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  Korean Drugmakers Diversify Into New Businesses to Offset Price Cuts, Supply Risks South Korea’s pharmaceutical and biotech industry is accelerating diversification as a survival strategy amid drug price cuts and global supply-chain uncertainty tied to Middle East tensions. Companies are widening their portfolios beyond medicines, from health supplements and animal drugs to solar power and even car-wash operations. Industry officials said April 1 that several established drugmakers are adding new business purposes at shareholder meetings this season, positioning th April 2, 2026
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  Actor Kim Hong-pyo Becomes a Father at 52, Welcomes Daughter Actor Kim Hong-pyo has become a father at 52. In a social media post on April 1, Kim said, "I became a dad on April 1," adding, "Both my daughter and my wife are healthy." "Now that my time as a father is beginning, my mindset is different," he wrote, thanking those who supported him. He also noted that the parents' combined ages are "100" under Korea's age-counting system, and offered encouragement to others preparing for parenthood. Kim married a non-celebrity woman six years youn April 2, 2026
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  Super Junior’s Donghae Reveals Track List for First Full-Length Album ‘ALIVE’ Super Junior member Donghae has released the track list for his first full-length album, “ALIVE.” Donghae posted the track list at midnight Thursday on his official social media channels. The album will feature double title tracks “Good Day (Feat. Jay Park, 1iL)” and “Haetteotne,” along with “ALIVE,” “EAST COAST,” “RACE,” and “HELP.” Also included are “ROCKET,” “Goodbye (Feat. TABLO),” “TOO LATE,” “FLOWER,” “To You(),” “HBD,” and “BEAUTIFUL,” for a total of 13 tracks spanning multipl April 2, 2026
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  South Korea Drops to No. 25 in FIFA Rankings After Two Losses in March Friendlies South Korea fell three places to No. 25 in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings after losing both of its March internationals. FIFA announced the updated standings on April 1 (Korea time). South Korea had been No. 22 in the first rankings release of the year in January. The national team coached by Hong Myung-bo was routed 4-0 by Ivory Coast on March 28 and then lost 1-0 to Austria on April 1, results that contributed to the drop. Japan, the highest-ranked Asian team, moved up one spo April 2, 2026
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  KB Kookmin Bank Expands QR Payments Across Indonesia in KB Star Banking App KB Kookmin Bank said April 2 it has expanded its cross-border QR payment service, “KB Star Banking Overseas Payment Service,” to cover all of Indonesia. The service, operated through the Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute, links Korean financial firms with overseas payment institutions so users can make QR payments abroad through their home-country banking apps. KB Kookmin Bank said it now offers the service in 12 countries and regions, including Indonesia, Japa April 2, 2026
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  PLAVE Releases Pre-Release Track 'Heung Heung Heung' After Fan Mission, Builds Comeback Buzz Virtual idol group PLAVE has released a pre-release song tied to a fan-completed mission, fueling anticipation for its comeback. The group recently ran a fan-participation event on its official promotional website. Fans joined as “secret agents,” played mini-games to collect “Star Shards,” and unlocked rewards once a target score was reached. The mission began at noon on March 28 and moved quickly with strong fan participation. The target score was reached at about 5:30 p.m. on April 1, April 2, 2026
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  Korean Pharma and Biotech Briefs: Dongkook, Dong-A, HK inno.N, Daewoong, Huons Dongkook Pharmaceutical marks 10th year of ‘Love Scaling’ volunteer dental program Dongkook Pharmaceutical said Wednesday it held a “Love Scaling” volunteer event with the Korean Academy of Periodontology on March 27 at Hanyang Women’s University. The program is a joint talent-donation initiative by the academy, the university and Dongkook Pharmaceutical. It provides oral checkups, scaling and other dental services to people who have difficulty visiting a dentist. A separate ceremony April 1, 2026
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  South Korea Expands ‘Culture Day’ to Weekly, but Movie Discounts Draw Backlash South Korea’s monthly “Culture Day,” previously held on the last Wednesday of each month, expanded in April to a weekly Wednesday program called “Culture Wednesday.” The change follows the Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry’s approval on March 3 of a revision to the enforcement decree of the Framework Act on Culture. The ministry said the revision broadens benefits such as discounted movie tickets and free or discounted admission to national heritage sites and sports events. But onli April 1, 2026
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  April Fools’ Day Celebrity News That Turned Out to Be True April 1 is known for pranks and falsehoods, so entertainment news that breaks that day is often met with extra skepticism. Still, a number of major celebrity stories reported on April Fools’ Day — or immediately after — prompted “No way” reactions before being confirmed as true. One of the best-known cases involved Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung, who died on April 1, 2003, at a hotel in Hong Kong. The news was so sudden and shocking — and fell on April Fools’ Day — that some fans initially April 1, 2026
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  Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young Sends Condolences on Death of North Korea’s Chang Ung Choi Hwi-young, South Korea’s minister of culture, sports and tourism, expressed condolences over the death of Chang Ung, a former honorary member of the International Olympic Committee. In a condolence message issued Tuesday, Choi said he was “deeply saddened” by the news and credited Chang with dedicating his life to advancing the Olympic movement and promoting sport, making “meaningful contributions” to international sports. Choi added that Chang’s efforts to build friendship and mutua April 1, 2026