Director Yeon Sang-ho Discusses 'Gunchi' and Its Themes of AI and Collective Fear 'Gunchi' is on the verge of surpassing 5 million viewers, continuing its strong performance at the box office. The film first gained attention after being invited to the Midnight Screenings section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival and has steadily attracted audiences since its release. Yeon Sang-ho, known for expanding the K-zombie genre with films like 'Train to Busan' and 'Peninsula,' revisits themes of an unidentified infection, evolving collectives, and the choices of humans trying to survi June 7, 2026

Can Voters Claim Compensation for Inability to Vote? Past Rulings Grant Up to $200,000 The recent local elections on June 3, 2026, faced an unprecedented shortage of ballots, leading to speculation that voters who were unable to cast their votes may seek compensation from the government. According to the Central Election Commission, out of 14,288 polling places nationwide, 67 experienced a shortage of ballots on election day. In Seoul, 35 polling places were affected, along with 8 in Busan, 7 in Daegu, 6 in Incheon, 3 in Ulsan, and 8 in Gyeongnam, with Songpa District hav June 7, 2026

KR's Im Seong-hwan: The Future of Shipbuilding Lies with People in the AI Era "No matter how advanced artificial intelligence (AI) becomes, it is ultimately the crew that operates the ship. We must avoid a situation where technology becomes subordinate to humans." Im Seong-hwan, Head of KR (Korean Register) Europe Region, emphasized the importance of people in the global shipping industry during a meeting on June 5 in Athens, Greece, at the Posidonia 2026 maritime expo. He noted, "While decarbonization and digitalization have been the main topics in the shipping se June 7, 2026

Hana Bank Expands Global Reach with New Office in Subic, Philippines Hana Bank has opened a branch in Subic, Philippines, as part of its efforts to expand its operations in Southeast Asia.On June 7, Hana Bank announced the opening of its Subic branch, aimed at broadening its network in Southeast Asia and meeting the financial service demands of Korean companies and expatriates in the region.Subic is an economic zone located approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and is home to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Philippine subs June 7, 2026

KOSPI Hits Record High, But Most Stocks Decline Amid Semiconductor Concentration While the domestic stock market has been hitting record highs recently, the number of rising stocks has decreased, highlighting a trend of concentration among a few large-cap stocks. Funds are increasingly focused on semiconductors and major tech companies, limiting the overall market's upward momentum. According to the Korea Exchange, from May 26 to June 5, the average number of rising stocks in the KOSPI was just 210 per day, while declining stocks reached 596. This means over 70% of a June 7, 2026

U.S. Media Predicts Hong Myung-bo's South Korea to Finish Second in Group A at World Cup U.S. media has predicted that the South Korean national soccer team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will finish the group stage of the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup with one win and two draws, placing second in Group A. On June 6, ESPN reported, based on predictions from the DTAI Sports Analysis Institute's supercomputer at Belgium's Catholic University of Leuven, the expected results for the 48 teams participating in the tournament. According to the forecast, South Korea, grouped with M June 7, 2026

Why the South Korean Won Remains Weak Despite Semiconductor Success One of the most intriguing aspects of South Korea's economy in 2026 is the strange divergence between the KOSPI index and the won-dollar exchange rate. South Korea is currently regarded as the biggest beneficiary of the semiconductor supercycle. With the AI revolution in full swing, the world's largest AI companies are eagerly purchasing Korean HBM and memory semiconductors. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have reported record earnings, and both companies have joined the $1 trillion market capi June 7, 2026

GC Green Cross Introduces AI Chatbot to Enhance Drug Regulation Efficiency GC Green Cross is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the efficiency of its drug regulation processes. The company recently announced the launch of its AI chatbot, RegulAItor, designed to assist with key tasks such as approval strategy formulation and document review, amidst a growing trend of AI adoption across the pharmaceutical industry.The RegulAItor chatbot utilizes data from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and internal approval documents. It classifies typ June 7, 2026

Ukraine Launches Large-Scale Drone Attack on St. Petersburg Amid Economic Forum Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale drone attack targeting St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, and nearby military facilities. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal and others, the attack occurred on the morning of June 6, local time, focusing on Russian military installations in the St. Petersburg area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the strikes hit the Kronstadt Naval Base west of St. Petersburg, an armory, and a June 7, 2026

Pope Leo XIV Receives Honorary 10th Dan in Taekwondo Pope Leo XIV has been awarded an honorary 10th Dan in Taekwondo in recognition of his contributions to global peace and humanitarian efforts. The World Taekwondo (WT) announced on June 7 that Cho Jung-won, the organization's president, presented the honorary certificate and a taekwondo uniform to the Pope during the Wednesday General Audience at the Vatican on June 3. According to WT, the honorary 10th Dan is the highest honor in the taekwondo community, awarded to the Pope for his ded June 7, 2026