Investment steers toward hotel industry | Gambling in the military
Foreign investors are capitalizing on Korea's hotel room crunch, while smartphone use on military bases has driven a rise in soldier gambling.Summary
This article is a daily news roundup from the Korea JoongAng Daily dated September 2, 2026, highlighting several key stories. The top business story focuses on foreign investment flooding into Korea's hotel industry. With tourism rebounding faster than new hotel rooms can be built, major investors such as Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, and Singapore-based CapitaLand Investment are acquiring and rebranding properties, particularly three- and four-star hotels, to capitalize on the supply crunch.
The feature story addresses a growing problem in the Korean military: gambling among soldiers. Since the military permitted smartphone use on bases in 2019, illegal gambling has risen significantly, leading to mounting debts for service members.
Additional stories include a White House official's statement that President Trump remains open to unconditional talks with Kim Jong-un, a race to develop new AI chips due to data bottlenecks, a jurisdiction question in a Coupang data breach lawsuit, a tugboat capsizing off Busan resulting in one death and six missing, extended hours at Han River parks, a Jeju police officer accused of deleting records in missing children and disability cases, a Korean-operated tanker struck in the Strait of Hormuz, a man ordered to pay full damages for a fake bomb threat, and a KAIST-developed $7 phone tool to detect hidden cameras.
(Source：Koreajoongangdaily Joins News)