Photo=Motionelements Samsung Electronics and SK hynix paid a combined 11.21 trillion won, or about $8.4 billion, in corporate taxes during the first half of the year, underscoring the extraordinary profit surge sweeping South Korea’s semiconductor industry. As of Aug. 31, the two chip makers’ combined tax payments had jumped 167% from a year earlier, when they paid 4.19 trillion won,

A person in a black hoodie and mask reaches out in front of multiple surveillance cameras in a dimly lit area. A new artificial-intelligence system developed in South Korea can turn a smartphone and a small LED light into a low-cost tool for detecting hidden cameras, potentially giving travelers and consumers a simple way to check hotel rooms and short-term

Photo=Motionelements Nearly 400 non-owner executives at South Korea’s four largest business groups hold more than $750,000 worth of company stock, with more than 90% of them working at Samsung Electronics or SK hynix. As of Aug. 31, 398 executives at listed affiliates of Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG held shares worth more than 1 billion won, or roughly $750,000.

Photo=ti21 South Korea’s rapid expansion of high-speed and urban rail networks is reshaping the country’s transportation system, pushing intercity and express buses into a structural decline as passengers increasingly choose trains and private cars for long-distance travel. The shift is creating a growing challenge for the bus industry. Routes are disappearing, passenger numbers are falling and privately operated terminals are

Photo=Motionelemenets Nearly 100,000 South Koreans entered debt-restructuring programs in the first half of 2026, as high living costs and borrowing expenses continue to strain financially vulnerable households and small-business owners. As of Aug. 31, about 97,200 borrowers had received approval for one of the country’s major debt-restructuring programs during the first six months of the year. Their combined debt totaled