The Economy Markets

Users protest KakaoTalk revamp, claiming “messenger identity lost” $11.6 billion in market cap erased within a week NateOn and Line downloads surge, climbing into top app market rankings The sweeping update of KakaoTalk has triggered seismic shift

Korea’s National Airport Workers’ Union Enters Indefinite Strike Ahead of Chuseok Worker Discontent Grows Over Subcontracting and Job Insecurity Strike Actions Mount Across Sectors Ahead of “Yellow Envelope Act” Implementation Workers at 15 airp

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Reconfirmation that ESTA holders may engage in same activities as B-1 visa holders” Dedicated “Investor Desk” to be set up at U.S. Embassy in Seoul Reflects heightened U.S.

Second-quarter cosmetics unit posts loss Market capitalization overtaken by APR amid slump Urgent tasks: China decoupling and brand competitiveness Lee Sun-joo, President of LG Household & Health Care/Photo=LG H&amp

Muted Impact, Questions Over Bookings and SalesShort-Lived Gains for Big Retailers, Widening Divide

India can secure cheap, reliable evening power at $0.042/kWh with solar plus storage Tariffs and volatile fossil imports make firm renewables the safest growth path Scaling batteries and recycling ensures long-term energy security and stable prices

European economics journals reform must reward method and openness over brand prestige Tie hiring and grants to reproducibility—open code, preregistration, independent replications Build EU benchmarks and nimble society journals so reliable work earns global reach

Retail investing is up; teach people to earn the market, not chase alpha. Use low fees, diversification, and cool-off safeguards to curb herding and fraud—especially for seniors Tie curricula to app defaults so good habits are automatic and long-term wealth compounds

Summit Plans Centered in Gyeongju, Canceling Seoul StayPast Criticism of China’s “Self-Interest” Dominated

U.S.

User Revolt Over Instagram-Style Feed After Update Kakao: “Users Will Be Allowed to Choose Their Preferred Format” Incomplete Integration of Banking Super-Apps Creates User Inconvenience KakaoTalk’s sweeping overhaul has triggered a wave o

U.S.

Moore Thread Speeds Through STAR Market Review Despite Losses MetaX and Biren Technology Also Eye Local IPOs Soon Chinese Government’s Backing Fuels Rapid Growth of Key Semiconductor Firms Moore Threads, often dubbed the “NVIDIA of China,” h

Miran’s Claim of Lower Neutral Rate JPMorgan: “Insufficient Case for Large Cuts” Economic Indicators Provide No Support Stephen Miran, Federal Reserve Governor/Photo=Getty Images Stephe

Public Inconvenience Mounts, Fragility ExposedPartisan Wrangling Overshadows Follow-up Measures

YouTube settles lawsuit with Trump over account suspension Social media platforms enforce censorship policies as users join in “cancel” actions Concerns rise that a stronger culture of censorship could suppress freedom of expression Google’s Yo

Measure for Industry Revival? Skepticism PrevailsStreaming Boom Saps Theater Vitality

Tariffs with India, Korea, and Switzerland endanger student mobility and research in the learning economy Trade deals must lock in visa certainty, protected lab inputs, and joint research Bake education into trade to keep talent flowing and innovation alive

Europe isn’t short on capital or degrees; it’s short on TFP The fix is leadership that scales tech, intangibles, and management practice Educators, policymakers, and CEOs should fund intangibles and integrate AI in SME training

Fertility is falling because systems and costs—not desire—make second births hard Peer competition magnifies housing, childcare, and career penalties into a one-child arms race Cap childcare, decouple school access, expand father leave