Over 10.7 Million Foreign Tourists Visited South Korea in First Half of 2026 In the first half of 2026, South Korea welcomed 10.71 million foreign tourists, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. This figure represents a 21.3% increase compared to the same period last year and is 26.9% higher than the first half of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.According to the Korea Tourism Organization's 'June 2026 Korea Tourism Statistics' released on July 23, the number of inbound tourists from January to June reached 10.71 million. This marks a 21.3% rise from the same period last yea July 23, 2026

Kakao Group Partners with Circle to Develop Digital Currency Ecosystem Kakao Group is teaming up with global stablecoin company Circle to expand its digital asset business, including a won-based stablecoin. The partnership aims to jointly build a blockchain-based financial infrastructure for payments, remittances, and settlements, establishing a Korean digital asset ecosystem.On July 23, Kakao, Kakao Pay, and Kakao Bank announced that they have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Circle Internet Group.The two companies plan to combine Kakao's July 23, 2026

Huirim Aitech Shares Surge as Company Expands into AI Defense Robotics Market Huirim Aitech is experiencing a surge in its stock price following news of its acquisition of AI defense robotics company AIDIOS, marking a significant entry into the unmanned defense and security robotics market.As of the morning of July 23, Huirim Aitech's shares rose by 775 won (29.92%) to 3,365 won, according to the Korea Exchange.AIDIOS, established in 2021, specializes in developing and manufacturing robots for defense and security applications. The announcement of Huirim Aitech accelerati July 23, 2026

KakaoBank Expands Education Program to Prevent Youth Gambling and Financial Harm KakaoBank is launching a public-private partnership to prevent illegal gambling and financial harm among youth.On July 22, KakaoBank announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Education, the Financial Supervisory Service, and the Green Tree Foundation to promote the "Zero Round" project aimed at preventing illegal gambling and financial harm among young people.The "Zero Round" initiative is designed to educate youth about the dangers of illegal gambling and July 23, 2026

U.S. Accelerates Establishment of Investment and Trade Committee with China The United States and China are moving swiftly to establish an investment and trade committee to manage their trade conflicts.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister, in Manila, Philippines, on July 22, as reported by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency on July 23. The two foreign ministers were in Manila to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated, "Both si July 23, 2026

Woori Bank Partners with Naver Pay to Offer Retirement Pension Consulting 우리은행이 네이버페이와 손잡고 퇴직연금 상담 서비스를 제공한다.우리은행은 네이버페이와 제휴해 개인형IRP 상담 서비스를 출시했다고 23일 밝혔다. 시중은행 가운데 네이버페이와 개인형IRP 상담 서비스를 제공하는 것은 우리은행이 처음이다.이번 서비스는 네이버페이 내 새롭게 마련된 '연금홈'에서 우리은행 연금 상담을 선택해 이용할 수 있다.우리은행 연금 전문 상담사가 비대면으로 개인형IRP 상품 운용 등에 대한 상담을 제공한다. 상담 후 우리WON뱅킹 링크가 전송되면 앱으로 이동해 개인형IRP 가입을 완료할 수 있다.우리 July 23, 2026

Samsung Electro-Mechanics Secures Additional $2.3 Billion Order for AI Server MLCCs Samsung Electro-Mechanics has signed a supply contract worth approximately 3 billion won (about $2.3 billion) for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) intended for artificial intelligence (AI) servers. This follows a previous contract worth 4.5 billion won, expanding the long-term demand base for high-value components used in AI servers.On July 23, Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced it will supply about $200 million worth of MLCCs for AI servers to a global large enterprise. The contract period July 23, 2026

Lotte Cinema to Exclusively Screen TXT VR Concert 'Endless Ride' Lotte Cinema will exclusively screen Tomorrow X Together's third VR concert.The company announced that it will debut the 'Tomorrow X Together VR Concert: Endless Ride' on July 31.'Tomorrow X Together VR Concert: Endless Ride' is a VR concert that recreates the live concert experience using 12K ultra-high-definition technology. Lotte Cinema has prepared a viewing environment that combines its theater infrastructure to enhance the immersive experience for fans.This VR concert will be shown simulta July 23, 2026

NS Home Shopping Donates Over 60,000 Bottles of Water to Delivery Workers Amid Heatwave NS Home Shopping announced on July 22 that it has delivered 60,360 bottles of water to support delivery workers during the summer heat. The 'Love Water Campaign' has been an initiative by NS Home Shopping since 2005, aimed at sharing the challenges faced by delivery personnel. This year, the company provided water to major delivery partners including Hanjin, CJ Logistics, and Lotte Logistics. To date, the campaign has distributed over 940,000 bottles of water.In addition to the water donations, July 23, 2026

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Develops Key Device for World's Largest Fusion Project HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has completed the assembly of the final vacuum vessel sector module for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), bringing the realization of future fusion energy one step closer.On July 22, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries attended the 'KOREA-ITER Fusion Day' event held at the ITER construction site in Cadarache, southern France. The event was attended by over 150 participants, including officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT, domestic companies July 23, 2026