An analysis by AI Times and East Aid for the fourth week of May (May 22–28) found that fatal accidents, stock-market volatility and international developments dominated the top keywords.
The most searched topic this week was the “Seosomun overpass collapse” (8.76%).
Three people died when a section of the Seosomun overpass in Seoul collapsed during demolition. The collapse immediately disrupted train services; four days later, KTX services and the Gyeongui Line had been resumed. Labor authorities have executed search-and-seizure operations at seven locations, including the headquarters and site offices of the prime contractor and subcontractors.
In second place, for the second consecutive week, was the “Starbucks Tank Day controversy” (7.96%). Despite a public apology from Shinsegae Group chairman Jeong Yong-jin, criminal complaints from groups connected to the May 18 movement and ongoing boycott campaigns coincided with a drop of more than 8 billion KRW in Starbucks’ weekly payment volume over the week (roughly 6 million USD).
Promotions and new-product launch events were suspended, raising concerns about cascading damage to partner firms. Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oeul and Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung stepped up criticism, saying Starbucks staff require historical education.
In the stock market, interest in AI semiconductors pushed the “Samjeonix ETF launch” (3.35%) into the top rankings. A single-stock leveraged ETF tied to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix attracted more than 10 trillion KRW in trading volume on its first day—about 7.5 billion USD—and helped lift the KOSPI to a record high (3.11%).
Meanwhile, fallout from a Samsung Electronics union strike helped spark a Taiwan issue over a TSMC bonus strike (1.48%), prompting complaints from some employees.
In social news, several serious incidents made the list. At LG Electronics’ Magok plant, a subcontractor worker reacted to a dismissal notice by wielding a weapon, seriously injuring a team leader and a section chief in the “LG Electronics Magok stabbing” (3.16%); the suspect has been arrested.
Other top queries included the “Asan body discovery” (2.73%) and the “Suseo Station entrapment collapse” (2.23%), where a worker died after being buried during sewer pipeline maintenance near Suseo Station.
On the international front, reports that U.S.-Iran talks on a memorandum of understanding toward a ceasefire have entered final stages put the “U.S.-Iran agreement” (1.77%) on the list. Initial optimism about the talks pushed the won–dollar exchange rate lower (1.44%), but in the afternoon net foreign selling and demand for dividend remittances drove the rate up 5.1 KRW to close at 1,507.9 KRW per dollar.
Other top keywords included “Typhoon Jangmi approaching” (3.75%), the arrest of Kim Se-e on defamation charges (1.84%), a group assault of teenage middle-school girls (1.58%), and a North Korean ballistic missile launch (1.50%).
You can view real-time AI issue trends on the 줌 포털.
Reporter Kim Hae-won hwkim@aitimes.com
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