Brent crude nears $99 as Houthi attack hits Saudi facility POSCO's first-ever strike; ROK-US-Japan Freedom Edge begins

Korea's Ministry of Education announced on September 8 that the number of international students surpassed 300,000 — one year ahead of target — and outlined a new strategy focusing on cracking down on fraudulent recruitment, mandatory tuition refunds for visa rejections, and expanded employment and settlement support.

Teacher Ji Hye-bok, who was transferred and subsequently dismissed after publicly exposing collective sexual violence at her school in 2023, reached an agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on September 8 and was reinstated on September 9. Superintendent Jeong Geun-sik issued a formal apology to the teacher and the victims.

The POSCO union launched a partial strike with around 100 workers at its Gwangyang and Pohang plants on September 9, marking the company's first industrial action since its 1968 founding. The union demands a 7.1% base pay increase and a 600% incentive bonus, and has threatened a full strike in October.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor issued implementation guidelines for the amended Labor Union Act, stating that strikes demanding bonuses linked to a fixed percentage of operating profit are not subject to mandatory collective bargaining. The minister noted the Samsung Electronics strike would also be illegal under these guidelines.

The Bank of Korea's Q2 national income estimate confirmed real GDP growth of 0.6%, matching the advance estimate, while nominal GNI surged 26.4% year-on-year — the largest increase in 47 years.

Canada's retaliatory tariffs worth C$27.6 billion on US goods took effect September 8 as Brent crude hit $99 per barrel, sending the Dow down 1%. Strong August jobs data pushed market expectations for a September 15-16 Fed rate hike to 60%.

The Korea Housing Industry Research Institute's September apartment pre-sale outlook index fell 6.9 points from the prior month to 86.3. Tighter loan regulations and rising interest rate burdens pushed the Seoul metro area index lower for a third consecutive month.

On September 8, Bitcoin fell 1.6% to $78,370 and Ethereum dropped 1% to $2,473. The resumption of US-Iran fighting pushed oil toward $99/barrel, stoking inflation fears, while CME FedWatch data showed market expectations for a Fed rate hike reached 60%.

On September 8, approximately $225 million in Bitcoin short positions were forcibly liquidated as BTC briefly recovered to the $79,500 level amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

A joint venture between Hyundai Steel and POSCO broke ground on a $5.8 billion electric arc furnace steel mill in Louisiana. The Korea Herald reported the plant targets a Q1 2029 start with 2.7 million tons annual capacity, and the JV said the project will create approximately 5,400 jobs including 1,300 direct hires.

Users discovered a touchscreen-based virtual joystick in Tesla's steering-wheel-free, pedal-free Cybercab robo-taxi — a manual driving mode Tesla had not disclosed. NHTSA has already opened a safety compliance audit.

Hyundai Motor signed a partnership agreement with the Korea Education Center in France to introduce the 'Future Mobility School' program to Paris, marking its European debut. The program, launched in Korea in 2016, has since expanded to over 2,700 schools worldwide.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology unveiled its 15th Five-Year Plan for IT, targeting AI computing capacity of 9,800 exaflops — four times current levels — by 2030, with 3.8 trillion yuan earmarked for IT infrastructure investment.

Samsung Electronics and French AI firm Mistral AI announced a strategic partnership to apply Mistral's Large model to defect detection and equipment optimization in Samsung's semiconductor fabs. Samsung said it will adopt an on-premises approach to protect sensitive data.

Russian strikes on Kyiv — paused for three days during visits by US envoys Witkoff and Kushner to Kyiv and Moscow — resumed immediately after the envoys left, killing at least 2 people. Trump described his call with Putin that day as 'frank and constructive,' as Washington restarted Ukraine peace efforts.

Iran said it will establish a new Gulf restricted zone starting from the point of the US blockade and will publish a map of a new international shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, jointly managed with Oman, within the coming days.

North Korea's newly appointed Defense Minister Kim Seong-gi, in his first public statement, cited the ROK-US-Japan Freedom Edge exercises, US-Japan Orient Shield drills, and the US Typhon missile deployment, and warned he would take 'strong and reflexive countermeasures.'

South Korea, the United States, and Japan launched the 5-day Freedom Edge 2026 exercise in international waters off Jeju Island. Kim Jong-un attended the commissioning ceremony of North Korea's second 5,000-ton destroyer, calling for stronger nuclear deterrence.

The Bundibugyo virus Ebola outbreak in the DRC has reached a record 6,604 confirmed cases and 3,175 deaths. According to the ECDC, 851 people are in isolation and the outbreak has spread to 54 health zones across 6 provinces including Ituri.

The FDA conditionally approved AstraZeneca's oral SERD camizestrant in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor for ESR1-mutated HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, according to STAT News.

Researchers split ultracold rubidium atoms into two paths, allowing one to free-fall, and directly observed that Einstein's equivalence principle holds for quantum objects. The findings were published in Science Advances.

The ESA-JAXA joint Mercury explorer BepiColombo began entering Mercury's orbit on September 9, completing an 8-year journey since its October 2018 launch. The spacecraft will split into two orbiters to study Mercury's magnetic field and interior structure.

Incheon City Council's Urban Construction Committee passed an ordinance promoting eco-friendly banner use and banner recycling on September 7. Of the 308,313 banners collected last year, 66.2% were recycled. The ordinance is scheduled for final approval at the full council session on September 18.

Iran-backed Houthi forces struck Saudi Arabia's Jizan energy facility with missiles and drones, halting some operations. Brent crude futures rose 2.06% to $99 per barrel on September 8.

A Korea Energy Economics Institute report dated September 8 stated that OPEC+'s September output increase of 188,000 bpd failed to halt rising oil prices due to ongoing US-Iran military clashes and Strait of Hormuz tensions.

The KCIA crime thriller 'Made in Korea' Season 2, starring Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung, and Woo Do-hwan, premiered with two episodes simultaneously on Disney+ on September 9. Set 9 years after the first season, the series runs 6 episodes, releasing every Wednesday through September 23.

&TEAM released their second Korean-language mini-album 'Mark on Me' on September 8, about 10 months after their previous release. The group continues its werewolf concept inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, presenting a more mature image, the group said.

In the opening matchday of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League on September 8, Aston Villa defeated Club Brugge 3-2. Goals from McGinn (11'), Buendia (22'), and Jackson (43') gave Villa a lead before they conceded two but held on to win 3-2.

In five KBO regular season games on September 8, Hanwha beat Doosan 6-1, KT defeated SSG 3-1, Kiwoom beat LG 8-3, Lotte defeated NC 6-4, and Samsung beat KIA 6-4.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held the opening ceremony for Korea's first insect industry hub in Chuncheon on September 8. The facility, built at a cost of 20 billion won, is a smart factory-farm using AI and robotics capable of producing 1,000 tons of mealworms annually.

Korea's Livestock Products Quality Assessment Agency is recruiting online and offline retailers to sell discounted low-carbon certified meat from farms that have reduced carbon emissions by at least 10%, with applications due by September 16. Selected retailers will receive subsidies covering the discount margin and certified label stickers.