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] The U.S. and South Korea are reported to have finalized a trade deal that is expected to establish a 15% cap on U.S. tariffs on Korean goods. JD Supra
• [New] North Korea has threatened to take more offensive actions in response to recent US-South Korea security consultations and the arrival of an American aircraft carrier in South Korea. UNITED24 Media
• [New] If South Korea follows through, it could implement new rules aimed at crypto service providers and digital platforms suspected of being linked to North Korean activity. Yahoo Finance
• [New] Qualcomm assumes it will provide 75% of Samsung's processor needs in the Galaxy S26. / South Korea The Register
• [New] President Lee Jae Myung will present South Korea's 2026 budget bill to the National Assembly on Tuesday, calling for bipartisan support to pass a proposed 728 trillion South Korean Qon ($508.4 billion) package - a record high and an 8.1% increase from in 2025. The Asia Cable
• [New] South Korea will pay $350 billion upfront to lower tariffs implemented by the USA. Armstrong Economics
• [New] Japan and South Korea, already 5G leaders, have started early R&D on 6G; Japan allocated ¥66 billion for 6G research and plans testbeds by 2025, while Korean carriers formed an alliance to develop 6G technologies with 1 Tbps target speeds. Bez Kabli
• Singapore and South Korea will jointly launch a project under the Singapore Cooperation Programme and the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund to support digital transformation in Southeast Asia. CNA
• Singapore and South Korea will deepen economic links and connectivity to unlock new opportunities for businesses and workers, and work together for green and more sustainable growth. CNA
• South Korea said Friday that it will launch its fifth military spy satellite from a US space base this weekend. Medium
• Nvidia will supply around 260,000 GPUs to support South Korea's AI computing and manufacturing capabilities. Arkansas Online
• Using high-resolution climate simulations, researchers from South Korea, the USA, Germany, and Ireland found that ENSO could rapidly strengthen in the coming decades and begin to move in sync with other global climate systems. SciTechDaily
• US chip giant Nvidia will supply more than 260,000 of its most advanced artificial intelligence chips to South Korea's government, as well as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. BBC News
• The SK Group conglomerate, which includes SK Telecom and DRAM and flash memory chip supplier SK Hynix, will use 50,000 NVIDIA Blackwell server chips to launch an industrial AI cloud. / South Korea Engadget
• South Korea will reportedly cut its overall aid spending by around 20% in 2026, with a 50% cut to humanitarian assistance and an 11% cut to the Korea International Cooperation Agency. Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
• The THAAD system continues to play a key role in countering long-range missile threats, with active deployments in Guam, South Korea, and the Middle East. The Defense Post
• Rapid digital transformation in countries such as India, China, Japan, and South Korea has created vast opportunities for cybersecurity vendors. openpr
• North Korea could be pushed into a use-it-or-lose-it scenario, mounting a conventional or nuclear attack against South Korea, Japan, and the US. Asia Times
• From South Korea's perspective, hypersonic weapons offer another means to threaten North Korea's regime survival, which may be the cornerstone of its deterrent strategy. Asia Times
• Using advanced, high-resolution climate models, researchers from South Korea, the USA, Germany, and Ireland discovered that ENSO could rapidly intensify over the next several decades and begin to synchronize with other large-scale climate systems. ScienceDaily
• The International Energy Agency's 2025 World Energy Investment report indicated that both Japan and South Korea, in order to reduce energy dependence, will be investing in renewable energy with 92% of total energy investment going to clean energy compared to a global average of 66%. The Royal Society for Asian Affairs

Last updated: 12 November 2025