"I'm going to take away the most precious thing." The 男 who killed his lover's son on the break-up notice turned out to be a habitual offender?

■ Broadcasting: FM 94.5 (06:40~06:55, 12:40~12:55, 19:40~19:55)
■ Broadcast date: January 2, 2025 (Thursday)
■ Host: Lawyer Lee Won-hwa
■ Lawyer Kang Eun-ha

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

◆ Reporter Cho Tae-hyun (hereinafter referred to as Cho Tae-hyun): It's time to deliver news from coverage to news in one queue. It's a live Times time. Today, we will be joined by reporter Oh So-young from The Guru. Welcome, reporter.

◇ Reporter Oh So-young of The Guru (hereinafter referred to as Oh So-young): Yes, hello.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: As it's the first time in the new year, there are always little things that change little by little in the new year. Let's first organize what we have. What do you have to tell me first?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, first of all, it's news that young people are interested in. It's about the young man's leaping account. The Youth Leap Account is such a financial product that the government supports in the mid- to long-term so that young people can raise a large amount of money. The key is that government contributions have increased from up to 24,000 won to 33,000 won per month. Then, if you maintain this subscription for more than three years, you can receive tax-free benefits along with this government contribution.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: It increased from up to 24,000 won to 33,000 won and 9,000 won per month. I don't think it's a lot of money, but if you save up, it's not a little money either. Support for Small Businesses Small businesses are in a very limited situation right now. You are being evaluated like this, so what kind of support do you have for this part?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, there are various things, but the most important thing is to reduce the debt burden. A customized debt adjustment program will be conducted for small business owners who are not overdue, and low-interest support will be provided for up to 30 years for small business owners who close their businesses. And the target of the new start fund will be expanded. The New Start Fund is a system created to support small business owners affected during the COVID-19 period. Previously, the target was until May 2024, but this part will be extended until November 2024. In addition, the card fee rate is also reduced for small businesses with annual sales of less than 3 billion won, which varies by sales section, but it is reduced by up to 0.10 percentage points.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Okay. Reducing card fees is actually a policy with business cards, but I also think it will help small business owners in difficult times like this. What kind of loan programs do you have for semiconductors?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, we have prepared a program that supports loans at a minimum interest rate of 2% to companies that want to invest in semiconductor facilities. So I think semiconductor companies in Korea will also benefit.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: You also mentioned things like loan support for semiconductor companies. There's another thing we said earlier, but short selling is completely prohibited right now. It is said that short selling will resume in March, so what system has been prepared to regulate short selling taxes?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, first of all, short selling will resume from March 31st. The government has also prepared measures in preparation for that. First of all, the government said that it would be good to establish a short selling computer system. This will sanction the illegal short-selling, which is called the non-borrowing short-selling. A short-selling computer system was established in the sense of doing post-mortem prevention, pre-prevention, and post-inspection. And when the institution and foreigners borrowed stocks for short selling, there was no repayment period before. However, we started to put the same sanctions as individuals by paying this back within 90 days. In addition, such sanctions have been prepared to restrict financial product transactions for up to five years and suspend account payments for illegal short selling or unfair trade activities.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: As I said earlier, the system of short selling itself is actually introduced because it has a much more positive function, but the problem is that discrimination between individuals and foreigners at the institution is too severe. And the punishment for those who cheated with this is too weak. That's what you can say. Those parts improve a lot, but we have to see if they will work. Nextrade Launch What is Nexttrade launch?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, it's called the first alternative exchange in Korea. It will be launched in the first half of this year. So, it is said that about 800 domestic listed companies listed on the KOSPI KOSDAQ registered on the Korea Exchange can be traded. So the biggest difference is the trading time. Stock trading is available for 12 hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: The Korea Exchange is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., so it's much longer.

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, and the trading and signing fee has also decreased by about 20% to 40%, so we are also drawing attention as to whether we can play the role of an exchange enough to replace the Korean exchange.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Monopoly isn't always good, so I think we should look at this in this area, but honestly, I don't think it's that easy. Since there is such a familiar system, what other financial benefits can the people receive?

