Elysian Gangchon to Host Forest Bakery Market Festival in Chuncheon on May 24 Elysian Gangchon said it will hold its large-scale “Forest Bakery Market” festival in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on May 24, bringing together well-known bakeries and dessert brands from around the country. ◆ A picnic-style bakery festival in the woods First introduced in October 2024, the Forest Bakery Market has expanded each year and has drawn strong interest, with more than 20,000 visitors attending a single event. This year’s festival will be held under the theme, “The moment forest April 29, 2026

Korea Expands Silicon Valley AI Chip Innovation Center to Support Fabless Firms The Korea Semiconductor Industry Association has doubled the size of its Korea-U.S. AI Semiconductor Innovation Center in Silicon Valley, stepping up support for South Korean fabless chipmakers seeking to expand in the U.S. market. The group said the center will further serve as a local hub, offering on-the-ground testing and verification and helping connect companies with customers as the AI chip market grows and global supply chains are reshaped. The association said it held an opening April 29, 2026

South Korea Justice Ministry Holds 12th Legislative Drafting Contest for Students The Justice Ministry said it held the finals and awards ceremony for its 12th Legislative Drafting Academic Contest at 2 p.m. on April 28 in the ministry’s main conference room on the seventh floor. The annual contest invites university students, graduate students and law school students nationwide to submit proposals to enact or revise laws under the ministry’s jurisdiction, including the Civil Act, to gather new ideas from students. A total of 56 teams, or 191 people, took part this y April 29, 2026

Finance Ministry to Hold Generative AI Hackathon to Speed Work Innovation The government will hold an internal hackathon to drive administrative innovation using generative artificial intelligence. The Ministry of Finance and Economy said April 29 it will run a “Generative AI Service Discovery Hackathon” from June 10-12 at the Narakioum Taean Training Center. The event is aimed at identifying ministry-specific AI services to be built into the “AI-ONE platform” now under development. Organizers said the focus is on producing prototype results that can be appl April 29, 2026

Japan-Linked Tanker Crosses Strait of Hormuz After Iran Approval, Reports Say Reports said a Japan-linked oil tanker has transited the Strait of Hormuz after receiving approval from Iran. Reuters reported Monday, citing shipping data, that the Panama-flagged very large crude carrier Idemitsu Maru, managed by a unit of Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan, passed through the strait carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude. Reuters said it was the first passage by a Japan-linked crude carrier since U.S.-Iran clashes began on Feb. 28. The vessel was seen moving April 29, 2026

Korean Bar Association to Discuss Expanding Jury Trials, Including to Civil Cases The Korean Bar Association will hold a symposium to discuss ways to improve and expand the jury trial system, including whether to extend it beyond criminal cases to civil litigation to bolster public trust in the courts. The association said April 29 it will co-host the “Symposium on Improving and Expanding Jury Trials” with Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-geun at 2 p.m. April 30 at the small auditorium of the National Assembly Library. Organizers said the event reflects concerns tha April 29, 2026

KOTRA Tops Korea’s Shared Growth Ratings for Fifth Straight Year The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, or KOTRA, said it earned the top grade for the fifth consecutive year in the government’s 2025 public-agency shared-growth evaluation, citing its cooperation with small businesses and regional economic players. KOTRA said the results, announced on the 27th, gave it an “excellent” rating every year since 2021. It said it posted its highest score to date and ranked No. 1 among entrusted-execution quasi-government agencies. The evaluation, aligne April 29, 2026

Samsung C&T Unveils 270-Degree Han River View Design for Apgujeong District 4 Rebuild Samsung C&T Corp.’s construction unit, which has entered the bidding for the Apgujeong District 4 reconstruction project, on Tuesday unveiled a design proposal developed with internationally known architects. The plan includes collaboration with high-tech architecture figure Norman Foster and landscape architect Peter Walker, the company said. According to Samsung C&T, the proposal uses Foster + Partners’ view-analysis solution, CYCLOPS, to optimize building placement on the s April 29, 2026

Jung Cheong-rae says Democrats will push special prosecutor after probe panel ends Jung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, said a National Assembly fact-finding panel is exposing what he called prosecutors’ fabricated indictments tied to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, and vowed to seek a special prosecutor as soon as the panel’s work ends. Speaking at a party leadership meeting at the Assembly on Tuesday, Jung said hearings by the special committee had “opened wide the door to the truth” that the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case was manipulated. He April 29, 2026

Dong-A Pharmaceutical Promotes Orthomol’s Targeted Nutrition for Seasonal Transitions As spring brings wider day-to-night temperature swings, more people report weakened immunity and accumulated fatigue. With outdoor activity increasing, attention is also growing on “precision targeted nutrition” tailored to an individual’s physical condition. German premium vitamin brand Orthomol is positioning its products around molecular orthomolecular medicine, emphasizing not just replacing missing nutrients but supplying them at concentrations designed to match what the body needs. April 29, 2026