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The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.
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■ (News Focus) Upcoming local elections, parliamentary by-elections seen as key litmus test for Lee administration
SEOUL -- With less than a month remaining until the June 3 local elections, South Korea is gearing up for the pivotal event widely expected to reshape the country's political landscape and determine the future momentum of President Lee Jae Myung's administration, political observers here noted Thursday.
This year's elections have drawn greater attention as 14 National Assembly seats are also up for grabs in parliamentary by-elections, adding to the significance of the polls as the first major nationwide test for the Lee administration since it took office last June following former President Yoon Suk Yeol's ouster over his failed martial law bid.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260507004800315
Incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (R) of the main opposition People Power Party and Chong Won-o of the ruling Democratic Party -- the candidates for the mayoral race in the June 3 local elections -- pose for a photo during a ceremony in Seoul on May 3, 2026. (Yonhap)
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■ (2nd LD) Seoul shares up nearly 1.5 pct at fresh peak after briefly topping 7,500 on Iran peace deal hopes; won rises
SEOUL -- South Korean stocks extended their bullish run Thursday to close at a new all-time high after briefly topping the 7,500-point mark on hopes for a Washington-Tehran deal to end their war and positive outlooks on chipmakers, backed by an artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar.
After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 105.49 points, or 1.43 percent, to a fresh record high of 7,490.05.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260507008151320
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■ N. Korea dials down hostility toward Seoul in revised constitution: NIS
SEOUL -- North Korea has significantly tamped down its hostility toward South Korea in its recently revised constitution, while maintaining leader Kim Jong-un's stance on treating the Koreas as two states, Seoul's spy agency said Thursday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to Rep. Park Sun-won of the ruling Democratic Party.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260507009700315
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■ Parliament fails to pass constitutional amendment bill amid PPP boycott
SEOUL -- A ruling Democratic Party-led bill on a constitutional amendment was scuttled Thursday as the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) boycotted a parliamentary vote to pass the motion.
The National Assembly convened a plenary session at 2 p.m., but PPP lawmakers refused to participate in the vote, preventing the Assembly from reaching the required quorum.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260507010200315
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■ Seoul to approve N. Korean football team's visit upon KFA request
SEOUL -- The unification ministry said Thursday it will approve a planned visit by a North Korean women's football team to South Korea, based on information submitted by the Korean Football Association (KFA).
Pyongyang-based Naegohyang Women's FC is set to travel to Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 20 to face Suwon FC Women in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League. It will mark the first appearance by a North Korean athletic team on South Korean soil in more than seven years.