President Lee Jae Myung declared South Korea's deadly heatwave a national disaster after temperatures reached 42.5°C in Yangsan—the highest in 122 years of weather observations—and at least 19 people died. Seoul received its first-ever severe heatwave warning as authorities ordered emergency measures including halting outdoor work.
South Korea has implemented AI-powered cameras on Seoul's Han River bridges to detect potential suicide attempts, while researchers in the U.S. are developing AI algorithms that use physiological signals and emergency room data to identify individuals at risk of suicide.
Dozens of cryptocurrency investors lost millions of XRP tokens after being duped by a fraudulent website impersonating the Flare Network. Seoul police are investigating the scam, with losses potentially continuing to rise.
South Korean police arrested three individuals behind a fraudulent XRP staking platform that stole 3.4 million XRP (worth $8.5 million) from 71 investors by impersonating Flare Network and promising fixed monthly returns.
Korea's Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and the Ministry of Science and ICT have launched a project to build deposit token-based payment infrastructure, expanding the Bank of Korea's 'Project Hangang' CBDC pilot results into the private payment sector. The initiative was officially kicked off at a joint ceremony in Seoul on July 22, 2026.
Cosmos Labs, the core development team behind the Cosmos blockchain ecosystem, has acquired the Mintscan block explorer product suite and launched Cosmos Labs Korea Co., Ltd., a new Seoul-based subsidiary to expand infrastructure and strengthen its presence in the Korean market.
A vessel operated by South Korean shipping company HMM experienced a fire and explosion in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. The incident occurred in the strategically crucial waterway amid heightened regional tensions.
