Meritz Securities Maintains 'Buy' Rating on Korea Electric Power Despite Lowered Consensus Meritz Securities reported on May 14 that while the lowered annual performance consensus for Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) is putting pressure on its stock price, focusing solely on short-term results could overlook structural improvements. The firm maintained its target price at 65,000 won and its investment opinion at 'Buy.' Analyst Moon Kyung-won noted that KEPCO's operating profit for the first quarter reached 3.78 trillion won, falling short of the consensus estimate of 4. May 14, 2026

Bitcoin Falls Below $80,000 Amid U.S. Inflation Shock Bitcoin has dropped below $80,000 due to a shock in U.S. inflation data and a surge in international oil prices.As of 8 a.m. on May 14, Bitcoin was trading at $79,395, down 1.53% from the previous day, according to the global cryptocurrency market site CoinMarketCap.The decline in price is attributed to concerns over inflation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on May 12 that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April rose 3.8% compared to the same month last year, with a month-over-mon May 14, 2026

CJ OliveNetworks Begins Development of Orion's Next-Generation Quality Control System CJ OliveNetworks, a specialist in artificial intelligence transformation within CJ Group, has officially commenced the development of a next-generation quality control system for global food company Orion. On May 14, CJ OliveNetworks announced that it will implement a quality control system based on Statistical Process Control (SPC) to monitor and analyze Orion's production equipment and process data in real time. This initiative aims to enhance the early detection of quality anomalies in May 14, 2026

School Hiking Club Activities Restricted After Student's Death A fifth-grade student who went missing while hiking alone in Juwangsan National Park was found dead three days later, prompting claims that schools are restricting hiking club activities. Recently, a post titled "Latest K-Accident Response Update" circulated on various online communities. The author of the post, identified as A, claimed, "My younger brother, who is in high school, said that after the Juwangsan incident, the school has indefinitely suspended hiking club activities under May 14, 2026

U.S. Stocks Rise Despite Inflation Concerns; S&P 500 and Nasdaq Hit Record Highs U.S. stocks showed strength on May 13, driven by a rally in semiconductor shares, despite concerns over inflation due to high oil prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 67.36 points, or 0.14%, at 49,693.20. The S&P 500 index rose 43.29 points, or 0.58%, to finish at 7,444.25, while the Nasdaq composite gained 314.14 points, or 1.20%, closing at 26,402.344. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq set new all-time highs with their gains on this day. The surge in tech stocks was May 14, 2026

First U.S.-China Summit After Middle East War Raises Hopes for Trade Expansion President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold their first summit in about six months since their meeting in Busan last October, amid growing expectations that South Korean companies could gain some benefits from expanded trade between the two nations. According to industry sources on May 13, Trump indicated that a key agenda item for the U.S.-China summit on May 14 would be to expand trade between the two countries. He stated via Truth Social that he would ask Pr May 14, 2026

Chef An Seong-jae Halts YouTube Activities Amid Wine Controversy 셰프 안성재가 와인 바꿔치기 논란에 휩싸인 가운데, 유튜브 활동을 중단한다고 밝혔다. On May 13, An Seong-jae's YouTube production team announced, "We would like to take some time to reorganize the channel's direction and overall operations, as well as to create content more thoughtfully." They added, "We will strive to return with a more responsible approach and better content for those who have supported and watched our channel." Recently, an internet user, identified as A, posted on an o May 14, 2026

South Korea's President Lee Mentions US Currency Swap in Meeting with Treasury Secretary President Lee Jae-myung mentioned the possibility of a "Korea-U.S. currency swap" during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bensent on May 13.During a briefing later that day, Chief Blue House Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated, "President Lee met with Secretary Bensent at the Blue House and noted that despite recent uncertainties, the economies of both countries are showing stability." She added, "He emphasized the need for close communication between the two nations to strengthen econo May 14, 2026

Identity of Suspect in Gwangju High School Murder Case Revealed Jang Yoon-ki, a 23-year-old unemployed man, has been identified as the suspect in the murder of a high school girl and the attempted murder of a male student in Gwangju. According to Yonhap News Agency, the Gwangju Police Agency released Jang's personal information, including his photograph and date of birth, on their website on May 14. The released photo is a mugshot taken at the time of his arrest. The police had decided to disclose his identity on May 8, but Jang did not consent, lea May 14, 2026

KOSPI Hits 8000: Is Now the Time to Invest in Stocks? The KOSPI index surged to 8000 early in the trading session, drawing significant interest from individual investors. Contrary to concerns over high interest rates and economic recession, the domestic stock market has shown signs of recovery, particularly in the semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors. Foreign investment is flowing back into major semiconductor stocks like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, rapidly changing market sentiment. Analysts note that the expansion o May 14, 2026