Iran Gulf Air Strikes·Former Qatar Emir Passes World Cup Semifinals Complete·First Severe Heat Alert Issued

On July 12, the meteorological agency and interior ministry issued Korea's first-ever severe heat alert for Pohang and Gyeongsan. Gyeongsan's Hayang recorded 39.9°C on July 11 with outdoor activities strongly discouraged.

After Seoul Rehabilitation Court terminated Homeplus' rehabilitation, liquidation likelihood increased. Massive discounts triggered checkout lines exceeding 30 minutes. Supplier receivables remain highly uncertain.

On July 12, England defeated Norway 2-1 and Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 to complete the semifinals. France vs Spain and England vs Argentina semifinals create a historic matchup.

One week after the revised Information and Communications Act took effect on July 7, online self-censorship has spread through indirect expressions and workarounds. Violations face up to 5x punitive damages, raising concerns about expression freedoms.

Homeplus' rehabilitation termination leaves hundreds of supplier and brand receivables uncertain. Some small suppliers face potential losses in the hundreds of millions of won and are seeking emergency legal counsel.

Following the historic severe heat alert, AC unit and portable fan orders surged dramatically, causing shipping delays of one to two weeks or more, according to consumer community reports.

After US strikes on Iranian military facilities, Iran's military launched missiles and drones at Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Oman. Air defense interceptions were observed over Doha with at least 3 injured.

Former Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, who ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013, passed away on July 12 at 74. He spearheaded Al Jazeera's founding and Qatar's 2022 World Cup hosting. Qatar declared four days of national mourning.

At the NATO summit in Ankara, President Trump renewed his demand for Greenland's sovereignty. Danish PM Frederiksen firmly rejected the request, stating Greenland is not for sale.

June exports surged 70.9% year-over-year to $102.25 billion, marking Korea's first monthly breakthrough past $100 billion. Semiconductor exports hit record $44.8 billion, up 199.5%.

Financial institutions forecast the BOK's monetary policy committee will raise the base rate from 2.50% to 2.75% on July 16. Inflation exceeding targets and overheating real estate are cited as drivers.

The won-dollar exchange rate fell to 1,499 from its early-July high of 1,559. Foreign capital inflows and BOK rate hike expectations support won strength.

SK Hynix ADR switched to official ticker SKHY on July 13 for standard Nasdaq trading. Pricing at $149 on July 10, closing at $168, it raised $26.5 billion, the largest foreign company IPO on record.

Bitcoin traded at $63,766 on July 12. Following $4.5 billion in June ETF outflows, it remains in a 60K-64K range seeking direction.

Global M&A and IPO combined volume reached $3.2 trillion in first half, up 45% year-over-year and marking a 10-year record. AI boom and deregulation drove mega-deals.

Daiso's limited-edition summer jellyfish character line of 920+ items sold out after SNS went viral. The 3,000-won ice cooling neck band sold out immediately upon release.

The tvN variety show reuniting Gong Yoo, Lee Dong-wook, Kim Go-eun, and Yoo In-na in Gangneung topped cable ratings on July 4, reviving the Goblin phenomenon a decade later.

With the July 22 London Unpacked approaching, Samsung's Agentic AI strategy for Galaxy Fold8 and Flip8 has been unveiled, driving prerelease interest. CEO Roh Tae-moon declared an era where AI acts on behalf of users.

Apple sued OpenAI in federal court over alleged disclosure of confidential hardware design information during the transition of 400+ employees. The legal clash stems from AI talent competition.

Security researchers discovered 222 GitHub repositories disguised as fake Go packages distributing loaders, stealers, RATs, and cryptominers in a supply chain attack campaign.

Samsung targets 50% production capacity expansion in 2026, while SK Hynix breaks ground on M17 fab. Both firms are making massive investments to secure AI semiconductor supply.

AI chip startup Rebellion, backed by Samsung and SK Hynix, selected JP Morgan and Samsung Securities as lead underwriters for a planned 2027 H1 KOSPI listing. CEO Park Sung-hyun noted US additional listing under consideration.

Local AI model platform Ollama, used by 8.9 million developers, closed a $65 million Series B led by Theory Ventures. With just 14 employees, 85% of Fortune 500 companies use the platform.

Crunchbase reports global venture investment totaled a record $510 billion in H1 2026. AI accounted for over 80%, and 90 new unicorns were created in the first half alone.

