- 3d ago
Bank of Japan holds rate at 1%, warns it could accelerate hikes as yen intervention talks intensify
Governor Kazuo Ueda said the central bank could speed up interest rate increases after keeping borrowing costs steady, while Japan and the US appeared to coordinate on propelling the yen higher.
- 4d ago
BTS boycotts 2027 Grammys over new Asian pop category, says music should not be divided by region or language
The K-pop group announced on Instagram that it will not submit its album 'Arirang' for the 69th Grammy Awards, citing the Recording Academy's new category for best Asian pop music performance.
- 5d ago
Global tech rout deepens as KOSPI plunges 10.8%, AI spending fears rattle markets
South Korea's benchmark index suffered its worst session in months, triggering a trading halt, as fears over AI infrastructure spending and Chinese competition rippled through global markets.
- 6d ago
Oil prices fall below $90 after US pauses strikes on Iran, markets steady
Brent crude fell as much as 7% to under $90 a barrel after two nights without US attacks on Iran, while Tehran signalled it would also pause. Asian markets were mixed, with Seoul ending lower, and European futures pointed up.
- Jul 25
Nvidia, SK Group unveil $500bn-plus AI data centre and next-generation memory initiative
The US chipmaker and the South Korean conglomerate will collaborate on large-scale AI data centres, advanced memory supply, and a $1 billion investment into Naver’s expansion.
- Jul 24
Seoul court orders SK Group's Chey Tae-won to pay ex-wife $644m in record divorce settlement
Seoul High Court orders Chey Tae-won to pay Roh Soh-yeong 944bn won after a decade-long legal battle over assets including SK Hynix shares.
- Jul 22
South Korean two-Michelin-star chef faces year in prison for serving ant-topped sorbet
Prosecutors seek a one-year prison term and a 20 million won fine for the owner of a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Seoul's Gangnam district, who garnished sorbets with dried black ants for nearly four years.
- Jul 14
Global chip stocks plunge into bear market as AI doubts and US-Iran strikes rattle investors
Semiconductor shares tumbled worldwide, dragging the Philadelphia index down 11% for the week and pushing Japan's Nikkei into correction, while escalating US-Iran clashes lifted oil prices.
- Jul 12
Bangkok pub fire death toll reaches 32 as investigators probe blocked exits and illegal concert permit
The blaze at Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao in Chatuchak district tore through the venue near midnight on Sunday, trapping patrons who fled toward locked or obstructed rear exits. Fifteen survivors remain in intensive care.
- Jul 12
BTS returns to Germany after seven years with sold-out Munich concert
The Korean pop septet kicked off its two-night stand at the 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena, the group's only German dates on the 'Arirang' tour, after a four-year military-service hiatus.
- Jul 10
SK Hynix raises $26.5B in record foreign IPO, CEO warns memory shortage will last past 2030
The South Korean memory giant debuted on the Nasdaq on July 10, raising $26.5 billion and opening 14% above its offer price. CEO Kwak Noh-jung warned that memory supply will fall short of demand through 2030, with 2027 set to be the worst year on record.
- Jul 9
South Korea's top court upholds seven-year prison term for ex-president Yoon in martial law case
South Korea's Supreme Court confirmed the seven-year prison sentence for former president Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of obstructing justice and violating cabinet procedures during his short-lived 2024 martial law declaration.
- Jul 9
Gulf conflict escalation pushes oil past $82 and gas to 3-month high, European stocks hold steady
Renewed US-Iran hostilities and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent European gas to 51.5 euros per megawatt hour and Brent crude above $82 a barrel on 13 July 2026, while European equities posted modest gains and Asian chipmakers tumbled.
- Jul 8
Trump says Iran deal is 'over' as U.S. strikes 80 targets; oil jumps, stocks slide
U.S. forces struck over 80 targets in Iran and President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire memorandum 'over', sending oil prices up more than 5% and rattling global equity markets.
- Jul 6
Samsung forecasts 19-fold profit jump to $58 billion, shares slide on AI spending doubts
Samsung Electronics forecast a 19-fold rise in second-quarter operating profit to a record $58 billion, driven by AI chip demand, but its shares fell as much as 10% on concerns the boom may not last.
- Jul 6
Canada selects Germany's TKMS for record submarine deal ahead of NATO summit
The multi-billion-euro contract for 212 CD class submarines deepens defense ties between Canada, Germany, and Norway, and marks Canada's largest-ever military procurement.
- Jun 29
South Korea unveils $1.4 trillion AI chip plan with Samsung and SK Hynix at the centre
President Lee Jae Myung staked his legacy on a decade-long push to double memory chip capacity, backed by Samsung and SK Hynix pledges worth 3,200 trillion won.
- Jun 29
South Korea coach resigns after World Cup exit: president orders investigation as death threats mount
South Korea's World Cup campaign ended in group-stage failure, triggering death threats against coach Hong Myung-bo, a presidential call for reform, and a riot police deployment at Incheon Airport for the team's return.
- Jun 27
South Korea scrambles fighter jets after over 10 Chinese and Russian aircraft enter its air defense zone
South Korea scrambled fighter jets on Saturday after more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered the country's air defense identification zone over the East Sea and south of the Korean Peninsula, though no airspace violation occurred.
- Jun 26
South Korea to train all 500,000 troops as drone warriors, field 60,000 new unmanned systems by 2029
South Korea announced on June 26 it will train every active-duty soldier to operate drones like a personal weapon and procure tens of thousands of unmanned systems, citing the Ukraine war as a model for countering North Korea’s larger military.
