Herald

• CJ ENM and Japan's Nippon TV have co-produced "Merry Berry Love," a global TV series scheduled for a worldwide premiere in October. • The cross-border romance stars Ji Chang-wook as Yoo-bin, a Korean spatial designer, and Mio Imada as Karin, a Japanese farmer. • The project highlights a growing trend of international collaborations in the drama industry to navigate cultural and national boundaries.

• National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik clarified on Wednesday that he is not proposing a constitutional revision to allow the incumbent president to serve a second term. • The statement follows speculation that changes to the Constitution could be used to extend the current presidency beyond the single five-year term limit. • This clarification aims to dismiss claims that the legislative leadership is seeking to manipulate term limits for political gain or personal extension.

• South Korean election authorities reportedly made 72 revisions to data figures following the local elections held on June 3. • The revisions were revealed in data released on Monday, sparking significant controversy and allegations of irregularities regarding the vote count. • This development matters as it fuels public distrust in the electoral process and raises questions about the accuracy of the official results.

• People Power Party chairman Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok criticized President Lee Jae Myung's proposal to introduce electronic voting for overseas Koreans. • Jang described the suggestion as being "like a fox guarding the henhouse," arguing that the move could compromise the integrity of South Korea's electoral process. • The dispute highlights a significant political divide over the security and fairness of digital voting mechanisms in national elections.

• South Korea's five largest financial groups achieved a record combined net income of 13.12 trillion won ($8.97 billion) during the first half of the year. • Shinhan Financial Group contributed to this growth with a 13.3 percent profit increase, driven by a 19.7 percent rise in noninterest income. • The rally was supported by strong performance in securities and asset management, which increased the nonbank share of group profit to 35 percent.

• The US Treasury included South Korea on its semiannual foreign exchange monitoring list in a report released Thursday. • Despite South Korea's strong economic fundamentals and a large current account surplus, the US noted that the won remains under sustained depreciation pressure. • South Korea remains on the watchlist alongside nine other nations, including China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and Thailand.

• CJ ENM announced on Wednesday that it has secured 12 nominations across seven different categories for the 2026 ContentAsia Awards. • Organized by the media platform ContentAsia, these awards are designed to recognize exceptional content and creative talent throughout the Asia-Pacific region. • This achievement highlights CJ ENM's significant influence and creative leadership within the competitive Asian entertainment and media landscape.