Jeonju Prosecutors Office Chief Lee Jeong-ryeol Tops New Asset Disclosures at 8.77 Billion Won Three senior prosecutors ranked first through third in assets among 92 newly disclosed senior public officials this year. According to the Government Public Officials Ethics Committee’s ad hoc asset disclosure released on the 23rd, Jeonju District Prosecutors Office Chief Lee Jeong-ryeol reported the largest total, 8.773 billion won, among incumbents newly subject to disclosure due to status changes in January and February. Lee reported 4.46 billion won in land owned by him and his spo April 24, 2026

AI Layoffs Hit the Workers Who Built the Systems, Raising Fears for Entry-Level Jobs 미국 실리콘밸리발 감원은 단순한 경기 대응형 구조조정이 아니라, 노동의 정의가 바뀌는 구조적 전환의 신호로 읽힌다. 특히 AI를 구축하고 학습시키던 인력이 자신들이 만든 기술에 의해 밀려나는 역설이 현실화하고 있다. 메타(Meta)는 인력의 10%를 감축하면서도 AI 인프라에 연간 1,350억 달러를 투입하고 있다. 마이크로소프트도 대규모 조기퇴직을 단행했다. 겉으로는 비용 절감이지만, 핵심은 인건비를 줄여 AI라는 자본재에 재투자하는 ‘노동의 자본 대체’가 고착화되는 흐름이라는 지적이 나온다. 감원의 중심은 단순 노무직 April 24, 2026

South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung and first lady take surprise walk in Hanoi, greet locals President Lee Jae-myung took a walk through central Hanoi and met Vietnamese residents, later stopping at a local restaurant with first lady Kim Hye-kyung for dinner of pho and fried rice. Lee, who is on a state visit to Vietnam, posted photos on Instagram from April 23 (local time) showing the couple walking the streets of Hanoi and greeting people. “Hanoi’s evening was truly beautiful, and as we walked around Hoan Kiem Lake and the alleys of the Old Quarter, we exchanged warm April 24, 2026

South Korea Industry Ministry Hosts Lecture on Industrial Park AI Shift, Calls for Proof to Cut Costs The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 24th held a special lecture for ministry staff, inviting Park Min-won, president of Changwon National University and head of the industrial complex AX subcommittee under the Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) Alliance. The industrial complex AX subcommittee was launched on the 26th as the 11th subcommittee of the M.AX Alliance. On the 17th of this month, it held its first meeting after the chairs of 10 mini-alliances — the subcommittee’ April 24, 2026

South Korea, Vietnam Expand Cooperation on Urban and Transport Infrastructure The South Korean government said it will step up cooperation with Vietnam on urban and transport infrastructure, including a contract to supply metro rail cars and efforts to identify local infrastructure development projects, following President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Vietnam. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Kim Yun-deok, the land minister, met on April 21 with Vietnam’s construction minister, Tran Hong Minh, and asked for strong interest and support fr April 24, 2026

KB Kookmin Bank Revamps Mobile Retirement Pension Trading Service KB Kookmin Bank said on the 24th it has revamped its non-face-to-face retirement pension product trading service within KB Star Banking. The update focuses on a customer-centered design, allowing users to view their holdings at a glance from the retirement pension home screen in the app. Through a link with KG Zeroin, a fund evaluation and consulting firm, the bank also added real-time ETF quote lookups to support investment decisions based on market information. The step-by-step transa April 24, 2026

IBK Industrial Bank, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund to Provide 500 Billion Won for Startup Financing IBK Industrial Bank of Korea said Thursday it signed a business agreement with the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund to provide 500 billion won in financial support aimed at helping innovative startups grow and expanding productive finance. The program targets early-stage startups that have strong technology but struggle to raise funds. Under the agreement, IBK said companies that receive KODIT guarantee certificates will be eligible for benefits including interest-rate cuts of up to 1.5 perce April 24, 2026

NH NongHyup Bank, Vietnam’s Agribank sign MOU on digital agricultural finance NH NongHyup Bank said Thursday it signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam’s Agribank in Hanoi on a “strategic partnership for digital agricultural finance.” Agribank is Vietnam’s top agricultural commercial bank. NH NongHyup Bank said the agreement deepens existing cooperation in areas including digital finance and investment. The MOU calls for cooperation on building an integrated farming and finance platform, launching a card-based overseas remittance service, developing card April 24, 2026

Lee Jae-myung says capital gains tax cuts for nonresidents encourage housing speculation President Lee Jae-myung said April 24 that cutting capital gains taxes simply because someone bought a home for investment and held it for a long time, without living in it, is not a housing protection policy but “a policy that encourages housing speculation.” He also criticized attacks over a bill introduced in the National Assembly to limit the special deduction for long-term holding, saying it is unrelated to the government but is being “manipulated” to look like a presidential propos April 24, 2026

White House Accuses China-Based Groups of Trying to Steal U.S. AI Technology The White House publicly accused China of attempting to steal U.S. artificial intelligence technology, saying China-based entities tried to extract the performance of American AI models on an industrial scale. The dispute has again highlighted U.S.-China tensions over AI and semiconductors ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, wrote on X on April 23 that the United States has evidenc April 24, 2026