Hyundai Bioscience Wins South Korea Approval for Prostate Cancer Trial Change; Other Pharma-Bio Updates Hyundai Bioscience wins MFDS approval for prostate cancer trial change Hyundai Bioscience said April 20 that South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has given final approval to a revised investigational new drug plan for a combination-therapy clinical trial in prostate cancer using its broad-based “environment normalization” agent, Penetrium. The company said it will submit related documents on April 21 to the Institutional Review Board at Seoul National University Hospital, the April 20, 2026

TWS VR Concert Film 'Rush Road' Tops 40,000 Viewers in Korea K-pop group TWS has wrapped up its first VR concert film, “TWS VR CONCERT : RUSH ROAD,” after a successful run in South Korea. The film surpassed 40,000 cumulative viewers and posted an average seat occupancy rate of 81%. The results came despite a limited release in a single theater, outperforming previous VR concert titles and setting a notable mark in the K-pop VR concert market. “Rush Road” sold out repeatedly from its opening week, prompting extended screenings and multiple repeat April 20, 2026

Dongkook Life Science Wins EU CEP for Iopamidol API, Expands Contrast-Agent Supply Chain Dongkook Life Science said April 20 it has obtained a Certificate of Suitability, or CEP, for its iopamidol active pharmaceutical ingredient. A CEP is a quality certification for APIs issued by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare, or EDQM, and is a key requirement for entering the European pharmaceutical market. Iopamidol is a nonionic iodine-based contrast agent used in CT scans. The company said demand for diagnostic imaging is rising, and that securi April 20, 2026

HK inno.N, NextGen Bioscience to Co-Develop Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Drug Candidate NXC680 HK inno.N said on the 20th that it has signed a joint research and development agreement with NextGen Bioscience to co-develop NXC680, a drug candidate for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. The companies said the deal is aimed at combining HK inno.N’s R&D capabilities with NextGen’s work on the candidate to move it into clinical development and explore global commercialization potential. Under the agreement, HK inno.N will handle optimization of the finished-drug formulation and run April 20, 2026

Toss Bank Launches E-Braille Service for Visually Impaired Customers Toss Bank said on the 20th it will introduce an e-braille service, the first by a South Korean internet-only bank, to improve access to financial information for customers who are visually impaired. The service will initially apply to frequently issued bankbook copies and will later expand to a broader range of financial and certification documents. The e-braille service automatically converts financial documents issued on mobile devices into braille files. Customers can review the content April 20, 2026

Woori Bank, Kibo to Provide About $150 Million in Support for SMEs Hit by Mideast War Risks Woori Bank will work with the Korea Technology Finance Corp., known as Kibo, to support small and medium-sized companies affected by global instability, including the war in the Middle East. The bank said Sunday it signed a business agreement with Kibo on an “inclusive financial support” program to help SMEs overcome the crisis. Woori plans to make a special contribution of 4 billion won to Kibo and provide about 210 billion won in financial support. Eligible firms include direct exporte April 20, 2026

Korean Drugmakers Head to AACR 2026 to Showcase Next-Gen Cancer Research Hanmi Pharmaceutical, Yuhan, Samsung Bioepis and Celltrion, among South Korea’s major drug and biotech companies, are heading to San Diego ahead of the American Association for Cancer Research’s AACR 2026 meeting. The companies plan to present early-stage findings on next-generation cancer drug candidates, highlight emerging trends and seek future technology-licensing opportunities. Industry officials said on April 17 that AACR, which runs through April 22 (local time), is considered one April 20, 2026

Korea’s Skin Booster Market Shifts as ECM Products Expand, Raising Regulatory Questions Competition in South Korea’s skin booster market is shifting quickly as more pharmaceutical and biotech companies enter the field and products based on human tissue spread. Skin boosters refer to injectable procedures that deliver substances such as hyaluronic acid and collagen into the dermis to help moisturize, improve elasticity and support skin regeneration. The market, long led by products such as PharmaResearch’s Rejuran and Juvlook, is increasingly seeing late challengers promote E April 20, 2026

Korean Banks Face Rising Corporate Loan Delinquencies as Business Lending Grows Government and financial regulators have been urging banks to expand funding for innovative companies under the banner of “productive finance,” but banks are facing a growing dilemma. As tighter rules on household lending pushed banks to increase corporate loans, delinquency rates have also climbed sharply. With business lending rising quickly, the jump in delinquencies is adding to banks’ risk-management burden. According to the Financial Supervisory Service on April 19, the delinquency r April 19, 2026

Korean Banks Expand Corporate Lending Despite Rising Delinquencies Under ‘Productive Finance’ Push Korean banks are accelerating corporate lending despite the risk of rising delinquency rates, stepping up funding after the government’s push for so-called productive finance. Banks have even overhauled key performance indicators, or KPIs, to drive lending. Critics warn that aggressive expansion, combined with weak regional economies, could undermine asset quality in coming years. As of the end of last month, corporate loans at the five major commercial banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, April 19, 2026