★★February 9th Major Newspaper Headlines★★
《Economy》
☞Nuclear power plants, shale oil, power grids… Coordination underway for first US investment… Collaboration card considered under US pressure…Budget and delivery schedule considered optimal for Korean nuclear power plants…Profitability likely to decline with US-style reactors…Participation in shale gas power generation project discussed…Demand for AI-driven ultra-high voltage transformers surges
☞Industrial robot exports plummet 35%…“Now is the time for K-robots to prove themselves”…Domestic demand and SME-centric structure hinder growth…Market cap increases on expectations of humanoid growth…Export market share falls behind Japan and Germany…Monthly production capacity falls behind China, exports fail to exceed $100 million for eight consecutive quarters…Re-examination of domestic demand-centered industrial structure necessary
☞Lower-income families face Lunar New Year burden… 28 welfare benefits, including livelihood and housing benefits, to be paid early... The Ministry of Health and Welfare will pay them on the 13th, seven days earlier than the regular payment date... 28 benefits, including disability benefits, disability pensions, and child support allowances for adopted children
☞ Mars's expected boom... SIs and FIs eye even shipyards facing closures... Pavilion PE joins in the acquisition of K Shipbuilding... At least a three-way battle with Taekwang Industrial... Gunsan Shipyard partially resumes operations... Behind-the-scenes contacts regardless of HD Hyundai's intentions... Potential targets include Hyundai HIMS and STX Engine
☞ SOS calls to conglomerates as squid stocks dry up... Pollock fishing boats were even dispatched to South America... Korean Peninsula's fishery catch plummets due to global warming... Protecting small and medium-sized deep-sea fishing industries has been prevented from entering large corporations, but there are limits.
《Finance》
☞ "This can't be happening... It's been halved." Bitcoin has its worst week in three years... It plummeted to half its peak, but rebounded, still 25% below last week... "Emerging alternative investment destinations, weakening scarcity, wash effect, diluting Trump's weak influence."
☞ Despite record-breaking current account surplus, why is the exchange rate soaring? "Surge in overseas investment is the cause."... The semiconductor effect led to a $123 billion surplus... Overseas investment led to a $133 billion outflow... KOSPI 5000 and RIAs' U-turn... "This year could be different."
☞ Seohak ants holding tech stocks despite AI fears... MS is being heavily bought... Amid a plunge in tech stocks in the US stock market... Net buying of $2.6 billion over the past week... Including Micron, Tesla, and Alphabet
☞ "After surpassing Germany, it's now surpassing Taiwan"... The Korean stock market rises to 8th place in the world in market capitalization... The KOSPI 5000 changes its weight class... The Korean stock market surpasses Germany and Taiwan... Performance pushes it, and foreign investors place bets... "Even with a correction, the trend remains valid"
☞ 5,000 won is someone else's story... Unpaid bank loans snowball... Interest rate hikes and the cessation of COVID-19 government support... Loan delinquencies for the self-employed and SMEs increase
《Business》
☞ LG Display's counterattack... Samsung to Compete with Chinese LCDs with 'Half-Price OLED'... Up to 40% Cheaper Entry-Level Models Launched... Targeting the Olympics and World Cup this year... Mass Production of Five Models, Including 48-83 Inches, in the First Half of the Year... Superior Performance at Chinese LCD Prices
☞ Samsung to Begin Mass Production of HBM4 for NVIDIA This Month... Samsung Electronics Expected to Begin Mass Production as Early as After the Lunar New Year Holiday... Samsung, After HBM Lagging Behind, Turns the Table with HBM4 Strategy
☞ '60 Trillion Won Wave' Sweeps Over the Weekend... Bithumb's Misdirect Payment Incident... 620,000 Bitcoins Wrongly Sent... Price Plummets Due to Selling 1,788 Coins... Financial Authorities Deploy an Inspection Team
☞ From Electric Vehicles to ESS... The three major battery companies are accelerating a major shift in North American production... LG Ensol secures four ESS bases, both sole and joint, in North America... Samsung SDI plans to produce LFP starting in the fourth quarter, following its NCA plant... SK On is considering ESS battery production at its Tennessee plant.
☞ "Will win a 10 trillion won US self-propelled artillery project"... Hanwha's local production strategy... K9 self-propelled artillery and K10 ammunition transport vehicle... Local production to meet US demands... Arkansas ammunition plant to begin construction next year... Hanwha Philly and Austal to invest further... Nuclear submarine construction in the US is fully possible.
