People Power Party Faces Internal Calls for Jang Dong-hyeok to Step Down Amid U.S. Trip Controversy Two days after returning from a trip to the United States, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok is still facing controversy, with some in his party continuing to press—directly and indirectly—for his resignation. Jang has sought to shift attention to the South Korea-U.S. alliance, but the party has struggled to unify and focus its efforts ahead of the June 3 nationwide local elections and other contests. In a Facebook post on April 22, Jang wrote that the United States is asking, “ April 22, 2026

Steel, Shipbuilding Labor Disputes Flare Over Direct Hiring and Bonus Standards Steel and shipbuilding companies are taking unusual steps to fix long-standing prime contractor-subcontractor structures, including large-scale direct hiring of partner-firm workers. But discontent on the ground is growing as disputes erupt over how compensation should be set. Industry officials said April 22 that tensions at POSCO have reached an unprecedented level after the company presented detailed guidelines for directly hiring 7,000 workers from partner firms. Under the roadmap, April 22, 2026

Samsung Electronics Union Plans Rally, Signals Possible May General Strike Samsung Electronics’ labor union is signaling a new confrontation, announcing plans for a large rally and warning of a general strike. The move has revived concerns of a repeat of the company’s first-ever strike two years ago, which disrupted its semiconductor operations, as global competition intensifies and critics warn the dispute could benefit rivals. According to the industry on April 22, the union’s joint struggle headquarters will press ahead with a rally on April 23 at the compa April 22, 2026

Hyundai Motor union seeks 30% of net profit as bonus, raises AI robot job concerns in wage talks Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia are expected to face a difficult round of annual wage and labor talks, with unions pressing demands that management is unlikely to accept, including bonuses equal to 30% of net profit, opposition to deploying the humanoid robot Atlas, a 100 million won childbirth incentive and an extension of the retirement age. According to the auto industry on the 22nd, Hyundai Motor management and the union will meet for the first time early next month at the company’s Ulsan April 22, 2026

Seoul appeals court rejects Joo Ho-young bid to halt PPP Daegu mayor primary cutoff Rep. Joo Ho-young, who was cut from the People Power Party’s primary for Daegu mayor ahead of the June 3 local elections, failed again to win a court order suspending the party’s decision. On the 22nd, the Seoul High Court’s Civil Division 25-1 rejected Joo’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that denied his request for an injunction to halt the effect of the party’s cutoff decision. The panel, led by Presiding Judges Lee Kyun-yong, Hwang Byung-ha and Han Chang-hoon, appeared to agree with t April 22, 2026

South Korea says Coupang probe follows domestic law, separate from security talks with U.S. Cheong Wa Dae said the government will continue consulting with the United States so issues involving Coupang do not negatively affect South Korea-U.S. security discussions. A Cheong Wa Dae official said on the 22nd that the two countries are communicating closely through various channels to implement security agreements outlined in a joint factsheet. The official said Seoul’s position in talks with Washington is that security discussions should move forward separately from the Coupa April 22, 2026

South Korea Forecast: Rain in Parts of the South; Dust to Ease on Easterly Winds Thursday the 23rd will be mostly cloudy nationwide, with continued cloud cover in the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon Province. Rain is expected to persist in parts of the south. Forecast rainfall over the two days starting on the 22nd is 30 to 80 millimeters on Jeju Island (excluding the north), 10 to 40 millimeters in northern Jeju, 5 to 20 millimeters in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province and along the southern coasts of Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, and less than 5 millim April 22, 2026

PM Kim Min-seok urges tight party-government coordination, fast rollout of extra budget Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on the 22nd that the ruling party and the government must work in “perfect coordination” to improve people’s livelihoods. Speaking at the opening of the eighth senior party-government meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Kim said that if the party examines issues one by one and raises concerns, the government and the presidential office will do their best to review them and resolve them. Kim thanked the National April 22, 2026

Dong-A Pharm, Hanmi and Others Mark Earth Day, Awards and Product Verification Efforts Dong-A Pharm’s Tempo runs eco-friendly giving campaign for Earth Day Dong-A Pharm’s feminine care brand Tempo said April 22 it teamed with global coworking operator JustCo to run an eco-friendly giving campaign for Earth Day. The campaign ran through April 22 for the tenant community at six JustCo locations in Seoul. Tempo said it designed the event to help people practice resource circulation in everyday life, focusing on working women and promoting consumption that considers the envi April 22, 2026

Defense Minister Ahn Denies Claim U.S. Forces Commander Protested Unification Minister’s Remarks Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said a lawmaker’s claim that the commander of U.S. Forces Korea protested remarks by Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young was not true. Ahn made the comment at a National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting, responding to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun. Ahn said it would be inappropriate in terms of South Korea-U.S. military diplomacy for the U.S. commander to lodge a protest with the South Korean defense minist April 22, 2026