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] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] South Korea said Friday that it will launch its fifth military spy satellite from a US space base this weekend. Medium
• [New] Nvidia will supply around 260,000 GPUs to support South Korea's AI computing and manufacturing capabilities. Arkansas Online
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] Rapid digital transformation in countries such as India, China, Japan, and South Korea has created vast opportunities for cybersecurity vendors. openpr
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] Asia Pacific is forecast as the fastest-growing region, driven by rising healthcare expenditure, expanding hospital networks, medical tourism, and increasing awareness of minimally invasive surgery benefits in countries such as China, India, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Vantage Market Research
• [New] Asia-Pacific markets beyond China present significant growth opportunities, particularly in Australia, South Korea, and Japan, where grid stability concerns and renewable energy targets are driving storage deployment. Discovery Alert
• [New] Japan, South Korea, and European nations working together on Ukraine support creates habits of cooperation and shared understanding that could prove valuable in addressing future challenges. Second Line of Defense
• [New] Several economies will hit multi-year highs in 2025, including South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. Insurance Business
• [New] Korean Air plans to purchase up to 100 Midnight aircraft as South Korea accelerates its urban air mobility ambitions. Zag Daily
• [New] South Korea is expected to spend $20.8 billion on procurement of various military fixed wing aircrafts between 2025 and 2035. APDR
• The ongoing breaches in South Korea could prompt international regulations, pushing developers to adopt more rigorous testing and ethical AI practices in their projects. Coaio Limited
• Members of the Lee administration have suggested reducing training and altering force structure near the Demilitarized Zone, which could leave South Korea vulnerable to North Korean provocation. American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• Joint task force - Cambodia's Ministry of Interior and South Korea will establish a joint task force, similar to mechanisms Cambodia has formed with other countries, to speed up coordination in preventing and cracking down on online scams. null

Last updated: 05 November 2025