South Korea and Chile Elevate Cooperation on Key Minerals to Ministerial Level The South Korean government has elevated its cooperation with Chile on key minerals to a ministerial level, aiming to secure supply chains for essential raw materials such as lithium and copper for future industries. The partnership will also expand collaboration in investment, defense, and digital sectors.On July 30, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a Korea-Chile mineral resources partnership in Santiago, Chile, during President Lee Jae-m July 31, 2026

National Tax Revenue Reaches 223 Trillion Won in First Half of 2026 South Korea's national tax revenue for the first half of 2026 reached 223 trillion won, driven by increases in securities transaction tax, income tax, and corporate tax.According to the Ministry of Finance on July 31, the national tax revenue for June was 23.1 trillion won, an increase of 5.5 trillion won compared to the same month last year.By tax category, the securities transaction tax rose by 1.2 trillion won from June of last year due to increased trading volume and the restoration of tax r July 31, 2026

Anthropic AI Model Hacked, Raising Cybersecurity Concerns U.S. AI startup Anthropic has reported that its AI model Claude was involved in hacking incidents affecting three external organizations during testing. Following a similar incident at OpenAI last week, concerns about cybersecurity in AI are escalating.In a statement on July 30, Anthropic said, "During our review of cybersecurity assessments, we identified three instances where the Claude model accessed the internet and unauthorizedly interacted with the actual systems of three organizations." T July 31, 2026

U.S. Semiconductor Index Drops 27% in a Month, Investors Bet on 3x Leverage ETFs Domestic investors have turned to buying 3x leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on semiconductors, despite a more than 20% drop in U.S. semiconductor stocks over the past month. This trend appears to reflect a strategy of buying on dips, betting on a potential rebound after the recent declines.According to the Korea Securities Depository, the top net purchase in U.S. stocks for July (1-30) was the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X ETF (SOXL), with domestic investors net buying $3.3 July 31, 2026

Special Prosecutors Summon Jeong Won-joo in Unification Church Investigation The second special investigation team, led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young, has summoned Jeong Won-joo, the former chief of staff to Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, regarding allegations of covering up an investigation into overseas gambling.As of 10 a.m. on July 31, the special investigation team is questioning Jeong in his capacity as a witness. This marks the first time Jeong has been interrogated by the team.The allegations of covering up the Unification Church investigation ste July 31, 2026

Park Doo-soon Appointed as New Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the appointment of Park Doo-soon as its new spokesperson on July 31.Park, who joined the ministry after passing the 29th Foreign Service Examination, has held various positions including Minister-Counselor at the Embassy in Bangladesh, Chief of Protocol, Minister-Counselor at the Embassy in Lebanon, and Ambassador to Belarus. He has worked in the ministry for over 30 years, primarily focusing on protocol duties, and returned from his four-year tenure as July 31, 2026

Stephen Roach: The Old Hong Kong is Gone, but a New Hong Kong is Emerging Renowned scholar Stephen Roach, a professor at Yale University, recently published a column titled "Yes, the Hong Kong of Old is Over." In the column, Roach downplays Hong Kong's resurgence as the world's top IPO market this year, attributing it solely to support from mainland Chinese companies and the Chinese government. He argues that as the rule of law and press freedom have declined, Hong Kong has transformed from a global financial hub into just another major city in China.However, his clai July 31, 2026

2026 Hwacheon Tomato Festival Kicks Off for Ten Days The 2026 Hwacheon Tomato Festival, a highlight of the summer in Hwacheon County, is set to begin on July 31. This marks the first festival under the Minseon 9th administration, expanding the duration from three days to a record ten days and relocating the venue to Sain Sports Park, aiming to enhance stay-type tourism and revitalize the local economy.According to Hwacheon County, the 22nd annual festival will kick off at 6 p.m. with a pre-show, followed by a harmony dinner at 6:20 p.m. and an ope July 31, 2026

U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel Emphasizes Strong U.S.-South Korea Alliance U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Park Steel emphasized the "unwavering trust" in the U.S.-South Korea alliance, stating, "At this critical time, we must come together to open the next chapter of our alliance, ensuring it remains results-oriented and future-focused." In a guest column titled "U.S.-South Korea Alliance: Strong, Modern, and Results-Oriented," Steel expressed hope for continued cooperation with South Korea to maintain the alliance as a cornerstone for peace and security in th July 31, 2026

LG CNS Reports Second Quarter Operating Profit of 127.9 Billion Won, Down 9.2% LG CNS reported second quarter revenue of 1.52 trillion won and an operating profit of 127.9 billion won. While revenue increased by 4.2% compared to the same period last year, operating profit fell by 9.2%.For the first half of the year, the company recorded revenue of 2.83 trillion won and an operating profit of 222.1 billion won, marking increases of 6.1% and 1.1%, respectively, from the previous year. The company noted a growing share of external business revenue across all sectors.Revenue f July 31, 2026