◇ Oh So-young: A financial company protects the deposit limit when we put a deposit, but if it used to be the limit of 50 million won, it will be raised to 100 million won. And now, when we pay off the debt faster than expected, we will pay a prepayment fee. In the case of this prepayment fee, it is included this time to reduce the burden of the repayment fee so that the bank does not pass on all unnecessary expenses. You will also claim a lot of loss insurance, but in the past, you had to receive it from the hospital and claim it separately, but now it is digitized and computerized, and the hospital directly does it to the insurance company. That's why it's so convenient. This is also included in this content.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: The world is really getting better. Another thing to look at this year is the minimum wage, which is always a hot potato, what is the minimum wage this year?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, the first 10,000 won era has begun. So 2024 was 9,860 won, but it went up to 10,30 won this year. If you work 209 hours per month, you will receive 2,096,270 won. So you can think of it as more than 2 million won. Another thing to note about the minimum wage is that in Korea, when households are ordered in order of income, we call the middle income. The median income reference point has also gone up. So this year, it was decided to increase by 6.42% to KRW 6,097,773 based on four people.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: When you line up people like this, the person in the middle can see the monthly income of 6.09 million won. It's 6.09 million won for a household of four. I've looked at various policies and systems that have changed this year. From now on, we will go deeper into reporter Oh's area of expertise. I'm going to take a look at this part of this year's notable industry, what would you like to note?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, first of all, AI as a keyword. I don't think we can leave it out. This was a big topic last year, too. Last year, with the advent of Generative AI, many people said that AI's applications have expanded, but I think this year will be a year to see tangible results on how much AI applications have expanded.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Do you think it'll pay off?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, right now, on January 8, the world's largest consumer electronics IT fair called CES will be held in Las Vegas. At this time, companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and SK are expected to introduce various products with AI, as many Korean companies also participate. And another thing to note at CES is that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang will deliver a keynote speech. When it comes to AI, one of the most famous companies is NVIDIA right now, and CEO Jens Hwang AI is going to make a presentation on how it will affect the industry as a whole. And in the case of Google and OpenA, they are now introducing various services by releasing ChatGPT or Gemini. Gemini is also planning to introduce a more diverse function, and ChatGPT has been released up to 4, but there are talks that 5 could come out a little this year. I think this part will also be a driving force in leading the expansion and growth of AI.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Open AI is leading AI's software with ChatGPT, and it's also noisy now over whether to convert to a for-profit corporation or not. I'll try to deal with this later if I have a chance. AI doesn't seem to lead to profits for AI companies right now, but it seems that they are eating a lot of profits elsewhere. Will that trend continue this year for semiconductors and power devices?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, first of all, if you look at power device companies, big tech companies such as Google and Amazon have continued to announce that they will increase investment in AI data centers. Unlike existing data centers, this AI data center is optimized for AI, such as advanced computation or reasoning such as AI learning. That's why it consumes a lot of power.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: So when you play high-end games, does it feel like the computer suddenly runs?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, so compared to the existing data center, it consumes up to 5 times more power. So, according to the announcement by Gartner, a market research firm, electricity may be short by 2027. And over the next two years, power consumption will increase by 160%. This is what I'm talking about. Then, in the end, investment in the power sector will inevitably increase. Companies such as LS Electric, HD Hyundai Electric, and Hyosung Heavy Industries that supply transformer products to Korea and operate in the power supply sector are expected to continue to be positive this year following last year.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: That's why we need to keep the power on. Transformers and wire companies will benefit. Isn't there an SMR that's being discussed as an alternative? Is there no movement on this side?

◇ Oh So-young: SMR also announced that it would invest in Amazon, and Google also invested in
I've announced that. So, if the performance in this area becomes more visible, I think SMR will also receive enough attention as an investment companion.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Please mention this small module reactor a little bit, too. What are the pros and cons?

