Democratic Party Says Kim Yong Nomination Has Mixed Views, Defers to Committee The Democratic Party said Monday that opinions inside the party are divided as more members call for nominating Kim Yong, a former deputy head of the party-affiliated Democracy Research Institute, and urged the public to trust the party’s Strategic Nominations Committee. Senior spokesperson Kang Jun-hyeon told reporters at the National Assembly that “it is true there are various opinions within the party,” but said the committee should be allowed to make its decision. Kang also address April 27, 2026

Unfounded Claims Spread Online After White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting, Media Say Online claims that the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attended by President Donald Trump was staged spread rapidly after the incident, according to reports. Posts on X, Bluesky and Instagram asserted without evidence that the gunfire was orchestrated. Foreign media reported that no proof has been verified to support those allegations. U.S. technology outlet Wired reported on April 26 (local time) that social media users quickly circulated “staged” claims af April 27, 2026

Han Byung-do Seen as Front-Runner for Second Term as DP Floor Leader After Rivals Bow Out As the Democratic Party prepares to elect a new floor leader on May 6, a string of decisions by potential contenders not to run has boosted the chances of Han Byung-do winning a second term. Han, who previously served as floor leader, formally entered the race on April 23 at the National Assembly, saying, "I am confident I can do well going forward." If elected, he would become the party's first floor leader to serve consecutive terms. Rep. Baek Hye-ryeon wrote on Facebook on April 27 April 27, 2026

HD Hyundai Heavy Signs Deal to Build Sweden’s Icebreaking Vessel, a First for a Korean Yard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said Sunday it has held a contract-signing ceremony for an overseas icebreaking vessel order, marking the first such deal won by a South Korean shipyard and moving the project into full implementation. The company said it signed the shipbuilding contract with the Swedish Maritime Administration on Friday local time at the National Maritime Museum in Stockholm. CEO Joo Won-ho and Swedish Maritime Administration Director General Erik Eklund attended the event and April 27, 2026

Grand Korea Leisure Named a “Life Guardian” in 2026 Cheonmyeong Project Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) said Monday it has been appointed a “Cheonmyeong guardian” for the government’s “2026 Cheonmyeong Project,” overseen by the Office for Government Policy Coordination’s Life Guardian Promotion Headquarters. The project name, “Cheonmyeong,” carries a double meaning: “1,000 lives” and a person’s innate lifespan, or destiny (天命). A total of 44 organizations, including GKL, were selected as guardians and are expected to play a central role in spreading a culture of April 27, 2026

KTO, Aero K Aim to Raise Foreign Passenger Share at Cheongju Airport to 35% by 2028 Korea Tourism Organization and Aero K Airlines are teaming up to develop Cheongju International Airport as a new gateway for “K-tourism,” aiming to spread inbound travel beyond the Seoul metropolitan area. The two sides said they plan to lift the share of foreign passengers using Cheongju Airport to as high as 35% by 2028, more than triple the current level. ◆ Deal targets inbound growth via regional airport KTO said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Aero K on April 24 at it April 27, 2026

Modetour Named Honorary Tourism Ambassador for Chenzhou, China Modetour has been appointed an honorary tourism ambassador for Chenzhou, a city in China’s Hunan province, and said it will use the role to strengthen its travel products through closer cooperation with local state-owned companies. The company said Sunday that it met with officials from Chenzhou’s culture and tourism authorities and the city government from April 22-24 to discuss ways to expand tourism exchanges. At a ceremony on April 23, Modetour was formally appointed and signed a strat April 27, 2026

HJ Shipbuilding Wins Order for Two 10,100-TEU Container Ships HJ Shipbuilding said Sunday it has won orders worth a combined 357.2 billion won for two 10,100-TEU container ships. The ships are based on the company’s in-house 7,700- to 9,000-TEU eco-friendly container ship design and were engineered to the largest specifications that can be built in the dock at its Yeongdo shipyard in Busan. The company said the high-efficiency design expands cargo space on deck and in the holds, while applying an optimized layout aimed at improving process efficie April 27, 2026

HD Hyundai Marine Solution jumps more than 9% on Q1 results, LNG retrofit outlook HD Hyundai Marine Solution surged more than 9% in early trading, buoyed by strong first-quarter results and upbeat brokerage assessments that the stock still has room to rise. According to the Korea Exchange, shares were trading at 277,000 won as of 10:04 a.m., up 23,500 won, or 9.27%, from the previous session. The company said in a filing on April 24 that first-quarter revenue totaled 574.6 billion won and operating profit came to 93.4 billion won. Revenue rose 18.3% from a year earli April 27, 2026

Chey Tae-won to Present South Korea’s AI Growth Strategy at National Assembly Seminar Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will visit the National Assembly to lay out a national growth strategy for the AI era. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Monday that the National Assembly Korea-China Parliamentary Union will hold its first policy seminar of 2026 at 8 a.m. Tuesday in the first small conference room of the National Assembly Members’ Office Building. The seminar will be held under the theme, “South Korea’s growth strategy am April 27, 2026