The Minute to Read (Weekdays) series provides a quick overview of significant events in Korea everyday, conveniently condensed into a one-minute read. Here’s a recap of what happened yesterday: Oct. 4.

A bouquet placed next to the LifeLine, a 24-hour suicide hotline, installed on Seoul's Mapo Bridge. / Park Sang-hoon

South Korea’s suicide rate hits 9-year high

South Korea’s suicide rate has surged to the highest level in nearly a decade. The suicide rate, which refers to the number of deaths by suicides per 100,000 people, reached 27.3 last year, the highest since 2014 (27.3), according to government data. According to Statistics Korea, 13,978 people died by suicide last year, accounting for 4% of all deaths and making it the fifth leading cause of death. Experts point to growing social isolation, loneliness, and feelings of relative deprivation many have felt during and after the COVID-19 pandemic as reasons behind the troubling rise in suicide rates.

From left: Young Poong adviser Chang Hyung-jin, MBK Partners Chairman Michael ByungJu Kim, and Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Yun-beom./News1

MBK-Young Poong raise Korea Zinc tender offer to 830,000 won per share

Private equity firm MBK Partners and Young Poong raised the tender offer price for Korea Zinc to 830,000 won ($627) per share, heating up the power struggle to gain control of the country’s leading non-ferrous metal producer. The MBK-Young Poong alliance also removed an earlier condition that required them to purchase at least 7% of Korea Zinc’s floating stock. The tender deadline has been extended to Oct. 14. Korea Zinc had previously announced plans to buy back its own shares at 830,000 per share. MBK Partners and Young Poong’s raising the stakes by offering a price on par with Korea Zinc’s counter offer sets the stage for an even fiercer battle as both sides race to secure a larger stake in the company.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a training base of the army's special operations forces on Oct 2, 2024. / Newsis

Kim Jong-un blasts President Yoon, threatens to use nuclear weapons if attacked

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol a “puppet” and said the North would use nuclear weapons “without hesitation” if the South and the United States attempted to use military force against Pyongyang, according to state media on Oct. 4. Kim’s comments came after Yoon’s Oct. 1 Armed Forces Day speech, where Yoon warned that North Korea would face the “end of its regime” if it uses nuclear weapons. “Yoon boasted of an overwhelming military response right at the doorstep of a nuclear-armed state, leading one to question whether he is a person of sound mind,” Kim said.

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