News Briefing: Today's Top Stories... Military Dispatches Fact-Finding Team to Middle East, Saying "Deployment Not Guaranteed"

1. President Lee Jae-myung is currently on a state visit to France, holding a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris. The two leaders, meeting again after five months, agreed to maintain close cooperation to ensure stability and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. They also signed memorandums of understanding to strengthen security and defense industry cooperation, as well as collaboration in various fields including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, culture, and economic industries.

2. The Ministry of National Defense announced that it has sent an on-site fact-finding team to the Middle East ahead of a decision on deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz, as requested by the United States. The team reportedly departed for the United Arab Emirates last weekend, where they will investigate operational conditions for the dispatched unit before returning home later this week. The Ministry of National Defense explained that this investigation is not premised on an actual deployment. A high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official also explained that it is part of the review process and nothing has been decided yet. The South Korean government is showing a very cautious stance. The Ministry of National Defense also added that reports by some media outlets claiming the U.S. requested troop deployment by November ahead of the midterm elections are not true.

3. Search operations to find nine South Korean nationals missing in the heavy floods and landslides in Nepal have faced various difficulties and have yet to yield results. The Nepalese military declared an end to the search in the threatened nearby tunnel, citing the slim possibility of finding survivors and the risk of secondary collapses. Our rescue team has already announced that there are no search plans for the morning of today (the 9th). The rescue team's activity period runs until the day after tomorrow. Currently, discussions on extending the dispatch have not taken place.

4. Broadcaster Lee Hyuk-jae is under police investigation after crashing his vehicle into a motorcycle while driving under the influence of alcohol. Incheon Yeonsu Police Station announced that it has booked Lee without detention on charges of drunk driving. Lee is accused of driving under the influence around 10 p.m. yesterday on a road in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, and rear-ending a motorcycle that was waiting at a traffic light. It was confirmed that Lee's blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was at the level for license suspension.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.