The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.
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■ (2nd LD) Lee urges 'aggressive' police reform to address wrongful practices, systems
SEOUL -- President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday urged the police to aggressively reform themselves to address wrongful practices and systems, also stressing the need for a special system to independently vet police investigations.
The president made the call in a speech marking the 81st Police Day, as the police have assumed greater investigative authority following the Lee administration's prosecution reform, which removed prosecutors' investigative powers, leaving them in charge only of indictments and their maintenance.
President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech at a ceremony marking the 81st Police Day in Seoul on Oct. 21, 2026. (Yonhap)
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261021003252315?section=national/politics
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■ (2nd LD) National museum chief offers to resign over misattributed work from private collection
SEOUL -- You Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea, offered to resign Wednesday amid a controversy over the museum's display of a misattributed calligraphic work from his private collection.
He came under fire after the piece, written by a prominent pro-Japanese collaborator during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, was wrongly introduced as the work of a Korean independence activist and was found to be from his private collection.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261021004252315?section=culture/arts-culture
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■ Seoul shares extend gains late Wed. morning on tech rebound
SEOUL -- Seoul shares extended gains late Wednesday morning, led by a rebound in technology stocks, despite concerns over heavy investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
After opening 2.05 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 227.93 points, or 4.1 percent, to 5,780.67 as of 11:20 a.m.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261021005400320?section=economy-finance/economy
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■ (LEAD) U.S. cites evolving 'threat environment' amid debate over OPCON transition to S. Korea
WASHINGTON -- A senior U.S. official said Tuesday the requirements for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea remain unchanged but stressed that the threat environment on the Korean Peninsula was evolving faster than ever before.
"The fundamental requirements for OPCON transfer have not changed. But the threat environment is evolving faster now than ever before," the official told Yonhap News Agency in response to a media inquiry on the state of the bilateral OPCON transition review process.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261021001051315?section=national/diplomacy
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■ DP issues warnings against Gyeonggi governor, lawmaker over remarks seen as disparaging firefighters
SEOUL -- The ruling Democratic Party (DP) decided Wednesday to issue warnings against Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae and one of its lawmakers over controversial remarks deemed insulting to firefighters.
Choo came under fire after describing the firefighting service as the biggest "headache" and "fiscal drain" for local governments during a parliamentary audit last Tuesday.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261021003900315?section=national/politics
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