DP Lawmaker Park Hae-cheol Says Carbon Neutrality Is Essential to Competitiveness Rep. Park Hae-cheol of the Democratic Party of Korea said April 29 that carbon neutrality to respond to the climate crisis is “no longer a choice but a necessity,” citing rapidly rising electricity demand as the artificial intelligence industry expands. In a written congratulatory message for the “2026 Ajunews Energy Forum” held at the Press Center in Seoul’s Jung District, Park said, “We are now standing before the huge wave of a major energy transition.” He said the reshaping of global April 29, 2026

Malaysia Semiconductor Association Hosts Networking Session for Multinationals and SMEs The Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association, or MSIA, held a networking session on April 28 in Kuala Lumpur to narrow perception gaps between foreign-owned companies and local small and medium-sized enterprises, and to encourage cooperation. MSIA President Wong Siew Hai said the semiconductor industry is becoming more advanced and complex, creating differences in understanding between multinational firms and SMEs. He said the event would help both sides broaden their understanding so April 29, 2026

Seoul’s Han River Bus Tops 70,000 Riders in April as Policy Debate Intensifies The Han River bus has been drawing heavier crowds as the spring outing season gets underway. Data released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday showed April ridership totaled 70,552 from April 1-27, a monthly record. The city projected the figure will exceed 75,000 by the end of the month. Weekend traffic also rose. Ridership over the final weekend of April (April 25-26) reached 10,247, up 15.2% from the first weekend (April 4-5). Seoul said the increase is not only seasona April 29, 2026

Coupang to Challenge FTC Move Naming Kim Beom-seok as Group’s Controlling Person Coupang said Tuesday it will pursue an administrative lawsuit after South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission changed Coupang’s designated “same person,” or controlling person, from a corporate entity to Coupang Inc. Chairman Kim Beom-seok, calling the move “double regulation.” In a statement, Coupang said Coupang Inc. owns 100% of its Korean unit, and the Korean unit in turn owns 100% of its subsidiaries and sub-subsidiaries, describing the structure as transparent. It said Kim and his rela April 29, 2026

DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis Reunites With Lee Sedol in Seoul, Says Korea Can Win in AI Era “Ten years ago, the match in Seoul marked the start of the modern AI era. The legacy of those ‘divine moves’ is now opening a golden age of science to solve humanity’s hardest problems.” Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, sat down again with Lee Sedol, a top-ranked professional Go player, at a special dialogue event at ‘Google for Korea 2026’ held April 29 at the Westin Josun Hotel in central Seoul. Calling Seoul “a symbolic place where the modern AI era began,” Hassa April 29, 2026

Korea short-selling hits record high, but top 10 most-shorted stocks all rise South Korea’s stock market rally has pushed past the downward pressure typically associated with short selling. Even as short positions surged during the recent run-up, share prices in heavily shorted names continued to climb. According to the Korea Exchange on the 29th, net short-selling balances stood at 3.05 billion shares as of the 24th, holding near a record high. The balance was 2.95 billion shares on the 22nd, then rose by about 100 million shares in a single day on the 23rd and April 29, 2026

SeAH Besteel Holdings Q1 2026 Operating Profit Jumps to 30.7 Billion Won SeAH Besteel Holdings said it posted first-quarter 2026 consolidated revenue of 967.6 billion won and operating profit of 30.7 billion won, according to a regulatory filing. That was up 7.5% and 69.8%, respectively, from a year earlier. From the previous quarter, revenue rose 12.3% and operating profit jumped 247.1% as sales volumes recovered after the year-end slow season and selling prices increased on higher raw material costs. Its subsidiaries also showed broadly improving results. April 29, 2026

Ecopro posts 602 billion won Q1 operating profit, up 42-fold Ecopro said in a regulatory filing on the 29th that it posted first-quarter 2026 consolidated revenue of 822.0 billion won and operating profit of 60.2 billion won. Revenue rose about 2% from a year earlier, while operating profit jumped 42-fold from 1.4 billion won. The company attributed the results to a rebound at its secondary-battery affiliates, the consolidation of the GEN (Green Eco Nickel) smelter in Indonesia, and higher metal prices. It said lithium hydroxide prices climbed about April 29, 2026

South Korea Variable-Rate Mortgages Near 40% as Borrowers Chase Lower Rates Variable-rate mortgages at South Korean banks climbed to nearly 40% last month, a shift that could leave more borrowers exposed as market rates rise. The jump is widely attributed to a widening gap between fixed and variable mortgage rates after market rates spiked in the short term amid tensions in the Middle East. With mortgage rates rising quickly, the growing share of variable-rate loans is also fueling concerns about a chain of financial stress among vulnerable borrowers and heavily April 29, 2026

India’s L&T Enters Industrial Electronics Manufacturing With Coimbatore Plant India’s construction and engineering company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) said on the 24th it has entered industrial electronics manufacturing, with two production lines beginning trial operations at its plant in Coimbatore in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The company plans to supply industrial electronic products in India and overseas. The business will be run through a newly established unit, L&T Electronic Products & Systems (LTEPS). Manufacturing will be based in Coimbato April 29, 2026