NEOWIZ said on July 22 that it has begun pre-registration for Kingdom 2: Blazing Battlefield ("Kingdom 2"), a new mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by its subsidiary FOW Games.

Unlike conventional class-based combat systems, Kingdom 2 allows players to combine races and weapons to create their own combat style. Players can choose one of three races and one of five weapon types, enabling a total of 15 different character combinations.

The game features a variety of content, including field hunting, party dungeons, the Tower of Infinity and world boss battles. Players can also strengthen their characters through rune upgrades, mana infusion and artifacts. Cooperative content includes guild housing, research and festivals.

Players who pre-register will receive a summon voucher that can be used to obtain a rare-grade armor appearance, along with enhancement materials and in-game gold. NEOWIZ will also hold a prize drawing offering Samsung Galaxy S26+ smartphones and Google Play Gift Cards to selected participants.

LG CNS announced on July 21 that it is launching an AI Transformation (AX) Training Program aimed at preparing job seekers for careers in artificial intelligence through hands-on industry training.

The program is part of the government's K-Digital Training (KDT) AI Campus initiative, which is backed by a 130 billion won investment to train 10,000 AI engineers. Overseen by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the initiative selected LG CNS as one of its training providers, with courses scheduled to begin on July 28.

LG CNS will offer two specialized tracks: a Model Context Protocol (MCP)-based Agentic AI Service Developer course and a Knowledge Graph-based AI Data Engineer course.

The Agentic AI Service Developer program is designed to teach participants how to build enterprise-grade agentic AI services using advanced AI technologies, including large language models (LLMs) and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).

The AI Data Engineer course focuses on applying knowledge graph technology to structure enterprise data so that AI systems can utilize it more effectively.

LG CNS said its AI specialists will serve as mentors throughout both programs, providing participants with practical expertise and hands-on experience that can be applied directly in industrial settings.

"We will actively contribute to nurturing future talent equipped with practical AX capabilities through the AI Campus," said Lee Ho-goon, executive vice president in charge of LG CNS's Public, Telecom and Education AX Business. "Building on the AX technology expertise we have accumulated across diverse industries, we will continue expanding our business-specialized AX training programs."

SGA Solutions announced on July 21 that it has been selected as a solution provider for South Korea's ICT SME Information Security Support Program.

The program, jointly administered by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), is designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities, particularly those with limited security personnel and investment resources.

SGA Solutions will participate in the Honam regional consortium led by Piolink, providing endpoint security solutions including VirusChaser 10 AI, VirusChaser MyPC Guardian and PatchChaser.

The company will be responsible for strengthening endpoint security for participating SMEs. Endpoints include user devices connected to corporate networks, such as desktop PCs, laptops and smartphones.

VirusChaser 10 AI is an AI-powered antivirus solution that uses a deep learning engine to detect previously unknown and emerging malware variants. VirusChaser MyPC Guardian is a diagnostic solution that assesses the security status of individual PCs and identifies vulnerabilities. PatchChaser enhances endpoint security by identifying vulnerabilities and applying operating system and software patches before they can be exploited.

SGA Solutions said it expects the project to improve the overall endpoint security posture of SMEs across the Honam region.

Joycity announced on July 21 that its mobile military strategy game Gunship Battle: Total Warfare is launching a collaboration with the global science fiction animation franchise Robotech.

Robotech is a science fiction series centered on the transformable Veritech Fighter and an interstellar war. The collaboration will be rolled out in two phases. The first phase will run from July 29 through Aug. 26, with the second phase scheduled to begin after the first campaign concludes.

During the event, players will be able to experience an exclusive storyline in which they repair the legendary space battleship SDF-1 while fighting against the Zentradi forces.

The collaboration will also introduce a new shooting mini-game, Veritech Interception, along with exclusive fighter aircraft and squadron skins based on the VF-1A and VF-1J Veritech Fighters.

Additional Robotech-themed content, collaboration events and special missions will also be available throughout the campaign.

A South Korean court has dismissed Webzen Inc.'s request for a preliminary injunction seeking to block game developer Hound 13 Inc. from independently publishing its game Dragon Sword. As a result, Hound 13 will proceed with the release of Dragon Sword: Awakening on Steam as scheduled.

​According to legal sources on July 23, the Civil Agreement Division 60 of the Seoul Central District Court dismissed Webzen's injunction application against Hound 13 on July 22.

​The conflict between the two companies escalated following the launch of Dragon Sword. Released on Jan. 21 as a free-to-play online game, the title underperformed relative to market expectations. The companies subsequently blamed each other for prolonged development cycles and disappointing financial performance, with publisher Webzen and developer Hound 13 offering conflicting accounts.

​Hound 13 initially declared the publishing agreement terminated, asserting that Webzen failed to pay 60% of the minimum guarantee (MG) due after launch and attempted to acquire the developer at a depressed valuation.

​Webzen countered that Hound 13 unilaterally announced the agreement's termination without meeting legal requirements and publicly disclosed the dispute. Webzen subsequently paid the remaining MG balance specified in the contract.

​In a statement issued on July 23, Hound 13 said, "The court determined that Webzen failed to fulfill its contractual obligations within the agreed deadline and expressed a clear intention to refuse payment. Consequently, the court ruled that Hound 13's termination of the agreement was lawful and valid."

​The company added, "The court also found that Webzen failed to provide sufficient evidence regarding alleged unauthorized use of localization materials. It further ruled that the launch of Dragon Sword: Awakening would not cause irreparable harm to Webzen."

