[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] U.S. President Donald Trump presented South Korean President Lee Jae-myung with the last of only five "White House Gold Keys," symbolically emphasizing the special alliance between the two countries. The gift was presented directly to South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha at a credentials ceremony held at the White House on December 16, and was in return for the replica of the Cheonmachong Tomb gold crown and the Grand Mugunghwa Medal presented to President Trump by President Lee Jae-myung during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (AP
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Kiwoom Securities will temporarily suspend operations of its "US Stock Talk Talk" channel, the most subscribed Telegram channel among domestic securities firms, starting December 26th. This decision comes shortly after the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) recently announced stricter regulations on securities firms' overseas stock marketing, and the industry believes it is directly due to pressure from authorities. As of December 22nd, the Telegram channel boasted 36,989 subscribers and served as a key information channel for individual investors (known as
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] When President Lee Jae-myung was pointed out during a Fair Trade Commission business report on December 19 that domestic sanitary pad prices were 39% more expensive on average than overseas, he immediately ordered the Fair Trade Commission to investigate. According to Statistics Korea, the consumer price index for sanitary pads rose from 100 in 2020 to 120.91 in 2024, representing a roughly 20% increase over the past five years. As of the third quarter of this year, it was 118.48, showing a slight decline. This figure significantly exceeds the overall inflati
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Samsung Electronics (005930) has launched an internal investigation after it was discovered that it received bribes from a Taiwanese distributor to secure memory chip allocations. Industry publication DigiTimes reported on December 17th, "Samsung Taiwanese employees are suspected of receiving kickbacks from the distributor," and "the company has taken personnel action in its marketing and sales departments." Samsung explained that this was "part of routine operating procedures," but did not disclose further details. According to Reuters and DropReference, thi
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] As the prosecution is seeking a four-year prison sentence and a fine of 500 million won for Samhyo Group Chairman Jeong Do-won in connection with the Yangju quarry collapse, the first accident under the Act on the Punishment of Serious Disasters, the business, labor, and legal communities are all on edge ahead of the sentencing in February 2026. Since the enactment of the Serious Disaster Punishment Act, suspended sentences have become the mainstream in many cases, and whether the court will hand down the first prison sentence to a "general management officer
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Mirae Asset Venture Investment (100790) is emerging as a new 'star stock' in the stock market, soaring 78% in just three trading days amid expectations of the listing of the American space development company SpaceX. According to the Korea Exchange, Mirae Asset Venture Investment's stock price closed at 17,080 won on December 19, up 19.92% from the previous trading day. Following the previous day's daily limit (29.93%), the stock continued its upward trend, reaching new all-time highs for two consecutive days. At one point in the morning, the price soared to
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] As Coupang, Korea's largest online shopping platform, is embroiled in a large-scale personal information leak incident, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has hinted at the possibility of strong sanctions. Fair Trade Commission Chairman Joo Byung-ki recently stated in a presidential briefing that Coupang could face a business suspension if it fails to adequately implement consumer compensation measures. Coupang confirmed that the personal information of 33.7 million customers was leaked without authorization via an overseas server over a five-month period beginn
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] It has been confirmed that Lee Jae-hwan, Chairman of Jaesan Holdings and former Vice Chairman of CJ Group and younger brother of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, has been indicted on charges of ‘fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes (Special Act)’ surrounding the trading of stocks of Cytogen, a KOSDAQ-listed company. According to an exclusive report by Sisa Journal on the 15th, he is accused of signing a contract to transfer stocks of a KOSDAQ-listed company, receiving a deposit, and then disappearing without handin
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] As E-Mart pursued a public offering to incorporate its subsidiary Shinsegae Food as a wholly owned subsidiary and voluntarily delist it, the trading volume immediately before the announcement increased abnormally, sparking controversy over insider trading. On the 12th, Shinsegae Food's trading volume reached 349,157 shares, its highest level since January 8th of this year, reaching 16 times the daily average of 21,000 shares. While the overall KOSPI trading volume on the day was similar to the recent monthly average, Shinsegae Food's trading volume soared, ra
[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Mirae Asset Securities solidified its position as the top financial investment company by ranking 17th overall in Brandstock's "Korea's Top 100 Brands 2025." This achievement, a five-place rise from last year's 22nd place, marks Mirae Asset Daewoo's first entry into the top 10 since its launch in 2016. Brandstock operates a certification system that comprehensively evaluates consumer awareness, loyalty, and market competitiveness of approximately 1,000 brands across 230 domestic industries, selecting the top 100. Demonstrating competitiveness with a global ne