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South Korea's stock market, driven by AI-related volatility in Samsung and SK Hynix, now serves as a leading indicator for global markets. Fund managers in London, New York, and Tokyo check Korean stocks before trading begins.
Two South Korean semiconductor projects account for 54% of the $1.20tn total investment in the world's largest industrial construction projects. The Yongin Semiconductor Industrial Cluster ($408bn) and the Yongin Semiconductor National High-Tech Industrial Complex ($247.09bn) top the list. Fifteen semiconductor projects globally represent $1.07tn (89%) of the total value.
A Seoul court rejected arrest warrants for former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung and ex-official Jeon Moo-gon over their alleged roles in President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law declaration. The court found insufficient evidence of flight risk or evidence destruction.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced December 3 as People's Sovereignty Day to commemorate citizens who resisted the 2024 martial law declaration. The presidential Light Committee, established in March, officially launched on Monday with Park Mi-kyung as chairwoman. The government plans a digital archive to document citizen participation and promote South Korea's democratic experience internationally.
Seoul recorded a net inflow of 834 elementary school students in 2025, reversing a decade-long trend of outflows. The gain was concentrated in six districts, led by Gangdong-gu and Gangnam. Meanwhile, surrounding Gyeonggi Province lost a net 1,339 students, its largest outflow in a decade.
South Korea's retail traders, known as 'the ants,' suffered 1.2 million margin calls and 350,000 account liquidations during the Kospi collapse. The margin calls affected more than 3% of the country's adult population, highlighting widespread stock-market speculation and leverage risks.
North Korea warned that the US-led RIMPAC exercise will trigger a 'chain of countermeasures' from regional countries. State media KCNA described the drills as a 'blatant war rehearsal' targeting regional states, noting the participation of the USS Theodore Roosevelt and combined US-South Korean marine drills. South Korea is leading the combined maritime component command for the first time as an Asian country.
Foreign investors were net sellers of South Korean stocks this month, offloading 12.1 trillion won on the main bourse and 338.1 billion won on the secondary market through Thursday. However, they were net buyers of ETFs, purchasing 593.7 billion won worth, with KODEX Leverage and KODEX 200 being the most popular.
This commentary argues that South Korea's tidal flats expansion on the UNESCO World Heritage List is ecologically significant, not just territorial. It contends that natural heritage sites are undervalued compared to cultural ones, and that the inscription recognizes the tidal flats' global importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
This commentary argues that Busan's Korean War sites deserve UNESCO World Heritage status for their role as South Korea's wartime capital. It contends that the 11 nominated sites collectively illustrate how the city sustained government operations, refugee life, and international cooperation during the conflict, and suggests that recognition would preserve this overlooked history.