South Korea names Coupang founder Bom Kim as controlling shareholder for antitrust rules South Korea’s antitrust regulator has designated Coupang Inc. Chairman Bom Kim as the company’s “same person,” a status used to identify the controlling figure of a large business group. The Fair Trade Commission said it concluded Kim’s brother, Coupang Vice President Youseok Kim, effectively participated in management and exercised influence, triggering disclosure and other obligations under the Fair Trade Act. The commission said Tuesday it will change Coupang’s designation from the “Cou April 29, 2026

Gyeryong Construction to Unveil ELIF Garden at 2026 Seoul International Garden Show Gyeryong Construction said Tuesday it will take part in the 2026 Seoul International Garden Show, running May 1 through Oct. 27 at Seoul Forest, where it will present a corporate garden called ELIF Garden. The garden was planned around the theme of “harmony among people, nature and space,” reflecting the values of the company’s ELIF housing brand through a garden setting. Inspired by the “madang,” a courtyard central to traditional Korean gardens, the space is designed to let city re April 29, 2026

Handy Company Picked to Supply AI Tool for Korea’s ‘Startup for Everyone’ Program Handy Company, a full-service advertising agency that supports the entire startup process, said April 28 it was selected as an AI solution supplier for “Startup for Everyone,” a nationwide entrepreneurship project led by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Entrepreneurship Agency. “Startup for Everyone” is a government-backed program designed to help aspiring founders at the idea stage develop real business models through mentoring, training and a step-by-step tournament forma April 29, 2026

South Korea’s Treasury Bond Issuance Tops 200 Trillion Won for First Time; Foreign Share Hits Record South Korea’s issuance of Treasury bonds topped 200 trillion won for the first time last year, setting a record high. The Ministry of Economy and Finance said Tuesday it published a government bond white paper, Government Bonds 2025, summarizing last year’s Treasury bond market trends and key statistics. According to the report, Treasury bond issuance totaled 226.2 trillion won last year, up 68.5 trillion won from 157.7 trillion won a year earlier. It was the first time annual issuan April 29, 2026

Lee orders review to allow high-oil-price aid at gas stations with over 3 billion won in sales President Lee Jae-myung on April 29 ordered a review of allowing high-oil-price relief funds to be used at gas stations with annual sales of more than 3 billion won. Lee Kyu-yeon, the presidential office’s senior secretary for public relations and communication, said in an afternoon interview on KBS radio’s “All Politics in the World” that Lee directed aides to consider easing the rules. “Because it’s high-oil-price relief funds, we thought people should at least be able to put in gas, April 29, 2026

Korea Rail Network Authority to Auction Two Commercial Parcels in Suseo Station District The Korea Rail Network Authority said Tuesday it will supply two commercial parcels in the Suseo Station public housing district through competitive bidding. The sites are Block C1-1 (1,663 square meters) and Block C1-3 (759 square meters). Both allow building coverage of up to 60% and a floor area ratio of up to 800%, enabling high-density development. Based on appraisals, the planned supply prices are 41.1 billion won for C1-1 and 18.2 billion won for C1-3. Payments will be made in April 29, 2026

With Won Near 1,500 per Dollar, Expert Urges Stronger Foreign-Exchange Defenses Bank of Korea Gov. Shin Hyun-song took office April 20. The central bank’s most important tasks are price stability and defending the exchange rate, the author wrote. The won has trended weaker over decades, from the 200-won range in the 1970s to about 2,000 won during the IMF foreign-exchange crisis and 1,600 won during the global financial crisis.  South Korea depends on trade, with a trade-to-GDP ratio of about 75%, the world’s second-highest, the author said. That makes exchange-rate April 29, 2026

Daeryuk & Aju and Lin Launch Merger Committee to Pursue Combined Law Firm Daeryuk & Aju Law Firm and Lin Law Firm have launched a consultative body to pursue a merger, formally beginning integration talks. The firms on April 29 held a signing ceremony for a business agreement in a conference room at Daeryuk & Aju’s offices in Seoul’s Gangnam district and agreed to form a merger promotion committee. About 50 people, including partner attorneys from both sides and journalists, attended. The committee will oversee merger discussions from April 29 until t April 29, 2026

Doosan posts strong Q1 gains, ramps up semiconductor and energy investments Doosan Group is posting a sharp early-year performance lift, driven by strength in its core energy business and growth in semiconductor-related materials, parts and equipment seen as a future growth engine. The group plans to accelerate that semiconductor expansion through large-scale investment and mergers and acquisitions. According to industry officials on Tuesday, Doosan Corp. reported first-quarter consolidated revenue of 5.0603 trillion won and operating profit of 340.8 billion won, April 29, 2026

Hanwha Jumps to No. 5 in Korea Conglomerate Rankings; Hyosung Rises on Power Gear Boom Hanwha Group and Hyosung Group have expanded rapidly, reshaping South Korea’s top-30 conglomerate rankings, which have typically seen limited movement. According to the Fair Trade Commission’s disclosure on large business groups released on the 29th, Hanwha rose to fifth from seventh. Hyosung also moved up, to 28th from 31st. Hanwha’s total assets increased by about 24 trillion won, to 149.6 trillion won this year from 125.7 trillion won last year, overtaking Lotte Group and POSCO Group. April 29, 2026