IT
Nvidia to become NAVER's third-largest shareholder with $1B stake
Nvidia is set to become the third-largest shareholder of NAVER. In a regulatory filing on Friday, NAVER said Nvidia will pay 1 billion U.S. dollars for newly issued shares on November 6, a week later than originally scheduled. The exact number of shares will be fixed on November 3 based on the exchange rate.
The stake comes to about 4.54 percent, making Nvidia the third-largest shareholder after the National Pension Service and BlackRock. NAVER said it had also met a condition for the investment by securing a 9-billion-dollar computing infrastructure deal with global asset manager Brookfield. The proceeds will be used to build AI data centers.
Seoul summit weighs greener AI future at Global Green Growth Week
Government officials and experts from around the world gathered in Seoul on Thursday for the Global Green Growth Summit to discuss how to advance AI without surrendering climate commitments. Technology, investment and global cooperation for greener growth topped the agenda.
Research presented by KAIST projected that global data center electricity demand could rise as much as twentyfold by 2050, potentially accounting for up to 34 percent of the world's power consumption under a high-demand, low-efficiency scenario.
Participants said the challenge is not whether demand will grow but how to supply it, and discussed a proposed Global Green AI Partnership to coordinate that effort.
Korea to pick lunar landing sites this year for 2032 missions
Korea plans to finalize its lunar landing sites by the end of this year, ahead of two missions to the Moon in 2032. The Korea AeroSpace Administration released an analysis of 29 candidate sites at a conference on Friday.
Nine sites are being considered for a test landing in the first half of 2032, which will verify soft-landing technology and observe the lunar environment. Another 20 are being evaluated for a second landing later that year aimed at exploring lunar resources.
Officials said the final locations will be chosen based on scientific value, landing safety and mission feasibility.
Politics
Lee, Germany's Merz agree to widen high-tech, energy and defense cooperation
President Lee Jae Myung hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Blue House on Thursday, and the two leaders agreed to expand their strategic partnership in high-tech industries, energy security and defense.
They adopted an "Enhanced Strategic Partnership" and a "Framework for an Economic and High-tech Partnership," pledging closer cooperation on critical minerals and energy security to ease supply chain uncertainty, and wider ties in automobiles, batteries and semiconductors.
Lee pointed to Korea's heavy investment in homegrown AI models and data centers, calling the country an AI powerhouse, while Merz said the two countries' interests are connected in many ways. The leaders also signed an agreement to avoid double taxation.
National Assembly opens review of next year's budget
The National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held a public hearing on Friday to begin reviewing next year's government budget.
Lawmakers exchanged views with five financial experts, including Yonsei University economics professor Yang Joon-mo and Korea Development Institute senior research fellow Koo Ja-hyun, on issues such as how to use the Future Response Fund.
Experts also discussed sustainable fiscal management, with some proposing fiscal rules and an independent fiscal commission.
Seoul and Washington dismiss talk of a rift in their alliance
Korea's Defense Ministry and the Pentagon are pushing back against speculation of strains in their security alliance, with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly calling reports of a rift "fake news."
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told reporters on Friday that Hegseth made the remark during their meeting in the Philippines this week, and said there had been no disagreements. The two held their first face-to-face talks for about 40 minutes on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus in Cebu on Wednesday.
Questions arose because Washington issued no statement on the talks, though the Pentagon described the encounter as a brief, informal "pull-aside" and confirmed that Seoul's account accurately reflected the discussions.
Economy
Samsung and SK hynix post record profits on memory chip demand
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix posted record profits this week on strong memory chip demand, and both announced plans to return tens of billions of dollars to shareholders.
Samsung's third-quarter operating profit jumped nearly ninefold to an all-time high, while SK hynix's profit rose about sevenfold. Samsung said its HBM supply is sold out for next year, and SK hynix said its memory output is sold out through 2029.
Still, disappointing earnings from Alphabet renewed concerns over returns on AI spending, and Samsung shares fell more than 4 percent after the announcement.
September output posts biggest jump in 15 years
Korea's production, consumption and investment all grew in September, marking the first "triple increase" since June. The all-industry production index rose 3 percent from the previous month, the sharpest gain in 15 and a half years.
Mining and manufacturing output surged 9 percent, driven by chips and cars, as auto production rebounded after strikes ended and summer holidays wrapped up, lifting factory operating rates.
Retail sales, a gauge of goods consumption, rose 3.6 percent, with passenger car sales jumping more than 18 percent after falling in August.
Sell-side sidecar triggered as KOSPI plunges over 4 percent
A sell-side sidecar was triggered on the KOSPI on Friday after the index fell more than 4 percent in intraday trading. Program sell orders were suspended for five minutes at 10:04 a.m. after KOSPI 200 futures dropped 5.12 percent.
It was the first sell-side sidecar in 11 trading days, since the KOSPI plunged more than 7 percent on October 15. The mechanism kicks in when KOSPI 200 futures fall more than 5 percent for one minute.
Analysts attributed the selloff to Alphabet's third-quarter earnings missing market expectations, which deepened doubts over returns on AI investments.
