Seoul Bus Full Strike·POSCO Second Strike Begins Korea-Central Asia First Summit·Brent Oil $109

Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory released Atria Dawn Preview, a 744-billion-parameter MoE agentic model based on GLM-5.2, under the MIT license for free. It achieved top scores on 5 of 16 benchmarks and provides a free OpenAI-compatible API.

Microsoft released an AI code of conduct stating that AI models must comply with human correction, supervision, and shutdown commands. If compliance requires violating rules, the task must be treated as a failure. Public feedback will be collected for six weeks before applying to future model training.

Apple released iOS 27, overhauling Siri with generative AI capabilities based on Google Gemini architecture. Supported on iPhone 11 and later, though EU and China users are excluded. Currently available as an English-only waitlist beta.

South Korea semiconductor exports surged 270% year-on-year to $16.5 billion in the first 10 days of September on AI demand. Total exports rose 82.6% to $34.9 billion, a record for the period, with chips accounting for 47.1% of all exports.

The US 10-year Treasury yield reached 5.026% on September 15, breaking above 5% for the first time since October 2023. Market-implied odds of a September FOMC rate hike surged to 92%, putting broad selling pressure on global risk assets.

KOSPI dropped 57.11 points (0.85%) to close at 6,627.26 on September 15, weighed down by surging oil prices and a renewed spike in US interest rates. KOSDAQ edged up 5.62 points to 812.41 on semiconductor buying.

The USD/KRW exchange rate closed at 1,352.18 on September 15, fluctuating in a 1,345-1,353 range. A wait-and-see mood prevailed ahead of the FOMC rate decision scheduled for September 16 local time.

Seeking refuge from the US 10-year yield spike, Korean retail investors net purchased approximately 291.8 billion won ($219 million) in iShares 0-3 month Treasury ETFs over the past month. Demand for safe-haven assets has been expanding.

President Lee Jae-myung held the first-ever multilateral Korea-Central Asia summit with leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and three other nations on September 16. A joint Seoul Declaration covering critical minerals, AI, and energy supply chain cooperation was adopted.

In the bilateral summit between President Lee and President Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, 13 agreements and MOUs were signed covering transport, aviation, agriculture, AI, and environmental sectors. A feasibility study for introducing eight high-speed train sets was also agreed upon.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council chief rejected Trump's negotiation offer on September 15, declaring no talks before conditions are met. Israeli forces responded to a Hezbollah drone attack with airstrikes in Lebanon that killed three additional people.

Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen more than 90% and remains disrupted. The IEA has classified the situation as the largest oil supply shock in history, with 39% of global trade and 31% of maritime cargo flow blocked.

The revised Act on the Development, Use, and Dissemination of Renewable Energy was promulgated on September 15. Hydrogen and fuel cells are separated into a standalone Hydrogen Act to align with IEA international standards; enforcement begins January 1, 2027.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced personnel changes on September 15, promoting Song Ho-seok to Director-General of Water Management Policy and Kim Young-woo to head the National Institute of Environmental Research, along with transfers of bureau-level positions.

Concerns over a simultaneous flu and COVID-19 epidemic have intensified. Health authorities said they are discussing moving up the national flu vaccination schedule for high-risk groups to address the dual surge.

Sillajen filed for IND approval with the MFDS on September 15 for a Phase 1 clinical trial of its dexibuprofen injectable WS2405. The trial is planned with 24 healthy adults at Seoul Bumin Hospital.

Shinpoong Pharmaceutical filed for approval to amend its Phase 3 clinical trial protocol for acute ischemic stroke drug SP-8203 (otaplimastat) with the MFDS on September 15. The multi-center study targets 852 patients receiving thrombolytic therapy.

Avio successfully launched ESA's Earth Explorer FLEX satellite on September 15. The satellite will map photosynthetic activity and carbon cycling across the entire planet.

On September 16, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Zach Hairston, ESA's Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos's Andrei Fedyaev held a press conference aboard the ISS to announce their upcoming return schedule.

Stray Kids performed as the first K-pop act to headline Brazil's Rock in Rio in its 41-year history, performing before a crowd of about 130,000. International media praised the show as a new milestone for K-pop's global reach.

THE BOYZ leader Sangyeon completed his military service and was discharged on September 16. Fans welcomed his return and anticipation for his comeback activities has risen.

LE SSERAFIM made a comeback with Made My Night, continuing a wave of September K-pop releases. Following solo singles from BLACKPINK's Lisa and Jisoo, BOYNEXTDOOR has also announced a repackaged album.

The Samsung Lions defeated the Lotte Giants in Daegu on September 15, with starter Won Tae-in pitching well to lead the team's win and snap a recent losing streak.

Ha-Seong Kim went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and was replaced by a pinch hitter in the seventh inning against the Cubs on September 15 local time. Pinch hitter Yastrzemski hit a two-run homer but Atlanta lost their second straight, with Kim's average falling to .126.

Jung-hoo Lee came off the bench against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 15 local time and went 1-for-2 as a pinch hitter, showing signs of recovering his swing. His season batting average rose to .277.

POSCO management and union failed to narrow the gap on base pay raises (union 7.1% vs management 2.0%) at the 26th bargaining session on September 15. The union launched a 120-hour second partial strike at the Pohang No.2 and Gwangyang No.4 hot-rolling mills starting at 7 a.m. on September 16.

Hyosung Heavy Industries signed a KRW 386.5 billion contract to supply 765kV and 345kV ultra-high-voltage transformers to two US big-tech companies. The equipment will be delivered to AI data centers being built in the southern and northern United States.

Doosan Fuel Cell disclosed on September 15 a KRW 322 billion contract to supply a fuel cell system to a US customer. The deal was assessed as a large-scale order driven by growing demand for clean energy infrastructure.

