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] As electric air taxis take to the skies in South Korea, tourists will benefit from quick, affordable air travel, reducing traffic congestion and providing easy access to city centers and popular tourist sites. Travel And Tour World
• [New] South Korea's government has been developing an AAM roadmap, with test flights set to begin in 2027 and commercial operations planned for the late 2020s. Travel And Tour World
• [New] Although a tenth nuclear-armed State may not emerge in 2026, it is highly likely that countries such as South Korea and Saudi Arabia will move closer to developing the technical means - and the political motivation - to build a bomb. Just Security
• [New] The United States could decide that South Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons would benefit U.S. security, and therefore support its push to weaponization. Just Security
• [New] The United States would support the process that will lead to [South Korea's] civil uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful purposes. Just Security
• [New] Global Competition: Established players, such as Taiwan, South Korea, and China dominate semiconductor manufacturing and will compete fiercely. SNS Insider
• [New] Cyber incidents are now the top risk for businesses in South Korea in 2026, jumping from sixth place last year. Charlton Media Group
• [New] BoK governor Rhee Chang-yong said South Korea's economy was expected to continue to grow at a pace close to 1.8%, extending an economic recovery that began in the second half of November. Central Banking
• [New] South Korea seeks de-escalation, but North Korea expands its nuclear arsenal, posing threats to Seoul and US bases. FirstPost
• [New] Equity gains in Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan were led by technology stocks as investors doubled down on the belief that AI spending will define the next growth cycle. LLMQuant Newsletter
• [New] South Korea has no intentions of provoking North Korea and will continue its efforts to build trust between the Koreas. WRAL
• [New] Only time will tell if South Korea's new initiative actually does anything to reduce bullying statistics. YourTango
• [New] Fitch already applies a one-notch adjustment to ratings in geopolitical hot spots such as Israel, Taiwan and South Korea to reflect elevated risks. Insurance Journal
• [New] Business interruption is a major concern in South Korea, where trade accounts for about 70% of GDP, making supply chains highly sensitive to geopolitical tensions and disruptions. Charlton Media Group
• [New] South Korea's trade minister stated that U.S. tariffs on some advanced computing chips will have a limited impact. Economic Times
• [New] In a decade of overlapping crises and compressed timetables, Japan and South Korea are now facing an opportunity to move from declaratory cooperation toward practical integration. The Geopolitics
• South Korea's Financial Services Commission will introduce a minimum core capital ratio for insurers from 2027 under the Korean Insurance Capital Standard, a move that will affect solvency metrics and capital planning for domestic carriers and regional groups with Korean operations. Insurance Business
• The task force has said its work will focus on modernizing rules for crypto service providers, tightening inspections of non-compliant exchanges, and aligning South Korea more closely with international standards, such as the Financial Action Task Force's travel rule. The Cool Down
• South Korea / stablecoin & spot-ETF push - the 2026 growth plan signals an accelerated Phase-2 digital-asset legislative drive-expect a stablecoin framework and moves to enable spot crypto ETFs, which will raise on-shore licensing and bank-involvement checks for counterparties. Continuum
• South Korea's interest could be welcomed in Moscow, even given Seoul's participation in sanctions, as Russia seeks to demonstrate that the Arctic route remains internationally relevant beyond China. High North News
• South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops in combined defence against North Korea's military threat and Seoul has raised its defence budget by 7.5% for 2026. The Guardian

Last updated: 11 February 2026