Poll: President Lee Jae-myung approval at 67%; Democrats 46%, PPP 18% President Lee Jae-myung’s job approval rating stood at 67%, down 2 percentage points from the previous survey, according to results released May 7 by the National Barometer Survey (NBS). The poll, conducted May 4-6 among 1,001 adults ages 18 and older by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research, found 67% rated Lee’s performance positively, 2 points lower than two weeks earlier. By age, positive ratings topped 50% in every group except those in their 20s an May 7, 2026

Seoul Apartment Prices Rise 0.15% as Yongsan Turns Up Ahead of Capital Gains Tax Change As bargain listings in high-priced apartment districts thinned out ahead of the end of a temporary suspension of heavier capital gains taxes, apartment prices in Seoul’s Yongsan district turned higher. The shift follows earlier turnarounds in Songpa two weeks ago and Seocho last week. According to the Korea Real Estate Board’s weekly apartment price trend report released on the 7th, Seoul’s weekly apartment sale prices rose 0.15% from the previous week. Seoul prices held a similar pac May 7, 2026

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Q1 Operating Profit Jumps 58% to 1.356 Trillion Won HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai’s intermediate holding company for its shipbuilding business, said it extended strong results in the first quarter of 2026 on favorable conditions in its shipbuilding and engine businesses. In a regulatory filing on Thursday, the company reported consolidated first-quarter revenue of 8.1409 trillion won and operating profit of 1.3560 trillion won. That was up 20.2% and 57.8%, respectively, from a year earlier. Despite fewer operatin May 7, 2026

South Korea urges U.S.-Japan AI and energy alliance to strengthen supply chains The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korea-U.S. Association held the sixth Korea-U.S. Industrial Cooperation Conference on Wednesday at the KCCI building in Seoul, calling for closer South Korea-U.S.-Japan coordination on artificial intelligence and energy security. Speakers said surging power demand driven by AI and growing energy instability tied to the Middle East underscore the need to deepen cooperation in semiconductors, liquefied natural gas and small modular reactors May 7, 2026

Hanwha Ocean Rejects Union Demand to Reverse Safety-Related Discipline Hanwha Ocean said it will not accept what it called improper union demands to reverse discipline tied to workplace safety, as disputes over the issue intensify following the implementation of the so-called Yellow Envelope Act, a revision to labor law. Industry officials said Hanwha Ocean issued a statement on the 7th regarding the Korean Metal Workers’ Union’s Hanwha Ocean branch demand to withdraw disciplinary action, saying it “cannot accept any demand that undermines safety principles a May 7, 2026

Special counsel resumes raid on prosecutors’ e-Pros server over Shim Woo-jung martial law allegations A second comprehensive special counsel team investigating unresolved allegations after the three earlier special counsel probes said it will resume a search and seizure of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s e-Pros server, focusing on allegations that former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung was involved in the Dec. 3 martial law episode. The team, led by Special Counsel Kwon Chang-young, said it will restart execution of the warrant at 2 p.m. on May 7 at the National Information R May 7, 2026

Kim Tae-nyeon touts policy record in bid for National Assembly speaker With the Democratic Party set to choose the speaker for the second half of the 22nd National Assembly, a three-way race is intensifying among Park Ji-won, Cho Jung-sik and Kim Tae-nyeon, in ballot order. Kim is seeking to stand out by stressing his experience designing policy and his ability to deliver results, though allies acknowledge his name recognition lags behind the other two contenders. ■Strengths(강점) Kim is widely regarded within the party as a policy specialist and strategis May 7, 2026

South Korea Braces for Delayed Oil-Price Shock as War-Driven Crude Surge Filters In As the war sparked by a surprise U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran enters its third month, South Korean industry is bracing for a delayed surge in energy costs that has so far been held back by inventories and price controls. With companies already facing supply-chain uncertainty, the coming pass-through could add a major new burden. According to industry officials on Tuesday, the Bank of Korea’s data show Dubai crude averaged $61.97 a barrel in January, then more than doubled to $128.52 in Mar May 7, 2026

Tesla Tops South Korea’s Imported-Car Sales in April as Market Jumps 58% Tesla again led South Korea’s imported-car market in April, topping 10,000 monthly sales and extending its lead for a third straight month after first surpassing BMW in February. The Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association said April registrations of imported passenger cars rose 58.1% from a year earlier to 33,993 units, up from 21,495. That was 0.1% higher than March’s 33,970. Cumulative registrations through April reached 116,113 units, up 41.3% from 82,152 a year e May 7, 2026

Simtech Shares Jump Nearly 14% as Brokerages Raise Price Targets Simtech shares surged more than 13% intraday, as investors appeared to respond to upbeat brokerage outlooks and a string of higher price targets. According to the Korea Exchange, Simtech was trading at 106,900 won as of 1:50 p.m. on the 7th, up 13,100 won, or 13.97%, from the previous session. Daishin Securities said in a report that earnings improvement should begin in earnest, driven by expanding sales of server memory modules and SOCAMM2. It maintained its “buy” rating and raised its May 7, 2026