KOSPI Driven by Samsung and SK hynix: Listed Companies Post 388 Trillion Won in Operating Profit in H1 [One-Minute Brief]

[At a Glance]

① [Market] KOSPI H1 Sales Reach 2,000 Trillion Won… Net Profit Quadruples on Semiconductor Boom

② [Commodities] "Ukraine Airstrike Aftermath" Leaves Russia Facing Severe Fuel Shortages… Long Queues and Rationing Implemented

③ [Defense] JCS: "Reduction of ROK-U.S. Joint Exercises"… Concerns Over Defense Posture, OPCON Transition, and Nuclear Submarines

MARKET INDEX : Year to date

TOP 3 NEWS

■ KOSPI-Listed Companies' Operating Profit Hits 388 Trillion Won in H1... Even Excluding Samsung and SK hynix, Up 75%

○KOSPI sales exceed 2,000 trillion won
○Electronics and medical devices drive growth
○KOSDAQ also posts strong results

■ "An Oil-Producing Country But No Oil"… At Every Gas Station, 200 Cars in Line: What's Behind This Bizarre Scene?

○Long lines of cars at Moscow and Tambov gas stations in Russia
○18 refineries struck, processing capacity drops by one-third
○Emergency import of 68,000 tons of Indian gasoline

■ JCS: "ROK-U.S. Joint Exercises Reduced"… Three Major Repercussions Expected

○Drills halved at the order of former President Trump
○Concerns over negative impact on defense posture and transition of wartime operational control
○Possible delays in nuclear submarine schedules and increased demands for cost-sharing

Profitable Laws

■ Rapid Rise in Compensation for Past Incidents… Ministry of Justice Diverts 42.5 Billion Won From Other Budgets

○Criminal compensation surges due to a series of exonerations in retrials involving past cases
○Last year, main budget rose from 42 billion won to an actual outlay of 127.4 billion won
○Ministry of Justice says, "Need to forecast compensation demand and reflect it in the main budget"
☞Read more:  https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2026081914271636272

■ After Fake Precedents, AI Manipulation Commands Detected for the First Time in U.S. Law

○AI manipulation commands secretly embedded in litigation documents to influence rulings
○Violations repeated despite warnings... Rights to file electronic lawsuits revoked
○Korea, soon to expand AI-based trials, also needs to prepare countermeasures
☞Read more:  https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2026081914315262845

■ Prosecution Service? Resignation?… Prosecutors Face Dilemma

○Relatively low turnout of prosecutors at Central Investigation Bureau information sessions
○Prosecutors increasingly troubled by impending organizational restructuring
○Securing specialized investigative personnel in areas such as special, financial, and economic crimes is key
☞Read more:  https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2026081914343626299

The "Profitable Laws" section, a content partnership between The Asia Business Daily and Law Times, is featured every Tuesday and Thursday.

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.