◇ Oh So-young: Small module reactors are now very small compared to large reactors. This is said to be one-third the size, so of course, construction costs are bound to become cheaper. The period is bound to be shortened. And it's small and all the parts will fit in one container. So it's very simple, so it's being evaluated as a more stable reactor. However, the biggest disadvantage is that it has not been commercialized yet. Because you have to develop a lot of technology, there is no choice but to put a lot of funds in it. So, Newscale Power also prepared to start construction because it said it would make the first commercialized reactor in the United States a small reactor, but that was canceled. As such, there are certainly areas where we have to wait and see whether this will be commercialized or not.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Especially for those who invest, you need to focus on this and take good care of how it goes. Depending on AI technology in the semiconductor industry, joy and sorrow will be divided again this year. There is a prospect that it will continue, do you agree with this prospect?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, there is a saying that the semiconductor industry is very bad this year. Therefore, even in the case of memory, market research institutes are announcing that DRAM and NAND flash belonging to DRAM and memory semiconductors will fall from up to 13% to 15%. It is said that it will fall that much in the first quarter of this year, but it seems that demand for smartphones and PCs has naturally slowed down, and there are stocks of existing general-purpose memory products. That's why some even say that AI is the only hope. So when the stock market announces, SK Hynix says its performance is good this year. So, the business has slowed down, but if you look at why it's good, it seems to be due to ancient headwind memory HBM. As SK Hynix supplies HBM to NVIDIA now, it is said that its market share is more than 50% in the global market. As we continue to cooperate with NVIDIA in the future, it is expected to gain market dominance in this HBM sector. So, I told you earlier this year that CEO Jens Hwang will give a keynote speech at the CES event I mentioned earlier. Chairman Chey Tae-won is also likely to visit. I already went to last year and the second year. So, if we visit this year and meet the CEO of NVIDIA and talk about this and that, I think this will look positive in the market.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: SK will be positive, but it will be negative news for Samsung Electronics, how is Samsung Electronics doing now?

◇ Oh So-young: Samsung Electronics is also trying to keep up with the technology by developing HBM, but there is no clear explanation about Nvidia's delivery.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: It's been a year all last year, and there's still none.

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, so I think we have to wait and see about that.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Yes, I see. Let's take a look at this as well. We've talked about AI so far. What other sports are you paying attention to?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, I'd like to talk about defense. Defense is one of the stocks that is considered to be Trump's marginalized stocks. Because now Trump keeps putting pressure on NATO to increase defense spending. And in fact, the prevailing view is that the global defense budget will increase this year. And Trump said that he really wants our country's trap technology. So, we always picked Korea as a partner and talked about it, so we have to see if Korean companies will continue to win actual ship orders in the United States. If you look at this by company, Hanwha Aerospace announced that it will build another K9 self-propelled artillery plant in Romania in the first half of this year. If that happens, exports can be increased throughout Europe based in Romania, and K9 self-propelled artillery is being discussed as the next U.S. Army self-propelled gun candidate, so this is described as a very global best-selling weapon. Additional orders can be made from India, Vietnam, Bulgaria, and so on. And Hyundai Rotem had news of negotiations with Poland on the k2 tank last year. It looks like it will be finished this year. In that case, the order is more than 6 trillion won, so it is expected to benefit from that. And in the case of Kai, the Korean aerospace industry, it has recently been reported that it has exported Surion, a domestic helicopter, to Iraq. After Iraq, this is the UA expressing interest in Surion. And news of fighter exports is expected to continue to other countries such as Romania, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: From self-propelled artillery to tank helicopters. In fact, as the world situation is unstable, domestic defense is attracting attention, which is a bit unfortunate, but anyway, opportunities seem to be opportunities. Along with Bangsan, Joseon was the place you mentioned a while ago. Shipbuilding Industry Here Trump has picked us up as our trap-building partner. Then, should we say that the so-called super cycle of Joseon will continue for a while?

◇ Oh So-young: The super cycle is also expected to continue this year. Trump talked about that trap, but another one talked about the resurgence of fossil fuels in energy policy. Then, orders from the United States are expected to continue, centering on LNG carriers and LPG crude oil carriers that Korea grows. And one of the countries that we're looking at along with the United States is India right now. We announced that we would expand our fleet to up to 1,000 units in India. However, since their shipyards lack capabilities, the government recently formed a delegation to look around HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean Samsung Heavy Industries, and if these negotiations progress, I think the shipbuilding sector will also hear good news from India.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: It is said that China is catching up a lot, but can we still say that Korea is ahead of the curve on this side?

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, there are ships that China is good at and there are ships that our country is good at, but in the case of LNG carriers, our country occupies the largest share. And one of the things Trump said is that he will increase shale gas a lot. Then, in the end, orders for LNG carriers will inevitably increase. Now, with the war in Ukraine continuing to prolong, LNG orders from Europe are bound to continue. Then, I think there will be some good news from the perspective of Korea, which is good at LNG ships.

◆ Cho Tae-hyun: Okay. Shipbuilding companies have enjoyed a very boom this year, but it is worth paying attention to whether this boom will continue for the time being. So far, I have reviewed various policies that change the new year and the overall trend of the industry with reporter Oh So-young of The Guru. Thank you for talking today.

◇ Oh So-young: Yes, thank you.

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