《Real Estate》
☞ Four out of five young people in Seoul don't own a home... Record-high number of people in their 20s and 30s owning a home... Youth homeownership rate in Seoul reaches 17.9%... Average monthly rent and interest rates for young people rise simultaneously... Housing permits and permits are at a 17-year low.
☞ The Gyeongbu axis is brimming with positive factors from the GTX and semiconductors... Suji and Yeongtong's new housing prices are on the rise... Transactions exceeding 100 million won are on the rise... Emerging as an alternative to the Han River Belt... Remodeling is booming due to the large number of aging complexes... Bundang Neuti Village 4 Complex opens for subscription next month... Suji pushes for Samsung 2nd reconstruction
☞ Multi-home regulations are a blow to shared housing companies... Co-living startups specializing in rentals... 0% LTV applied... Loans blocked, high comprehensive real estate tax for three or more homes... Nothing left after paying taxes... Market doubles as young people seek alternative housing options, but faces collapse
☞ Seniors, facing increased tax burdens, are starting to put their properties on the market... Buyers are disappearing, saying "further decline"... Gangnam is seeing a surge in quick sales... Market turning point due to pressure from Lee's capital gains tax... Hyundai 3rd Complex in Apgujeong has seen a 47% increase in listings in a month... Hold on, win, and the market is in a "now is the time to sell" mood
☞ Sell, hold on, or gift... Multi-homeowners are becoming increasingly concerned... A man in his 50s renting four units has decided to sell all but one... A person owning two homes in Seoul has decided not to sell for the time being... Even gifting becomes complicated due to acquisition and gift tax burdens... Costs are being passed on to tenants, and deposits are being raised.
《Society》
☞ Pocheon City reports second outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) at a pig farm... All-out efforts to prevent the spread and prevent early quarantine.
☞ "The era of raiding law firms without warrants is over"... Attorney-client confidentiality privilege first legislated... 10 years of law firm raids and search and seizures put an end to the debate over defense rights... The right not to disclose client consultations... The US, Germany, and France have already codified... "Now we have a level playing field with the prosecution"... Defending against warrantless administrative investigations is possible.
☞ Thousands flocked to Samsung, but... Despite 'free tuition,' there are now zero applicants... Polarization in contracted departments... Major universities see a surge in applications, while regional universities fall short... Three regional universities have no regular admissions... The wage gap has widened, leading to a concentration of large corporations... Only 5% say they will go to small and medium-sized enterprises... "We must first create quality jobs"
☞ Amid concerns over reignited legislative conflict, the decision on increasing medical school enrollment is imminent... The 10th is a watershed moment... The government and the medical community remain adrift, unable to find common ground... Opposition from the medical community remains strong, raising the possibility of collective action... The 10th hearing is expected to be a watershed moment for medical policy decisions.
☞ "The price is what you pay": Seoul accommodation prices triple for BTS's Gwanghwamun concert... Already fully booked... Despite promises of crackdowns, they are still "gut-busting"... Accommodation prices skyrocket for BTS performances, raising concerns about "backdoor administration"... Airline tickets soar by 60%, accommodation costs soar by 300%... BTS concerts, a mega event, send tourism prices soaring in Seoul
《International》
☞ "US prepares additional arms sales to Taiwan...China may cancel Trump's visit to China"...FT reports, citing sources... "Possible value of up to 29 trillion won"... Some speculate that the announcement could be postponed until after Trump's visit to China in April"
☞ US-Iran negotiations remain on the offensive... "The road ahead will be rough, depending on the position"... Iran: "Uranium enrichment is our right"...US: "Additional tariffs on countries that do business with Iran"
☞ US military plans to deploy four nuclear submarines in Australia... "Key checkpoint for China"... US military increases access to the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait... Australians protest over claims of "infringement on sovereignty"
☞ Zelensky: "US sets June deadline for Russia-Ukraine peace talks"... "Ukraine accepts US proposal for Miami summit next week"... Russia: "No Proposal"... "US-Russia Discuss $12 Trillion Economic Agreement... Cannot Support Agreement Excluding Ukraine"
☞ China, the Nation of Engineers... A Rush of Engineering PhDs Earned for New Technology Degrees Instead of Dissertations... Aiming to Train Engineers to Address Technology Bottlenecks... First "Practical PhD" to be Produced in September 2025... Nature Draws Attention: "At Least 11 Degrees Earned"