Economy
- Special Employment Workers Enrollment Issue: Only 37% of the 1.66 million special employment workers are enrolled in the National Pension. Measures needed.
- Kiwoom Securities: Raised Kia’s first-half operating profit target stock price to 150,000 KRW.
- Hana Securities: Adjusted SK Hynix’s target stock price to 280,000 KRW.
- Increase in Household Loans: Bank household loans increased 1.6 times compared to last year, reaching 20 trillion KRW in the first half.
- Starbucks Korea Agreement: The Cultural Heritage Administration and Starbucks Korea signed a heritage preservation agreement.
- Bioneer: Signed an exclusive supply contract for hair loss cosmetics with Colombian distributor Gencell Pharma.
- Galaxy AI: Samsung expands Galaxy AI to the health management field.
- Wall Street Themes: Generative AI and robotics are the new stock market themes.
Politics
- NATO Summit: NATO leaders express serious concern over North Korea-Russia military cooperation.
- President Yoon Suk-yeol: Attending the NATO summit, pursuing a summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.
- Hwang Woo-yeo Criticism: Criticized the Democratic Party’s push for an impeachment hearing against President Yoon Suk-yeol.
- Yoon-Kishida Summit: President Yoon had a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida during the NATO summit.
- Ministry of Land Report: Park Sang-woo announced speeding up redevelopment and reconstruction projects.
- Prosecution Office Abolishment Bill: The Democratic Party plans to propose a bill to abolish the prosecution office related to the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case.
Society
- Elderly Population: Over 10 million people aged 65 and older, with only half receiving the national pension.
- National Pension Forecast: Mid-term fiscal outlook for 2024-2028 shows a decrease in subscribers and an increase in beneficiaries.
- Support for Medical Exam Boycott: Resident doctors support medical students boycotting next year’s medical licensing exam.
- Monsoon Front: Collision of humid air from the south and dry air from the north caused sudden heavy rains and casualties.
International
- NATO Summit Joint Statement: Expressed concern over North Korea-Russia military cooperation.
- Fed Chair Powell: Concerned about the economic and employment impact of prolonged high-interest rates.
- Yoon’s Semiconductor Alliance with Netherlands: Discussed continuing the semiconductor alliance with the Netherlands.
- China-EU Trade Investigation: China initiates a trade barrier investigation against the European Union.
Culture
- Arario Gallery Exhibition: An exhibition by Yuki Saegusa and Gisela McDaniel reinterpreting their identity and traditional art.
- Luxury Travel Preference: Koreans prefer luxury travel with high-end cuisine and staycations over exploring local attractions.
Games
THE FIRST DESCENDANT: A looter shooter game reviewed by a hardcore user who has played games like Hellgate London, Destiny Guardians, and others for hundreds of hours. The reviewer enjoyed the game but noted that improvements are needed in the story and mission structure.
P5X 2.0 Update: Persona 5: Phantom X’s 2.0 version introduces new characters and content, with special broadcast codes providing various in-game rewards.
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail: The new expansion pack received a Metascore of 82, the lowest among previous expansions. Despite high expectations, it failed to impress as much as anticipated.
Dungeon Fighter Online New Dungeon: Dungeon Fighter Online added a new Legion dungeon called ‘Awakened Forest’, offering various rewards and difficulty options.
Raven 2 New Event Dungeon: Raven 2’s first event dungeon, ‘Trial Fortress’, offers various rewards and can be accessed weekly.
Solo Leveling: ARISE New Character: Solo Leveling: ARISE introduces a new SSR hunter, ‘Yoo Soo-hyun’, along with new content updates.
Lost Ark Season 3: The ‘Face the End of the Abyss’ update introduces a new growth system, high-tier equipment, and new raids and stories.
Stormgate Development Roadmap: New RTS game ‘Stormgate’ reveals its development progress and future roadmap, including various modes and content.
Lord Nine Pre-download: MMORPG ‘Lord Nine’ begins pre-downloads for mobile and PC versions, with the official launch on July 12.
Wars Of Prasia Swimsuit Update: The game updates with new swimsuit costumes and summer-themed content.
Aion Classic Class Change Event: Aion Classic offers a free class change event and various content updates.
Honkai Star Rail Jade Release: The 2.3 version introduces the new character ‘Jade’, known for her impressive design and AOE attack skills.
Black Desert Rose War: Black Desert’s large-scale PvP content ‘Rose War’ starts its regular season on July 14.
Lineage M 7th Anniversary Event: Celebrating its 7th anniversary, Lineage M offers various events and content updates.
Lost Ark Collaboration with Mom’s Touch: The collaboration event offers limited goods and in-game coupons for purchasing ‘Mokoko Mom’s Set’.
Pokémon Sleep Revenue Milestone: Pokémon Sleep surpasses $100 million in revenue within a year of its release.
Com2uS Publishing New Games: Com2uS signs global publishing contracts for three new games.
Youth Esports Festival: Smilegate will host the 2024 Youth Esports Festival to provide esports experiences and career exploration opportunities for children and youth.
PuzzUp AmiToy Service Termination: NCSoft announces the end of ‘PuzzUp AmiToy’ service after 11 months.
Elden Ring DLC Cleared with Dance Pad: A Twitch streamer clears the Elden Ring DLC using a dance pad.
THE FIRST DESCENDANT Best Builds: Recommendations for the best builds in ‘THE FIRST DESCENDANT’ to enhance gameplay.
Wuthering Waves Voice Actor Interview: An interview with voice actor Park Ha-jin, who discusses the character ‘Geum-hee’.
Blue Archive New Character: Blue Archive’s Japan server introduces the new character ‘Kazekura Moe (Swimsuit)’.
Solo Leveling: ARISE Guild Update: The game plans a guild content update and new artifact farming in mid-August.
Lineage M’s Strong Sales Ranking: Lineage M maintains the top spot in Google Play sales rankings despite competition from new games and updates.
Lost Ark Season 3 Information: Detailed information about the upcoming ‘Face the End of the Abyss’ update in Lost Ark Season 3.
Modernized Classics Remain Popular: ‘Ghost of Tsushima PC’ and ‘Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door’ showcase the enduring popularity of modernized classics.
Tower of God First Anniversary Broadcast: The first-anniversary live broadcast of ‘Tower of God: New World’ will be held on July 12.
Ragnarok X Dungeon Update: ‘Ragnarok X: Next Generation’ opens the new ‘Forgotten Temple Purgatory Mode’ dungeon.