Semiconductor Boom Drives Consumer Recovery as Q2 Card Approvals Rise 7.6% Global demand for semiconductors has led to an increase in gross domestic income (GDI) in South Korea, resulting in a 7.6% rise in card approval amounts in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.According to the Credit Finance Association on July 30, the total card approval amount for the second quarter reached 336.9 trillion won, with the number of approvals at 7.96 billion, marking increases of 7.6% and 6.0%, respectively, from the previous year.Both personal and July 30, 2026

Foreign Investors Sell Korean Stocks and Buy Hong Kong Shares Global investors are selling South Korean stocks while purchasing shares in Hong Kong. According to Bloomberg data and analyses from global investment banks, foreign investors are quickly unwinding their previous strategy of increasing their holdings in South Korea and reducing their exposure to Hong Kong, as reported by China Fund News on July 30.Since the beginning of the year, foreign investors had short-sold Hong Kong tech stocks and used the cash to buy South Korean memory semiconductor sto July 30, 2026

Kakao Pay Insurance's Pet Insurance Surpasses 10,000 Contracts in Four Months Kakao Pay Insurance's pet insurance has surpassed 10,000 contracts just four months after its launch. The increase in subscriptions is attributed to a growing demand for coverage against medical expenses related to illnesses and accidents in young pets.On July 30, Kakao Pay Insurance analyzed pet insurance subscription data, revealing that 39% of the enrolled pets are 0 years old, followed by 23% aged 1 year, 20% aged 2 years, and 18% aged 3 years. The insurance is available for pets aged 0 to 3 July 30, 2026

Qualcomm Lowers Profit Outlook Amid Rising Memory Costs, Plans Chip Price Increase U.S. semiconductor company Qualcomm has issued a profit outlook that falls short of market expectations due to rising memory prices and semiconductor production costs. To alleviate cost pressures, the company plans to increase chip prices used in smartphones and other devices.On July 29, Qualcomm projected its adjusted earnings per share (EPS) for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 (July to September) to be between $2.05 and $2.25. This adjusted EPS, which excludes one-time costs or gains, i July 30, 2026

Hwang Jung-min Responds to Affair Allegations Amid Ongoing Legal Battle Actor Hwang Jung-min's agency has announced legal action against internet users claiming he had an affair, labeling them as "stalking offenders." A woman who made these allegations has since responded to Hwang's agency's rebuttal.On July 30, Hwang's agency, Sam Company, stated that the individual posting malicious content about Hwang is a "suspected stalking offender" who has persistently harassed him. The agency confirmed that Hwang has filed a criminal complaint against this individual, and th July 30, 2026

Samsung Securities: PUBG and Subnautica 2 Successes Highlight New Game Momentum Samsung Securities evaluated on July 30 that the growth potential of Krafton's Battlegrounds (PUBG) intellectual property (IP) has been confirmed. The firm maintained its target price of 320,000 won and an 'investment' recommendation.Analyst Oh Dong-hwan noted that Krafton recorded strong performance in the second quarter of this year, driven by solid growth in PC PUBG and the success of the new title Subnautica 2. Samsung Securities analyzed that Krafton's second-quarter revenue reached 1.29 tr July 30, 2026

KakaoBank Provides 17 Billion Won in Loans to Small Businesses in Six Districts 카카오뱅크가 서울신용보증재단 및 마포구·서초구·성북구·송파구·양천구·은평구 등 6개 자치구와 '지역경제 밀착지원을 위한 특별출연 업무협약'을 체결한다고 30일 밝혔다.이번 협약은 지난 5월 카카오뱅크가 서울신용보증재단에 총 100억원을 특별출연한 데 이은 후속조치다. 카카오뱅크는 출연금의 절반인 50억원을 서울 25개 자치구와 연계한 '자치구 지역경제 밀착지원' 사업에 활용하기로 한 바 있다.이번 협업은 비대면 한계를 지역 공공기관과의 협업으로 보완하는 새로운 포 July 30, 2026

Gwangju Mayor Welcomes Designation of Military Airport Site as Semiconductor Industrial Complex The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport designated the Gwangju military airport site as a candidate for the Honam region's semiconductor national industrial complex on July 29. Gwangju Mayor Min Hyung-bae expressed his support for the decision.Mayor Min thanked the government and related agencies for their determination and stated that he would concentrate all efforts to ensure the successful implementation of this national project.In a press release, he described the designation of t July 30, 2026

HL Group Wins Two Awards at Social Eye Awards 2026 for Future Mobility Content HL Group has been recognized for its competitive content on future mobility technologies, including autonomous driving and software-defined vehicles (SDVs), at South Korea's premier social media awards ceremony.On July 30, HL Group announced that its official blog, HL Mobility Labs, won the Integrated Award in the corporate category at the 'Social Eye Awards 2026.'The Social Eye Awards is the largest ceremony in South Korea that selects outstanding branding cases based on social media. This year July 30, 2026

Bank of Korea Monitors Impact of U.S. Monetary Policy Uncertainty on Financial Markets The Bank of Korea is closely monitoring the impact of ongoing uncertainty surrounding the U.S. Federal Reserve's future monetary policy on domestic financial and foreign exchange markets.On July 30, the Bank held a 'Market Situation Review Meeting' chaired by Deputy Governor Park Jong-woo to assess the trends in international financial markets following the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) results and their potential effects on domestic markets.During the FOMC meeting held the previous night July 30, 2026