Construction Policy Institute Cites Gap Between Housing Supply Expectations and Reality “Recent housing supply in South Korea is showing a gap between expectations for expanded supply and the reality, amid domestic and global economic uncertainty and growing management burdens in the construction industry.” The Korea Construction Policy Institute said that in Construction Policy Journal No. 61, published on the 23rd, which addresses structural problems in domestic housing supply and policy response directions. The issue is themed “Diagnosing the Housing Supply Situation a April 23, 2026

Korea Fines Six Paper Makers 338.3 Billion Won for Alleged Price-Fixing, Orders Price Reset Joo Byung-ki, chair of the Fair Trade Commission, said Wednesday the agency decided to impose a combined 338.3 billion won in administrative fines on six paper makers for collusion, file corporate complaints and order the companies to reset prices. Speaking at a meeting of ministers on special management of consumer prices at the Government Complex Seoul, Joo said leading domestic paper companies including Hansol Paper and Moorim secretly agreed on prices for printing paper used widely i April 23, 2026

Justice Ministry Rejects Reports Challenging Lee Jae-myung’s Remarks on Criminal Records South Korea’s Justice Ministry on Wednesday rejected what it called “fake news” reports disputing President Lee Jae-myung’s recent remarks about criminal records, saying the figures cited in the coverage were being misread. The National Assembly Research Service also said it is not possible to calculate a single, official total of people with criminal records or make reliable cross-country comparisons. The ministry said some outlets reported that Lee’s comments were untrue, citing a repl April 23, 2026

SK hynix to Use 1c-Nanometer Process for HBM4E, Targets 2027 Mass Production SK hynix said it will apply its 1c-nanometer process to next-generation high-bandwidth memory, HBM4E, to strengthen performance competitiveness. In a conference call held after its first-quarter earnings release on the 23rd, the company said HBM4E is being developed in close consultation with customers, with sample shipments targeted for the second half of the year and mass production aimed for 2027. It added that it plans to apply the 1c-nanometer process to the core die to meet customer April 23, 2026

Samsung C&T’s Homeniq Expands Smart-Home Partnership With Seohae General Construction Samsung C&T Corp.’s construction unit said its home-platform service, Homeniq, will expand smart-housing technology cooperation with Seohae General Construction. Samsung C&T said it signed a business agreement with Seohae on the 22nd in Seoul’s Seocho District to build “Seohae Granble by Homeniq.” Under the deal, Homeniq services will be offered first to residents of a new Seohae Granble complex in Wangil-dong, Incheon, scheduled to go on sale in June. Residents will be able April 23, 2026

Legal Troubles and Nomination Fights Distort Elections, Editorial Says As elections near, politics should offer voters a plan for the future — how to revive local economies, create jobs for young people, and address structural challenges such as low birthrates and an aging society. Voters go to the polls to choose a better life. Yet campaigns repeatedly veer off course. Policy and vision get pushed aside as nomination disputes, trial schedules, criminal-record controversies and intraparty conflict dominate the headlines, making elections look less like a democratic April 23, 2026

Trump Envoy Suggests Italy Replace Iran in 2026 World Cup, FT Reports Donald Trump’s envoy has suggested to FIFA that Italy take Iran’s place at the 2026 World Cup in North America, according to foreign media reports. The proposal appears to be only a suggestion by a U.S. figure, and it is not known whether FIFA has formally considered it. The Financial Times reported Tuesday (local time) that Trump envoy Paolo Zampolli proposed to President Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino that “Italy should be put in the World Cup instead of Iran.” Zampolli told April 23, 2026

BTS’ RM Accused of Smoking and Littering in No-Smoking Areas in Tokyo BTS leader RM (Kim Nam-joon, 31) has been accused of smoking in designated no-smoking areas in Japan and improperly discarding cigarette butts. Japan’s weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reported on April 22 that RM was seen several times smoking in no-smoking areas while drinking with acquaintances around Tokyo’s Shibuya district. According to the report, RM visited Japan for the “BTS Arirang World Tour” and spent time in Shibuya’s nightlife area, moving between izakayas and bars. The outle April 23, 2026

Cuccon Shares Rise Early on Expectations for New Growth Drivers Cuccon shares rose in early trading on April 23 after a brokerage assessment pointed to clearer prospects for new growth drivers. According to the Korea Exchange, Cuccon was trading at 31,900 won as of 9:45 a.m., up 6.33% from the previous session. Earlier in the day, NH Investment & Securities said Cuccon’s stablecoin strategy is focused less on issuing coins directly and more on building a “payment infrastructure hub” that links existing financial networks with the blockchain ecosy April 23, 2026

Democratic Party’s Cheon Jun-ho vows to pass livelihood bills in plenary session Cheon Jun-ho, acting floor leader of the Democratic Party, said April 23 that the party will convene a plenary session and move to pass pending livelihood-related bills to support the Lee Jae-myung government’s state affairs agenda. He also vowed to pursue the truth behind what he called fabricated indictments by prosecutors during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Speaking at a party policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly on Thursday morning, Cheon said, “With the domestic April 23, 2026