Daily Briefing · 2026-10-11

However, foreign ownership fell to 46.38%, the lowest in 18 years and 9 months. This year, foreigners net sold 171 trillion won on the KOSPI, concentrated in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. As a result, the KOSPI plunged 5.39% and was pushed further down to the 6600 level. In the semiconductor industry, forecasts emerged that DRAM demand could increase 20-fold by 2030 due to the spread of humanoid robots. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won warned that, in preparation for the semiconductor capacity expansion race between the U.S. and China, Korea needs to hasten the expansion of domestic production facilities. In the financial sector, hacking attempts this year have surpassed 1,000,000 cases. Some banks left 30% of their security budgets unused last year, and have only recently increased their budgets following damage from attacks. As a result, demand deposits at the five major banks fell by more than 20 trillion won in a single week. Domestic banks' security investment was found to be only one-thirtieth the level of major U.S. banks. On the fiscal front, controversy continues over the issuance of 162 trillion won in government bonds for the Future Response Fund. Former Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong cautioned that the semiconductor boom could be temporary and that expansionary fiscal policy should be approached with caution. Delinquent national tax payments have surpassed 116 trillion won, but the National Tax Service collected 15 trillion won over 15 months to secure fiscal revenue. In the real estate market, the average price of small and mid-sized apartments in Seoul approached 1.6 billion won. In response, LH decided to supply more than 20,000 units of purchased rental housing in Seoul over the next three years. In the nuclear power sector, Korea is pursuing an investment of $120 billion in the construction of 8 nuclear reactors on the U.S. mainland, securing a large-scale order opportunity. Hyundai Motor Group recorded 300 trillion won in revenue and achieved global third place six years after Chairman Chung Eui-sun's inauguration. Two months after his inauguration, Chairman Chung Eui-sun acquired Boston Dynamics, expanding investment in robotics and AI. In the retail industry, full compensation was confirmed for small merchants who suffered losses due to Coupang's system failure. Starbucks overcame the Tank Day controversy and reclaimed the No. 1 spot among domestic coffee brands within 5 months. In the shipping sector, the Panstar Aqua successfully completed a trial voyage on the Arctic route, confirming a transport time reduction of up to 50 days compared to existing routes. Additionally, 48 Korean companies received refunds totaling $7 billion for unlawful U.S. tariffs.