Trade Chief Yeo Calls for Stronger South Korea-Japan Supply Chain Cooperation As the second Trump administration in the United States strengthens trade policy centered on economic security, a call is growing for South Korea and Japan to respond jointly to the reshaping of supply chains for critical minerals and advanced industries. The proposal urges the two countries to identify joint projects using overseas resource development and multilateral cooperation platforms to secure industrial competitiveness amid global supply chain shifts. The Korea Economic Research April 22, 2026

Korea Highlights FX and Capital Market Reforms at OECD, Aiming to Build 'Korea Premium' The Ministry of Finance and Economy told an OECD meeting it has strengthened access to Korea’s financial markets by improving foreign exchange and capital market rules, highlighting steps it said support market modernization. The ministry said on April 22 it attended the OECD Advisory Task Force on the Codes of Liberalisation, held April 20-21 at the OECD headquarters in Paris, and presented updates on Korea’s FX market operations and efforts to overhaul capital market systems. The OEC April 22, 2026

Korea FTC Warns of Rising Wedding Service Disputes as Spring Peak Season Begins South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission said on 22 it issued a consumer alert for wedding services as demand peaks during the spring wedding season. The FTC, citing data from the Korea Consumer Agency and others, said consumer dispute-relief requests tied to wedding services totaled 1,076 last year, up 171 cases, or 18.9%, from 905 a year earlier. In April and May last year, the number of cases rose 56.0% from the same period the previous year. Of the complaints received, 88.1% involved dis April 22, 2026

LG AI Research, Nvidia deepen alliance to expand EXAONE ecosystem LG AI Research and Nvidia are strengthening a technology alliance to expand the “K-EXAONE” ecosystem. LG AI Research said executives including Woo-hyung Lim, co-head of LG AI Research, and Jin-sik Lee, head of the EXAONE Lab, met Monday afternoon at the institute’s headquarters in Seoul’s Magok district with Bryan Catanzaro, Nvidia vice president of applied deep learning research, and So-young Jung, head of Nvidia Korea, to discuss cooperation on developing next-generation AI models. Th April 22, 2026

22 South Korean Public Agencies Rated Below Satisfactory in Customer Satisfaction Survey Korea Electric Power Corp. and SR were among 22 public agencies rated “insufficient” or worse in a customer satisfaction survey for last year. The government said it will require the agencies to analyze the causes of weak service and draw up specific improvement plans. The Finance and Economy Ministry on Tuesday released results of its “2025 public-agency customer satisfaction survey” covering 186 public institutions. The overall composite score was 89.2, up 1.3 points from 87.9 a yea April 22, 2026

KDI: Oil Price Cap Cut March Inflation Up to 0.8 Points, Keeping Rise Below 3% The government’s cap on petroleum product prices lowered consumer inflation last month by as much as 0.8 percentage points, helping keep the rate from topping 3%, according to a study by a state-run research institute. The Korea Development Institute also found that fuel-tax cuts contributed to lower prices, but warned that low-income households could feel the impact of high oil prices more acutely and may need stronger support. In an emergency brief released Tuesday by KDI’s Middle East w April 22, 2026

‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Faces Backlash in China Over Chinese Character Portrayal The Hollywood film 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' has been swept into a racial discrimination controversy.  Chinese media outlets including Zhonghua.com reported on the 21st that criticism has spread online over a video released ahead of the film’s opening, with viewers alleging it contains elements that belittle Chinese people. At the center of the dispute is Qinzhou, a supporting character played by Chinese actor Sun Yutian. Online in China, some viewers said the character’s name sounds lik April 22, 2026

Lee Jae-myung’s Vietnam trip puts South Korea’s economic diplomacy to the test After completing a trip to India, President Lee Jae-myung moved directly to Vietnam for a state visit, a sequence that underscores a shift in diplomatic focus from security to economic strategy. Competition over emerging markets and supply chains has become central to national planning, and Vietnam is already one of South Korea’s key trading partners and among its largest investment destinations. That is why the visit is being watched as a test of “economic diplomacy.” The question, as always April 22, 2026

UK, France Convene Military Talks With 30-Plus Nations on Reopening Strait of Hormuz Britain and France have begun drafting a multinational military plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, moving from last week’s diplomatic understanding to operational planning with military officials from multiple countries. The British government said it will host military representatives from more than 30 countries for two days of talks starting April 22 to discuss plans to reopen the strait. The meeting is being held at the U.K. Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north of London. April 22, 2026

Harvard Graduate Student Workers Strike for First Time in 4 1/2 Years A union representing Harvard University graduate students who work as teaching fellows, student mentors and research assistants has gone on strike, the Boston Globe reported April 21. The union began the strike at 12 a.m., halting work that includes teaching, grading, mentoring and research, the report said. Members held pickets across campus later in the morning. The union said it has negotiated with the university for 14 months over a new contract without progress. It is seeking a mi April 22, 2026