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ISSUE BRIEFING
5 Macroeconomic Variables That Korean Companies Must Track This Week
While the Bank of Korea signals a potential rate hike in July and strong semiconductor exports are driving growth rates, a significant gap remains with domestic consumption sentiment. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.6% year-on-year in April, sustaining inflation pressures, with rising oil prices cited as a major cause. A hawkish stance was confirmed in the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes, and some market experts project that there may be no U.S. rate cuts in 2026, making an urgent reassessment of foreign exchange and financing strategies imperative for Korean companies.
이지영 기자 · 05/27/2026
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DEEP ANALYSIS
Semiconductors Pull GDP Up by 1.7%, But Why Doesn't the Economy Feel It? — Dissecting the Illusion of South Korea's Economic Structure
이지영 기자 · 05/12/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
Did the GTX Really Drive Up Housing Prices? A Complete Analysis of Price Fluctuations in Station Influence Areas Before and After Opening
이태민 기자 · 05/11/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
The Real Reason Highway Rest Area Udon Became So Expensive Finally Revealed
최수진 기자 · 05/10/2026
ISSUE BRIEFING
“Unions Aiming at Unions” — Samsung Electronics and LG Uplus Union Conflict Poses New Fracture in South Korea's Labor Movement
최수진 기자 · 05/04/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
How Wegovy and Mounjaro Reshaped the Global Pharmaceutical Landscape
As of 2025, Eli Lilly's tirzepatide portfolio (Mounjaro and Zepbound) surpassed $36.5 billion in combined sales—approximately 54 trillion won—historically outperforming Merck's (MSD) long-standing top-selling immuno-oncology drug Keytruda.
이태민 기자 · 05/04/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
"Come to the Office" vs. "I Will Work from Home" — The 2026 Office Worker War
The pandemic has ended, but the landscape of working from home has not disappeared. As of 2026, 96,000 office workers in South Korea are still telecommuting. In the spring of 2026, South Korean office workers still face the same question: Should I go to the office today, or can I work from home?
이우리 기자 · 04/29/2026
ISSUE BRIEFING
Fuel Surcharge Shock Remaps the Overseas Travel Landscape
With the fuel surcharge for a round-trip ticket to New York exceeding 1.12 million won, airline engines are carrying heavier costs than ever before. Driven by Middle Eastern geopolitical risks, the international route fuel surcharge for 2026 has surged to the 33rd tier, the highest level in history since the current system was introduced in 2016, leading to a rapid contraction in overseas travel demand among South Koreans.
강지혜 기자 · 04/27/2026
DEEP ANALYSIS
Should You Buy XRP Now? Comprehensive Review of Three Major Catalysts: Regulation, ETFs, and Rakuten in April 2026
Following the launch of seven spot XRP ETFs in the U.S. in November 2025, Japan's Rakuten began integrating XRP payments for its 44 million users on April 15, 2026. XRP's status as a global payment network is expanding rapidly.
이지영 기자 · 04/24/2026
ISSUE BRIEFING
An Era of Labor-Robot Conflict: Can Humans and Robots Coexist?
Humanoid robots and workers stand side by side at a production site, symbolically showing the expansion of manufacturing automation and the changing role of human labor. [Photo = Korea Business Review DB] Atlas Knocks on the Factory Door: At the CES 2026 media day held in Las Vegas, USA, in January 2026, Hyundai Motor Group unveiled Boston Dynamics' next-generation electric humanoid robot, 'Atlas.'
강지혜 기자 · 04/22/2026
