South Korea’s KOSPI Hits Record Close as Market Cap Rises to World No. 8 South Korea’s stock market has overtaken the U.K. to rank eighth globally by market capitalization, driven by a semiconductor rally tied to artificial intelligence. The market’s value has more than doubled in about a year, and analysts say the ranking could rise further as the benchmark KOSPI nears the 7,000 level. <Related article, page 10> According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI on April 28 closed up 25.99 points, or 0.39%, at 6,641.02. It set another record high clos April 29, 2026

UAE to Quit OPEC and OPEC+ on May 1, Calling It a Sovereign Decision The United Arab Emirates said it will withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and the OPEC+ alliance. Reuters and other outlets reported that the UAE Energy Ministry announced on April 28 (local time) that it will leave OPEC and OPEC+ on May 1, citing a commitment to “effectively contribute to meeting national interests and the market’s urgent needs.” According to the report, the ministry said short-term volatility — including disruptions in the Arab April 29, 2026

South Korea launches third cohort of nuclear export program for small and midsize firms South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it held a launch ceremony Tuesday at the Changwon Convention Center for the third cohort of its “first-step” export program for small and midsize nuclear power companies. The event was attended by Kang Gam-chan, the ministry’s director general for trade and investment, Kim Myeong-ju, South Gyeongsang Province’s vice governor for economic affairs, and representatives from related organizations including the Nuclear Export Industry April 29, 2026

Police Dismiss Complaint Alleging COVID-19 Vaccine Mismanagement by Moon, Jeong Eun-kyeong Police said Monday they dismissed a complaint alleging mishandling of COVID-19 vaccines against Moon Jae-in and Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong. Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo Police Station said it decided on April 1 to dismiss the case filed against Moon, Jeong and former Health and Welfare Minister Kwon Deok-cheol. The complaint accused them of abuse of authority, dereliction of duty, violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, fraud and murder. The civic group Seomin Minseang Daecha April 28, 2026

Anthropic’s ‘Mythos shock’ raises a core question: How to control agent AI Anthropic has been at the center of what the global artificial intelligence industry has dubbed the “Mythos shock.” Mythos is an agent-style AI used in a U.S.-Iran war-game simulation and is described as outperforming “Claude Opus.” Its emergence has pushed the debate beyond a technology race to a basic question: How can AI be controlled? Mythos is being assessed as having greater autonomy and problem-solving ability than earlier systems. It has also demonstrated a leap in capability by d April 28, 2026

AI War Game Sees Prolonged U.S.-Iran Stalemate as Biggest Risk for South Korea “The most dangerous moment for South Korea is not all-out war, but when a neither-war-nor-peace stalemate hardens into a new normal after six months.” A war-game simulation run on April 28 using Anthropic’s AI agent model, Claude Opus, found the most worrying outcome in the U.S.-Iran end-of-war talks was not a full-scale conflict but a prolonged stalemate. The risk of immediate escalation eased after U.S. President Donald Trump declared an “indefinite ceasefire,” but the simulation warned t April 28, 2026

Police Clear Rep. Kang Sun-woo of Alleged Fake Address Registration Police have concluded there is no basis to pursue allegations that independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo arranged a fake address registration for her family. The Seoul Gangseo Police Station said on the 28th it forwarded the case to prosecutors with a recommendation not to indict. The complaint alleged violations of the Resident Registration Act and the Public Official Election Act, as well as aiding and abetting under the Criminal Act. Police said there was insufficient evidence to suppor April 28, 2026

South Korea Finalizes 2027 Medical School Enrollment, Adding 490 Seats The Education Ministry said on the 28th it has finalized medical school enrollment quotas for the 2027-2031 academic years without changes from its previously announced plan. For the 2027 academic year, total medical school enrollment will be 3,548, up 490 from 3,058 in the 2024 academic year before the expansion. Kangwon National University and Chungbuk National University will see the largest increases, with 39 additional seats each. The ministry issued a preliminary notice of the quot April 28, 2026

Police to Remove Barrier Around ‘Statue of Peace’ Near Former Japanese Embassy in Seoul Police will remove a barricade surrounding the “Statue of Peace,” a symbol of victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, about six years after it was installed. The barricade outside the former Japanese Embassy in Seoul’s Jongno district is set to come down to coincide with the weekly Wednesday rally on May 6, according to the Jongno Police Station and other officials on April 28. The removal is seen as restoring the area so the public can again approach the statue freely. The barricad April 28, 2026

Samsung Biologics Union Begins Partial Strike After Talks Break Down Samsung Biologics’ labor union began a partial strike on the 28th after negotiations with management broke down. About 60 union members in the materials aliquoting unit joined the walkout starting that day. The partial strike is scheduled to run through the 30th. The union has demanded what it calls “setting personnel principles straight” and narrowing wage gaps within the group. Labor and management have held 13 bargaining sessions since their first meeting in December last year but fai April 28, 2026