Ruling Party Accelerates Police Reform Amid Public Distrust The Democratic Party of Korea discussed measures to address public distrust regarding the new criminal justice system set to launch next month. This comes as the reform aimed at abolishing the prosecution's supplementary investigative powers nears completion, with the goal of swiftly preparing a police reform plan to minimize confusion.The party's Police Reform Task Force held a meeting with criminal defense attorneys at the National Assembly. Co-chair Lee Hae-sik emphasized the need for democra September 16, 2026

How to Use Xiaohongshu in 2026 Chinese Generation Z consumers can accomplish their entire shopping journey on Xiaohongshu (小紅書, RedNote), from searching for restaurants and travel destinations to checking government AI policies and demographic data. Just a few years ago, they would have started their searches on Baidu.The reason is simple: Xiaohongshu is fast and user-friendly. When users input a search term on Baidu, they often receive a long list of government announcements and related articles, requiring them to open mu September 16, 2026

Shinhan Bank Launches 'SOL Trip & J Check' Event for Japan Travel Shinhan Bank announced on September 16 that it will hold the "SOL Trip & J Check, It's Different When You Make It Now" event, offering various benefits to new customers of its Japan travel-focused check card, the 'SOL Trip & J Check,' and to customers using the card overseas. The event will run until November 30.The event is open to new customers aged 19 and older who apply for the 'SOL Trip & J Check.' The first 40,000 customers who make a purchase of 1,000 won or more domestically after issuin September 16, 2026

Delay in U.S. Investment Report to National Assembly Postpones MOU Signing The government has confirmed that the report to the National Assembly regarding the first U.S. investment project, originally scheduled for September 17, has been postponed. Consequently, the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between South Korea and the U.S., anticipated for September 18, is also expected to be delayed.On September 16, political sources indicated that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy requested the postponement of the report to the National Assembly's Commi September 16, 2026

KOSPI Rises Over 1% After Four Days of Decline, Driven by Institutional Buying The KOSPI halted a four-day decline, rebounding by more than 1%. With the possibility of a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in September largely priced in, institutional investors made net purchases exceeding 1.4 trillion won, responding to perceptions of an excessive drop following recent declines. Stocks in the semiconductor sector, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, led the index's rise.On September 16, the Korea Exchange reported that the KOSPI closed at 6, September 16, 2026

SK Hynix Partners with Intel to Produce Advanced Memory in the U.S. SK Hynix is collaborating with Intel to produce advanced memory chips in the United States. This initiative aims to quickly establish a local supply base to meet the surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors from global tech giants. According to industry sources and foreign media on September 16, SK Hynix is in discussions to lease some production lines at Intel's semiconductor manufacturing facility under construction in Ohio to produce memory chips. The company is also September 16, 2026

KakaoX CEO Appointee Kim Do-young: 'Establishing AI Identity Through Spin-off' Kakao is actively engaging with minority shareholders ahead of its planned spin-off. Following the announcement of the spin-off, concerns about the division ratio and potential damage to shareholder value have arisen, prompting the company to directly address these issues. Kim Do-young, the designated CEO of KakaoX and current head of Kakao Group's investment strategy, held an online meeting with minority shareholders on September 16, explaining that the spin-off aims to clarify the growth strat September 16, 2026

National Assembly Continues Confirmation Hearings Amid Dispute Over Ministerial Nominees The Democratic Party and the People Power Party continued their debate over the qualifications of five ministerial nominees during the second day of confirmation hearings on September 16. The People Power Party urged the withdrawal of nominations for Kang Shin-cheol, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, and Hong Ji-sun, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. In contrast, the Democratic Party emphasized the expertise of both candidates, calling for cooperation in September 16, 2026

Education Officials Demand Review of Local Education Funding Reform As the government seeks to overhaul the calculation method for the 'Local Education Funding' that has been a cornerstone of secondary education finance for 55 years, education superintendents from across the country voiced their opposition at the National Assembly. They criticized attempts to reduce public education funding under the pretext of declining student numbers, calling it a bureaucratic approach that ignores the realities of the education sector and hinders future investment in educati September 16, 2026

Chinese Stock Market Rises After Five Days of Decline, Strong Performance in Optical Module Sector On September 16, the Chinese stock market rebounded after five consecutive days of decline. Analysts attribute this recovery to a technical rebound following the recent downturn. The Shanghai Composite Index closed up 0.71% at 3,891.60, the Shenzhen Component Index rose 1.26% to 13,454.74, and the ChiNext Index increased by 1.96% to 3,311.47.The market had faced four days of losses due to rising interest rate risks in the U.S., soaring oil prices, and corrections in U.S. tech stocks. As the prol September 16, 2026