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  Naphtha Supply Shock Puts South Korea’s Plastics Industry at Risk, Calls Grow for Price-Linking System The National Assembly held a meeting with petrochemical and plastics industry representatives as disruptions in naphtha supplies deepened after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively blocked amid the war between the United States and Iran. The session focused on steps to ease pressure on small plastics manufacturers as synthetic resin prices rise with surging global oil prices. Attendees included LG Chem, Hanwha Solutions, Lotte Chemical and Yeochun NCC, along with the Korea Plastics Industr March 19, 2026
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  Hanwha Ocean Signs Deal With ONEX to Pursue Greece Naval Defense Market Hanwha Ocean is moving to expand into Greece’s maritime defense market after signing a strategic cooperation agreement with ONEX Group, Greece’s largest shipbuilder. Hanwha Ocean said the agreement was signed on the 19th by Eo Seong-cheol, president of its Special Ship Business Unit, and ONEX Group CEO Panagiotis Xenokostas. Greek Ambassador to South Korea Loukas Tsokos and Acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea James Heller attended the event, the company said. Under the deal, Hanwha Ocea March 19, 2026
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  Mercedes-Benz Korea Names Shirin Emeera as New CEO Mercedes-Benz Korea said March 19 it has appointed Shirin Emeera, head of Mercedes-Benz in Sweden and Denmark, as its new CEO. She will officially begin her term July 1. The company described Emeera as a global leader with more than 20 years of experience at Mercedes-Benz. It said she led the Sweden and Denmark businesses to No. 1 in the premium segment in both markets. She currently oversees dealer model market management and global network development at Mercedes-Benz AG. A Mercedes-Be March 19, 2026
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  AutoInside Relocates and Expands Gwangju Direct Store to Grow Honam Reach AutoHands’ direct-run and certified used-car platform, AutoInside, said on the 19th it has opened an expanded and relocated Gwangju direct store to strengthen its presence in the Honam region. The Gwangju store moved to the second floor of the “M Plus Complex Auto Sales Center” in Seo-gu, Gwangju. The company said the new location, near the Honam Expressway and the Songam, Seochang interchanges, improves access for customers across Honam. With the move, the store secured a larger display March 19, 2026
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  E1 Chairman Koo Ja-yong Takes Office as Head of Korea Invention Promotion Association Koo Ja-yong, chairman of E1, took office Thursday as the 21st chairman of the Korea Invention Promotion Association, an affiliate of the Korean Intellectual Property Office. At an inauguration ceremony at the Korea Intellectual Property Center in Seoul’s Gangnam district, Koo said he has “personally experienced how good ideas in the corporate field become new technologies and lead to national competitiveness.” He said he would “actively communicate with the field” based on 47 years of man March 19, 2026
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  Majesty Golf launches Prestigio 14 flagship clubs, touting new Hyperion Titanium II Majesty Golf has released the Prestigio 14, the 14th model in its premium Prestigio club line. Marketed under the slogan “Quality Reinvented,” the company described the Prestigio 14 as a flagship that brings together 55 years of craftsmanship and technology development, aiming to improve distance, forgiveness, feel and design. At a new-product launch media day held March 18 at Club D Cheongdam in Seoul’s Gangnam district, Majesty Golf CEO Jeong Byeong-ho said the company has “devoted itse March 19, 2026
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  National Library to Open Interactive Media Art Exhibit on Modern Korean Poetry The National Library of Korea said Thursday it will open a new exhibition, “Artist’s Note,” on Friday at its “Path of Knowledge” gallery space in Seocho, Seoul, turning modern Korean poems that represent the four seasons into interactive media art. The exhibition features four well-known poems adapted into hands-on content: Kim Yeong-rang’s “Until the Peonies Bloom” for spring, Lee Yuk-sa’s “Green Grapes” for summer, Yun Dong-ju’s “Boy” for fall, and Jeong Ji-yong’s “Windowpane 1” for win March 19, 2026
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  Solus Advanced Materials Opens New OLED Plant in Iksan, Doubling Capacity Solus Advanced Materials has built a new production base for organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, materials in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, as it moves to strengthen its OLED business. The company said March 19 that it held a completion ceremony a day earlier in Hamyeol, Iksan, with CEO Kim Tae-hyung and other executives and employees, along with North Jeolla Vice Gov. for Economic Affairs Kim Jong-hoon and Iksan Mayor Jeong Heon-yul. The Hamyeol plant is a new production site created March 19, 2026
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  Audi Group Operating Profit Falls 13.6% as U.S. Tariffs Weigh on Results 아우디 그룹은 전기차 판매 확대에도 불구하고 영업 이익이 13.6% 하락했다. 미국 관세가 실적에 반영된 영향이다. 19일 아우디코리아에 따르면 아우디그룹은 2025년 회계연도 매출이 655억 유로로, 전년 645억3200만 유로보다 1.5% 증가했다. 영업이익은 33억7100만 유로로 전년 39억300만 유로 대비 13.6% 감소했다. 아우디그룹은 미국 관세 등의 여파로 12억 유로 손실이 발생했다고 밝혔다. 영업이익률은 5.1%로 전년 6.0%보다 0.9%포인트 하락했다. 아우디는 지난해 총 162만3551대를 판매했으며, 순수 전기차 인도량은 22만 March 19, 2026
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  Innocean Expands Digital Out-of-Home Ads Using Building Facades and Urban Spaces Innocean said Thursday it is expanding operations of an “integrated digital out-of-home advertising business” that uses building exteriors and urban spaces. The company’s DOOH business converts building facades and unused space into digital media platforms that carry advertising as well as cultural content and brand communications. The company said the approach is designed to create new revenue opportunities for building owners and real estate developers while offering city residents new March 19, 2026