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The Korea Times

July 2026

S. Korea, Argentina agree to enhance cooperation on critical minerals: official

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) toward that end was signed on the sidelines of a bilateral summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, in Buenos Aires

Infantino's adviser quits as FIFA's World Cup stake plan triggers confederation backlash

Carlos Cordeirohe is the senior advisor to the FIFA President and is serving as senior advisor to the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026
It is a bad deal for FIFA's Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game,
We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA (Member Association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts,
These principles underpin the FFE proposal: unprecedented development funding, truly global ownership of the commercial opportunities of our sport, and full self-determination through a democratic process for all MAs,
The national associations should be demanding proper governance, proper consultation, proper stakeholder involvement,
Time for a hydration break, Gianni? Probably,

At least 18 die after thousands breach border between Morocco and Spanish territory of Ceuta

People are still entering. The reinforcements that have arrived are only helping the injured and other humanitarian efforts,
This crisis stems from an interpretation of a Supreme Court's decision, according to which people who swim illegally across the border cannot be returned,

World's top dance crews face off in Seoul on Saturday

Connor LimiDL co-founder and CEO
The championship event is a free-for-all in the sense that anybody can be the champion of the IDL if they win,
Connor LimiDL co-founder and CEO
Dance has been on reality TV shows for a very long time, but not presented as a sport,
Home-ground matches matter in baseball and soccer too,
This is just the same as figure skating, surfing, skateboarding and all the other Olympic sporting events that have judges and criteria,
Every single one of these teams has choreographed for the biggest K-pop artists,
Even with the first event, there were people flying here from Japan, people flying here from Hong Kong,

Who sells best? ENA reality show pits influencers from 9 countries against each other

Noh Hee-youngrenowned branding expert
I cannot remember a time when Korea received this much attention from around the world,
Noh Hee-youngrenowned branding expert
Consumers in quite a few countries are heavily driven by fandom, as Koreans once were,
Lee Hye-okproducer
The commerce landscape is quickly shifting. Consumers are increasingly making purchases based on the authenticity they see in celebrities and content creators, which is what inspired us to create this show,
Noh Hee-youngrenowned branding expert
I believe I did well as the owner of Team Korea. It was exciting to compete against teams from other countries that were even more driven than we were. I hope the show offers a glimpse into how independent online sellers operate.”

Labor deregulation push for megaproject zones sparks backlash

The megaproject zones will produce neither future-oriented jobs nor good jobs," if employment in those areas is based on four-year temporary contracts, expanded use of dispatched workers and long working hours without overtime pay
If exceptions to labor protections designed to safeguard workers' health and job security begin to be allowed simply because they apply to the megaproject zones, those exceptions will inevitably become the norm."
At the request of lawmakers of the National Assembly’s Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committees, we briefed them on various demands and the positions of interested groups,

'Roller KOSPI': Record market swings leave investors split between euphoria, fear

On Friday, the benchmark KOSPI surged 17.91 percent, or 1,001.89 points, to 6,595.45 — its largest one-day gain on record — after three consecutive sessions of losses

What worries me isn’t that the market is rising,
Maybe I should’ve bought everything yesterday,

KOSPI rockets 18% in record-breaking rally

KOSPI surged nearly 18 percent on Friday to reclaim the 6,500 level, posting record gains in both percentage and point terms as chip stocks staged a dramatic rally

Ji Young Hanresearcher
KOSPI's failure to hold on to a gain of more than 5 percent the previous day — despite an initial rally fueled by Samsung Electronics' upbeat conference call — suggests the market may face an overhang from investors looking to sell into rebounds to recoup losses,

Hanwha accelerates 3rd-generation succession with clearer roles among chairman's 3 sons

With share and organizational restructuring largely complete, Hanwha has entered the third-generation management. The test ahead is whether the brothers’ clear accountability, combined with expert execution, can generate synergies across defense, finance and tech-life businesses.”
For Kim Dong-kwan, this means consolidating Hanwha’s land-sea-air-space defense ecosystem and advancing solar, hydrogen and artificial intelligence (AI)-related investments,... For Kim Dong-won, the focus is on Southeast Asian insurance markets and global financial partnerships. For Kim Dong-seon, it is expanding ‘physical AI’ applications in food, retail and leisure while building semiconductor equipment and robotics capabilities.”

Is CXMT real threat to memory dominance of Samsung, SK hynix?

Although the stock rebounded on Friday, investors are still concerned that global Big Tech companies’ artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending may have peaked, and the memory chip market may face a supply glut

Tim CookcEO
If there were more suppliers, that would be good, and it would help us on the supply side, and perhaps the pricing side
While CXMT has been gaining market share in the overall DRAM market, low-power double data rate (LPDDR) and DDR products still account for almost all of its revenue, with HBM making only a negligible contribution,
CXMT's financial power and production capacity are certainly influential, but its long-term competitiveness will ultimately depend on whether it can win recognition from major tech firms and improve mass-production yields,

PPP calls on defense minister to step down over mix-up of US military drone as enemy threat

The PPP will hold those responsible for this incident accountable for undermining the military's surveillance and reporting systems,
After shocking the public by leaving front-line general outposts and guard posts without live ammunition, the military has now committed another unprecedented security failure by failing to identify an allied drone and preparing to shoot it down,

Artifacts from Japanese colonial rule go on display at National Museum of Korea

Yoo Hong-junmuseum Director
The museum’s historical narrative has a gap between the Joseon Dynasty and the Republic of Korea. We have avoided it because it is a painful period, but there must be a place to examine, reflect on and remember such history as well,
Because the museum had not previously covered the period of Japanese colonial rule, there was no specific occasion to display them,
Yoo Hong-junmuseum Director
While there is a perception that the Korean Empire was an empire in name only, there is also an opinion that the Korean Empire was precisely a determined drive toward modernity,

Korea to launch $13.9 bil. sovereign wealth fund for strategic industries

Koo Yun-cheolminister of Finance and Economy
Around the world, governments are increasingly using strategic sovereign wealth funds not only to build national wealth but also to strengthen economic security and pursue active industrial policies,
The government will use the operating committee only to set broad investment directions for strategic industries,

BTS-themed hotel rooms bring fan experience to Manhattan

Fans traveling to New York for BTS events can now extend the experience beyond the concert venue, with a Manhattan hotel unveiling limited-edition themed rooms and interactive programs designed to immerse visitors in Korean culture