Anthropic IPO · Hyundai Strike Bitcoin Surge · Education Fund Reform

Anthropic accelerated its IPO preparations, aiming to file documents by end of August and list in October. The target valuation is $2 trillion. OpenAI, by contrast, delayed its own listing to 2027.

Nvidia signed a $6 billion non-exclusive license agreement with AI coding startup Poolside, covering its 'Model Factory' technology. The deal also includes $1 billion in additional investment and offers to hire 109 Poolside employees.

At Deputy PM Koo Yun-cheol's financial market review meeting, the won-dollar rate fell to 1,382 — the lowest since September last year, an 11-month low. The meeting was held on August 21 at the Korea Federation of Banks in Seoul.

As rising global long-term interest rates increased the debt burden on households and the self-employed, the government announced a package to promote debt restructuring for small business owners and individuals, along with expanded financial support for low-income households.

After Kim Yo Jong, vice director of the Korean Workers' Party, criticized President Lee Jae-myung's stance on the US-Korea military drills as 'double dealing,' Korea's presidential office stated that 'disparaging remarks are not helpful for building mutual trust' and urged North Korea to refrain from insults and join in peaceful coexistence.

Per President Trump's directive, the US-Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises concluded on August 21, six days ahead of the originally scheduled end date. North Korea stated the move was not sufficient to persuade it to resume dialogue.

The National Institute of Biological Resources held a joint biodiversity survey with citizen scientists, experts, and university students at Sobaeksan National Park in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang, on August 21-22. Ten taxonomic groups including plants, birds, and insects were observed for climate-change monitoring.

On August 20, Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries signed an MOU with China's General Administration of Customs in Dalian to introduce electronic fisheries certificates, transitioning from paper phytosanitary documents to a data-based electronic system to reduce clearance time and cost.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's National Institute of Health analyzed 23,111 adults using national health survey data. Those practicing three or more of four healthy habits — healthy diet, physical activity, non-smoking, and adequate sleep — had a 28.6% lower risk of metabolic-dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.

A Korea University preventive medicine team published analysis in JKMS showing that hemorrhage and embolism accounted for 42.8% of Korean maternal deaths from 2009 to 2023, with the share of deaths from direct obstetric causes rising again since 2011.

The European Southern Observatory announced the discovery of S301, the closest star yet found orbiting the Milky Way's central black hole Sagittarius A*, with an orbital period of 8.7 years and peak speed of 25,000 km/s. It is noted as a key to the first direct measurement of the black hole's spin.

ENHYPEN released their 8th mini-album 'THE SIN : BLISS' on August 21. The title track 'Bloody Paradise' is a Brazilian funk-based dance song about two lovers who see only each other as their paradise even amid crisis.

In the KBO regular season on August 21, the KIA Tigers dominated the Kiwoom Heroes 11-1 at Gocheok Sky Dome. Starter Yang Hyeon-jong took the mound as KIA scored heavily from the opening innings to secure a 10-run road victory.

At Hanwha's home ground in Daejeon on August 21, the Eagles defeated the LG Twins 15-11. Lotte suppressed Doosan 11-4 in Jamsil, SSG and KT drew 3-3 in Incheon, and NC edged Samsung 3-2 in Changwon.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with Rebellions CEO Park Sung-hyun on August 21 to discuss possibilities for cooperation, investment, and acquisition. Rebellions has raised $850 million from investors including SK Hynix and Samsung Ventures.

Kido Industrial, a performance apparel OEM with production facilities in Vietnam and Bangladesh, listed on the Kosdaq on August 21. The company offered 1.7 million shares at 28,400 won each, raising approximately 48.3 billion won, with Mirae Asset Securities as lead underwriter.

Seoul conditionally approved the Shinbanpo 4-cha redevelopment project in Jamwon-dong at an integrated urban renewal review on August 20. The complex will rise to 49 floors with 1,833 units including 312 public housing units, with Samsung C&T as contractor targeting a 2029 groundbreaking.

The Ministry of Land announced the passage of six housing supply bills through the National Assembly plenary on August 21. The legislation permits joint remodeling of adjacent complexes, allows up to 700 urban residential units near transit stations, and extends urban public housing redevelopment projects by three years to 2029.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Energy Citizen Network held a simultaneous 10-minute lights-out event at 23 landmarks nationwide at 9 p.m. on August 22, commemorating Energy Day, which was established after a record peak power consumption on August 22, 2003.

International Brent crude oil fell 0.1% from the previous day to $93.67 per barrel on August 21. US-Iran negotiations over the opening of the Strait of Hormuz remained deadlocked, keeping prices in a narrow range.

At a fiscal strategy meeting on August 21, the government announced it would abolish the 55-year-old system of automatically allocating 20.79% of domestic taxes to local education grants. Funding will instead be based on nominal GDP growth and school-age population changes, with semiconductor-boom surplus taxes deposited in a Future Response Fund exceeding 100 trillion won.

The Education Group Emergency Action coalition held a press conference outside the Seoul government complex on August 21, calling for the withdrawal of the education funding reform plan. The groups strongly objected, saying the government unilaterally restructured education budgets without prior consultation.

Around 40,000 Hyundai Motor Metal Workers' Union members staged an 8-hour full strike on August 21, demanding wage increases, extended retirement age, and protection against AI-driven automation. All plants in Ulsan, Jeonju, and Asan halted for 16 hours, resulting in approximately 55,200 vehicles in lost production.

Seoul expanded its late-night autonomous taxi service in Gangnam from 7 to 19 vehicles on August 21 and opened school zones to autonomous vehicle operation for the first time. SW Mobility grew from 5 to 13 units and Kakao Mobility from 2 to 6, enabling fully driverless door-to-door rides.

Apollo Global disclosed on August 21 that its cloud environment was hacked between July 6 and 10 via a vishing attack. Attackers impersonated IT staff to gain access and stole personal data including names, dates of birth, addresses, and social security numbers. The company is offering 24 months of credit monitoring to victims.

North Korean hackers replaced three Rust crates including arrayref with malicious versions. The supply chain attack executed remote malware during builds, affecting 245 million total downloads. The Rust security team removed the malicious versions within 86 minutes of discovery.

Bitcoin hit $75,740 in Asian trading on August 21, surging 20% for the week. On the same day, the U.S. Treasury announced expanded long-term bond buybacks and President Trump called on the Senate to pass the Clarity Act.

On August 20, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $606.3M in inflows and Ethereum ETFs $221.5M, totaling $825.8M. BlackRock's IBIT led with $503M in inflows, the largest among all funds.

Samyang Foods participated in 'Love Korea 2026,' organized by Korea's Ministry of Culture and Korea Tourism Organization at Bangkok's CentralWorld on August 22-23, operating a Buldak brand experience booth. Approximately 10,000 visitors were expected.

KOTRA reported at a meeting chaired by Industry Minister Kim Jeong-gwan on August 21 that Korea's consumer goods exports to China rose 8.7% year-on-year to $3.4 billion in the first half of the year. Fashion and food led the increase, with cosmetics also rising 23.8%.

The Hyundai Motor Metal Workers' Union staged a full strike on August 21 after wage and retirement-age negotiations collapsed. Around 39,000 members participated, halting three plants for 16 hours. Key demands include base wage increases, extended retirement age, and employment protection against AI automation.

It emerged that foreign nationals had claimed old-age pension benefits by paying into the National Pension for just one month and then using the 'retroactive contribution' scheme. The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated it is reviewing measures to prevent foreign nationals from misusing the system.