Society
Police deploy 7,800 officers nationwide for Halloween crowd safety
Korean police will deploy more than 7,800 personnel to 28 locations nationwide to keep Halloween crowds safe. The National Police Agency said Friday the special operation runs through November 1 with the crowd safety alert raised to the "caution" level.
Because Halloween falls on Saturday this year, large crowds are expected on Friday and Saturday. Police will separate pedestrian routes, introduce one-way traffic and restrict access to overcrowded areas, with extra patrols around busy streets and subway stations.
Checks on imitation weapons and unauthorized police uniforms will also be tightened.
Seoul public transport wins global praise, but who is left behind?
British magazine Time Out ranked Seoul fifth among the world's best cities for public transport, and CNN named its subway one of the world's best metro systems, citing speed and efficiency as the standouts.
On Press Perspective, guests compared Korea's system with European counterparts and discussed how habits such as priority seats for pregnant women and wearing backpacks in front reflect Korean social values.
The program also asked whether an efficient network shapes how Koreans live, and who might still be getting left behind.
TV icon Choi Bool-am, the nation's father figure, dies at 87
Veteran actor Choi Bool-am, widely regarded as the nation's father figure for his roles in popular television dramas, has died at 87. His family said he passed away around 10 p.m. Thursday at a hospital in western Seoul.
Choi had struggled with walking since surgery for a herniated disc in March last year, and his health forced him to step down as host of KBS's documentary program Korean Food Table, which he had led since 2011.
Born Choi Young-han, he began his broadcasting career in 1967 at Seoul Central Broadcasting, the predecessor of KBS, and became a beloved household name playing fathers on screen.
World
Spy agency says Kim may have relayed stance on U.S. talks in China
South Korea's National Intelligence Service says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have used his recent trip to China to send a message about talks with the United States. The agency also confirmed the name of Kim's daughter for the first time.
Kim made a one-day visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong on October 24, officially billed as a trip marking the anniversary of China's entry into the Korean War. At a closed-door parliamentary audit, the NIS noted that his delegation was made up mainly of diplomats rather than military officials.
The agency said China may relay North Korea's position to Washington but does not appear willing to actively mediate, and that the two sides still disagree on the terms for talks. It added that Pyongyang and Washington are preparing for a possible shift around next month's APEC summit in China.
U.S. Justice Department subpoenas Alaska campaigns over name-lookalike candidate
The U.S. Justice Department has issued more than 40 subpoenas in its probe of an Alaska Senate candidate whose name resembles that of Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Department lawyers wrote that the participants "orchestrated this for the purpose of misleading voters."
Subpoenas went to the campaigns of independent candidate Dan J. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola. The New York Times reported this week that Peltola's campaign helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan into the race, which her campaign denies.
President Trump called the allegations "voter fraud at the highest level."
Washington weighs military options against Iran before midterms
Washington is weighing fresh military strikes on Iran as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia escalate a widening regional conflict. U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper briefed President Trump at the White House on Thursday on strike options.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the rare in-person briefing, attended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, signals the U.S. is moving closer to resuming significant military operations.
Trump has repeatedly hinted at major strikes after the November 3 midterm elections. The U.S. has bolstered air defenses, munitions and supplies in the Middle East, relocated troops from vulnerable bases and is sending additional Patriot batteries to Israel, while pursuing diplomacy in parallel.
Culture
Tripitaka Koreana to be recarved in 800-year revival project
Nearly eight centuries after it was first carved, Korea's UNESCO-listed Tripitaka Koreana is getting a new set of woodblocks. Haeinsa Temple in Gyeongsangnam-do Province held a Buddhist ceremony on Thursday to launch the recarving of 81,258 blocks.
It is a rare honor that both the Janggyeong Panjeon depositories and the woodblocks they house are UNESCO-recognized. Since 2024, about 670 students across five cohorts have enrolled in the temple's woodblock-carving school for two- to five-year programs.
The temple aims to produce 300 graduates, with 100 expected to become skilled artisans who carry out the work. Participants said they hope the project, like their ancestors' devotion, will inspire peace for humanity.
Autumn at Changgyeonggung: music by day, light by night
As autumn sets in, Changgyeonggung Palace is drawing visitors with daytime concerts that turn into a nighttime light spectacle. Inside the palace's 1909 grand greenhouse, Korea's first Victorian-style conservatory, a gayageum and viola duet performs "Arirang" amid the scent of cedarwood.
The "Fragrance and Melody" program pairs scent and music with the historic setting, blending Korean and Western elements into a multisensory experience.
From 7 to 9 p.m., the Moonlight Lotus media-art program projects light and visuals across the grounds around Chundangji Pond, depicting the palace's history.
'Star Trek' and 'X-Men' actor Patrick Stewart dies at 86
English actor Patrick Stewart, who found global fame as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek" and Professor X in the "X-Men" films, has died at 86.
A statement on his social media account said he died at his home in Los Angeles after a brief illness with dementia.
Stewart began as a Shakespearean stage actor and was 47 when he was cast in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He was knighted in 2010.