Surging Treasury Yields Raise Fears of Uneven Blow to Vulnerable Borrowers, Weak Firms A renewed surge in South Korean Treasury yields is fueling concerns that the hit will fall hardest on vulnerable borrowers and financially weak companies. With household loans still heavily tied to floating rates, higher rates could quickly raise interest burdens, curb spending and weigh on domestic demand, analysts said. According to the financial sector on April 27, Treasury yields have continued to rise as markets price in inflation pressure tied to Middle East geopolitical risks and April 28, 2026

Bank of Korea: April Business Sentiment Index Rises 0.8 Points as Inventories Shrink Business sentiment, which had been dampened by the war in the Middle East, rebounded in April. The headline improvement, however, largely reflected inventory drawdowns caused by supply disruptions. According to the Bank of Korea's April business survey results and economic sentiment index released on the 28th, the all-industry Composite Business Sentiment Index, or CBSI, rose 0.8 points from the previous month to 94.9 as both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing improved. The central b April 28, 2026

Nearly 400,000 Leave South Korea’s Housing Subscription Accounts as Seoul Cutoffs Hit Perfect Scores The point-based apartment subscription system, designed to protect end users, is increasingly criticized as favoring a small group of asset-rich applicants. With presale prices rising on surging construction costs and strict lending rules limiting financing, some applicants with high scores are giving up because they cannot raise the money. Others say winning has become unrealistic without both cash and a large number of dependents. As a result, more would-be buyers are either crowding i April 28, 2026

Takaichi’s Fast-Track Leadership Meets Resistance in Japan’s Political System What has the new political approach dubbed the “Takaichi style” produced in practice? There are clear cases where Takaichi’s top-down, fast-track decision-making has delivered results. A leading example was her immediate decision, soon after taking office, to abolish an additional gasoline tax that the ruling and opposition parties had agreed to end under the previous administration but repeatedly delayed. For many Japanese, it was a moment that made politics feel like it was moving agai April 28, 2026

Japan’s Takaiichi reshapes prime minister’s routine with fewer dinners and more direct messaging Prime Minister Sanae Takaiichi marked six months in office on the 21st, maintaining approval ratings above 60% in polls as Japan’s political routines shift quietly but noticeably. At the center is her governing style, often described as the “Takaiichi way.” At midday on the 10th, LDP Vice President Taro Aso, Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki and Acting Secretary-General Koichi Hagiuda gathered at the prime minister’s office for a lunch Takaiichi arranged. The menu was a set meal of gril April 28, 2026

Honor’s ‘Alpha Strategy’ Bets on AI Robots as Smartphone Growth Slows Honor’s move into humanoid robots reflects several pressures, led by a maturing smartphone market and the need for new growth. China’s smartphone market is widely seen as saturated, limiting room for expansion in Honor’s core business. Honor’s share in China has declined over the past five years. Counterpoint Research said Honor’s market share stood at 13.4% at the end of last year, below Huawei at 16.4%, Apple at 16.2%, Vivo at 16.2%, Xiaomi at 15.4% and Oppo at 15.2%, pushing Honor o April 28, 2026

Honor’s Humanoid Robot Wins Beijing Half Marathon, Beating Unitree 50 minutes, 26 seconds. That was the winning time at this year’s humanoid robot half marathon in Beijing’s Yizhuang area, cutting last year’s top mark of 2:40:42 to about one-third. The time also beat the human half-marathon world record of 57:20. The winner was not last year’s champion, the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center’s “Tiangong,” nor Unitree’s “H1.” It was “Sandian,” a humanoid robot from Chinese smartphone maker Honor, competing for the first time. Six teams entered th April 28, 2026

South Korea Lawmaker Proposes Housing Bond Bids to Curb 'Lottery' Apartment Profits South Korea’s home subscription system, designed to support housing stability for ordinary people, has drawn criticism for enabling outsized gains that have fueled the nickname “lottery subscriptions.” Politicians are now moving to create a mechanism to recoup some of those profits. According to the industry on the 26th, Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Tae-jun, a member of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, introduced a revision to the Housing Act th April 28, 2026

Proposed National Infrastructure Framework Act Seen as Chance to Modernize Korea’s Infrastructure On April 6, lawmakers Song Seok-jun and Son Myung-soo introduced the proposed National Infrastructure Framework Act, joined by 36 members of the National Assembly. The bill focuses on building national-level governance for infrastructure, including setting strategy and carrying it out, as well as evaluation. As the bill notes, major countries have been moving aggressively to build and rebuild infrastructure. In the United Kingdom, the government announced in June 2025 a plan titled “UK In April 28, 2026

Korea Telecoms Agree to Add Basic QoS to Low-Cost Plans, Split on Price Cuts South Korea’s Science and ICT Ministry and the country’s three mobile carriers have agreed to apply a “data safety option” based on quality-of-service, or QoS, as a standard feature on low-cost plans as they negotiate measures aimed at lowering wireless bills.  According to the telecom industry on the 27th, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus accepted the government proposal to make QoS standard on cheaper plans as part of the ministry’s push to roll out unified LTE and 5G rate plans. The carrier April 28, 2026