​With the injunction denied, Hound 13 will launch Dragon Sword: Awakening globally on Steam on July 23. The title was developed as a single-player buy-to-play package after Hound 13 concluded the publishing agreement had been legally terminated.

​Unlike the original Dragon Sword, which featured a gacha monetization model, Dragon Sword: Awakening was redesigned into a Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) style. Players progress through story content by collecting and team-building characters, with enhanced console user interface features and revamped character designs.

​Meanwhile, Webzen stated its intention to appeal the court's decision.

​"The company plans to file an immediate appeal to seek a renewed judicial determination on key factual and legal matters," a Webzen representative said.

​A Hound 13 representative remarked, "The court's decision on the preliminary injunction validated most of our arguments, and we expect a consistent outcome in future proceedings." The representative added, "The original Dragon Sword is currently operated by a third-party service provider outside our control. We have requested service termination and asset transfer, but the process remains stalled."

GITSN Inc. returned to profitability in the second quarter of 2026, driven by growing sales of its Alpha-H wireless backdoor hacking detection system.

​The company said on July 23 that it recorded KRW 4.9 billion in consolidated revenue and KRW 460 million in operating profit for the second quarter.

​Revenue surged 82% from KRW 2.69 billion a year earlier. Operating profit turned around from an operating loss of KRW 1.14 billion in the same period last year, while net profit reached KRW 390 million.

​First-half cumulative revenue increased 50.8% year over year to KRW 7.36 billion. Sales of Alpha-H increased roughly sevenfold, leading the earnings recovery. First-half Alpha-H revenue was more than double the company's total wireless backdoor security revenue for all of last year.

​"The increase in sales of our proprietary systems translated directly into stronger profitability and top-line growth," GITSN said. The company attributed the performance to rising adoption of 24/7 continuous monitoring security systems among government agencies, corporations, and financial institutions.

​Alpha-H has expanded beyond initial deployments in the financial sector into broader commercial adoption. The platform is currently deployed across 26 domestic organizations and exported to customers in five countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia.

​In South Korea, the system is utilized by commercial banks, securities firms, credit card issuers, insurers, public institutions, defense organizations, semiconductor manufacturers, and information technology (IT) companies. Last month, GITSN secured supply agreements with global semiconductor manufacturers, while approximately 20 additional entities, including telecommunications operators and electric utilities, are evaluating system implementation.

South Korea's appeals court has declined to call HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk as a witness in the appeal of Kakao founder Kim Beom-su, who is accused of manipulating the stock price of SM Entertainment during the company's 2023 takeover battle.

Prosecutors had sought Bang's testimony to reinforce allegations that Kim conspired to manipulate SM's share price and obstruct HYBE's tender offer—claims that the trial court found insufficiently supported. With the witness request denied, the appeal is expected to proceed based primarily on existing evidence and legal arguments.

The Seoul High Court held the second appellate hearing on July 22 in Kim's case involving alleged violations of the Capital Markets Act. During the hearing, the court considered the prosecution's witness requests alongside the defense's arguments but declined to summon Bang.

The case centers on whether Kakao artificially drove up SM Entertainment's share price during the 2023 battle for control of the entertainment company to derail HYBE's tender offer. Prosecutors argue that Kakao's stock purchases constituted market manipulation, while Kim's defense maintains that the transactions were legitimate acquisitions made in the course of a normal merger and acquisition contest.

The management dispute began after SM Entertainment unveiled its "SM 3.0" strategy, ending the management structure centered on former executive producer Lee Soo-man. Lee subsequently sold his 14.8% stake in SM to HYBE, which launched a tender offer to acquire an additional 25% stake from public shareholders at 120,000 won per share.

Kakao initially sought to acquire newly issued shares and convertible bonds in cooperation with SM's management. However, those plans were blocked after a court granted Lee's request for an injunction prohibiting the share issuance. Kakao then began purchasing SM shares directly in the open market.

As SM's share price climbed above HYBE's 120,000 won tender offer price, HYBE acquired only about 0.98% of additional shares instead of its targeted 25% stake.

The takeover battle concluded in March 2023 when HYBE withdrew its bid for SM. Kakao subsequently launched its own tender offer at 150,000 won per share and became SM's largest shareholder. HYBE tendered all of its holdings into Kakao's offer but was left with a residual stake because the offer was oversubscribed. It later sold its remaining shares to Tencent Music Entertainment in 2025.

Prosecutors allege that Kakao conspired with private equity firm Oneasia Partners, investing approximately 240 billion won to keep SM's share price above 120,000 won and thereby frustrate HYBE's tender offer. They claim Kakao's internal "Project S Team" purchased SM shares at prices above the tender offer price on 553 occasions during the offer period in coordination with Oneasia Partners.

Kim's defense argues that SM's shares were already trading above the tender offer price at the time and that Kakao's purchases were legitimate transactions necessary to secure management control. The defense also maintains there is no evidence that Kim directed or conspired to manipulate the stock price.

The trial court acquitted Kim, acknowledging Kakao's acquisition efforts and the activities of Project S Team but concluding that prosecutors had failed to prove Kim recognized an intent to manipulate the market, directed the transactions or conspired with others to commit market manipulation.

On appeal, prosecutors continue to challenge that ruling by focusing on Kim's reporting and approval process and the purpose of the stock purchases. With Bang's testimony excluded, the appellate court is expected to determine whether the existing evidence—including meeting records, messages and trading data—is sufficient to establish Kim's involvement and an intent to manipulate SM's share price.