U.S. and South Korea Discuss Trade Issues Amid Ongoing Section 301 Investigation As the U.S. wraps up its Section 301 investigation, trade officials from South Korea and the United States discussed various trade issues between the two countries. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that Yeohang Gu, South Korea's Trade Negotiations Chief, met with Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, on June 3 in Paris during the 2026 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. They addressed a range of trade concerns. Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on tariff vio June 4, 2026

Samsung Heavy Industries Wins $2.9 Billion Delfin FLNG Contract, Transforming North American LNG Market Samsung Heavy Industries has signaled the start of a new era in floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) production, moving beyond shipbuilding to lead a transformation in North America's LNG development. On June 2, Samsung Heavy Industries announced that its recent FLNG contract pertains to the first FLNG construction project for the Delfin LNG project in Louisiana, USA. The Delfin FLNG, which Samsung Heavy Industries has secured, marks the first FLNG project in U.S. history, with a contr June 4, 2026

Voter Rights Compromised as Ballot Shortages Spark Outrage in Local Elections On June 3, the day of the local elections, a significant shortage of ballots at some polling stations disrupted voters' ability to exercise their rights, leading to widespread outrage on online communities. According to a report by Aju Economy on June 26, discussions emerged in two communities representing specific demographics where one gender outnumbered the other, focusing on keywords related to the elections. Women in their 20s and 30s criticize Democratic Party's response to ballot June 4, 2026

Padu Accelerates Push into Asian Market at Computex 2026 Data center semiconductor company Padu is ramping up its efforts to penetrate the Asian market, leveraging the ongoing expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers that demand enhanced storage performance and energy efficiency. The company is showcasing its next-generation SSD controller technology to broaden its customer reach. According to industry sources, Padu conducted technology marketing for local clients during Computex 2026, which opened on June 2 in Taipei, Taiwan. The June 4, 2026

Tmap Launches 'Movement Log' Service to Track Daily Travel Tmap Mobility has introduced a new service called 'Movement Log' that allows users to save and manage their travel and visit records. On June 4, Tmap Mobility announced the launch of the 'Movement Log' service, which records users' daily travel routes and visited locations for easy review. The Movement Log service consolidates driving records and check-in information in one place. Users can view their visited locations and travel routes on a map and timeline, enabling them to document an June 4, 2026

Five Out of Seven Former Blue House Officials Win Elections Five of the seven former Blue House officials from the administration of President Lee Jae-myung were elected in the June 3 local elections and National Assembly by-elections.Woo Sang-ho, the former senior secretary for political affairs, won the governorship of Gangwon Province, while Son Hwa-jung, a former administrative officer in the Office of National Unity, became the inaugural mayor of Incheon Yeongjong.In the National Assembly by-elections, Kim Nam-jun, Jeon Eun-soo, and Kim Nam-guk, for June 4, 2026

Daol Investment Securities Raises Target Price for Korea Carbon by 7% Daol Investment Securities announced on June 4 that it has raised its target price for Korea Carbon from 57,000 won to 61,000 won, an increase of 7%, citing strengthened growth momentum from expanded LNG ship orders and defense production capacity. The firm maintained its "buy" rating. Choi Kwang-sik, a researcher at Daol Investment Securities, stated, "The order for NO96 SUPER+ has established a growth foundation that can surpass the upper limit of LNG ship orders from Samsung Heavy Indu June 4, 2026

Kioxia Targets AI Server Market with Advanced NAND Technology Japanese semiconductor memory company Kioxia Holdings is making a push into the NAND flash market for artificial intelligence (AI) servers. Although it lags behind competitors like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in terms of memory cell stacking, Kioxia aims to compete on read and write speeds by leveraging its unique technology that separates memory cells from control circuits before combining them. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), Kioxia is seeing improved performance dri June 4, 2026

'Wild Thing' Draws 160,000 Viewers on Opening Day, Surpassing 'The King and the Clown' The film 'Wild Thing' had a strong debut, attracting 160,748 viewers on its opening day. According to the integrated ticket sales network on June 4, 'Wild Thing' surpassed the opening day attendance of this year's top-grossing film, 'The King and the Clown,' which had 117,783 viewers on its first day. Despite being shown on a relatively limited number of screens, 'Wild Thing' achieved a high seat occupancy rate, securing the top spot at the box office for new releases. The film garnered att June 4, 2026

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won Meets TSMC President in Taiwan to Discuss AI Semiconductor Alliance SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won met with TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei in Taiwan to discuss collaboration in the semiconductor sector amid the rapid growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) market. As the leading companies in memory and foundry sectors strengthen their alliance, competition for leadership in the next-generation AI ecosystem is expected to accelerate.SK Hynix announced that Chairman Chey and Chairman Wei held discussions on the latest trends in AI technology and future collaboration on June 4, 2026