Spain defeated France 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals to advance to the final.
Spain defeated France 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal held in Dallas, USA on July 14, with Oyarzabal's 22nd-minute penalty proving the decisive goal. The match was held at AT&T Stadium, sending Spain through to the tournament final.
The Minimum Wage Commission voted on July 14 at its 14th plenary session to set the 2027 minimum wage at KRW 10,700 per hour, a 3.7% increase. The management proposal was adopted 15 to 11, with both labor (which had demanded KRW 10,730) and management expressing dissatisfaction with the outcome.
Na Hong-jin's new film 'HOPE', his first in 10 years since 'The Wailing', opened in theaters nationwide on July 15. The sci-fi epic starring Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon was invited to compete at the Cannes Film Festival, and the VIP preview drew attention with attendees including Lee Jung-jae and BLACKPINK's Jisoo and Rose.
China's Cyberspace Administration regulations on AI anthropomorphization services took effect on July 15, causing ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen to fully suspend their custom AI agent features. The regulations restrict human-like behavior in AI services and mark a shift in the landscape of AI services within China.
The US and Iran commenced technical negotiations in Doha, Qatar on July 15, based on a 14-point MOU related to the Strait of Hormuz. Vice President Vance signaled there would be no return to military action, and news of the talks' opening drew close attention from international energy markets.
The government held a series of real estate public forums from July 14 to 16, covering supply (Land Ministry), finance (FSC), and taxation (Finance Ministry) in sequence. This serves as a pre-consultation process ahead of the national public debate to be chaired by President Lee Jae-myung on the 23rd. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's request to speak on real estate at the July 14 cabinet meeting was redirected to written submission.
A wildfire broke out in a historic forest near Paris, forcing highway closures and the deployment of aerial firefighting units. In Spain, 13 people died in wildfires. A third heatwave in six weeks struck across Europe, while a flood disaster was declared in Texas, USA.
Director Na Hong-jin's new film starring Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon opened for the first time in 10 years. The film was invited to compete at Cannes, and the VIP preview drew buzz with Lee Jung-jae and BLACKPINK's Jisoo and Rose in attendance.
The Minimum Wage Commission voted on July 14 to set the 2027 minimum wage at KRW 10,700 (a 3.7% increase). The management proposal was adopted 15 to 11, with both sides expressing dissatisfaction.
The Minimum Wage Commission voted at its 14th plenary session on July 14 to set the 2027 minimum wage at KRW 10,700. The management proposal was adopted 15 to 11 over labor's demand of KRW 10,730, with both sides expressing opposition.
President Lee Jae-myung chaired the second round of ministerial briefings at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbingwan on July 15, starting with the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The slogan is 'An irreplaceable Korea felt in everyday life,' with 200 citizen observers in attendance.
Actor Kim Soo-hyun resumed entertainment activities on July 14, beginning with a photo shoot for Philippine fashion brand BENCH. It marks his return approximately 16 months after he suspended activities in March of last year amid various allegations.
Na Hong-jin's new film 'HOPE', starring Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon and selected to compete at Cannes, opened on July 15. Lee Jung-jae and BLACKPINK's Jisoo and Rose attended the VIP preview.
All 13 members of SEVENTEEN confirmed their second contract renewal with Pledis Entertainment. The members released a message saying they would 'challenge eternity together as 13.'
Nine briefing sessions covering 140 public institutions run from the 15th to the 21st. The slogan is 'An irreplaceable Korea felt in everyday life,' with 200 citizen observers attending for the first time.
Talks over National Assembly committee assignments broke down after the People Power Party demanded the customary handover of the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The Democratic Party pressed for unilateral passage if negotiations fail by the 16th.
Buoyed by a surge in AI semiconductor exports, the Korean government raised its growth forecast for the year from 2% to 3%. Exports are projected to rise 40% and the current account surplus is forecast to hit a record USD 290 billion.
Exports for July 1-10 surged 53.9% year-on-year to set an all-time record. Semiconductor exports exploded 193% and the trade balance posted a USD 6.4 billion surplus.
After plunging 8.95% to 6,807 on July 14, bargain buying on the 15th triggered a modest recovery attempt. Middle East geopolitical risk and profit-taking in SK Hynix were cited as the main drivers of the steep decline.
The KRW/USD exchange rate closed at 1,493 on July 14, down KRW 10.4, in the Seoul foreign exchange market. Dollar inflows from SK Hynix's Nasdaq ADR and heavy-industry export conversion supply acted as downward pressure on the rate.
A cautious tone prevailed as markets awaited the Bank of Korea's rate decision on the 16th and the US CPI release. Probability of a July rate hike was reported to have risen to 40% following remarks by Fed Governor Waller.