BNK Investment Securities cut its target price on Samsung Electronics from KRW 300,000 to KRW 270,000 and downgraded its rating from Buy to Hold. Concerns about a delayed recovery in HBM competitiveness were cited as the main reason.

Seongbuk-gu apartment sale prices rose 1.83% month-on-month in August, while Nowon-gu rose 1.77%. Jeonse and monthly rents also climbed together, with 14 north-of-the-Han districts (up 1.25%) outpacing 11 south-of-the-Han districts (up 0.71%).

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced a new standard construction cost of KRW 2.328 million per square meter for apartment sale-price calculations, effective September 15. The KRW 91,000 increase from July reflects rising material costs and expanded on-site safety expenses.

Seoul City relaxed height restrictions in aging northern neighborhoods, paving the way for the Changsin-dong redevelopment project in Jongno-gu to proceed as a high-density residential complex of up to 49 floors. High-density redevelopment of aged northern Seoul districts is accelerating.

Korea Housing Finance Corporation held a policy forum in Yeouido, Seoul on September 16 with lawmakers from both the Democratic Party and People Power Party, discussing the introduction of a jeonse deposit trust scheme and other rental market reforms.

Brent crude climbed 3.34% to $109.21 per barrel on September 15. According to the IEA September report, Middle East oil production disruptions expanded to 6.7 million barrels per day, up from 5 million bpd in July.

JKM-benchmark Asian LNG spot prices remained near $25.70/MMBtu, a five-month high, driven by persistent Strait of Hormuz supply concerns. Prices were up 119% compared to the same period last year.

Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power application for standard design approval of a 170MWe innovative small modular reactor (i-SMR) is under review by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. Korea 2026 energy plan maintains a target of 204.2 TWh of nuclear generation by 2030.

KICE released the final answer key for the 2027 CSAT September mock exam at 5 p.m. on September 15. After reviewing 154 objections, all questions and answers were confirmed as correct. Score reports will be distributed to students on September 29.

Graduate-level candidates sitting the September mock exam reached a record-high 111,925, up 6,235 from the previous year. The surge was attributed to students making a final attempt before the CSAT format changes in 2028, which will abolish subject-choice and introduce a 5-tier grading system.

South Korea total fertility rate ticked up to approximately 0.9 in 2026, the first rise in seven years, driven by the echo-boom generation entering peak childbearing years and post-COVID effects. However, the youth population has fallen to roughly one-quarter of its level a decade ago, and structural challenges continue.

Kia made the world debut of its electric purpose-built vehicle PV7 at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover, Germany. The vehicle offers over 460km WLTP range and charges from 10% to 80% in under 20 minutes. Korean and European sales are planned for 2027.

Korea Expressway Corporation announced Vision 2035 on September 15, committing to transform the national highway network into a global mobility platform integrating energy, data, and future mobility. IC ramps and rest areas will be converted into regional transit hubs.

Kia kicked off its second-half 2026 hiring campaign on September 15, introducing an AI-based evaluation method. The company is recruiting new graduates and experienced hires across 30 divisions including manufacturing, IT, and R&D; new graduate applications close September 29.

Reporting on September 15 analyzed North Korea September 12 exercise as the first time it simultaneously launched four weapon types including attack drones, cruise missiles, large-caliber thermobaric rockets, and tactical ballistic missiles in a tactic designed to saturate and paralyze ROK-US air defenses.

South Korea and the United States opened the 29th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue in Busan from September 16-18. Topics include US requests for ROK deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, wartime operational control transfer, combined defense posture, and shipbuilding cooperation.

Korea and the United States launched a series of high-level diplomatic and defense consultations this week. Foreign Minister Cho confirmed in the National Assembly that the Korea-US alliance remains fundamentally strong.

Bitcoin rose 1.6% to $77,983 on September 15, approaching the $78,000 level, while Ethereum also recovered the $2,500 mark. 24-hour trading volume was approximately $32 billion.

The US Senate held a cloture vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act at 2:15 p.m. local time on September 15. A supermajority of 60 votes would advance debate on the bill, which would codify CFTC and SEC jurisdictions over digital assets.

After Coinone and DigitalX eliminated trading fees late last month, both exchanges roughly doubled their market share this month. Bithumb share fell below 30%, while Upbit held steady at current levels.

Spot Ethereum ETFs attracted $216 million in net inflows in mid-September, confirming institutional ETH demand. Over the same period, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $463 million in net outflows, a striking contrast.

The cost of a Chuseok ritual table for a family of four fell 2.3% year-on-year to KRW 331,089, the first decline in five years. Government discount support programs were cited as the primary driver.

Twenty major Korean food manufacturers cut prices on 4,765 products including ramen and dairy by up to 64%. The government is injecting an additional KRW 90 billion for Chuseok price stability and eliminated the weekly discount cap.

South Korea August consumer price index rose 3.1% year-on-year, returning to the 3% range after two months. Summer heat waves and heavy rains continued to push up agricultural and marine product prices, adding to household food costs.

Seoul bus workers and management failed to reach agreement on ordinary wage calculation hours after eight hours of mediation on September 15, leading to a final breakdown. More than 7,000 city buses stopped operating from the first run at 4 a.m. on September 16.

POSCO CEO Lee Hee-geun attended the 26th bargaining session in person but failed to bridge the wage gap. The union launched a 120-hour second partial strike at the Pohang No.2 and Gwangyang No.4 hot-rolling plants starting at 7 a.m. on September 16.

The HD Hyundai Heavy Industries union rejected management third offer of a KRW 110,000 base pay increase. The union, which has been holding a partial all-member strike since September 11, warned it will escalate after the Chuseok holiday.