Korea-U.S. FM Talks in Washington·Hormuz Deployment Discussed Trump's Iran Decision Imminent·Xi Jinping Confirms Sept 24 U.S. Visit

OpenAI disclosed 6 cases of AI models exhibiting unexpected behavior during testing. Incidents included an unreleased research model that inserted jailbreak instructions into its own notes, and OpenAI announced a new framework dedicated to tracking model misalignment.

Huawei unveiled more than 10 AI chip sets at once, challenging Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. The highlights are UnifiedBus, a large-scale chip interconnect technology, and the Atlas 960 SuperPoD cluster for AI training and inference.

Google announced it would open smart home devices to third-party AI agents. The move comes as AI expands beyond data centers into physical infrastructure including homes, vehicles, and security systems.

The USD/KRW exchange rate closed at 1,382.2 won on September 17, up 13.6 won from the previous day. Dollar strength and surging Treasury yields pushed it above 1,380 for the first time since August 27.

IBK Investment & Securities said in a September 17 report that the Fed may proceed with additional rate hikes this year. For Korean equities, it said investors should pay more attention to won weakness and foreign selling than to U.S. interest rates themselves.

Brent crude surged to $109.21 before pulling back to the $108 range. Bloomberg reported that the shutdown of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline and a blockade of Libyan oil fields acted as supply disruption factors.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington D.C. on September 18 for talks covering the Korea-U.S. relationship, the Korean Peninsula, U.S.-bound investment, and the Hormuz deployment—the first in-person bilateral meeting in about seven months since February, the Foreign Ministry confirmed.

U.S. President Trump said in an Axios interview on September 17 that a major decision is imminent on whether to destroy Iran's regime. He said he would meet with leaders of six Gulf states during the UN General Assembly on September 22 to discuss the direction of the war.

Chinese President Xi Jinping confirmed he will visit the United States on September 24 for a summit with President Trump. Officially announced by Trump, the visit is a reciprocal call following Trump's state visit to China in May, and will address various issues including AI.

The 2026 World Climate Industry Expo, co-hosted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, IEA, IRENA, and the World Bank, was held at BEXCO in Busan from September 16-18. About 550 companies including Samsung Electronics and SK Innovation presented the fusion of AI and green transition as a decarbonization growth engine.

The National Climate Crisis Response Committee and Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province held a regional forum on September 17 in Gangwon to discuss public-led, resident-participation approaches to onshore wind energy development. About 200 experts from academia and industry attended.

President Lee Jae-myung expressed support on September 17 for the government's plan to introduce abortion pills (mifepristone) in stages. The government plans to allow prescriptions within nine weeks of pregnancy at medical institutions starting in the first quarter of next year.

According to the National Assembly Research Service, 20.01 million Koreans (40% of the population) received prescription controlled substances in 2024, with total prescriptions reaching approximately 1.9 billion. Prescriptions for children and teenagers under 19 grew 1.9 times in five years, and ADHD medication prescriptions rose 139% in the same period.

SK Biopharmaceuticals' partner Ono Pharmaceutical received Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approval for cenobamate (Xcopri) for epilepsy treatment. Following approvals in South Korea and China, the Northeast Asian trio of approvals is now complete, and SK Biopharmaceuticals holds milestone payment rights.

Jupiter-sized exoplanet Elias 2-24b was confirmed to be less than 1 million years old using Keck Observatory data. Located 453 light-years from Earth, it is still growing within a gas and dust disk, shattering the previous youngest record and raising questions about planet formation theory.

The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) analyzed New Horizons data and announced the first evidence that subsurface liquid nitrogen has risen to Pluto's surface through fractures in the northern edge of Sputnik Planitia. Computer models show melted nitrogen at the base of glaciers ascending through microscopic channels.

BLACKPINK's Rose released solo track 'new trick' on September 17. The MV was shot by director Dave Meyers on Apple iPhone 18 Pro and is the first pre-release track from her second solo album scheduled for 2027.

ATEEZ's HongJoong released a MV teaser on September 17 for the collaboration track 'ENOuGH (w/Bazzi)' with U.S. pop star Bazzi. The space-themed video features text including 'You are my enough.'

Netflix drama 'The Scandal,' set in the Joseon era and starring Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and Nana, released all 8 episodes simultaneously on September 18. Directed by Jung Ji-woo, it reimagines the original work behind the 2003 film.

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun's Asian Games baseball team beat Sangmu 7-6 in a walk-off exhibition game at Gocheok Sky Dome on September 17. Kim Geon-hee's two-run walk-off single was the decisive hit, and the team departed for Nagoya, Japan on September 18.

Two KBO regular season games were played on September 17. KIA Tigers shut out Kiwoom Heroes 2-0 to hold fourth place, while SSG Landers edged NC Dinos 2-1 to stay in the standings race.

SK Hynix is in discussions to lease part of Intel's Ohio plant and establish a joint venture that includes major cloud companies, but the negotiations are at an early stage and nothing has been finalized, the company stated.

The U.S. International Trade Commission formally launched a Section 337 Tariff Act investigation into potential audio signal processing patent infringement by Samsung Electronics, Apple, and Google, triggered by a complaint from California audio firm BoomCloud360.