On July 14, coding tool Cursor unveiled 'Sand', a general-purpose agent for email and document handling. Competition in AI office productivity has entered full swing.
China's Cyberspace Administration regulations on AI anthropomorphization services took effect on July 15, causing ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen to fully suspend their custom AI agent features.
OpenAI officially launched 'Codex Micro', a programming macro pad dedicated to the Codex AI coding agent, developed in collaboration with Work Louder, on July 15.
ChatGPT's global AI assistant market share fell to 46.4% as of May 2026, while Claude's US market share rose more than 1 percentage point in a single month, according to reports.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts launched aboard Soyuz on July 14 and joined the ISS Expedition 74 crew.
Researchers announced the first identification of a stellar-mass black hole within the globular cluster Omega Centauri, based on analysis of Hubble and James Webb telescope data.
Vice President Vance confirmed that 14-point MOU-based technical negotiations between the US and Iran are underway in Doha, signaling there will be no return to military action.
The US Trade Representative officially declared the USMCA cannot be renewed and announced it would be replaced by an annual review and amendment process.
Venezuela's acting president Rodriguez declared a 7-day national mourning period as the earthquake death toll surged to 2,295.
The World Bank upgraded the Philippines from lower-middle-income to upper-middle-income status, citing the country's GNI per capita exceeding the threshold.
Spain defeated France 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Dallas on July 14, with Oyarzabal's 22nd-minute penalty securing the victory.
A wildfire broke out in a historic forest near Paris, closing highways and deploying aerial firefighting units. Thirteen people died in wildfires in Spain as a third heatwave in six weeks hit across Europe.
The Texas governor declared a disaster in 59 counties. Forty-six major wildfires remain uncontrolled nationwide, with 17,000 firefighters deployed.
A heat advisory was issued for 12 areas in Gangwon on July 14, with daytime highs reaching 37C. Rainfall of up to 100mm or more was forecast for Gangwon's inland areas on July 14-15, raising concerns about landslides and flooding.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare held a joint meeting with healthcare organizations on July 14 to address workplace bullying in medical institutions, moving to establish prevention and management frameworks including evaluation metric integration.
AstraZeneca's Wainua was reported on July 14 to have failed a large-scale phase 3 trial for ATTR cardiomyopathy.
The FDA approved an injectable formulation of Alzheimer's drug Leqembi (lecanemab) on July 14, broadening patient access compared to intravenous administration.
The House Financial Services Committee designated the week of July 14 as 'Crypto Week.' Six federal agencies must finalize GENIUS Act stablecoin regulations by the statutory deadline of July 18, keeping the industry on edge.
The domestic won stablecoin consortium landscape has consolidated into two blocs — KB Financial+Toss and Hana Financial+Dunamu+Naver — as competition for digital currency leadership between banks and big tech intensifies.
Swift activated a tokenized deposit-based 24/7 cross-border payment blockchain ledger with 17 banks across six continents, including ANZ, Citi, and HSBC, on July 9.
Circle, issuer of stablecoin USDC, received final OCC approval to establish 'Circle National Trust', enabling it to offer digital asset custody services under US federal regulation.
The government held a series of real estate public forums on supply, finance, and taxation from July 14 to 16. These serve as pre-consultation ahead of President Lee Jae-myung's national public debate on the 23rd.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon requested to speak on housing policy at the July 14 cabinet meeting but was asked to submit his remarks in writing instead, highlighting tensions between central and local government.
With jeonse listings down 18.7% year-on-year due to supply shortages, average monthly rent has surged 25% over two years to KRW 1.37 million. Monthly rent transactions have now overtaken jeonse in 15 Seoul districts.
President Lee Jae-myung said at the July 14 cabinet meeting that the age threshold for juvenile criminal responsibility 'probably needs to be lowered', reigniting debate over juvenile law reform. Proposals to lower the threshold to under 13 for serious and violent crimes were raised.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare will expand operating hours at community after-school care facilities across 2,500 sites nationwide starting July 27 for the summer vacation period. Basic livelihood recipient households will receive fee waivers.
KFC Korea is selling a limited Boknal season bucket of 6 pieces of Hot Crispy Chicken plus 2 sauces at KRW 14,900 for in-store and app pickup orders through August 17.
Lotte Wellfood launched a black garlic samgyetang ready meal in collaboration with Daegu's century-old restaurant 'Ilwoljung', while Daesang Chungjungone's Homings brand expanded its hot pot lineup with 4 new soup dishes, bringing the total to 12 varieties.
The New Orleans-style chicory-flavored capsule coffee that sold out last year has been re-released, going on sale from July 14 at boutiques and the official online store nationwide.
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