Korea Constitutional Court Picks GC Pharma Vaccine Fine Case as First Trial Appeal The Constitutional Court has selected a vaccine collusion fine case involving GC Pharma as the first case to proceed under the newly introduced trial appeal system. According to legal officials on the 28th, the court had received 525 trial appeal petitions through the previous day and sent only one to the full bench for review. It is the first case to move to a merits review since the system was introduced on March 12. The case sent to the full bench is a petition filed by GC Pharma Co. April 28, 2026

Why Healthy Companies Leave the Market: Suspicions of Deliberate Delisting Persist In 2017, a financially sound company with 100 billion won in net assets and 30 billion won in cash and cash equivalents was told by its external auditor that it would receive a “disclaimer of opinion.” The stock price plunged 95%, and the company was ultimately forced out of the market. The auditor said it could not obtain sufficient, appropriate audit evidence. In reality, the company refused to submit materials out of concern that wrongdoing by executives would be exposed. It was a predi April 28, 2026

Daewoo E&C Q1 Operating Profit Jumps 68.9% as Profitability Improves Daewoo Engineering & Construction said April 28 it posted sharply higher profit in the first quarter of 2026, citing improving margins in its building business. On a consolidated basis, revenue totaled 1.9514 trillion won, operating profit was 255.6 billion won and net profit came to 195.8 billion won. Revenue fell 6.0% from 2.0767 trillion won a year earlier. By segment, the company booked 1.2732 trillion won from building construction, 350.6 billion won from civil engineering, April 28, 2026

Binggrae-Lotte Wellfood Rivalry Heats Up Ahead of Peak Summer Ice Cream Season With the peak summer season approaching, South Korea’s two biggest frozen-dessert makers, Binggrae and Lotte Wellfood, are stepping up a fight for market leadership. Binggrae is betting that a merger with its subsidiary Haitai Ice Cream will deliver scale and help it reclaim the top spot, while Lotte Wellfood is countering with product upgrades and a heavier focus on overseas growth. According to the industry on the 28th, Binggrae completed the merger process with Haitai Ice Cream on April 28, 2026

Iran Convenes Emergency Security Council Meeting Amid Fears of Renewed Protests Iranian authorities have moved to prepare for a possible return of anti-government protests, amid growing assessments that unrest could flare again soon. Iran International, an opposition outlet, reported Monday (local time) that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, or SNSC, was recently convened on an emergency basis over concerns that the mass protests that swept the country from late last year into early this year could reemerge. The report said the meeting followed a April 28, 2026

Samyang Foundation Names Hwang Il-doo and Cho Sung-bae as 35th Sudang Award Winners Sudang Foundation, the scholarship foundation of Samyang Group, said on the 28th it selected Hwang Il-doo, Seokcheon Chair Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at Pohang University of Science and Technology, and Cho Sung-bae, a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Yonsei University, as winners of the 35th Sudang Award. The Sudang Award is an academic prize established in 1973 to honor the late Kim Yeon-su, founder of Samyang Corp., and his commitment to national indu April 28, 2026

Bank of Japan Holds Rate at 0.75% but Strengthens Signals of Future Hike The Bank of Japan on April 28 kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.75%, as rising inflation pressure collides with growing concern about an economic slowdown. Analysts said the BOJ is maintaining its tightening bias while weighing the timing of its next move. At an afternoon news conference, Gov. Kazuo Ueda said upside risks to inflation are larger, leaving room for a rate hike depending on conditions, while signaling caution about moving immediately. According to the Nikkei April 28, 2026

President Lee Accepts Resignations of Senior Aide Ha Jung-woo, Spokeswoman Jeon Eun-su Ahead of By-Elections President Lee Jae-myung on the 28th approved the resignations submitted by Ha Jung-woo, the presidential office’s senior secretary for AI and future planning, and spokeswoman Jeon Eun-su. In a notice, senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee accepted Ha’s resignation, saying he respected the “difficult decision.” According to the presidential office, Lee told Ha he hoped he would continue to serve the country and the public wherever he works. Kang added that Lee al April 28, 2026

Appeals court convicts Kim Keon Hee in stock manipulation case, doubles prison term Kim Keon Hee, who was indicted on charges including manipulating Deutsch Motors stock and receiving valuables tied to the Unification Church, was sentenced on appeal to four years in prison. The term more than doubled from the first trial’s 20 months after the court reversed part of the stock-manipulation finding and expanded the scope of guilt on brokerage bribery charges. The Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 15-2 (Judges Shin Jong-oh, Seong Eon-ju and Won Ik-seon) on April 28 sente April 28, 2026

Korean Retailers Roll Out Payment Perks, Pop-Ups to Lure Foreign Shoppers for May Holidays Korea’s retail industry is mounting an all-out push to attract foreign tourists and spur domestic spending as holiday periods in South Korea, China and Japan overlap into a major early-May shopping peak. With more travelers visiting independently, retailers are emphasizing easier payments and pairing promotions with K-content experiences. According to the industry on April 28, Lotte Department Store will run a “Shopping Week” promotion for foreign customers timed to Japan’s Golde April 28, 2026