South Korea to Recruit Trainees for Digital Twin-Based Semiconductor Process Design Academy The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Wednesday it will recruit trainees for the Korea Semiconductor Academy to provide semiconductor process design training using digital twin technology. The program, supported by the ministry and run by the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, targets company employees and people seeking jobs in the semiconductor sector. It plans to train about 100 process design specialists through four sessions a year, each lasting two weeks. The mini April 30, 2026

South Korea, Mexico to Hold High-Level Talks on Restarting FTA Negotiations The South Korean government will begin high-level consultations aimed at resuming free trade agreement talks with Mexico. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said trade minister Yeo Han-koo met Thursday with Carlos Penafiel Soto, Mexico’s ambassador to South Korea, to discuss ways to expand bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The meeting came as uncertainty in the global trade environment deepens amid the spread of protectionism, and was arranged to explore broader cooperat April 30, 2026

March National Tax Revenue Up 5.5 Trillion Won on Income, Stock Transaction and Corporate Taxes National tax revenue in March rose 5.5 trillion won from a year earlier, led by gains in income tax, stock transaction tax and corporate tax. The Ministry of Economy and Finance said Thursday that March national tax revenue totaled 37.8 trillion won, according to its report on March 2026 collections. By category, income tax posted the largest increase, up 2.2 trillion won. The ministry cited higher wage income tax as performance bonuses expanded, and higher capital gains tax as home tran April 30, 2026

LG Energy Solution Sees Sodium Battery Demand in ESS, Lead-Acid Replacement Tests Planned ·* This article has been translated by AI. April 30, 2026

LG Energy Solution: North America to Mass-Produce Prismatic ESS Batteries by Late 2027 * This article has been translated by AI. April 30, 2026

Trump, Putin Hold 90-Minute Call on Ukraine Ceasefire Idea and Iran U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters/Yonhap) U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone and discussed the war in Ukraine and the Iran issue. Putin said he was prepared to declare a ceasefire during the May 9 Victory Day period, and Trump said the call went well. Reuters reported that Trump said after the call that they discussed “a bit of a ceasefire” in Ukraine. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the conversation lasted April 30, 2026

Samsung Electronics Says It Will Seek to Avoid Disruptions if Union Strikes Samsung Electronics said Thursday on its conference call for 2026 first-quarter earnings that its labor union, following a rally at its Pyeongtaek site on April 23, has warned of a general strike from May 21 to June 7. "It is difficult to comment on a strike at this point, but even if a strike occurs, we plan to respond to the fullest extent possible within legal limits through a dedicated organization and response system so that production disruptions do not occur," the company said. April 30, 2026

Hanwha Systems Installs Homegrown Ship Engine Control System on ROK Navy Destroyer Yang Manchun A domestically developed integrated engine control system, or ECS, has been installed for the first time on an operational naval ship in South Korea, replacing a key component that had largely relied on foreign suppliers. Hanwha Systems said it held a ceremony on the 30th at Jinhae Port in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, with the Navy and the Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute to mark completion of a performance upgrade for the Yang Manchun (DDH-I) integrated eng April 30, 2026

Hanwha Aerospace Q1 Operating Profit Rises 21% on Record Order Backlog Hanwha Aerospace said Wednesday that its first-quarter operating profit rose 21% from a year earlier to 638.9 billion won on a consolidated basis. Revenue increased 5% to 5.751 trillion won. In its ground defense business, revenue came to 1.2211 trillion won and operating profit totaled 208.7 billion won. Revenue rose 5% from a year earlier, while operating profit fell 31%. The company said its order backlog hit a record high. Reflecting contracts including a deal finalized in January April 30, 2026

LG Energy Solution: North America Grid ESS Demand Growing 30% a Year; Too Early to Call Oversupply * This article has been translated by AI. April 30, 2026