KOSPI Shrinks Gains Amid 2 Trillion Won Sell-Off by Retail Investors; KOSDAQ Turns Negative The KOSPI index narrowed its early gains of over 2% to less than 1% due to a significant sell-off by retail investors amounting to nearly 2 trillion won. Despite recovering above the 7,100 mark, the index faced pressure from increased selling activity. Meanwhile, the KOSDAQ index reversed its early upward trend, influenced by foreign and institutional selling.As of 2:03 PM, the KOSPI was up 44.14 points (0.63%) at 7,051.86, having started the day at 7,161.61, up 153.89 points (2.20%). Although i September 22, 2026

Urgent Need for Tenant Solutions Beyond 1.19 Million Public Housing Units Finding a new rental property is challenging for tenants, with limited options available. Buying a home is difficult due to high bank requirements, and returning to monthly rent poses a financial burden. As a result, many tenants feel they have no choice but to stay in their current homes. The distinction between wanting to remain in a place and being forced to stay due to a lack of alternatives is crucial for housing policy, which must address both stability and insecurity.The government has an September 22, 2026

Government Delays 12th Power Supply Plan Until After December Nuclear Debate The timeline for finalizing the 12th Power Supply Basic Plan has been pushed back from October to after December, following the conclusion of a public discussion on nuclear power. The government has decided that the public consultation process will last approximately three months, but it will not determine the specific construction scale of new nuclear reactors. ◆ Three-Month Deliberation to Yield Recommendations in December Kim Seong-hwan, Minister of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Envi September 22, 2026

OpenAI Proposes Global AI Standards Led by the U.S. Amid Security Discussions at the U.N. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has unveiled a proposal for global technical standards concerning the safety and security of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI), asserting that the United States should take the lead. This comes as the competition for AI technological supremacy expands among nations, including the U.S. and China, with a call for the U.S. to secure international governance over AI.In a lengthy blog post published on September 21, OpenAI stated, "To ensure the safe and b September 22, 2026

22 Public Procurement Exceptions Repealed or Revised; Management System Overhauled Twenty-two of the 60 public procurement exceptions that allowed public institutions to apply different standards and procedures from national contract laws will be repealed or revised. The management system will also be restructured, including clarifying approval requirements for exceptions and applying a maximum three-year review period for new exceptions.Heo Chang, the Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, discussed the overhaul of public institution contract exceptions September 22, 2026

Finding Solutions for Youth Employment in the AI Era As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms the job market and career development for young people, the government, businesses, and social enterprises are seeking solutions to expand job opportunities through work experience and entrepreneurship.The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry co-hosted the 'Youth Employment Forum in the AI Era' on September 22 at COEX in Seoul. This forum is part of the '3rd Korea Social Value Festa,' which runs from September September 22, 2026

Recycling Rare Earth Magnets from End-of-Life Electric Vehicles The South Korean government is working to establish a system for recovering and recycling rare earth permanent magnets from the drive motors of end-of-life electric and hybrid vehicles. Through a pilot project, officials estimate that up to 15 tons of these magnets can be recovered annually from approximately 14,000 scrapped vehicles.On September 22, the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment announced that it would sign a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Environment Corporation, September 22, 2026

Deputy Minister Lee Ho-hyun Inspects Power Supply Ahead of Chuseok Deputy Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Lee Ho-hyun visited the power system operation site to assess the power supply situation and emergency response system ahead of the Chuseok holiday.On September 22, the Ministry reported that Deputy Minister Lee visited the Korea Power Exchange's Central Headquarters in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, to review the power supply situation in preparation for the Chuseok holiday with officials from the Korea Power Exchange, Korea Electric Pow September 22, 2026

LG and NVIDIA Expand AI Infrastructure Collaboration LG Group is expanding its collaboration with NVIDIA by integrating LG Electronics and LG Energy Solution into NVIDIA's next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) factory ecosystem. The company is also pursuing partnerships with Microsoft in the supply of AI data center infrastructure and physical AI.According to industry sources on September 22, LG Electronics and LG Energy Solution's large-capacity cooling distribution units (CDUs) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) have been included September 22, 2026

K-Battery Alliance Forms to Compete Against Chinese Market with $8 Billion Investment In response to declining global electric vehicle demand and aggressive pricing from Chinese manufacturers, the South Korean government and private sector are forming a "one team" system centered on sodium and solid-state batteries. The government plans to invest over 300 billion won in next-generation technology development and joint R&D among companies, while the private sector aims to invest around 8 trillion won to counter the restructuring of the battery market dominated by China.On Septembe September 22, 2026