LH Opens Applications for 1,000 Specialized Purchase-Rental Homes in First Half of 2026 Korea Land and Housing Corp., or LH, said it will begin accepting applications on the 27th for its first-half 2026 call for specialized purchase-rental housing proposals. Under the program, private developers propose and build rental housing tailored to residents’ needs, including dedicated spaces and services. The public sector then purchases the properties and rents them out at lower rates, LH said. Examples include Haesimdang in Seoul’s Dobong district, which supports senior communit April 27, 2026

Korail Ranks No. 1 Among State-Owned Firms in 2025 Public Awareness Survey Korea Railroad Corp., known as Korail, said Sunday it ranked first in the state-owned enterprise (SOC) category in the Ministry of Finance and Economy’s “2025 Public Institutions Public Awareness Survey.” Korail scored 72.2 points overall, 6.9 points higher than the average for state-owned enterprises, which was 65.3. It also topped the SOC group average of 67 by 5.2 points. The survey measures public perceptions of public institutions, including public value, social responsibility April 27, 2026

Jung Cheong-rae says Yoon Suk Yeol should have faced death penalty request in North drone case Jung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said prosecutors should have sought the death penalty for Yoon Suk Yeol, who was asked to be sentenced to 30 years in prison in a first trial over a North Korean drone infiltration case. Speaking at an on-site Supreme Council meeting in Anseong on the 27th, Jung said that if North Korea had used the incident as a pretext to start even a limited clash, “countless people would have lost their lives.” Earlier, the special p April 27, 2026

South Korea’s People Power Party urges government action over Samsung Electronics union strike threat South Korea’s People Power Party on Sunday called for what it described as a responsible government response to a threatened general strike by a Samsung Electronics labor union. The party also urged the government to roll back what it called pro-union policies and to pursue a new revision of the so-called Yellow Envelope Act, an amendment to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok said at a meeting of the party’s top leadershi April 27, 2026

Concern Worldwide Korea Gets First Domestic Legacy Giving Pledge From Donor in His 70s International humanitarian organization Concern Worldwide said it has received its first legacy giving pledge in South Korea. Concern Worldwide said it held a pledge ceremony on the 23rd at its Seoul office. At the donor’s request, his name and identifying details were not disclosed. The pledger is a man in his 70s who has made monthly donations to Concern Worldwide since 2021. He began by giving 50,000 won a month, gradually increased the amount, and now donates 350,000 won each month. The d April 27, 2026

Samsung Medical Center Launches Smart Patient Rooms to Boost Safety and Efficiency Samsung Medical Center said on the 27th it has introduced “smart patient rooms” as part of a patient-centered overhaul aimed at improving safety, convenience and staff efficiency. The hospital said the rollout is part of a mid- to long-term strategy to move beyond isolated technology upgrades and transition to an advanced, intelligent hospital model. The hospital has worked since 2020 to improve inpatient-room environments. Based on patient satisfaction surveys, it formed a “Futur April 27, 2026

Lotte Home Shopping Opens AIGLE Flagship Store at Seoul’s Lotte World Mall Lotte Home Shopping is stepping up its push into offline retail by opening a series of permanent stores for French outdoor brand AIGLE in key shopping districts in Seoul. The company said Monday it opened an AIGLE permanent store on April 24 at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil. The store is the first in South Korea to apply AIGLE’s “Rubber Forest” concept, inspired by the brand’s signature rubber material and designed to reflect its nature-friendly philosophy. It is also debuting AIGLE’ April 27, 2026

CJ CheilJedang Expands Partnership With Vietnam Retailer Bach Hoa Xanh to Grow K-Food Sales CJ CheilJedang is expanding cooperation with Vietnam’s largest retail network as it steps up its push in the local food market, aiming to accelerate the spread of K-food through closer manufacturing and distribution collaboration. The company said April 27 it will broaden its partnership with Bach Hoa Xanh, Vietnam’s No. 1 retailer. Bach Hoa Xanh is a supermarket chain under MWG, Vietnam’s largest retail group, and operates about 2,760 stores nationwide. CJ CheilJedang has sold key produ April 27, 2026

China’s 2026 Imports Seen Rising 5% on AI Investment, Biggest Gain in Five Years China’s imports are expected to rise sharply this year, supported by expanding investment in artificial intelligence, according to a forecast cited by Bloomberg News. Bloomberg reported on April 26 (local time) that a survey this month of 17 economists put China’s 2026 import growth at 5%. That is more than double the March estimate and would be the strongest increase in five years, marking a break from four years of stagnation and declines. The forecast for export growth was also revi April 27, 2026

Ju Haknyeon Seen at The Boyz Concert After Leaving Group Amid Private-Life Controversy Ju Haknyeon, who left the group The Boyz after controversy over a meeting with an adult video actress, has been spotted at a The Boyz concert venue. On the 26th, Ju posted photos on his social media account without comment. The images appeared to be taken from the audience and showed the stage from The Boyz concert “Interjection,” held over three days from the 24th to the 26th at KSPO Dome in Seoul’s Songpa district. Posts on social media and online communities also described sightings April 27, 2026