World Cup Trophy Made of Gold Estimated at Nearly $9 Million The South Korean national soccer team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, is set to play its first match in Group A of the North America World Cup today at 11 a.m. Amid this excitement, attention is also turning to the value of the World Cup trophy, which is known to be made of gold. Busan Digital Asset Exchange, which operates the digital asset trading platform Bdan, announced yesterday that it calculated the trophy's value based on its gold content. As of this morning, the exchange estimated June 12, 2026

Trump Abruptly Cancels Iran Airstrike Three Hours Before Execution President Donald Trump ordered the cancellation of a planned airstrike against Iran just three hours before it was set to occur, according to a report by NBC citing two U.S. officials on June 11. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly taken by surprise by the cancellation, having not been informed in advance, CNN reported. U.S. officials indicated that on the same day, the military had received a standby order from Trump to prepare for the airstrike, awaiting only the f June 12, 2026

Government Reports Continued Economic Recovery Amid Middle East Risks The South Korean government has assessed that the economy is continuing its recovery, supported by strong exports and improvements in the financial markets. However, it also identified rising prices, high oil and exchange rates, and potential employment market slowdowns due to instability in the Middle East as ongoing burdens on the economy. In the "Recent Economic Trends (Green Book)" released on June 13, the Ministry of Finance stated, "Our economy is continuing its recovery trend based June 12, 2026

Ruling Party Criticizes Calls for Full Re-Election by Opposition Leader The Democratic Party criticized Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, on June 12 for advocating a full re-election following issues with the Election Commission's handling of ballots during the June 3 local elections and by-elections. The party stated that Jang's stance is no different from that of far-right groups and urged him to demonstrate more rational and logical political behavior. Kang Jun-hyun, the party's chief spokesperson, expressed suspicion that Jang's push for r June 12, 2026

KFTC Approves NS Shopping's Acquisition of Homeplus Express Amid Restructuring The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has approved NS Shopping's acquisition of Homeplus Express, determining that the deal is unlikely to significantly restrict market competition amid ongoing corporate restructuring. On June 12, the KFTC announced that NS Shopping, a subsidiary of Harim Group, agreed to acquire the operations of Homeplus Express for 1.206 trillion won. The companies signed a sales transfer agreement last month, which included NS Shopping's commitment to repay part of Ho June 12, 2026

KAI and GE Avio Sign MOU for Next-Generation Power Transmission System Research Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced on June 12 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Italy's GE Avio to collaborate on research for a key rotorcraft technology, the power transmission system, thereby strengthening their strategic partnership. The MOU signing ceremony took place on June 11 at GE Avio's headquarters in Turin, Italy, attended by KAI President Kim Jong-chul and Vito Alfarano, GE Avio's Operations Manager, along with other senior executives from bo June 12, 2026

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Rise Early Amid Surge in U.S. Semiconductor Stocks Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are experiencing a strong early rise, buoyed by a surge in semiconductor stocks on the U.S. stock market. As of 9:43 a.m. on June 12, Samsung Electronics shares rose by 39,500 won (13.21%) to 338,500 won, while SK Hynix shares increased by 18,900 won (9.00%) to 2,290,000 won. Both stocks maintained their upward momentum shortly after the market opened, with Samsung Electronics reaching 339,000 won and SK Hynix hitting 2,304,000 won at one point during t June 12, 2026

Krafton Launches First Global Test for 'Project Zeta' Ahead of Release Krafton is set to conduct the first global community test for its new action game, 'Project Zeta.' On June 12, the company announced that the test will take place from June 25 to 28, targeting users worldwide. A new video announcing the test was also released on the official Project Zeta YouTube channel. Project Zeta is a multi-team PvP action game where three players form a team to compete against three other teams on a single battlefield. The objective is to be the first team to return June 12, 2026

Prime Minister Kim Criticizes Election Commission Over Destroyed Ballot Boxes Prime Minister Kim Min-seok strongly criticized the Election Commission on June 11 for the destruction of ballot boxes related to a shortage of ballots, stating, "It seems the Election Commission still does not recognize the seriousness of the situation." During a meeting at the Government Sejong Center focused on the infringement of citizens' voting rights, he added, "If the Election Commission continues this way, there will undoubtedly be calls from the public for its dissolution." June 12, 2026

Despite Loan Restrictions, Household Debt Continues to Rise; Real Estate Financing Must Be Cut The government has pledged to tackle household debt, yet borrowing continues to surge. The Financial Services Commission has set a target to limit household loan growth to 1.5% this year and aims to reduce the household debt-to-GDP ratio to 80% by 2030. Additionally, the proportion of policy loans will be gradually decreased from the current 30% to 20%. However, the increase in household loans in May reveals how fragile these targets are. Bank lending to households rose by 6.9 tril June 12, 2026