Lotte Insurance Resubmits Turnaround Plan With Capital-Raising Options Lotte Insurance said its newly resubmitted management improvement plan includes steps to bolster capital adequacy, including a capital increase, a potential third-party acquisition and possible transfer of all or part of its business. The company’s earlier plan was not approved, and it subsequently received a formal management improvement order from regulators. With that backdrop, the specificity and feasibility of the new capital-raising measures are expected to be central to the Financi May 4, 2026

KT&G Named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for Second Straight Year KT&G said it was included for a second consecutive year in the top-tier “World Index” of the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices (DJBIC), a global ESG (environmental, social and governance) assessment that recognizes leading sustainability performance. The company said Monday it was also included in the Dow Jones “Asia Pacific” and “Korea” indices. DJBIC is an annual sustainability evaluation published by S&P Global, and is used by global investors as a benchmark for responsible i May 4, 2026

GS E&C Wins $4.9 Billion Seocho Jinheung Apartment Rebuild Contract in Seoul GS Engineering & Construction will build the reconstruction project for Seocho Jinheung Apartments in Seoul’s Seocho district. The company said in a regulatory filing on Monday that it was selected as the contractor for the Seocho Jinheung Apartments reconstruction and maintenance project near 385 Seocho-daero. The complex was completed in 1979. The existing site consists of seven buildings with 615 households. After reconstruction, it is planned to become a residential complex May 4, 2026

Democratic Party race for National Assembly speaker heats up with three candidates The race to choose the National Assembly speaker for the second half of the year began in earnest on May 4 as the Democratic Party opened candidate registration. Five-term lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Jie-won and six-term lawmaker Cho Jung-sik each declared their candidacies, setting up a three-way contest. With the Democratic Party holding a majority of seats, its internal primary is widely seen as the decisive contest. Kim pitched an “effective, working Assembly,” Park called for “ May 4, 2026

Hanwha Ocean Wins $3.7 Billion Order for Three Very Large Ammonia Carriers Hanwha Ocean said Monday it has won an order worth 507.4 billion won ($3.2 billion) from an African shipowner for three very large ammonia carriers, or VLACs. Including the latest deal, the company said it has secured orders for a total of 10 ammonia carriers so far this year, expanding its presence in the segment. Hanwha Ocean has continued to develop technology for building zero-carbon ships, including obtaining approvals in principle in 2022 from Bureau Veritas and Lloyd's Register for May 4, 2026

Daewoong Pharma Wins Approval to Use Fexuclue in H. pylori Eradication Therapy Daewoong Pharmaceutical said Sunday that South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved its gastroesophageal reflux disease drug, Fexuclue Tablets 40 mg (fexuprazan hydrochloride), for use in combination antibiotic therapy to eradicate Helicobacter pylori. Fexuclue can be taken regardless of meals. With the added indication, its approved uses now include treatment of erosive GERD, improvement of gastric mucosal lesions in acute and chronic gastritis, prevention of nonstero May 4, 2026

March Online Shopping in Korea Hits Record 25.6 Trillion Won, Led by Travel and Autos March online shopping transactions topped 25 trillion won, the highest monthly total since the statistics series began. The National Data Agency said Monday in its “March 2026 Online Shopping Trends” report that online shopping transactions totaled 25.577 trillion won, up 13.3% from a year earlier. It was the largest monthly figure since tracking began in 2017. Growth was driven by travel and transportation services, automobiles, and communications devices. Auto and auto-related product May 4, 2026

Trump Floats ‘Project Freedom’ to Move Ships Stuck in Strait of Hormuz, Easing Korea Oil Supply Fears 도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령이 호르무즈 해협에 발이 묶여 있는 제3국 선박을 안전하게 이동시키는 '해방 프로젝트(Project Freedom)' 추진을 시사했다. 계획이 예정대로 시행되면 한국의 원유 수급에도 도움이 될 수 있다. 다만 이란의 반발이 즉각 나오면서 불확실성은 여전하다는 지적도 나온다. 4일 관계 부처에 따르면 트럼프 대통령은 3일(현지시간) 트루스소셜에 "전 세계 여러 나라에서 호르무즈 해협에 갇힌 자국 선박들을 풀어줄 수 있는지 문의해 왔다"며 "이들은 이 분쟁과 아무 관련이 없는 중립적이고 무고한 방관자일 May 4, 2026

South Korea Tax Agency Alerts 220,000 to File Capital Gains Tax Returns by June 1 Taxpayers who traded real estate, stocks or other assets must file their final capital gains tax return by June 1, South Korea’s National Tax Service said. The agency has sent filing notices to about 220,000 people and is expanding support for simplified online filing through Hometax. The NTS said it began sending mobile notices on the 4th to about 220,000 taxpayers required to file final capital gains tax returns for 2025 income. Those include people who sold real estate, stocks or other May 4, 2026

Lee Jae-myung urges public input on timing, process for special counsel probe of alleged illegal prosecution President Lee Jae-myung said Monday that a national consensus has formed around the Democratic Party’s push for a special counsel to investigate what it calls politically motivated, fabricated indictments by prosecutors. Hong Ik-pyo, the presidential senior secretary for political affairs, told reporters in a briefing at the Chunchugwan press center that a parliamentary investigation had already revealed much of the alleged illegal conduct and improper investigations carried out under th May 4, 2026