Lee Jae-myung's approval rating 38%, lowest since taking office; bond yields 4%·oil $100 3-way economic shock; admissions server down, Education Ministry announces relief measures; KBO surpasses 11 million spectators in record time
Korea's 3-year bond yield reached 4.014%, surpassing 4% for the first time in approximately 3 years since November 2023 and marking the year's high. As Houthis take control of the Red Sea, Brent crude surpassed $100 per barrel, and KOSPI closed at 6,909.91, falling below 7,000. Some 19 trillion won flowed out of MMFs into the stock market.
In Gallup Korea's regular poll conducted September 8-10, President Lee Jae-myung's job approval rating hit 38%, the lowest since taking office. Disapproval rating was 51%, exceeding 50% for the third consecutive week. The Blue House said it is reviewing holding a press conference next week in response to the declining approval rating.
Yemen's Houthi militants completed control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait by occupying Perim Island, a strategic location. Iran's proxy forces now effectively control both the Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb straits, and as Saudi oil exports plunged, international oil prices surpassed $100 per barrel, and US diesel prices exceeded $6 per gallon.
The Univ.AI admissions server went down just before the September 11 deadline, extending it by one hour. Concerns over fairness arose as some test-takers gained additional application opportunities after checking competition rates. The Education Ministry said on the 12th that it would officially announce relief procedures for affected test-takers with the Korean Council for University Education on September 13.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport officially formalized the structural reorganization by holding a startup meeting to divide LH into two corporations: the 'Housing Urban Development Corporation' handling site development and construction, and the 'Housing Urban Asset Corporation' handling residential welfare and asset management. The LH union maintains its opposition to the division. The ruling and opposition parties clashed over statistics showing Seoul housing starts plunged to 58.01% of the 10-year average and property tax limits.
Chinese memory chip company CXMT achieved an 82% operating margin, surpassing profitability of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. With major semiconductor stocks showing weakness on KOSPI due to high oil prices and interest rates, awareness of CXMT's high profitability has heightened concerns about intensifying Chinese competition for Korea's semiconductor industry.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency confirmed that flu-like illness occurrence surged 4x year-over-year and issued an official influenza alert for the 2026-2027 season. It strongly recommended influenza vaccination for vulnerable groups including children, elderly, and pregnant women and urged special caution.
The Univ.AI admissions server went down just before the September 11 deadline, extending it by one hour. The Education Ministry said it will officially announce relief procedures for affected test-takers on September 13.
The one-hour extension of the admissions deadline sparked fairness concerns as some test-takers gained additional application opportunities after checking competition rates. Final competition rate changes became inevitable.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced it will support discounts of up to 40% (including 20% government subsidy) on all domestic fresh agricultural and livestock products at major supermarkets ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
The Seoul city bus union approved a strike with 87.94% member approval. The key issues are the application of 176 hours as the standard for regular wages and a 7.85% wage increase, with the September 16 second labor committee mediation being the turning point.
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo cited the spread of AI technology and companies' preference for experienced workers as causes of youth employment decline during a parliamentary questioning session. August youth employment (ages 15-29) was 44.1%, down 1 percentage point year-over-year, marking 28 consecutive months of decline.
Korea's 3-year bond yield reached 4.014%, surpassing 4% for the first time since November 2023 and marking the year's high. Pressure for further rate increases on mortgage loans has intensified.
19 trillion won flowed out of money market funds (MMF) into the domestic stock market. Despite high interest rate and oil price uncertainties, investors showed increased preference for risk assets.
Exports for September 1-10 reached $34.97 billion, up 82.6% year-over-year, marking a record high for the period. Semiconductor exports surged 270.1%, accounting for 47.1% of total exports.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport formalized the structural reorganization by holding a startup meeting to divide LH into the 'Housing Urban Development Corporation' handling site development and construction and the 'Housing Urban Asset Corporation' handling residential welfare and asset management. The LH union remains opposed.
Jeonse prices for apartments in Gyeonggi's Dongtan and Giheung rose over 10%, outpacing Seoul's 7.6% increase. A clear shift in actual jeonse demand toward suburban transit-oriented areas in the capital region was confirmed.
The government announced plans to impose a 10 million won penalty on residents who delay relocation after receiving land compensation in public housing project areas.
Korea Blockchain Week 2026 was announced to be held at Seoul Walkerhill Hotel September 29-October 1 with Upbit as the presenting partner. A separate Upbit institutional summit for institutional investors will also be held.
The Financial Supervisory Service and Financial Services Commission mandated automatic ledger-to-wallet reconciliation for domestic virtual asset exchanges, reducing the frequency from 24 hours to 5 minutes. Monthly external audits and multi-approval for high-risk transactions were also mandated.
Chinese memory semiconductor company CXMT achieved an 82% operating margin, surpassing profitability of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Concerns about intensifying Chinese competition in Korea's semiconductor industry have risen.
Samsung E&A announced it has secured a $3.5 billion (approximately 4.71 trillion won) contract to build a fertilizer production facility in Saudi Arabia.
Hanwha Aerospace announced it has signed a 641.1 billion won export contract for the Cheonmu multi-launch rocket system with Croatia's Defense Ministry.
'EV Trend Korea 2026' and the '2026 Autonomous Mobility Industry Expo (AME 2026)' were held simultaneously for the first time. Complete vehicle brands including Kia, KGM, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and BYD showcased their electric vehicle lineups, attracting 14,628 visitors over four days.