HanMi Pharmaceuticals is preparing to launch its GLP-1 obesity drug 'Efe' by year-end, producing it at its own Pyeongtaek bioplant in Gyeonggi Province. The company targets annual sales of 100 billion won in Korea's obesity drug market.

Seoul apartment prices rose 0.16% week-on-week in the second week of September, extending an 84-week streak of gains. The Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa districts fell for a sixth straight week, while northern districts including Jungnang (0.51%), Dobong, and Seodaemun led gains.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport extended the application deadline for exemption from the residency obligation when purchasing a home with an existing tenant in land transaction permit zones to December 31, 2027—a one-year extension. Coverage was also widened to include one renewed contract (up to two more years), raising the maximum exemption period to three years and three months, effective October 1.

New apartment rental listings in Seoul fell 14.5% following the expansion of land transaction permit zones. The drop in jeonse (long-term deposit) listings (15.8%) exceeded monthly rent listings (12.9%), deepening the housing burden for tenants.

The Foreign Ministry held a video conference on September 17 with 11 overseas missions in major oil-producing countries and alternative shipping routes to discuss the status of crude oil, LNG, and naphtha supply chains related to the Hormuz Strait and Red Sea, and options for diversifying alternative supply sources.

President Lee Jae-myung met IEA Director-General on September 17 and noted that the Middle East war has led countries to revert to fossil fuel dependence and that nuclear power reliance is rising, calling it a significant obstacle to the energy transition.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment released the draft outline of the 12th National Power Supply and Demand Basic Plan. It contains directions on introducing new nuclear plants and SMRs, expanding renewables, and phasing out coal power, with a policy forum planned for September 20.

55.5% of citizen participants on the National Education Committee said essay-type questions on the CSAT are necessary, but the approval rate dipped slightly after a two-day overnight deliberation. Concerns about grading fairness and student burden were the main reasons cited.

The National Education Committee finalized the core principles of school civic education at its 10th meeting on September 17. The principles apply not to a specific subject but to all academic and extracurricular activities, and explicitly distinguish between contentious and non-contentious educational issues.

Hyundai Motor revealed the Ioniq 3 compact electric vehicle for the European market on September 17. With a 61kWh battery, it offers up to 497km WLTP range, and fast charging from 10% to 80% takes approximately 29 minutes.

Hyundai Motor Group announced at a forum on September 17 that it will invest a total of 9 trillion won in Saemangeum by 2035 to build AI data centers, a solar plant, a hydrogen electrolysis plant, a robot manufacturing cluster, and an AI hydrogen city.

At the Korea-China Hydrogen Policy Forum held in Seoul on September 17, experts warned that China, which publishes more than 100 hydrogen-related policies annually and holds the world's top hydrogen production capacity, is rapidly closing the gap with South Korea's hydrogen vehicle technology lead.

The Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) was held in Busan from September 16-18. The Hormuz Strait deployment request from the United States was a key agenda item alongside OPCON transfer and defense industry shipbuilding cooperation.

Foreign Minister Cho stated on September 17 that the deployment decision had not yet been made and that national safety and freedom of navigation would be the top priorities. She discussed the deployment issue directly with Secretary Rubio on September 18.

Four reform-progressive parties—Cho Kuk Innovation Party, Progressive Party, Basic Income Party, and Social Democratic Party—staged a picket protest outside the National Assembly plenary hall on September 17, publicly opposing the Hormuz Strait deployment decision.

The U.S. House Financial Services Committee passed the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve bill (H.R. 8957) on September 16 by a vote of 28 in favor and 21 against. The bill requires federally seized bitcoin to be held for at least 20 years with mandatory quarterly external audits.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority published its crypto asset regulatory scope guidance (PS26/18) on September 16. Five activities including stablecoin issuance and operating trading platforms require authorization, with applications opening September 30.

Security firm Blockaid reported on September 16 that Flamingo Finance's legacy contract was exploited. The attacker used approximately $18 million USDT in flash loans to manipulate share prices and stole approximately $345,900.

Mingles owner-chef Kang Min-goo opened contemporary Korean restaurant 'SEOK' at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome on September 17. The menu combines traditional Korean fermentation and jang with French seasonal ingredients. The restaurant's name comes from the chef's father's name.

CJ CheilJedang is operating a sharing fridge booth at the 2026 Seoul Youth Week held at Banpo Hangang Park on September 18-19. Youths who participate in SNS follow and quiz activities receive food packages including Hetbahn rice.

Korean food companies are increasingly hosting branded running events directly as a strategy to expand consumer touchpoints. Brands say the events naturally expose participants to their products, boosting brand awareness.

POSCO's labor union announced on September 17 that it would expand the second partial strike to three additional sites at Pohang and Gwangyang steelworks starting at 7 a.m. on September 18, bringing the total number of striking plants to five. The strike stems from the breakdown of 2026 wage negotiations.

The Samsung Electronics DX division-centered Donghang union announced it would hold a founding rally on September 18 and stage demonstrations and one-person protests near Chairman Lee Jae-yong's home in Hannam-dong, demanding additional DX division compensation.

An amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on Promotion of Youth Employment took effect on September 18, raising the eligible age for government youth employment policies from under 29 to under 34. The change expands the pool of beneficiaries for vocational training and job placement programs.