Economy
- Increase in National Pension Stock Valuation: The National Pension Service’s stock valuation increased by 9 trillion won compared to the previous quarter, driven by the success of major semiconductor companies.
- FSS Guidelines for Fractional Investments: The Financial Supervisory Service announced best practices and guidelines for reporting investment contract securities related to fractional investments in art, Korean beef, etc.
- Mirae Asset Global Investments’ Battery ETF Popularity: The ‘TIGER Secondary Battery TOP10 Leverage ETF’ exceeded 100 billion won in net individual purchases.
- Samsung SDI Performance Downgrade: Hana Securities downgraded its target price for Samsung SDI, anticipating worsening second-quarter performance.
- Korea Investment & Securities on Samsung Card: Second-quarter performance is expected to exceed forecasts, with a neutral investment opinion maintained.
- Discussion on Financial Investment Income Tax: The Democratic Party of Korea is discussing measures to protect individual investors amid changing internal sentiment.
- Bloomberg Donation: Michael Bloomberg donated $1 billion to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Technology/IT
- EverSpin’s Anti-Hacking Solution: EverSpin’s AI security solution has been adopted by the Savings Bank Federation.
- SnapTag Raises Investment for Invisible Watermark: IT company SnapTag successfully raised Series B funding.
- AI Legal Service ‘SuperLawyer’: The service reduced the time to write complaints, surpassing 1,230 subscribers in 8 days.
- YouTube Dominates Mobile: YouTube has been the top mobile app in South Korea for seven consecutive months.
Industry/Corporate
- Hyundai’s ‘Casper Electric’ Promotion: Hyundai is conducting a promotional event in partnership with Shilla Duty Free Shop.
- Nexon Foundation’s Social Contribution: Nexon is collaborating with game companies to address social issues through a ‘Collective Impact’ model.
- LG Electronics’ Employee Donation Support: The company is considering support for donation activities highlighted on the ‘MZ Electronics’ YouTube channel.
Politics/Society
- Elon Musk on Korean Investors: Elon Musk referred to Korean investors as ‘smart people.’
- HYBE’s Min Hee-jin Investigated for Embezzlement: HYBE’s CEO Min Hee-jin made a statement following a police investigation.
- Army Soldier Death Case Investigation: The case has been handed over to civilian police for a full investigation.
- President Yoon’s Impeachment Hearing Controversy: Criticism of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
- South Korean President Visits US Indo-Pacific Command: Visited and delivered a speech at the Indo-Pacific Command.
Health/Lifestyle
- Increase in ADHD Treatment: ADHD treatment among teenagers in major cities like Seoul is on the rise.
- Extreme Weather: The Korea Meteorological Administration is surprised by the alternating heatwaves and heavy rains and continues to predict changes.
- Insurance Fraud Ring Arrested: A group was caught issuing false medical records to defraud insurance payments.
- Netflix Series ‘Storm’: A series written by Park Kyung-soo, starring Seol Kyung-gu and Kim Hee-ae, is making waves.
International
- Cytogen Japan Partnership: Cytogen Japan is collaborating with Wakayama Medical University.
- Krafton’s Middle East Sales Leader: Krafton’s flagship game, PUBG, topped sales in Saudi Arabia and UAE.
- Paris Special Exhibition ‘Decoding Korea’: An exhibition of Korean art is being held in Paris ahead of the Olympics.
- Portland Umbrella Museum: Introducing a unique museum that exhibits various umbrella covers.
Games
- Kurogame’s ‘Wandering Wave’ Character ‘Geumhee’: Voice actor Park Ha-jin highlighted ‘Geumhee’s leadership and compassion in a behind-the-scenes interview.
- Nexon’s ‘Blue Archive’: Revealed new character ‘Kazekura Moe (Swimsuit)’ on the Japanese server. Performance evaluations depend on the new Total War release.
- Netmarble’s ‘Solo Leveling: Arise’: Guild content update expected in mid-August. New artifact farming, level expansion, and Sung Jin-woo’s new job revealed.
- NCsoft’s ‘Lineage M’: Maintains top sales rank on Google Play. Sales boosted by the 7th-anniversary update ‘Episode Zero.’
- Smilegate’s ‘Lost Ark’: Season 3 ‘Facing the End of the Abyss’ update planned.
- Sony’s ‘Ghost of Tsushima PC’: Ranked first in US video game sales in May.
- Netmarble’s ‘Tower of God: New World’: Official live broadcast planned to celebrate the first anniversary.
- Gravity’s ‘Ragnarok X: Next Generation’: Opened ‘Purgatory Mode of the Forgotten Temple’ dungeon.
- Blizzard’s ‘Diablo 4’: Improved with version 1.4.4 update, including higher sales prices for boss summoning materials.
- NetEase Games’ ‘Once Human’: Found a breakthrough in the Korean market as a mixed-genre game.
- HoYoverse’s ‘Honkai Star Rail’: Released a trailer for the new character ‘Jade.’
- Nexon’s ‘Blue Archive’: Operated a promotional booth at the North American animation festival ‘Anime Expo 2024.’
- Blizzard’s ‘Warcraft Rumble’: Added new area ‘Moon Grove’ in the 7th season update.
- Bandai Namco’s ‘Tekken 8’: Collaboration products with global sports brand ‘Nike’ planned.
- Netmarble’s ‘Chronicles of Arslan: Three Forces’: Announced a large-scale update to mark the 100th day of release.
- Blackjack Studio’s ‘Meka Arashi’: Preparing for domestic launch as a mobile SRPG.
- Apex Hub’s ‘World of Slime’: Started pre-registration.
- THE FIRST DESCENDANT: Data updated in the Nexon Open API.
- Wemade Connect’s ‘Lost Sword’: Recruiting participants for a closed domestic test.
- Com2uS: Acquired Anti-Corruption Management System and Compliance Management System certifications.
- DRX: Secured second place in the Valorant Champions Tour Pacific Stage 2 group stage.
- Logitech: Launched new wireless gaming mouse ‘G309’ and keyboard ‘G515 Lightspeed TKL.’
- SOOP: Broadcasted the eSports World Cup League of Legends event live.
- Super Planet’s ‘Boomerang RPG: Watch out, Dude!’: Collaborated with Naver Webtoon ‘Sound of Your Heart.’
- HoYoverse’s ‘Zenless Zone Zero’: Surpassed 50 million downloads in two days after launch.
- Apple-Epic Games Lawsuit: Apple allowed the Epic Store within the European Union.
- THE FIRST DESCENDANT: Popular inheritor ‘Ultimate Bunny’ in the spotlight.
- SQUARE ENIX’s ‘FINAL FANTASY XIV’: The new job ‘Pictomancer’ is causing a meta shift.