Shinhan Bank to Reduce Financial Burden for Small Businesses in Busan with Low-Interest Loans Shinhan Bank, in collaboration with the city of Busan and the Busan Credit Guarantee Foundation, will offer low-interest loans at around 1% and high-interest loan refinancing for small businesses in the Busan area.On September 14, Shinhan Bank signed a business agreement with the city of Busan and the Busan Credit Guarantee Foundation to jointly promote the '1% Low-Interest Loans and High-Interest Loan Refinancing for Small Businesses in Management Crisis' initiative, which was announced on the September 15, 2026

July Money Supply Increases by 12.7 Trillion Won, Driven by Semiconductor Deposits In July, South Korea's money supply increased by nearly 13 trillion won, marking the ninth consecutive month of growth, driven by deposits from semiconductor companies and an increase in time deposits.According to the Bank of Korea's 'Monetary and Liquidity' statistics released on September 15, the average broad money supply (M2) for July was 4,225.6 trillion won, up 12.7 trillion won (0.3%) from the previous month. This marks the largest increase since November of last year. The M2 growth rate September 15, 2026

KB Kookmin Bank Issues €650 Million Covered Bonds, Largest for a Korean Bank KB Kookmin Bank has issued €650 million in euro-denominated sustainable covered bonds, marking the largest issuance by a Korean bank to date. This move demonstrates the bank's competitive funding capabilities amid growing uncertainties in global interest rates and inflation.The bank announced on September 15 that it completed the issuance of the four-year maturity sustainable covered bonds on September 14.The issuance rate is set at 3.625%, which includes a 24 basis point (1 basis point = 0.01 p September 15, 2026

Vietnam and South Korea Discuss Youth Cooperation Beyond Simple Exchanges Vietnam and South Korea are exploring ways to expand their 12-year youth exchange program into a collaboration focused on joint research and policy experience sharing. The goal is to elevate cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as administrative innovation, digital transformation, and youth talent development, beyond the existing visit and learning-based programs.On September 14, according to Vietnam's Ministry of Home Affairs, the Korea Foundation (KF) and the ministry held a meeting i September 15, 2026

Big Tech's Hidden Agenda: Calls for AI Guardrails Amid Extinction Fears CEOs and lead researchers from leading global artificial intelligence (AI) companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, are warning that AI could lead to human extinction. They suggest that the rapid development of AI technology, which has surpassed the singularity, could pose a serious threat to humanity.AI operates without rest, completing tasks that humans find tedious or challenging in an instant. It can solve complex mathematical problems that humans struggle with due to fatigue and distracti September 15, 2026

Prosecutors Seek Two-Year Sentence for Director Accused of Embezzling Funds from Care Facility Prosecutors have requested a two-year prison sentence for the director of Sae Dong Won, a facility for individuals with severe developmental disabilities in Incheon, who is accused of embezzling funds.During the first hearing on September 15 at the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Ryu Ji-mi, prosecutors sought the sentence for Kim, who faces charges of embezzlement and other offenses.Kim is accused of misappropriating project subsidies and construction funds from Sae Dong Won September 15, 2026

Im Jae-man, Head of the National Land Research Institute, Says Housing Supply Alone Won't Ensure Stability Im Jae-man, the head of the National Land Research Institute, stated that merely increasing housing supply in the metropolitan area will not ensure stability in the housing market. He explained that in a structure where resources and capital are concentrated in the metropolitan area, it is difficult to meet demand even with increased supply. He emphasized that housing supply policies need to be pursued within the broader framework of national balanced development.During a press luncheon held in September 15, 2026

Aju News Corporation Signs Media Cooperation Agreement with Kazinform Media organizations from South Korea and Kazakhstan have agreed to exchange articles and videos and collaborate on content creation. This agreement was reached just hours before a meeting between the leaders of the two countries.Aju News Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding on September 15 at its headquarters in downtown Seoul with the TV and Radio Complex, a state-owned enterprise under the Kazakhstan presidential office. Chairman Kwak Young-gil and Kazinform President Raushan Kazhi September 15, 2026

Chinese Stock Market Declines Amid Economic Concerns; Memory Chip Stocks Rise The Chinese stock market continued its decline on September 15, following a drop the previous day. Concerns over U.S. interest rate hikes and a domestic economic slowdown weighed on the indices. The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.54% at 3,864.28, the Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.72% to 13,287.97, and the ChiNext Index dropped 1.15% to 3,247.92.International oil prices have risen again due to the prolonged conflict in Iran and the shutdown of key oil pipelines in Saudi Arabia. Brent cr September 15, 2026

U.S.-Korea Investment Initiative May Accelerate Security Talks The United States and South Korea are moving forward with the announcement of their first joint investment project, raising expectations that economic agreements could lead to advancements in security negotiations. Discussions are reportedly underway for a meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which could pave the way for further talks on nuclear submarines and other security issues. However, the complexity of U.S. demands for contributio September 15, 2026