and analysts attribute the sharp deterioration in profitability to penalties and fines resulting from personal data leaks.
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