Flight recorders from Korean Air crash at Muan Airport stopped functioning four minutes before impact, complicating investigations into the incident that killed 179. The development dominated morning coverage alongside news of Japan's Foreign Minister Iwaya arranging to attend Trump's inauguration.
Headlines shifted midday to Zelenskyy's announcement of capturing two North Korean soldiers in Ukraine's Kursk region, with subsequent reports revealing they carried Russian military identification. The soldiers, born in 1999 and 2005, claimed they thought they were going for training.
Local coverage continued monitoring the Noto earthquake aftermath, with delayed coming-of-age ceremonies finally taking place in affected areas. The Hosei University hammer attack investigation revealed the perpetrator targeted students without prior connections, citing bullying as motivation. Record ramen shop bankruptcies in 2024 received attention as an economic indicator.
