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Welcome to Arirang News.

This is Shin SeByuck

And we start with our top headlines at this hour.

1.

South Korea reported 525 new COVID-19 cases on Friday.

With South Korea's daily COVID-19 tally falling -- health authorities aim to further consolidate this trend ,... aiming to bring daily cases down below 500.

Also, South Korea's health authorities on Friday announced that the average number of daily infections in the first week of May rounded up to 568,... which is a notable drop from the preceding month when the weekly average always exceeded 600.

Meanwhile, South Korea on Friday started vaccine rollouts for ages 70 to 74.

More than 11 percent of the eligible recipients reserved their spots for the jab.

So far, at least 7 percent of South Korea's population have completed at least the first round of inoculations.

2.

The South Korean government is sending emergency COVID-19 response equipment to India to help that country fight its surging number of virus cases.

A flight will depart from Korea on Sunday carrying 230 oxygen concentrators, 200 oxygen cylinders and 100 negative pressure carriers used to transport patients.

South Korea plans to send additional medical items later, in stages.

India added over 414-thousand new coronavirus cases on Thursday, its highest daily tally to date.

Over 39-hundred deaths were reported on Thursday, bringing the total to over 230-thousand.

India has been suffering from medical equipment shortages due to the rapid spike in infections across the country.

3.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to extend the state of emergency imposed on Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures on Friday until the end of this month.

The measure was put in effect at the start of April and was due to expire on Tuesday next week.

Suga is also expected to declare a state of emergency in Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures to take effect starting Wednesday.

Despite the government's efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, the floating population nearly doubled in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyodo prefectures during the Golden Week holiday.

Japan on Thursday reported over 3-thousand 7-hundred daily cases.

4.

The G7 foreign and development ministers have voiced their commitment to the goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible abandonment of North Korea's ballistic missile programs.

This new term replaces 'CIVD' ... in which the "D" stands for "dismantlement."

And the former IAEA deputy director says the change from "dismantlement" to "abandonment" could allow the regime to have civilian nuclear programs.

Meanwhile, South Korea's foreign minister said on Thursday that the U.S. will inform North Korea of its new policy toward the regime.

Speaking to South Korea's Yonhap News, Chung Eui-yong said he expects the U.S. to explain the new policy to Pyeongyang in detail.

This week in London, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared the details with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts.

Chung said the policy was "practical and realistic."

He added that the U.S. should appoint a special envoy for North Korea as the post remains vacant.

5.

President Moon Jae-in will be making a special address next Monday to mark his fourth year in office.

Cheong Wa Dae says the president will look back over the past four years... and explain how he plans to carry out state affairs in his fifth and final year in office.

It will be broadcast live at 11 AM, local time, from Cheong Wa Dae's presidential press center.

Moving to weather forecast.

Air condition will get worse overnight and levels will surge to "very bad" nationwide for the morning hours. Aside from the Gyeongsang-do province, the entire nation will see poor air quality for the daytime.

Tomorrow morning will start off with plenty of sunshine, but readings will be a few notches lower. Seoul will begin at 11 degrees, which is about 3 degrees lower than today.

The daytime will be much warmer, causing a contrast in temperatures. Seoul will get up to 22 degrees, Gwangju 24 degrees. Daegu and Gyeongju 26 degrees.

Meanwhile, strong winds paired with dry conditions will peak this weekend across the east coast. This will increase the risk of wildfires, so please take precautions.