Dollar Near Two-Week High as Stock Rout, AI Concerns and Global Events Drive Market Volatility 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off 
FDA Targets Hims & Hers Over $49 Weight-Loss Pill, Raising Legal and Safety Concerns 
Thailand Inflation Remains Negative for 10th Straight Month in January 
SpaceX Pushes for Early Stock Index Inclusion Ahead of Potential Record-Breaking IPO 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Warns Inflation Risks Remain as Rates Stay Steady 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
SK Telecom revealed on Thursday, Aug. 19, that it will be offering its metaverse platform called ifland to 80 countries around the world. The South Korean mobile service provider will be launching its virtual meeting platform overseas by the end of this year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, SK Telecom Inc.’s move is part of its plans to join the global metaverse frenzy. The company unveiled ifland just last month and it allowed users to communicate with others through avatars that can be personalized according to the users’ likeness.
The avatars in the metaverse could also be placed in various online settings from cafes, studios, stadiums, and more. Such a platform is growing and its popularity has been booming since last year. The pandemic boosted its popularity as the younger generations and tech-savvy individuals are getting into it while staying at home.
Now, as more people are getting to know what metaverse is and how they are being used, SK Telecom is expanding its business in this virtual world line through developing ifland further and turning it into a global platform.
The company’s plan is to launch it in at least 80 regions worldwide for now. Then again, SK Telecom has yet to reveal the specific countries it selected for the ifland’s initial global launch.
It was mentioned that SKT is planning to attract more users through Kpop content. This means it will be holding fan meetings regularly on the platform and offer a service where users can make their own virtual world or environments.
What’s more, users may be able to buy and sell on the platform as SKT is also considering adding a market system this year. The mobile carrier’s push for its metaverse business is also to bolster the public's adoption of its 5G network service.
"The metaverse is expected to evolve fast in coming years, as it became a buzzword unnoticeably," The Korea Times quoted a company official as saying at a press conference this week. "To cope with the rapidly changing trend, we push to introduce ifland in around 80 countries within this year."
Yang Maeng Seog, SK Telecom's head of metaverse biz, added, “In the end, we dream of a metaverse world where people come in to create new content and carry out economic activities.”
