Lee Jae-myung to Attend Korea-Vietnam Business Forum in Hanoi With Top CEOs President Lee Jae-myung on April 23 (local time) is set to attend the Korea-Vietnam Business Forum in Hanoi to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation between the two countries. The event, held on the occasion of Lee’s state visit to Vietnam, is expected to draw about 500 participants from both countries, including government officials, public institutions and business leaders. South Korea’s economic delegation includes 109 companies. In a keynote address, Lee is expected to underscor April 23, 2026

South Korea, Oman LNG Discuss LNG and Helium Cooperation as Mideast Risks Rise The South Korean government is moving to strengthen energy cooperation with Oman as geopolitical risks in the Middle East grow. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Vice Minister Moon Shin-hak met April 23 with a delegation from Oman LNG at the Westin Josun Seoul hotel in central Seoul to discuss ways to expand cooperation. Hamed Al Namani, CEO of Oman LNG, attended. The meeting followed a visit to Oman on April 9 by a strategic economic cooperation delegation led by Kang H April 23, 2026

Hyundai Glovis Q1 2026 Operating Profit Rises 3.9% to 521.5 Billion Won Hyundai Glovis said Wednesday that its first-quarter 2026 operating profit rose 3.9% from a year earlier to 521.5 billion won on a consolidated basis. Revenue increased 8.2% to 7.8127 trillion won, and the operating margin was 6.7%. By business, the logistics segment posted revenue of 2.4902 trillion won and operating profit of 164.0 billion won. Revenue rose 1.3% as domestic shipments of electric vehicles and large models increased, but operating profit fell 17.3% as weaker container fre April 23, 2026

Japan Urges Halt to MBK Bid for Makino, Citing High Risk of Military Use Japan’s government has urged a halt to South Korean private equity firm MBK Partners’ plan to acquire a Japanese machine tool maker, citing the foreign exchange control law. Nikkei reported on the 23rd that the government issued the recommendation because the products are sensitive goods with a high potential for military diversion and are widely used by domestic defense equipment manufacturers. Machine tools are considered dual-use items for both military and civilian purpos April 23, 2026

Samsung SDS Q1 Operating Profit Falls 70.8% on One-Time Severance Charge Samsung SDS said its first-quarter operating profit fell sharply from a year earlier after it booked a one-time severance-related expense. In a regulatory filing on the 23rd, the company reported preliminary consolidated operating profit of 78.3 billion won, down 70.8% year over year. Revenue slipped 3.9% to 3.3529 trillion won. Samsung SDS said the results reflected a one-off 112 billion won retirement benefit expense tied to a change in severance calculation standards. By business, IT s April 23, 2026

Lotte Fine Chemical Says It Commercialized Ammonia Marine Fuel in World First Lotte Fine Chemical said April 23 it has become the first company to commercialize ammonia marine fuel, marking the first commercial case of a supply chain using hydrogen and ammonia produced with renewable energy as ship fuel. The company said it bunkered green ammonia that day into the world’s first ammonia-powered vessel built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. While demonstrations have been conducted for research, it said this was the first commercial supply. To support the project, the April 23, 2026

South Korea Labor Ministry Steps Up Regional-Industry Workforce Training Coordination The government is moving to better link regional and industry workforce training systems to respond to artificial intelligence and digital transformation, as well as regional population decline. The plan is to connect region-specific labor demand with needs from worksites to reduce mismatches and build a more effective vocational training system. The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea said they are holding a two-day “2026 Integrated Human April 23, 2026

Samsung’s Harman Doubles Sales in a Decade, Expands Auto Tech and Audio Business Harman, acquired by Samsung Electronics, has become a core growth engine built around automotive electronics and audio over the past decade, with sales more than doubling since the deal.  Samsung said on April 22 that Harman posted record annual revenue and operating profit last year. Operating profit totaled 1.5311 trillion won, and the operating margin was 9.7%, close to 10%.  Harman first topped 10 trillion won in annual revenue in 2019, reaching 10.08 trillion won. Last y April 23, 2026

POSCO International Issues South Korea’s First Digital Bond by a Nonfinancial Firm POSCO International said April 23 it has issued a blockchain-based “digital bond,” the first such issuance by a nonfinancial company in South Korea. A digital bond uses blockchain technology across the full process — issuance, registration, trading and settlement — a structure the company said can strengthen security, shorten settlement times and broaden access for global investors compared with conventional bonds. The bond was issued through a private placement totaling about 1.4 tril April 23, 2026

Samgu I&C Earns Korea Record Institute Certification for Largest 60th-Birthday Banquet Samgu I&C said on the 23rd it has received certification from KRI, the Korea Record Institute, for holding a large-scale 60th-birthday banquet for employees. The outsourced management services company said it held nine banquets last year for 1,134 employees born in 1965, staging events by region including the Seoul metropolitan area, Chungcheong, Gyeongsang and Jeolla. On April 22, it invited 131 employees from the metropolitan area and Jeolla who are turning 60 and held its first banquet April 23, 2026