Global Scans · South Korea · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: South Korea may go nuclear if Trump cancels the missile deployment and leaves the country alone facing the North's threats. With the President facing an impeachment vote and mass demonstrations on the streets political and economic turmoil may follow. Chinese markets has already shaken South Korea, where central bankers downgraded their forecasts for economic growth.

• [New] South Korea is planning an initial investment of 550 trillion won (US$ 356 billion) to build 8.4 gigawatts of AI data centers by 2029, and gradually expanding another 10 GW by 2035. Sophic Capital
• [New] South Korea is forecast to grow at 7.2%, supported by its global leadership in advanced battery exports and high-nickel cathode technologies. 24-7 Press Release Newswire
• [New] South Korea's outbound shipments are expected to jump a whopping 40% on-year in 2026 on the back of the global artificial intelligence boom. UPI
• [New] SK Telecom, in South Korea, built a proprietary large language model trained on its telecom-specific data assets and embedded it into an enterprise AI agent platform, now targeting US$ 3.5 billion in AI-related annual revenues by 2030. PwC
• [New] South Korea has launched a 238bn won CCU mega project with LG Chem and POSCO to convert industrial CO2 into e-SAF and chemicals, which could replace 10% of aviation fuel demand by 2050. SimpliFlying
• [New] South Korea combines aggressive labour reform with real enforcement risk. The Employer Report
• [New] South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff warned the public to avoid suspected landmines that may have been washed south by heavy rainfall along the Demilitarized Zone. The Mine Action News
• [New] South Korea has sought bids to create a chatbot that will be made freely available to all residents, plus an agentic application that will help locals interact with government services. theregister
• [New] South Korea will additionally focus on maintaining an unwavering supply chain based on lessons learned from the Middle East war, including offering tax benefits for the domestic production of strategically important items. UPI
• [New] South Korea is expected to post 35.2% CAGR as insurers combine health apps with rewards. FactMr
• [New] South Korea's Fair Trade Commission launched a review alleging Google abused its Android app-store position by pressuring game companies not to release titles on rival platform One Store, with Korea JoongAng Daily reporting that the possible fine could reach 850 billion won. Fault Lines
• South Korea is expected to post 35.2% CAGR through 2036 as insurers connect health engagement, rewards and reinsurance validation. FactMr
• Overall, South Korea plans to acquire 60 small and micro-sized satellites by 2030 so that the military can monitor the Korean peninsula every thirty minutes. itaadmin
• Global financial firms are pivoting to South Korea, and are taking a more measured approach to China as they balance commercial opportunities and the regulatory environment. Icas
• South Korea risks strategic entanglement with the US as defence cooperation increases, thereby alienating China and Russia. OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION ( ORF )

Last updated: 22 July 2026