Lee Chang-dong Becomes First Korean Director to Win TIFF Ebert Director Award Lee Chang-dong has been named the first Korean director to receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award at the Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Awards.On July 30, the team behind the Netflix film 'Possible Love' announced that Lee will be honored with the TIFF Ebert Director Award during the 51st Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Awards.'Possible Love' tells the story of two couples—a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary filmmaker and her husband—who confront their diffe July 30, 2026

Samsung Invests 800 Billion Won in Semiconductor and DX Technologies Samsung Electronics is establishing a venture investment fund totaling 800 billion won to enhance its competitiveness in next-generation semiconductors and secure new technologies in the consumer electronics and mobile sectors (DX).According to a disclosure on July 30 by the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system, Samsung Electronics announced that it is forming the 82nd and 83rd New Technology Investment Funds (SVIC) in collaboration with Samsung Venture Investment and wil July 30, 2026

Microsoft Surges While Meta Struggles Amid AI Investment Outcomes Microsoft and Meta both reported revenues that exceeded market expectations. However, while Microsoft absorbed the burden of significant artificial intelligence (AI) investments backed by strong cloud growth, Meta faced deteriorating profits and free cash flow due to soaring costs, leading to mixed market evaluations of their AI investment returns.On July 29, Reuters reported that Microsoft’s revenue for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year rose 18% year-over-year to $90 billion, surpassing the July 30, 2026

Kumho Tire Reports 2nd Quarter Operating Profit of 182.2 Billion Won, Expands High-Profit Tire Sales Kumho Tire continued its growth in the second quarter of this year, driven by strong sales in the North American and European markets.The company reported an operating profit of 182.2 billion won for the second quarter, a 4% increase compared to the same period last year.Sales rose by 9.1% to 1.33 trillion won during the same period. This growth is attributed to an increase in original equipment (OE) tire supply and a rise in sales of high-profit replacement (RE) tires.The company also focused o July 30, 2026

Bank of Korea Participates in 'Project Agora' Real Transaction Test, Validating Cross-Border Payment Potential The Bank of Korea has participated in a real transaction test for 'Project Agora,' led by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), confirming the operational feasibility of a tokenized cross-border payment system.On July 30, the Bank of Korea announced that through this month's Real Value Testing (RVT) for Project Agora, it has verified that the platform's key functions and operational processes can run stably in an environment similar to actual operations.Project Agora is a global initiati July 30, 2026

Hyundai Card Adjusts Convenience Store Benefits Amid Cost Management Hyundai Card is scaling back benefits offered at convenience stores. As the need for profitability management grows due to reduced merchant fees and increased procurement costs, the company is adjusting its strategy by modifying existing partnerships while expanding into new consumer areas.According to the card industry on July 30, Hyundai Card will reduce the M-point usage rate from 20% to 10% for major convenience stores in South Korea, including GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, and Emart24, starting Augus July 30, 2026

Michelle Steel Begins Tenure as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea 미셸 스틸 신임 주한미국대사가 30일 한국에 부임했다. 도널드 트럼프 2기 행정부 첫 주한대사로, 성 김 전 대사에 이어 역대 두 번째 한국계 대사다. 대미 관세 협상과 안보 협력 등 한·미관계 앞에 놓인 현안을 진전시키는 데 어떤 역할을 할지 주목된다. 스틸 대사는 이날 인천국제공항에서 발표한 성명에서 “한국 국민 여러분께 정중히 인사드린다. 저는 서울에서 태어났지만 미국을 대표해 이 자리에 섰다. 이 자리에 다시 서니 만감이 교차한다”라고 한국어로 말했다. 이어 스틸 대사는 영어로 “미국과 한국 July 30, 2026

Dev Sisters Launches Global Release of Cookie Run: Crumble Dev Sisters announced the global launch of its mobile idle role-playing game (RPG) 'Cookie Run: Crumble' on July 30. Cookie Run: Crumble is the first idle game developed under the Cookie Run intellectual property (IP). It features rapid growth and rewards typical of idle games, combined with strategies for cookie and pet combinations and dynamic battle scenes. The game has surpassed 2 million pre-registrations worldwide.The launch version includes a total of 69 cookies and 54 pets. Among them is July 30, 2026

Muan County Council Holds Heated Session on Administrative Reports The 310th Muan County Council's temporary session featured heated discussions on administrative reports, with sessions extending past 6 p.m. as council members expressed high interest and the administration provided responsible answers.On July 30, the administrative report was chaired by Vice Chair Yang Yeong-bok in place of Chair Im Yoon-taek. The meeting included reports and Q&A sessions from six departments, including marine and fisheries, construction, and regional development.From the first July 30, 2026

Special Prosecutor Bill Passes National Assembly Amid Filibuster On July 30, the ruling and opposition parties reached an agreement in the National Assembly to pass a special prosecutor bill and an extension of the national investigation into issues related to voter rights violations during the June 3 local elections. However, amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act and the National Assembly Act were delayed due to a filibuster initiated by the opposition. The ruling party plans to counter the unlimited debate with a motion to end it and pass both bills sequ July 30, 2026