South Korea and the UK have concluded negotiations to improve their Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The agreement includes easing origin rules for key exports like automobiles and K-food, and opening up the UK’s high-speed rail and major service markets.
The negotiations are expected to expand trade and cooperation between the two countries.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment plans to distribute 3.5 million heat pumps by 2035 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.18 million tons.
Priority will be given to areas without city gas, social welfare facilities, and facility-based farms.
Heat pumps are eco-friendly devices that can replace fossil fuel heating, and the ministry will support the development of various types of heat pumps.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that amendments to the Employment Insurance Act and the Employment and Industrial Accident Insurance Premium Collection Act were approved by the Cabinet.
The payment period for substitute workers for parental leave will be extended by up to one month, and the subsidy will be fully paid for the duration of the substitute work.
A basis has been established to delegate some tasks of the new 4.5-day workweek support project to the Korea Labor Foundation starting next year.

Starting next year, plastic toys must be collected and recycled by manufacturers, importers, and sellers along with other plastic items.
The amendment includes adding plastic toys to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system.
The recycling cost for toys is set at 343 won per kilogram, reflecting the actual costs of collection, transportation, sorting, and recycling.

The cumulative donation amount for the Hometown Love Donation system has surpassed 100 billion won in its third year.
The increase is attributed to the activation of donations to special disaster areas and the expansion of private platform donations.
Next year, the tax deduction rate will be further expanded, leading to increased participation in donations.

The government is pushing to improve the system to systematically reflect regional opinions in the national policy-making process by expanding the participation of local government recommended personnel.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Government Legislation, and the Council of Governors of Korea have approved 20 presidential decree amendments at the Cabinet meeting.
The amendments require local recommended personnel to participate in major government committees such as the Central Environmental Policy Committee and the Youth Employment Promotion Special Committee.