At AME 2026, 60 companies with 150 booths showcased autonomous driving business landscape from core technologies like sensors and automotive semiconductors to SDV, AI data solutions, and connected V2X infrastructure.
John Thernuss officially took office as Apple's chief executive on September 13 as Tim Cook's successor. The absence of a frontier AI model, unique among Big Tech, is cited as the biggest challenge after taking office.
OpenAI launched the agent API public beta. It includes session management, orchestration, context compression, and recovery features, opening tools for developers to build their own agents.
Ant International, Visa, and Mastercard jointly announced a 'KYA (Know-Your-Agent)' interoperability framework for verifying AI agent identities. It is a specification that integrates three existing competing protocols.
In Gallup Korea's September 8-10 survey, President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating fell to 38%, the lowest since taking office. Disapproval was 51%, exceeding 50% for the third consecutive week, and the Blue House said it is reviewing holding a press conference next week.
The BRICS Summit opened in New Delhi, hosted by Prime Minister Modi. Leaders from 12 or more countries including Putin and Ramaphosa attended, with Xi Jinping participating virtually to discuss four agenda items including multilateral system reform and counter-terrorism.
Canada imposed 15-50% retaliatory tariffs on approximately 700 US products including steel, aluminum, and dairy. US-Canada trade tensions have intensified since the Kahn-Trump trade negotiations failed.
Uzbekistan President Mirziyoyev visited Korea as a state guest on September 13. He was the first among the five Central Asian presidents among countries participating in the Korea-Central Asia Summit to visit Korea.
The Seoul Central District Court acquitted former intelligence commander Moon Sang-ho of military secrets leak charges. The court found it difficult to recognize military harm possibility from a phone call alone and determined that intent to leak classified information was not proven.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency confirmed flu-like illness occurrence surged 4x year-over-year and issued an official influenza alert for the 2026-2027 season. It strongly recommended vaccination for vulnerable populations.
Samsung BioLogics announced through disclosure that it has signed a 350.8 billion won biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing organization (CMO) contract with an anonymous European pharmaceutical company.
Lasertinib, an EGFR-targeting lung cancer therapeutic, won the inaugural Prix Galien Korea Award for Best Drug. The achievement recognized the competitiveness of the Korean innovative drug jointly developed by Oscotec and Yuhan-Kimberly.
GC Pharma obtained approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for a Phase 2 clinical trial of its COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate.
Hubble observation-based research presented at EPSC2026 first officially confirmed a 10-sided jet stream wave at Saturn's south pole at 63° latitude. The findings suggest a symmetrical structure with the north pole's hexagonal pattern.
The International Space Summit 2026 was held in Daejeon, bringing together approximately 4,000 space industry leaders and researchers. Korea's status as a space industry hub was highlighted.
The International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI) workshop, jointly hosted by UNOOSA and the Korea Aerospace Administration, concluded on September 11 after sessions in Seoul September 7-11. Results on strengthening Sun-Earth research capabilities were shared.
The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service announced that the global average temperature for August 2026 was 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels, tying July 2023 for the all-time record.
As the UK's ban on Russian LNG shipping and insurance services took effect, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a video conference with the UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Science to formally request exceptions for existing contracts.
As the UK's ban on Russian LNG shipping and insurance services took effect, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a video conference with the UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Science to formally request exceptions for existing contracts.
Korea Western Generation signed an agreement with Hyundai Corporation and Ecosystem Governance to build a system for recycling approximately 16,000 tons of solar panels by 2044. The first batch of 150 tons is planned for Samranggin Power Station in 2028.
The Ministry of Climate and Energy launched the 'Solar Industry Competitiveness Enhancement Committee' with participation from government, industry, academia, and research sectors to rebuild supply chains and secure next-generation technologies, holding its inaugural meeting.
In the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee, a proposal to expand PPA to carbon-free energy sources such as nuclear power for decarbonizing power-intensive traditional industries like steel and petrochemicals was discussed.
The web novel adaptation 'Ordinary Jackpot' premiered on KBS2 on September 12 at 9:20 PM on Saturday-Sunday. It tells the story of an ordinary office worker who continues working even after winning the lottery.
The drama 'Love Different from You,' starring Ho Nam-koong and Lee Mi-do and telling the story of a couple who have dated for over 10 years, premiered on Amazon Prime Video on September 12.
Webtoon Entertainment acquired a 60% stake in AI Games Holdings for $100 million. The first project is developing an MMORPG based on the popular webtoon IP 'Tempppal.'
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the 7th long-term plan for the broadcast and video industry for 2026-2030, setting targets of 30 trillion won in industry revenue and $4.3 billion in exports by 2030.
The 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League surpassed 11.04 million cumulative spectators in 626 games. Achieving 11 million spectators for the second consecutive year after last year, it is recording a record-breaking pace.
In the 2026 KBO League, LG Twins defeated Samsung Lions 4-3. As competition for postseason rankings intensifies, LG added another win.
KT Wiz won decisively 6-2 in an away game at Kia Tigers' home stadium. In the competition for upper standings in the KBO League, KT gained a favorable position by overtaking Kia.
Handbag brands featuring hanok, moon jar, and soban motifs such as Gayawie, Kangdan, and Kesilang are gaining attention. The National Museum of Korea's cultural products Muse saw first-half 2026 sales of 21.8 billion won, a 90% increase year-over-year.
The Korea Tourism Organization is debuting 25 award-winning tourism souvenirs from the 2026 competition at The Hyundai Seoul's 5th floor September 12-20. The Presidential Award winner is a Baudeuk-i wrought-metal tableware set.
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