South Korea says U.S. is now top naphtha supplier; weighing extending oil swap into July Since the outbreak of the Middle East war, South Korea has been diversifying alternative sources of naphtha imports, with the United States emerging as the largest supplier. The government is extending its strategic oil swap program through June and is reviewing whether to extend it into July as well. Yang Gi-uk, director general for industrial resources security at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said at a daily briefing of the Middle East war response task force on Wednesday April 30, 2026

Taiwan FamilyMart Begins Accepting Yamato Transport Parcel Drop-Offs FamilyMart Taiwan operator FamilyMart Co. (全家便利商店) said on the 28th it began accepting Yamato Transport parcel shipments the same day. Customers can drop off Yamato Transport room-temperature and refrigerated parcels at more than 4,400 stores across Taiwan, including outlying islands. Shipping labels can be entered and printed at in-store “FamiPort” terminals, or customers can book online via the FamilyMart app, Yamato Transport’s LINE account or its official website and then scan a April 30, 2026

LG CNS Warns Data Center Supply Crunch Will Persist, Expands AI-Focused Business LG CNS said it is accelerating an AI-centered transformation across its businesses — including data centers, finance, manufacturing and digital assets — as it steps up efforts to expand in South Korea and overseas. On its first-quarter conference call on Wednesday, the company said the data center market will remain undersupplied as demand for AI and cloud services grows. It cited constraints on power supply and permitting, saying demand is likely to continue to outstrip supply. In fina April 30, 2026

LG Energy Solution Targets ESS to Reach 35% of Revenue, Plans New LFP Product in 2028 LG Energy Solution said demand for cylindrical batteries used in energy storage systems helped lift first-quarter revenue despite weak electric vehicle demand. The company posted 6.555 trillion won ($?) in revenue for the quarter and said it aims to raise the share of ESS sales to 35% by year’s end, up from less than 10% last year and about 25% in the first half of this year. In a conference call on its 2026 first-quarter results on Wednesday, the company said it will use improved cost co April 30, 2026

Samsung: No Supply Chain Disruptions Since Middle East War, Freight Cost Risks Rising Samsung Electronics said Thursday that its semiconductor production lines are operating normally and that it has seen no supply chain disruptions since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East. Speaking on a conference call for its 2026 first-quarter earnings release, the company addressed concerns about possible disruptions in supplies of semiconductor raw materials as the conflict drags on. Samsung said it imports process gases from parts of Israel and the Middle East, but has sec April 30, 2026

Sega Signs MOU With Thailand’s CP Group to Explore Entertainment Collaboration Japan’s game company Sega said it signed a memorandum of understanding on the 27th with Thailand’s CP Group (Charoen Pokphand Group) to explore entertainment collaboration in Thailand and nearby areas. The companies aim to combine Sega’s intellectual property and content-creation capabilities with CP Group’s broad business ecosystem to offer new, locally rooted entertainment in the region. The review will proceed in stages. In the initial phase, the companies will examine business develop April 30, 2026

Singapore Logistics Firm Eneco Energy to Buy Union Steel Unit Fastweld Singapore logistics company Eneco Energy said on April 27 it agreed to acquire Fastweld Engineering Construction Pte Ltd from Singapore-based Union Steel Holdings, which is involved in metal recycling and engineering. Fastweld, a unit of Union Engineering under Union Steel, provides procurement, maintenance and construction services. Through its investment holding company Eneco Singapore, Eneco Energy will buy all shares of Fastweld for S$4.3 million (about 536 million yen). Because Unio April 30, 2026

Ajinomoto Breaks Ground on New Plant in Tarlac, Philippines Aboitiz Group’s industrial park unit said on the 27th that Ajinomoto has started construction of a new plant at the TARI industrial park it operates in Tarlac province, north of Metro Manila. The facility is expected to reach full operation by April 2028. A groundbreaking ceremony was held locally on the 22nd. Ajinomoto will invest about 9.1 billion pesos (about 23.8 billion yen) to build the plant on a 16-hectare site. The new facility will handle manufacturing and packaging of locally p April 30, 2026

Chabaekdo Launches TWS Collaboration Promotion With New Drinks, Gifts and SNS Event Chabaekdo, a tea beverage brand, is rolling out a collaboration promotion with TWS. Chabaekdo said it will run the “Chabaekdo with TWS” promotion from April 30 to May 15 to mark the release of TWS’ fifth mini album, “NO TRAGEDY.” The campaign includes set menus pairing new collaboration drinks with a popular brand item, limited-edition giveaways and an SNS photo-verification event. TWS released “NO TRAGEDY” on the 27th and began promotions with the title track “You, You” (“널 따라가”) April 30, 2026

Yulchon Holds Seminar on Shifting Fair Trade Rules and Corporate Response Law firm Yulchon said it held a seminar titled “Changes in the Fair Trade Regulatory Environment and Corporate Response Measures” on April 29 at its lecture hall on the 39th floor of Parnas Tower in Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu. Yulchon said South Korea’s fair-trade regulatory environment is changing rapidly under a tougher enforcement posture, including a major staffing increase at the Korea Fair Trade Commission, expanded on-site inspections into alleged collusion in sectors closely tied to April 30, 2026