Na Hong-jin's 'Hope' Surpasses 3 Million Viewers in 11 Days Na Hong-jin's new sci-fi film 'Hope' has surpassed 3 million viewers just 11 days after its release.According to Yonhap News on July 25, 'Hope' reached the milestone of 3 million viewers on the afternoon of its 11th day in theaters. This achievement comes a day later than the record set by director Yeon Sang-ho's zombie film 'Goonche,' which reached 3 million in 10 days.'Hope,' which premiered on July 15, has consistently held the top spot at the box office. It notably surpassed 1 million viewer July 25, 2026

K-Heritage Gains Recognition with Expanded Registration of Korean Tidal Flats and Busan Declaration The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is taking place in Busan, elevating the status of K-Heritage. Significant achievements include the expanded registration of 'Korean tidal flats,' the Busan Declaration, which proposes new directions for the preservation of world heritage, and calls for improved exhibition strategies for Japan's Sado Mine. The movement to register Busan as a refuge city heritage by 2030 is also expected to gain momentum.The most notable achievement is the se July 25, 2026

South Korea and U.S. Tech Giants Forge $950 Billion Semiconductor Partnership South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met with top executives from major global tech companies in San Francisco to discuss large-scale investments and collaborations in sectors ranging from semiconductors to artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and physical AI. Over the next five years, a total of $950 billion will be invested in semiconductor cooperation alone.Kim Yong-beom, head of the Presidential Policy Office, announced on July 24 that President Lee held individual meetings with Jensen July 25, 2026

Korean Tidal Flats Recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Korean tidal flats' have expanded their boundaries, reaffirming their outstanding value as a UNESCO World Heritage site.The 48th World Heritage Committee made the final decision on July 25 during a meeting in Busan to expand the registration of 'Korean tidal flats' to a second phase.With this decision, the existing four tidal flats registered as World Heritage in 2021—the Seocheon tidal flats in South Chungcheong Province, the Gochang tidal flats in North Jeolla Province, the Sinan tidal flats July 25, 2026

Defense Minister An Kyu-baek Marks One Year in Office, Commits to Reform On July 25, Defense Minister An Kyu-baek reaffirmed his strong commitment to completing defense reforms as he marked his one-year anniversary in office.In a post on his Facebook page, An acknowledged that "the deeper and broader the scope of reform, the more intense the growing pains will be," but he vowed to move forward without wavering.He stated, "I will shoulder all the burdens of reform" and requested warm encouragement and support from the 550,000 members of the defense family who are quie July 25, 2026

Naver Secures $10 Billion Investment from Nvidia and Brookfield for AI Factory Naver has secured a massive $10 billion investment from Nvidia and Brookfield, a major alternative asset management firm. This funding aims to establish an AI factory with a capacity of up to 1 gigawatt (GW) and to expand a 'Sovereign AI' ecosystem that is not tied to specific countries or companies.On July 24, during the AI Summit held at The Midway in San Francisco, Naver founder and board chairman Lee Hae-jin officially announced this development in the presence of President Yoon Suk Yeol.Lee July 25, 2026

President Lee Meets Global AI Leaders, Including Jensen Huang President Lee Jae-myung met with global leaders in artificial intelligence (AI) on July 24 in San Francisco, including Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, and Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom.Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong announced in a written briefing that President Lee would dine with around 10 leaders from domestic and international AI companies at a local restaurant popular among AI researchers and residents.This dinner, dubbed the 'fish and chips meeting,' aims to foster informal discuss July 25, 2026

Bahrain and Kuwait Conduct Secret Airstrikes Against Iran Bahrain and Kuwait reportedly carried out secret airstrikes targeting Iran earlier this month.According to Yonhap News on July 25, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cited sources indicating that the two countries targeted key military facilities in Iran, including drone and missile storage sites. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is said to have provided intelligence and air support during these operations. However, Kuwait has strongly denied the report, while Bahrain declined to confirm it.Previously, July 25, 2026

Hyundai's Chairman Discusses Collaboration with NVIDIA's CEO on Saemangeum AI Valley During his visit to the United States, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun met with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to discuss follow-up collaborations related to the Saemangeum Artificial Intelligence (AI) Valley, including autonomous driving, physical AI, and data centers.NVIDIA shared a photo on its X (formerly Twitter) account on July 24, showing Chung at the company's headquarters in Santa Clara, California, alongside Huang, holding a model of the Genesis Magma vehicle.During this visit, Chu July 25, 2026

Korea's Trade Chief Engages U.S. to Address Digital Policy Concerns The South Korean government has launched an active campaign to address U.S. concerns regarding the Section 301 tariff measures and domestic digital regulations, including the Coupang incident.According to Yonhap News on July 25, Yeo Han-goo, head of the Trade Negotiation Bureau, visited Washington, D.C., from July 21 to 24 to engage in in-depth discussions on key trade issues with U.S. government officials, lawmakers, and industry leaders.During this visit, Yeo met with ten U.S. lawmakers, inclu July 25, 2026