Sulwhasoo Targets Japan With Pop-Up Experience at @cosme Tokyo Amorepacific’s luxury cosmetics brand Sulwhasoo is stepping up its push into Japan, setting up a brand experience space at the country’s largest beauty platform to go beyond sales and introduce its K-luxury skincare philosophy and heritage. According to the beauty industry on the 7th, Sulwhasoo will run a large-scale brand experience event through the 12th at @cosme Tokyo in Tokyo. @cosme Tokyo is a leading Japanese beauty platform where brand trust is built on consumer reviews and May 7, 2026

Report warns South Korea’s industry is highly exposed to energy price swings South Korea’s industrial structure is vulnerable to swings in global energy prices, raising the risk that the country’s shift to cleaner production could be disrupted, a government-funded think tank said. It warned that higher energy costs can go beyond raising production expenses, eroding profitability and curbing investment — and ultimately weakening companies’ capacity to move to low-carbon operations. The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade said in a report released on May 7, 2026

SK Launches Impact Booster Program to Help Social Ventures Scale Up SK said Wednesday it is launching “Impact Booster,” a program designed to help social ventures that have entered a growth stage scale up. Social ventures are startups that pursue profits while offering innovative solutions to social problems. The program targets social ventures that have moved beyond pre-A funding and entered Series A or B rounds, before an IPO. SK plans to select about 10 companies each year for intensive support. Selected companies will be offered opportunities to work May 7, 2026

Labor Minister Pledges Stronger Support for New Labor Inspectors, Worker Rights The government is pushing a plan to expand the number of labor inspectors to 8,000 by 2028, and Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said Wednesday he will significantly improve training, personnel systems and working conditions so new inspectors can take pride in their work and focus on their duties. Kim delivered a special lecture to 210 prospective labor inspectors training at Seoul National University’s Siheung campus. The recruits have been in job training since May 4 and will May 7, 2026

South Korea Speeds Subsidy Payments for Coastal Ferry Operators to Deploy Extra Budget The South Korean government will shorten the payment cycle for subsidies to coastal shipping companies and speed up disbursements to keep ferries running smoothly on routes often described as island residents’ lifeline.  The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said May 7 it will quickly execute a total of 22.6 billion won in supplementary budget funds to support coastal shipping operators facing financial strain from a surge in global oil prices. The package includes oil price-linked subsidie May 7, 2026

South Korea Pushes to Fold IFDA Into WTO Rules, Warns of Steel TRQ Protectionism The South Korean government is again moving to incorporate the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, or IFDA, which it has led, into the World Trade Organization’s legal framework. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said a delegation led by Kwon Hye-jin, the ministry’s chief trade negotiator, attended the WTO General Council meeting held May 6-7 (local time) in Geneva, Switzerland. The session was the first high-level multilateral meeting since the 14th WTO Minister May 7, 2026

South Korea Launches Joint Task Force to Crack Down on Unpaid Wages at Construction Sites The government will begin joint public-private inspections to curb unpaid wages and overdue equipment payments at construction sites. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Gyeonggi Province and the Korea Construction Equipment Association will start inspections on May 11 at 108 major construction sites in the Seoul area. Targets include 96 sites suspected of illegal subcontracting and 12 sites where pa May 7, 2026

Jeonbuk Gov. Kim Kwan-young Announces Independent Bid for June 3 Local Election Jeonbuk Gov. Kim Kwan-young on May 7 formally declared his candidacy in the June 3 local elections, saying he will run as an independent after being expelled from the Democratic Party. At a news conference at the Jeonbuk Provincial Council in Jeonju, Kim questioned whether the party’s nomination process was fair and whether it reflected the will of Jeonbuk residents. “I will seek the judgment of the residents, not the party’s nomination certificate,” he said. Kim was expelled after it May 7, 2026

Democratic Party urges People Power Party to join vote on constitutional amendment The Democratic Party on May 7 again urged the People Power Party, which is maintaining a party line opposing a proposed constitutional amendment, to cooperate by taking part in a floor vote. The party also said that if a vote cannot be held at the plenary session because the People Power Party does not attend, it will move to convene another session soon and try again. The Democratic Party made the request at a policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on Thursday morning. May 7, 2026

HLB Group to Hold 2026 HLB Forum to Review Drug Pipeline, Strategy HLB Group said Wednesday it will hold the “2026 HLB Forum” for two days starting May 12 at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul, under the theme “DNA of Success, Continuous Innovation; Unstoppable Challenge.” Now in its fourth year, the forum will bring together the group’s biotech affiliates along with pharmaceutical, biotech and investment experts from South Korea and abroad. The event will review global industry trends and assess progress and next steps for key pipelines, the company said. HLB sa May 7, 2026