Bitcoin Slips to $76,000 Range as Middle East Tensions Weigh on Crypto Major cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, weakened after a short-term rise as geopolitical tensions centered on the Middle East continued to weigh on risk assets. Bitcoin was trading at $76,221 as of 8 a.m. on the 29th, down 1.09% from a day earlier, according to global crypto market tracker CoinMarketCap. Ethereum fell 0.39% to $2,285. Binance Coin (BNB), Solana and XRP also slipped 0.31%, 1.02% and 1.25% to $623, $83 and $1.37, respectively. Analysts said rising geopolitical tensio April 29, 2026

Wall Street Ends Lower on OpenAI Growth Concerns; Nasdaq Falls 0.9% 뉴욕증시가 오픈AI를 둘러싼 성장 둔화 우려 속에 일제히 하락 마감했다. 28일(현지시각) 뉴욕증권거래소(NYSE)에서 다우존스30산업평균지수는 전 거래일보다 25.86포인트(0.05%) 내린 4만9141.93에 거래를 마쳤다. 스탠더드앤드푸어스(S&P)500지수는 35.11포인트(0.49%) 하락한 7138.80, 나스닥종합지수는 223.30포인트(0.90%) 떨어진 2만4663.80으로 장을 마감했다. U.S. stocks closed broadly lower after negative news tied to OpenAI added to investor caution following recent record highs for the S&P 500 and April 29, 2026

WSJ: OpenAI Misses Key Targets, Raising Questions Ahead of Planned IPO OpenAI, which is pursuing an initial public offering this year, has missed major performance targets in 2025 and 2026, raising concerns ahead of the planned listing, The Wall Street Journal reported April 27, citing sources. According to the report, OpenAI failed to meet an internal goal of reaching 1 billion weekly active users for its AI model ChatGPT by the end of last year, a shortfall the Journal said has worried investors. Sources also said OpenAI missed its annual revenue target i April 29, 2026

Online Post Recounts Aftermath of Sookmyung Girls’ High Exam Leak Case An update on the Sookmyung Girls’ High School exam paper leak case has resurfaced online. On the 29th, a post titled “Update on the Sookmyung Girls’ High exam leak twins” was uploaded to an online community. The post included a personal account from a reporter, identified only as A, who covered the case at the time. A wrote that he recently met an acquaintance who knew the family well and asked how they were doing. “I expected something, but it was more miserable than I thought,” A wrot April 29, 2026

Samsung Electro-Mechanics CEO says AI, autonomous driving growth is an opportunity Samsung Electro-Mechanics held its “2026 Partner Cooperation Day” on April 28 with key suppliers, highlighting joint growth and recognizing partners for innovation over the past year. About 200 people attended, including CEO Jang Deok-hyeon; Lee Dal-gon, chairman of the Commission for Shared Growth; and Kwon Hyuk-seok, vice chairman of the suppliers’ council and CEO of MK Chem&Tech. Jang said the company sees opportunity in the sectors it is focusing on, citing “continued high growth in April 29, 2026

KOSPI Hits Record High, South Korea Rises to No. 8 in Global Market Value ◆ Ajou Economy Top News ▷ Foreign and institutional investors flip from selling to buying; retail investors post record net selling of 14 trillion won - South Korea’s stock market, lifted by strength in AI-related semiconductor shares, moved ahead of the U.K. to rank eighth globally by market capitalization. - The KOSPI closed at 6,641.02, setting another all-time high after briefly topping 6,700 during the session. - Total market capitalization in South Korea rose to about 6,116 trillio April 29, 2026

Korea’s March Public Offerings Rise 3.8% as Short-Term and Structured Finance Lead Public offerings expanded across equities, corporate bonds and short-term funding in March, but the mix tilted further toward short-term and structured financing rather than long-term funding. According to the Financial Supervisory Service’s report released on the 29th on companies’ direct financing results for March 2026, total public issuance came to 19.9832 trillion won, up 3.8% from the previous month. Public issuance of equities and corporate bonds combined rose by 733.5 billion April 29, 2026

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