Korea Business Review · Section
KBR NEWS
Free
ISSUE BRIEFING
Government to Clear KRW 2.2 Trillion in Small Business Guaranteed Debt, Reopening Paths to Recovery Blocked by Arrears
On June 19, the South Korean government announced a comprehensive overhaul of the small business guarantee system through the 'Establishment Plan for a Sustainable Guarantee Support System' during a meeting of the Emergency Economic Headquarters. Over the five-year period from 2026 to 2030, the government will clear KRW 2.2 trillion in distressed guarantee assets through write-offs and debt adjustments, affecting an estimated 130,000 businesses. The plan reopens guarantee channels previously blocked by arrears and closures by permitting new guarantees for written-off businesses with cleared public records and for bankruptcy-exempt individuals who undergo rapid write-offs. To enhance the soundness of guarantee institutions, the government will prohibit full guarantees in principle, lowering the average guarantee rate from 94.3% to 90% by the end of 2027 and the re-guarantee rate from 50% to 30%. Additional goals include relaxing the guarantee limit to KRW 800 million for growth-oriented small businesses, introducing intellectual property (IP) guarantees, supplying KRW 2 trillion in region-specific guarantees by 2030, and reducing the subrogation rate from 5.07% at the end of 2025 to 3.2% by 2030.
이우리 선임기자 · 06/22/2026
Read more →
DEEP ANALYSIS
Semiconductor Exports Surpass 41%, KOSPI Breaks 9,000 for the First Time... Exchange Rates and Interest Rates Move in Tandem
최수진 기자 · 06/22/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
Not Just Due to Regulations: 4 Reasons Why Uber and Grab Do Not Work in South Korea
강지혜 선임기자 · 06/18/2026
ISSUE BRIEFING
The AI Job Threat Started with the 'Door That Closes First': Data-Identified Occupations Most Vulnerable to Shaking
류현진 선임기자 · 06/16/2026
KBR News
Why Claude Fable 5 Stopped: It Was Not a 'Technical Bug,' but a US Government Export Control Order
KBR 편집부 · 06/15/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
Seoul Metropolitan Area Apartments Clash Between Record-Breaking Regulations and Record-Breaking Supply Shortages
Following the June 27 loan regulations and October 15 expansion of regulated zones in the second half of 2025, combined with the resumption of the heavy capital gains tax surcharge in May 2026, unprecedented multi-layered regulations are currently operating in the Seoul metropolitan area. However, one year after the resumption of the heavy tax surcharge, apartment listings in Seoul have decreased by about 10%, while price growth has actually expanded to the 0.2-0.3% range, demonstrating a phenomenon of 'price strength amid locked listings.' The jeonse (lump-sum lease) market is also unstable, with Seoul's cumulative apartment jeonse increase reaching approximately six times that of last year (3.77%), underpinning sales prices from below. The root cause is a shortage of supply: Seoul's move-in volume for 2026 is projected to drop 48% year-on-year to about 16,000 households, marking the lowest level nationwide in 13 years. As strengthening holding taxes, such as raising the comprehensive real estate holding tax and reducing long-term holding special deductions, are being discussed as the next regulatory cards, deliberations on tax law amendments in the second half of the year are expected to be a watershed moment for the market.
강지혜 선임기자 · 06/11/2026
ISSUE BRIEFING
The Paradox of the 40 Trillion Won Delivery Era: Why Rider Incomes Are Moving Backward
While the delivery market transaction volume grew 10.9% year-on-year to reach an annual scale of 40 trillion won as of January 2026, riders' perceived incomes have actually decreased, leading to a paradox where protests are even calling for a minimum wage per delivery. Although Baemin announced that the average monthly income of riders increased to 3.93 million won, this is based on total gross income before cost deductions for full-time riders working 40 hours or more per week, creating a wide gap with the actual net income of many riders who must bear fuel and insurance costs. The first cause is the free-delivery competition among platforms that began in earnest in 2024, where cost-cutting pressures were passed on to rider delivery fees, lowering the unit price per delivery and increasing labor intensity through bundled deliveries. The second and third causes are oversupply due to the influx of two-job workers amid a youth employment slump, and a cost-shifting structure featuring opaque algorithmic dispatch and straight-line distance delivery fee calculations. Entering 2026, as discussions on a minimum wage per delivery, the implementation of a presumptive employee status system for platform workers, and legislation on fee transparency gain momentum, the era of 'earning as much as you run' has passed, and the very rules of unit pricing and distribution have been brought to the negotiation table.
류현진 선임기자 · 06/11/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
Are Foreign Tourists Really Increasing in Korea?… The Current Status of Inbound Tourism in the First Half of 2026 Told by Numbers
In a media interview, Professor Ji Yoon-ho of the Department of Tourism at Kangwon National University diagnosed that the visit patterns of foreign tourists are moving away from specific countries or Seoul-centric destinations, and that the so-called 'glocal' strategy linked with regional tourist spots is proving effective following the spread of K-contents. He added that a structural approach to strengthen the regional tourism ecosystem will be necessary in the future. As travel remains a non-constant demand, some tourism specialized reports late last year warned that since travel demand, unlike daily necessities, can be canceled at any time, a high number of visitors last year does not guarantee more this year, necessitating precise responses tailored to the sensibilities of travelers from various countries.
최수진 기자 · 06/11/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
What Jensen Huang's 4-Night, 5-Day Trip Left Behind: Can South Korea Become a 'Core Hub' in NVIDIA's AI Supply Chain?
During his visit to South Korea, NVIDIA announced a long-term partnership with SK Group, including a multi-year HBM supply contract spanning over two years, and unveiled joint business plans with Naver and SK Telecom to build large-scale AI data centers, known as 'AI factories,' in the country. SK Group and NVIDIA established a long-term partnership lasting at least two years to pursue comprehensive cooperation, including the co-development of next-generation memory, memory supply for AI factories, and innovations in semiconductor design and manufacturing. Regarding whether South Korea can become a 'core hub,' the officially announced outcomes of this visit can be summarized as the long-term HBM supply contract, co-development of next-generation memory, joint AI factory business plans, and directions for expanded cooperation in robotics and physical AI.
박소유 책임기자 · 06/09/2026
ISSUE BRIEFING
Retail Funds Flock to AI Semiconductor ETFs: Why Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Value Chains are Chosen
In the first half of 2026, retail investor funds are rapidly flowing into AI and semiconductor-themed products in the domestic ETF market. However, looking closely at the actual capital flows, rather than being evenly distributed across the entire semiconductor value chain, there is a clear pattern of stronger concentration in compressed ETFs with high weightings in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
이우리 선임기자 · 06/09/2026
