South Korea exports YoY accelerated to 68.7% in August, above the 62.6% estimate; prior revised up to 62.9% from 62.8%.

A Realmeter poll commissioned by Energy Economy News and published Aug 31 shows President Lee's approval rating at 38.9%, the first time below 40% since he took office in June last year. Fieldwork Aug 24–28 among 2,509 adults 18+; approval fell 1.3ppt week-on-week, marking a seven-week decline, while disapproval rose 1.8ppt to 58.7%. Realmeter links the drop to new government property rules, controversy over Supreme Court judge appointments and criticism of police handling of a public safety incident.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey agreed to deepen cooperation under the Makkah Alliance, pledging to strengthen deterrence, collective defence and defensive capabilities and to promote de‑escalation and restraint, the three countries said after the alliance's first political and defence strategy committee meeting. The pact covers defence-industrial cooperation, scaling up production capacity and technology development. The partners agreed to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia led by a secretary-general, with Pakistan to head the secretariat for an initial three‑year term. The three governments said they are committed to implementing the agreement to pursue regional peace and contribute to broader security.