1. Semiconductors

South Korea's exports surged to $35bn in the first ten days of September, up 82.6% year on year and the highest figure ever recorded for that period. Semiconductor shipments led the charge, jumping 270.1% to $16.5bn and accounting for 47.1% of total exports. Samsung's foundry division has allocated more than half of its 4-nanometre production capacity to manufacturing base dies for HBM4 memory chips, signalling a meaningful ramp-up in supply of the high-bandwidth memory used in AI accelerators from the third quarter onwards.

2. Substrates

Samsung Electro-Mechanics and LG Innotek both exhibited at KPCA Show 2026, South Korea's largest semiconductor-packaging trade fair, held from the 9th to the 11th at Songdo Convensia in Incheon. Samsung Electro-Mechanics displayed five product lines, including 2.5D and 2.1D package substrates, glass substrates, and flip-chip ball-grid-array (FC-BGA) boards for automotive applications. LG Innotek countered with an 85mm × 85mm large-area FC-BGA and a prototype of an oversized FC-BGA with 40% more surface area. Glass substrates—seen as a potential successor to conventional organic boards for advanced packaging—emerged as the principal battleground between the two rivals.

3. Internet

Kakao plans to launch a beta version next month of "Kakao Membership", a bundled subscription that ties together its taxi-hailing, shopping, music, payments, and content services for its 55.35 million KakaoTalk users, with a full commercial launch targeted for next year. The move sets up a direct clash with Naver, whose Naver Plus Membership already integrates a broad range of internal and external services. Competition between the two dominant Korean internet platforms for subscription loyalty is set to intensify sharply.

4. Power Equipment

HD Hyundai Electric announced on the 7th that it holds the leading market share in North America's extra-high-voltage transformer market, with its order backlog exceeding $8.5bn—equivalent to four to five years of work. The company also raised its full-year order target by 22.8%, to $5.185bn, reflecting robust demand driven by the build-out of data centres and grid infrastructure across the region.

5. Shipbuilding

Hanwha Ocean secured an order on the 7th from US-listed Dorian LPG for three dual-fuel panamax very large gas carriers (VLGCs). Separately, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries disclosed on the 10th that it will invest a total of 1.0722 trillion won in two new ventures: a 3-gigawatt "HiMSEN" engine manufacturing complex in Ulju County, Ulsan (836.6bn won, due for completion in May 2028), and a dedicated factory for small modular reactor (SMR) primary components on its Ulsan shipyard site (238.6bn won, to be completed in the first half of 2029). Both investments target electricity demand generated by AI data centres and the emerging SMR market.

The order boom has not, however, quieted the yards. Hanwha Ocean's union has been conducting rolling strikes since 31st August; on the 9th, some 4,700 workers staged a full eight-hour work stoppage. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' union began a four-hour partial strike on the 11th and has warned of escalating action from the 14th to the 18th.

6. Defence

Hanwha Aerospace announced on the 11th that it has signed a contract with Croatia's Ministry of Defence to export 18 Chunmoo multiple-launch rocket systems for approximately 641bn won (€410m). The four-year contract runs from 10th September 2026 to 9th September 2030. Billed as South Korea's first major defence-export agreement with Croatia, the deal is expected to pave the way for broader industrial co-operation and long-term logistics support.

7. Nuclear Power

Seoul is reportedly weighing a plan to bundle the construction of eight large nuclear reactors in the United States—a project valued at roughly $120bn—with an equity investment in Westinghouse Electric, and to have both counted as part of South Korea's commitment to increase investment in America. News of the discussions sent shares in Korea Power Engineering (한전기술), a nuclear plant designer, soaring 16.60% on the 9th to close at 142,600 won.

8. K-Pop

Boy group Pentagon marked its tenth debut anniversary on the 11th with the release of "Coward", their first full-group single in three years. On the same day, girl group Le Sserafim made a rapid return, dropping their second single album, *Made My Night*, just four months after their second studio album.

9. Leisure

The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute's monthly brand-reputation ranking for listed leisure companies—based on data collected between 10th August and 10th September—saw travel agency Modetour reclaim first place, posting a 58% month-on-month surge to overtake rival Hana Tour. Paradise, a casino and resort operator, jumped 44% to take third place.

10. Capital Markets

The KOSPI fell 124.01 points, or 1.76%, to close at 6,909.91 on the 11th, slipping back below the 7,000 mark for the first time in four sessions. Sentiment was dampened by rising crude-oil prices and higher US long-term Treasury yields, with investors also cautious ahead of American inflation data. The KOSDAQ shed 16.28 points, or 1.95%, to finish at 820.64. Foreign and institutional investors were net sellers of 2.3 trillion won and 1.2 trillion won respectively, while retail investors absorbed 1.8 trillion won on a net basis.