South Korea–France Defense & Tech Push: President Lee Jae Myung and Emmanuel Macron signed multiple pacts in Paris to deepen defense cooperation, upgrade military secret information protection, and coordinate on logistics, while also targeting joint research and investment across AI, quantum, mobility, energy, biotech, and beauty. AI for Industry: Naver proposed “AI factory” cooperation with France, aiming to build industry-specific models and AI infrastructure partnerships for European firms. Semiconductor AI Collaboration: Samsung Electronics and France’s Mistral AI will co-develop a semiconductor-specialized AI model for chip design and manufacturing, with Samsung investing in Mistral and planning phased on-prem deployment. Chip Supply Chain Focus: Kioxia’s CEO played down closer manufacturing ties with SK hynix, citing antitrust concerns, while Seoul markets tracked chip strength. Semiconductor Materials Award: KCC researcher Kim Tae-yoon received a Prime Minister’s Commendation for localizing advanced epoxy molding compound used in DDR5 packaging. Digital Assets Watch: Stablecoin regulation timelines keep shifting, but firms are accelerating infrastructure prep ahead of the 2027 security token framework. Security & Geopolitics: An EU official warned Russia–North Korea military cooperation is “structural” and likely to persist beyond Ukraine. Energy Pressure on Markets: Oil surged toward $100 as Middle East tensions escalated, keeping Asian stocks cautious. Privacy Alarm: South Korea’s gender ministry is considering legal action against Google over alleged data leakage involving digital sex crime victims. Health Screening AI: LG CNS will deploy AI agents at Chaum health screening centers to streamline nurse workflows and expand to CHA Hospital sites.