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  BTS-Linked Museum Projects Spotlight Silla Bell and Korean Painting Catalog With BTS set to return on the 21st, the group is drawing fresh attention to Korea’s traditional culture, including museum projects tied to the band. After a National Museum product line known as “Muetts” linked BTS with the famed King Seongdeok bell, a new catalog of Korean paintings produced with a donation from BTS leader RM has also put cultural heritage in the spotlight. According to the cultural sector on the 13th, visitors to Gyeongju National Museum can experience the bell’s sound March 13, 2026
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  Seoul places rare price cap on gasoline prices on outlook on lengthier crisis SEOUL, March 13 (AJP) -South Korea will impose a rarely-used fuel price cap starting midnight Friday in an emergency attempt to contain surging domestic fuel costs driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East and renewed volatility in global oil markets. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday the measure will set a ceiling on the wholesale prices oil refiners charge gas stations and distributors for key petroleum products, though retail prices at individual ga March 13, 2026
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  Global Air Defense Market Grows as Hanwha, Other South Korean Firms Expand Production Demand for air defense weapons is rising in the Middle East and Europe, rapidly expanding the global market and prompting South Korean defense companies to intensify sales efforts and expand production bases. With regional instability persisting in the Middle East, countries are moving more aggressively to strengthen air defense capabilities. According to the defense industry on March 12, Hanwha took part in a defense exhibition opening that day in Brussels, Belgium, promoting systems incl March 13, 2026
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  LIG Nex1 to Rename as LIG Defense & Aerospace, Expanding Into Space LIG Nex1, marking its 50th anniversary this year, will change its name to LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A) as it seeks to broaden its business beyond missiles into space and aviation and position itself as a global defense contractor. The company said it aims to expand exports of a Korean-style integrated air defense system, led by its flagship Cheongung-II interceptor, as part of its push to become a 100-year company. According to the defense industry on March 12, LIG Nex March 13, 2026
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  Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun Earns $3.9 Million in First Kia Pay Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun received 5.4 billion won ($3.9 million) in compensation from Kia last year, the automaker said. In its 2025 annual business report filed Thursday, Kia said Chung was paid 2.7 billion won in salary and 2.7 billion won in bonuses, for a total of 5.4 billion won. Chung, who became chairman of Hyundai Motor Group in 2020, had run Kia without pay through 2024 and received compensation from the company for the first time last year. Through 2024, he re March 12, 2026
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  Hanmi Pharm Names Hwang Sang-yeon as CEO Candidate, Signaling Possible First Outside Hire Hanmi Science, the holding company of the Hanmi Group, is moving to replace the CEO of Hanmi Pharmaceutical and reshape the company’s board. It has nominated Hwang Sang-yeon, head of the private equity division at HB Investment, as a new inside director to succeed CEO Park Jae-hyun, in a bid to stabilize management. If Hwang’s appointment is confirmed after a shareholders meeting scheduled for later this month, Hanmi Pharmaceutical would be led by an externally recruited CEO for th March 12, 2026
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  Korea’s Big 3 Budget Airlines Lack Fuel Hedges as Fares Set to Rise in April-May Geopolitical risks tied to the Middle East have increased airlines’ exposure to oil-price swings, and the burden is expected to be heavier for low-cost carriers that do not have fuel hedging contracts. Airfares are also expected to rise from April and May. According to industry officials on Wednesday, the so-called LCC Big 3 — Jeju Air, Jin Air and T’way Air — do not currently have separate fuel hedging contracts. Other low-cost carriers also do not have such contracts. A fuel hedging March 12, 2026
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  Korean Pharma-Bio Brief: Dongkook, Daewon, Magok CHA Hospital, Huons, Alteogen Dongkook Pharmaceutical offers spring tips for allergic rhinitis and fatigue Dongkook Pharmaceutical, citing increased outdoor activity in spring, on the 12th suggested ways to help prevent allergic rhinitis symptoms and support energy and recovery from fatigue. Co&Tech, an ointment-type nasal barrier product, is an avoidance-therapy product made with medical-grade white soft paraffin that has completed biocompatibility testing. It helps form a protective layer on the nasal mucosa to March 12, 2026
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  Seoul theater troupe’s ‘Big Mother’ explores algorithm-driven power in the data age "With a mother-like warmth, it uses our information to change and manipulate what we think." Lee Jun-woo, who leads the Seoul Metropolitan Theatre Company, said at a news conference on March 12 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts that the play "Big Mother" looks at a kind of power different from "Big Brother," the symbol of coercive control. The company’s first production of the year, "Big Mother," asks in an era dominated by algorithm March 12, 2026
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  Korea Auto Industry Welcomes Passage of Special Law on Strategic U.S. Investment South Korea’s auto industry welcomed the National Assembly’s passage on Thursday of a special law on strategic investment management with the United States, a follow-up step to tariff negotiations. The Korea Automobile & Mobility Association said in a statement Thursday that it “sincerely welcomes” the bill’s approval, thanking the Assembly for bipartisan cooperation and government officials for pursuing trade talks. The association said the industry had been concerned that if U.S. March 12, 2026