South Korea’s Kospi Surges Past 7,000 for First Time, Up More Than 3% Early South Korea’s benchmark Kospi opened higher on the 6th and climbed above 7,000 for the first time in early trading. According to the Korea Exchange, the Kospi stood at 7,195.92 as of 9:07 a.m., up 258.93 points, or 3.73%, from the previous session. It opened at 7,093.01, up 156.02 points, or 2.25%, and extended gains. Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said the market could face “a pause for breath” for the rest of the week or short-term profit-taking by foreign investors. May 6, 2026

HL Mando to Supply AI Electrical Fire-Prevention System to Hyundai Motor’s U.S. Plant Software-defined vehicle (SDV) company HL Mando is pushing a new business line as it seeks to extend its earnings growth. HL Mando said Tuesday it is moving ahead with commercialization of e-HAECHIE, an artificial intelligence-based solution designed to prevent electrical fires. The company said it secured stability and reliability through proof-of-concept tests at 17 plants in South Korea. Mass production is set to begin next month. The first customer will be Hyundai Motor Group, whi May 6, 2026

South Korea’s April Consumer Inflation Hits 2.6%, Highest in 21 Months on Fuel Surge Global oil prices kept climbing, driving a sharp jump in fuel costs and pushing consumer inflation to its fastest pace in 21 months. A government cap on fuel prices, in place since March, helped cushion the rise but did not prevent inflation from staying in the 2% range. Officials also warned that price pressures that have been concentrated in energy could spread to non-energy items starting in May. According to the National Data Center’s “April 2026 Consumer Price Trends” released Tuesd May 6, 2026

Trump Cites Progress With Iran, Pauses Hormuz ‘Project Freedom’ as U.S. Declares ‘Epic Fury’ Over U.S. President Donald Trump said he will briefly pause a military operation tied to the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress in talks with Iran, while keeping a maritime blockade aimed at cutting off Iran’s oil-export revenue. In a post Monday on Truth Social, Trump said “Project Freedom,” which he described as ensuring ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz, would be suspended for a short period to determine whether a final agreement can be reached and signed. He said the decis May 6, 2026

US Moves to Revamp Visa Rules to Support Korean Investment, but Enforcement Concerns Persist The U.S. government is moving to revamp its visa system to better support South Korean companies investing in the United States, citing the need to move training and operations staff in and out on time. But officials and investors say the push to attract foreign capital still clashes with a hard-line immigration enforcement posture. Christopher Landau, the U.S. deputy secretary of state, said May 5 (local time) at the SelectUSA investment promotion event in National Harbor, Maryland, that May 6, 2026

Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix jump about 10% to fresh record highs Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix surged to new record highs as expectations for an AI-driven investment cycle and foreign inflows reinforced a semiconductor-led rally. According to the Korea Exchange, Samsung Electronics was trading at 258,000 won as of 9:07 a.m., up 25,500 won, or 10.97%, from the previous session. SK Hynix rose 135,000 won, or 9.33%, to 1,582,000 won. It climbed as much as 10.64% intraday, briefly topping 1.6 million won. SK Square, SK Hynix’s holding company, jump May 6, 2026

South Korea Launches Two-Track Plan to Boost Tourism Demand and Stabilize Industry Funding The government is rolling out a two-track strategy to support South Korea’s tourism ecosystem, which has been hit by high oil prices and weak domestic demand. The plan aims to draw more foreign visitors to regional destinations to create new demand, while providing large-scale loans to cash-strapped tourism businesses to stabilize the industry’s supply chain. ◆ Steering foreign visitors to the regions with tailored transport options The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, led by Min May 6, 2026

Coupang Chairman Kim Bum-seok Says Data Breach Recovery Will Take Time Coupang founder and Coupang Inc. Chairman Kim Bum-seok said the company will need time for a full recovery from last year’s personal data breach, though the impact from customer departures has eased. He said compensation costs and temporary inefficiencies in the logistics network weighed on first-quarter results. Speaking on a first-quarter earnings conference call held on May 6 (Korea time), Kim said product commerce revenue growth hit its low point in January, then improved each mont May 6, 2026

BTS’ ‘SWIM’ Holds Top 3 on Billboard Global Charts for Sixth Week BTS extended its run near the top of Billboard’s global charts, keeping a top-three position for a sixth straight week. According to Billboard’s latest rankings released May 5 for the May 9 charts, “SWIM,” the title track from the group’s fifth full-length album “ARIRANG,” ranked No. 2 on both the Global (Excl. U.S.) and Global 200 charts. On the Global 200, it rose one spot from the previous week. The momentum has not been limited to the title track. Thirteen vocal tracks from the alb May 6, 2026

SK hynix tops 1.6 million won, Samsung Electronics hits 250,000 in premarket trade Shares of SK hynix and Samsung Electronics surged in premarket trading, extending a broader rally in chip stocks. According to Nextrade (NXT), SK hynix was trading at 1,609,000 won as of 8:48 a.m. on the 6th, up 11.2% from the previous session. Samsung Electronics rose 7.53% to 250,000 won. The gains were attributed to expectations for improving global semiconductor conditions. Overnight, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index climbed 4.23% to a record high. The MSCI Korea ETF ju May 6, 2026