Korea Trade Insurance Corp. to Boost Liquidity Support for Small Defense Exporters Korea Trade Insurance Corp. is stepping up support for small defense firms seeking overseas orders, aiming to broaden the export base of South Korea’s defense industry beyond large prime contractors. The agency said on the 26th it will provide liquidity support to help Dasan Machining expand globally. Under the program, K-SURE will guarantee losses tied to bank guarantees that importers often require when export contracts are signed. The arrangement is intended to raise the likelihood of April 26, 2026

Hoban Construction Wins $110 Million Seoul Housing Redevelopment Contract Hoban Construction said April 26 it has won the contract for the “Myeonmok Station 6-5 district street housing redevelopment project” in the area around 113-1 Myeonmok-dong, Jungnang-gu, Seoul. The project calls for six apartment buildings, from three basement levels to 29 stories above ground, with 449 units and related community and welfare facilities. Total construction costs are estimated at about 150 billion won. The site is within walking distance of Myeonmok Station and Sagajeong April 26, 2026

Denso Withdraws ROHM Buyout Bid as ROHM Moves Toward Toshiba-Mitsubishi Electric Alliance Denso’s bid to acquire ROHM, seen as a potential turning point in Japan’s reshaping of the power semiconductor sector, has fallen through. With ROHM opting to pursue a three-company alliance with Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric, the center of gravity in the industry’s reorganization appears to be shifting away from being folded into an automaker group and toward consolidation among manufacturers. The Nikkei newspaper reported in its April 26 edition that Denso had sought to buy ROHM to p April 26, 2026

Korean Drugmakers Rush Into Clinical Trials for Next-Generation ADC Cancer Drugs South Korea’s pharmaceutical and biotech companies are moving aggressively into clinical development of antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs, as global drugmakers pour massive investment into the fast-heating field. Several Korean firms have now advanced candidates to the patient-dosing stage, intensifying competition to develop next-generation cancer therapies. Industry officials said ADCs combine an antibody’s ability to target tumors with the cancer-killing effect of a cytotoxic drug. By April 26, 2026

Samsung Holds GSAT Aptitude Test for Entry-Level Hiring Applicants Samsung said April 26 it administered its Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) for entry-level recruitment applicants over two days starting April 25. A total of 18 affiliates held the test, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDI, Samsung SDS, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Bioepis, Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung E&A, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Securities, Samsung Asset Management, Cheil April 26, 2026

Korea Chip Leveraged ETFs Surge More Than 11-Fold as Semiconductor Funds Jump Expectations for an improving semiconductor cycle have pushed returns sharply higher for chip-related exchange-traded funds in South Korea, with leveraged products far outpacing standard funds. According to Koscom's ETF CHECK data released on the 26th, Samsung Asset Management's KODEX Semiconductor ETF returned 95.10% year to date. Its six-month return was 112.20%, and its one-year return rose to 300.85%. Mirae Asset Global Investments' TIGER Semiconductor TOP10 ETF April 26, 2026

Maeil Marine CEO Kim Myeong-jin Pledges Advanced Materials to Link Shipbuilding, Defense "We will go beyond distributing ship supplies and become a global marine technology group representing South Korea," Kim Myeong-jin, CEO of Maeil Marine and chairman of the Maeilbiz Association, said at a press briefing on April 23 at the company’s plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. Kim said the company is shifting from a ship-services business to a broader marine technology company spanning manufacturing, renewable energy, defense and nuclear-related fields. Founded April 26, 2026

Hyundai Green Food to Open First Seoul Texas Roadhouse Flagship on April 28 Hyundai Green Food, the food company of Hyundai Department Store Group, said April 26 it will open the Texas Roadhouse Jamsil main store on April 28 in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Texas Roadhouse is a steak brand founded in 1993 in Indiana. It operates more than 800 locations across 11 countries, including the United States, Mexico and Taiwan. In South Korea, Hyundai Green Food opened the first store in 2020 at Hyundai Premium Outlets Space One in Namyangju and now runs six loca April 26, 2026

Russia’s Lower House Speaker Visits North Korea for Kursk Operation Anniversary Event Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament (the State Duma), has visited North Korea to attend events marking the first anniversary of the end of what North Korea calls the “Kursk liberation operation,” in which North Korean troops took part. North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun reported April 26 that an official Russian delegation led by Volodin arrived in Pyongyang the previous day at the invitation of the Supreme People’s Assembly and the Ministry of National De April 26, 2026

Academics warn Samsung strike could drive customers away and disrupt supply chain With a Samsung Electronics union warning it may strike next month, an academic has cautioned that the bigger risk may be not the immediate production hit but the possibility that global customers shift orders and reshape supply chains. According to industry officials on the 26th, Song Heon-jae, a professor in the economics department at the University of Seoul, presented the analysis in a recent seminar held by the Anmin Policy Forum under the topic “The ripple effects of a Samsung Elect April 26, 2026