The revised Information and Communications Act, effective July 7, has triggered self-censorship among netizens through indirect language and workarounds. Violations face up to 5x punitive damages, sparking expression freedom concerns.

As Democrats convene committee operations unilaterally amid Republican absence, the speaker urged completion of parliamentary organization before Founding Day (July 17). Ruling party negotiations remain deadlocked over Judiciary Committee distribution.

President Lee returned on July 11 from NATO summits and Mongolia's state visit. Analysis raised concerns about national liability from his direct K-defense sales pitches during the visit.

Heavy downpours caused widespread damage across Chungcheong and Gyeongbuk. One person was swept away by rapids and is missing, over 750 evacuated, and facility damage exceeded 450 incidents.

The Andalusia wildfire that killed 12 was officially declared stable on July 12. About 1,000 evacuated residents were cleared to return, and fire alert levels were downgraded.

Excess deaths from heat wave since June 21 surpassed 1,300 across Europe. WHO warns deadly heat will persist for weeks.

HLB Science's shareholders voted 99% in favor of merging with HLB. The combined entity will unify drug pipelines and R&D infrastructure to boost competitiveness.

Samsung BioLogics announced a $188.95 million biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing agreement on July 13. Contract term runs through March 2032 with counterparty name undisclosed.

The Health Insurance Policy Committee approved major rate increases for regional and essential care. Non-capital surgery fees rise 10%, community clinics initial visit fees increase 6%, with phased rollout starting December.

The '2026 World Korean Educators Integrated Training' opened July 13 at COEX, hosted jointly by Culture, Education, Foreign Affairs, and Overseas Korean Affairs ministries. The first integrated ministerial event in 9 years explored AI-era Korean language teaching strategies.

The revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act banning private exam prep firms from collecting and charging for student records takes effect July 29. Violations face up to 5 years imprisonment or 50 million won fines.

Super Junior unit 83z featuring Eunhyuk and Heechul released debut mini album with 6 tracks on July 13 at 6 PM. Their July 24-26 Seoul Olympic Hall fan concert is sold out.

itsnotover, Modhaus' third subunit from 24-member boygroup idntt, debuted officially on July 13 with five members. This completes the full idntt unit lineup.

Esports World Cup in Paris (July 6-Aug 23) with $75M prize pool enters week two. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang women's international tournament launches July 13.

BLACKPINK's Jennie headlined Denmark's Roskilde and Poland's Opener festivals on July 3-4, marking the first time a K-pop solo artist headlines two major European festivals consecutively.

On July 12, England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra time and Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 to reach the semifinals. Bellingham scored twice for England; Alvarez sealed Argentina's victory.

Lee Kang-in left Paris Saint-Germain and agreed to transfer to Atletico Madrid. The reported 40 million euro fee makes it the second-largest transfer fee for a Korean player.

Son Heung-min is recovering after the World Cup group stage and LAFC's general manager targets his return on July 18 against LA Galaxy.

Coupang introduced integrated payment service RocketPay, completing Korea's Big 4 fintech alongside Naver, Kakao, and Toss. Supports bank account, card, and prepaid fund linkage.

Popup stores once concentrated in Seongsu-dong have expanded across Seoul's Yeouido, Jamsil, and Hongdae, plus provincial cities, diversifying retail marketing strategies.

CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, and Emart24 launched eel, samgyetang, and smoked duck ready meals targeting single and two-person household demand for summer health foods.

After Waymo vehicles got stranded during July 4 fireworks congestion, NHTSA demanded autonomous firms submit formal solutions by month's end.

BYD failed Korea's electric vehicle subsidy evaluation starting July, scoring below the 60-point threshold. BYD Korea will cover the subsidy gap in July.

Waymo operates approximately 500,000 paid rides weekly across 11 US cities with 3,000 vehicles. Valued at $126 billion, it solidifies its robotaxi leadership position.

Seoul apartment prices rose 0.30% in the first week of July, accelerating week-over-week gains. Jeonse prices also rose 0.31%, bringing cumulative gains to 5.42%.

Despite July speculative overheating designation, Hwaseong Dongtan rose 1.29% and Suwon Youngtong rose 1.19%. Guri (0.64%) and Yongin Giheung (0.56%) also showed continued gains.

National apartment move-in forecast index surged to 97.5 from prior month's 84.6, a 12.9-point jump. Capital region index jumped 20.9 points to 102.6, recovering above baseline 100.