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OECD Forecasts 2.9% Global Growth for This Year: Can South Korea's Upward Growth Revision Be Read as Expanding Corporate Demand?
In its September interim economic outlook, the OECD projected global growth at 2.9% this year and 3.0% next year, while raising its forecast for South Korea. We examine why an upward revision in aggregates does not automatically translate in the same direction for corporate orders, costs, and cash flow.
이태민 책임기자 · 09/26/2026
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The Real Difference Between Regular and Contract Workers: The Employment Boundary Divided by 'Two Years'
류현진 Editor · 09/23/2026
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Children Who Are Good at Math but Struggle with Choices: Why Elementary Economic Education Is Needed
최수진 기자 · 09/16/2026
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"If You Can't Do AI, Even the CEO's Seat Is at Risk"... Global Executives Begin to Tense Up
최수진 기자 · 09/10/2026
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GPT-6 Astra Resets the Standard for AI Competition: From 'AI That Answers' to 'AI That Works'
이우리 선임기자 · 09/09/2026
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"It Wasn't a Glacial Lake Outburst"... What is Known About the Cause of the Nepal Mega-Flood
Around 8:37 AM on August 26, 2026, a massive glacier and rock collapse occurred in the high-altitude region of Langtang Lirung (7,234m) near the border of Nepal and China's Tibet. There was no heavy local rainfall. The US Geological Survey (USGS) revised a signal initially classified as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake to a collapse event equivalent to magnitude 5.2. The collapsed ice and rock turned into a torrent mixed with water and sediment, engulfing the downstream areas. Initial satellite imagery and expert analysis lean toward a glacier/rock slope collapse combined with valley blockage and its subsequent failure, rather than a typical GLOF where a glacial lake dam bursts. However, the exact chronological sequence of each stage can only be confirmed once field investigations are completed. The torrent swept through downstream gorges and settlements for about 100 km from Rende Kola through Bhotekoshi to Trishuli. As of August 29, Nepalese disaster authorities recorded 626 deaths and 2,426 missing persons, while China's Tibet separately reported 7 deaths and 554 missing persons. Hydropower sites were densely concentrated along the path of the torrent. The Independent Power Producers' Association, Nepal (IPPAN) stated that as of August 29, 13 business sites suffered direct damage, and communication was lost with 934 people across 11 of those sites. The 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 (UT-1) project, a joint undertaking by Korea South-East Power (KOEN) and Doosan Enerbility, is one of them. At this site alone, the whereabouts of 576 people are unaccounted for, and 9 South Koreans remain out of contact, meaning that entire clusters of infrastructure in a single river basin were exposed to the same upstream risk.
이지영 기자 · 08/29/2026
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Applying to 100 Places with No Response: The Urgent Need to Expand the Fair Recruitment Procedure Act Amid 'Recruitment Without Rejection Notices'
A 29-year-old job seeker who applied to roughly 100 companies this year received application-passing notifications from only 3, while the rest closed their job postings without disclosing any results. Statistics from the National Statistics Office show that youth employment declined for the 45th consecutive month in July, the youth unemployment rate rose to 6.8% for the sharpest increase in 5 years and 6 months, and an FKI survey indicated the document-screening pass rate dropped to 19.4%. Although Article 10 of the Fair Recruitment Procedure Act mandates the notification of hiring decisions, Article 10 itself lacks direct grounds for fines or corrective orders, meaning violations have been handled mainly through improvement recommendations, and workplaces with fewer than 30 employees are exempt. A full revision bill for the Fair Recruitment Act was scrapped in the 21st National Assembly, and while a partial revision bill introducing fines has been proposed in the 22nd National Assembly, it remains unconfirmed as of July 2026. Proposed directions for revision include securing the effectiveness of the notification obligation under Article 10, establishing new obligations to notify applicants of results and suspensions at each screening stage which are missing from current laws, and expanding the scope of application.
김민경 책임기자 · 08/22/2026
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Why KDI Raised 2026 Growth to 3.2% While Lowering Employment Forecast to 110,000
On August 19, KDI raised its 2026 economic growth forecast from 2.5% to 3.2% (+0.7 percentage points), while simultaneously lowering the projected increase in employment from 170,000 to 110,000 (-60,000). Of the 0.7 percentage point upward revision, 0.6 percentage points came from the semiconductor effect, driving up exports (+4.1 percentage points), facility investment (+4.6 percentage points), and the current account surplus ($120.7 billion), whereas private consumption was raised by only 0.1 percentage point. KDI attributed the downward employment outlook to the relatively low employment-creating effect of semiconductors, sluggish business conditions in non-semiconductor and non-construction sectors, and slowing service sector employment, compounded by demographic shifts. July employment trends support KDI's diagnosis, showing consecutive declines in manufacturing employment for 25 months, construction for 27 months, and youth employment for 45 months. KDI's 3.2% projection is the highest among forecasters, surpassing the government's 3.0% and the Bank of Korea, OECD, IMF, and ADB's 2.6%, while next year's forecasts of 200,000 new jobs and 2.7% construction investment remain conditional on sustained AI investments and other factors.
이태민 책임기자 · 08/21/2026
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White-Collar Employment and Organizational Restructuring Accelerate Amid AI Expansion
In May 2026, regular workers in South Korea decreased for the first time in 26 years and 5 months since the Asian financial crisis, with notable declines in professional, scientific, and technical services as well as among the younger generation. As global big tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Salesforce continue layoffs into 2026, Salesforce revealed that it reduced its customer support workforce by 45%, from 9,000 to about 5,000, following the adoption of AI agents. A 'Great Flattening' trend of shrinking middle management is corroborated by Gartner's forecasts and empirical data from Gallup and Live Data Technologies. The shock of restructuring is first manifesting at the entry points of the labor market—specifically fresh hiring—with Stanford studies showing relative declines in employment for newcomers aged 22-25 in high AI-exposure roles. However, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and other industry leaders caution against blaming AI alone for layoffs, offering a balanced diagnosis that the current white-collar contraction is a complex phenomenon driven by a combination of economic slowdowns, cost-cutting, and over-hiring adjustments.
이지영 기자 · 08/10/2026
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Samsung Injecting 200,000 Million Won into Samsung Miso Financial Foundation to Expand Low-Interest Loans for Vulnerable Groups and Self-Employed in Financial Blind Spots
Samsung announced on the 16th that it will contribute a total of 200 billion won to the Samsung Miso Financial Foundation to expand inclusive finance. Samsung Electronics will provide 150 billion won, while financial affiliates including Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Card, and Samsung Securities will jointly contribute 50 billion won. This contribution is the second implementation project of the '5 trillion won social contribution over 5 years' promise announced last May. The raised funds will be used to support startup, business operation, and emergency living funds with collateral-free, guarantor-free, low-interest loans of 4.5% per annum or lower, and are expected to benefit about 40,000 people. Applications can be made by eligible individuals, such as those in the bottom 20% of credit ratings and basic livelihood recipients, through the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency app, website, 1397, or branch consultations.
이우리 선임기자 · 07/18/2026
