South Korea stands at an inflection point in its economic story, where the global hunger for artificial intelligence chips has translated into export surpluses that are rewriting the country's annual records in just half a year. The Bank of Korea, which had projected 2.6 percent growth for 2026, now faces a chorus of analysts pointing toward 3.1 to 3.4 percent — a revision that reflects not only the semiconductor boom but a quiet recovery in the spending habits of ordinary citizens. Yet beneath the optimism runs a familiar human tension: the question of whether a good thing will last, and how