Google Signs AI Contract With Pentagon, Joining OpenAI and xAI The U.S. Department of Defense has signed a contract to use Google’s artificial intelligence models, The Information reported April 28, citing a source. Under the deal, the Pentagon would use Google’s AI for “any lawful government purpose,” including classified work such as operational planning and weapons targeting, the report said. The contract is said to include language stating both sides agree the AI system is not intended to be used — and must not be used — for large-scale domestic April 28, 2026

Kumho Tire Q1 Operating Profit Rises 0.3% to 147 Billion Won Kumho Tire said Monday its first-quarter operating profit rose 0.3% from a year earlier to 147 billion won on a consolidated basis. Revenue fell 3.2% to 1.1678 trillion won, while net profit increased 0.4% to 103.4 billion won. The company said quarterly revenue topped 1.1 trillion won, supported by strong supplies of original equipment tires for new vehicles in North America and Europe and solid sales of higher-margin replacement tires. It has kept quarterly revenue above 1 trillion wo April 28, 2026

South Korea to Offer Unsecured Credit Guarantees to Shippers Hit by Mideast War The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Ocean Business Corp. said they will roll out a liquidity support package, including a new unsecured credit guarantee, to ease financial strain on South Korean shipping companies as the war in the Middle East drags on. Since the outbreak of the war, 26 South Korean vessels have been waiting after being blocked from transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The ships have faced higher costs from insurance surcharges, fuel expenses and increased hazar April 28, 2026

Cho Eung-cheon Enters Gyeonggi Governor’s Race, Setting Up Three-Way Contest Reform Party politician Cho Eung-cheon declared his candidacy for Gyeonggi governor on April 28, a move expected to turn the race into a three-way contest with the Democratic Party and the People Power Party. With Rep. Choo Mi-ae confirmed as the Democratic Party’s candidate, a possible conservative alliance between the People Power Party and the Reform Party has emerged as a key variable. At a news conference at the National Assembly, Cho urged voters to “put down the wrong answer sheets April 28, 2026

More Than Half of South Korea’s Farm, Forestry and Fishing Population Is 65 or Older More than half of South Korea’s farm, forestry and fishing population is now 65 or older, as household sizes continue to shrink rapidly. According to the National Data Policy Agency’s preliminary results of the “2025 Census of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries” released on the 28th, the farm, forestry and fishing population totaled 2,576,000 people as of last December, living in 1,276,000 households. That compares with about 2.38 million people and 1.06 million households in the 2020 c April 28, 2026

Resignation of presidential AI aide raises questions over who will lead 100 trillion won plan Ha Jung-woo, the presidential office’s senior secretary for AI Future Planning, submitted his resignation on 28, creating a vacancy at the center of the government’s AI policy push. Attention is turning to who will succeed him and steer the government’s 100 trillion won AI investment plan. Ha stepped down after formally declaring he will run in the Busan Buk-gu Gap parliamentary by-election. Having served as an architect of AI policy since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung government, his April 28, 2026

Jung Cheong-rae Says Party Will Seek to Restore Kim Yong’s Honor After Nomination Exclusion Jung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Kim Yong, a former deputy director of the party-affiliated Democratic Research Institute who was excluded from nominations for the June 3 parliamentary by-elections, would have “a day to be used in a bigger role” before long. In a Facebook post on April 28, Jung wrote, “I will work to restore Kim Yong’s honor,” adding, “I’ll see you soon. Please stay strong.” A day earlier, the party’s strategic nominations committee said it April 28, 2026

Knee Pain After Running: Why DEM’s ‘Complex Structure’ Is Drawing Attention Running and marathon participation has been rising rapidly, with more people taking up the sport because it is easy to start and requires little equipment. Many runners also cite benefits such as improved cardiovascular fitness, better stamina and stress relief, often described as a “runner’s high.” But the repetitive motion of running can place sustained stress on the knee joint. When muscles around the knee are weak, impact from body weight can be transmitted more directly, increasing t April 28, 2026

Budget Office Holds Town Hall on Public Finances; Minister Park Says People Own the Budget Fiscal authorities on April 28 held a town hall-style meeting to discuss how the nation’s finances are managed and to gather public input. The event, hosted by the Ministry of Planning and Budget, was its first public forum aimed at collecting citizens’ views directly on fiscal policy. After a topic presentation, all participants were invited to speak freely and take part in a question-and-answer session. Park said he has long wrestled with “how to bring budgets and public finances clo April 28, 2026

China Politburo urges readiness for external shocks, stronger energy security China’s top decision-making body, the Communist Party’s Politburo, called for a systematic response to external shocks and challenges and for stronger energy and resource security, Chinese state media reported. The message comes as uncertainty has risen in areas including energy and trade following the outbreak of the Iran war. According to Xinhua News Agency and other state outlets, the Politburo met on the 28th under the chairmanship of Chinese President Xi Jinping to review and assess April 28, 2026