World Cup Spotlight: South Korea kicked off its 2026 campaign with a dramatic 2-1 comeback over Czechia in Guadalajara, with Hwang In-beom scoring and setting up Oh Hyeon-gyu after Czechia took the lead—an early statement for Group A. FIFA Under Fire: FIFA defended its official attendance of 44,985 for the match after TV showed many empty seats, saying figures are based on ticket scans and people within the stadium footprint, not what cameras show. Tech & Economy: Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang signed new AI and memory deals in Seoul, including a plan for South Korea’s state AI project to secure thousands of GPUs and partnerships with SK Hynix, SK Telecom, Naver and Doosan to expand AI cloud and data centers. Data Privacy: South Korea’s privacy regulator hit Coupang with a record fine of about $408 million (624.68 billion won) over a breach affecting over 33 million users, citing weak safeguards and late notification. North Korea-US Tensions: North Korea condemned a U.S. approval for advanced air-to-air missile sales to South Korea, warning it would worsen peninsula tensions. Politics: Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to 30 years in prison over a 2024 drone operation tied to his failed martial law bid. Diplomacy: President Lee Jae-myung and Italy’s leaders signed MOUs in Rome to deepen cooperation in advanced science and technology and explore joint projects in Africa.