South Korea, Qatar discuss expanding investment cooperation in advanced industries Yeo Han-ku, South Korea’s minister for trade, met in Seoul on Tuesday with Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed, Qatar’s minister of state for trade, to discuss ways to expand bilateral investment cooperation in advanced industries. The meeting followed up on talks held during a recent visit to Qatar by the president’s special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, aimed at turning discussions on advanced-industry investment into concrete outcomes. Yeo praised Qatar’s resilience as it moves qui April 29, 2026

Korea to Put 30% of New Standards R&D Budget Into De Facto Standards, Agency Says The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Korean Agency for Technology and Standards said on the 29th it held a “2026 De Facto Standardization Forum kickoff briefing and strategy meeting” to review the status of de facto standards work and discuss strategy. De facto standards are developed as companies voluntarily form groups such as forums and consortia and create standards in line with market demand and technological change. The agency said it has supported Korean companies’ responses April 29, 2026

South Korea Industry Ministry Maps 2026 R&D Budget Focus on Regional Growth, Manufacturing AI and Supply Chains The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Tuesday held its second 2026 Strategic Planning and Investment Council meeting to discuss next year’s research and development budget, chaired by Vice Minister Moon Shin-hak. The ministry has been drafting its 2026 R&D budget plan with priorities that include fostering “5 poles and 3 special zones” growth engines, expanding the Manufacturing AI Transformation initiative (M.AX), and strengthening the industrial ecosystem. To concentrate R April 29, 2026

Online Sales Keep Rising; Department Store and Convenience Store Revenue Up for 9th Month Online sales extended steady growth in March, while among offline retailers, department stores and convenience stores stayed in positive territory. Big-box discount stores, however, returned to a decline after a one-month reprieve. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s report on March 2026 sales trends at major retailers released Tuesday, combined sales at major retailers rose 5.6% from a year earlier. Offline sales increased 1.9% year over year. By format, departm April 29, 2026

Korea Standards Agency Holds Forum on Industrial Measurement Strategy for Advanced Industries South Korea’s Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said Tuesday it held a policy forum on industrial measurement to support the advancement of high-tech industries. The agency said it used the forum to discuss strategies with industry officials in sectors including semiconductors, aviation, defense, and nuclear power. Industrial measurement refers to the infrastructure that ensures accuracy and reliability in measurements across April 29, 2026

South Korea’s Oceans Ministry to Pay $100,000 in Bonuses for Busan Move, UN Ocean Summit Bid South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will pay a total of 100 million won in special performance bonuses to civil servants credited with visible achievements, including the ministry’s relocation to Busan and winning the right to host the first UN ocean conference in Asia. The ministry said Tuesday it will hold its first special performance bonus awards ceremony for 2026 on Wednesday. A ministry review committee decided to award a combined 100 million won to 39 employees who carried out April 29, 2026

Hyundai Mobis to Launch Limited Auror x Monami Car Care Special Edition Hyundai Mobis is teaming up with Monami, a widely recognized Korean stationery brand, to pitch a new take on car life through its in-house car care brand Auror. The company said Tuesday it will begin limited sales next month of an “Auror × Monami edition” through online and offline channels, adding Monami collaboration goods to Auror’s interior kit. Hyundai Mobis said the partnership is part of a marketing push to position car care items as lifestyle products and broaden customer touchp April 29, 2026

Autopsy: 3-year-old in Yangju died from head injury caused by external force A 3-year-old child who died in a suspected abuse case in Yangju, south of Seoul, was killed by a head injury caused by an external impact, police said. Police said April 29 that the National Forensic Service concluded the boy, identified only as A, died of head trauma and that the injury appeared to have been caused by nonaccidental external force. The agency had earlier said in an initial verbal assessment that it was difficult to definitively determine whether the head injury was cau April 29, 2026

Online Reaction to Chef Ahn Seong-jae’s Korean Pork Ad After Wine-Switch Controversy A full TV commercial featuring chef Ahn Seong-jae, a promotional ambassador for Korean pork, has been released, drawing reactions from users on online communities. On the 28th, one online community shared a campaign video titled, “A global ingredient, close at hand: Korean pork.” The ad highlights the appeal of Korean pork through close-up visuals of meat cooking and juices running. In a segment labeled “Superfood,” it also presents a nutritional angle, describing Korean pork as a daily April 29, 2026

HD Hyundai Site Solution Deploys Unmanned Autonomous Excavator to Job Site for First Time HD Hyundai Site Solution, the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai’s construction machinery business, has deployed an unmanned autonomous excavator to an active construction site for the first time. The company said Tuesday it delivered the excavator, developed with AI-based autonomy firm Gravis Robotics, to a site operated by European construction company KIBAG. The machine is a 22-ton, mid-size excavator from HD Construction Equipment fitted with the “Real X” solution, combinin April 29, 2026