Korea’s Mortgage Curbs Hit Policy Loans as Didimdol, Bogeumjari Lending Slumps The government’s continued tightening of mortgage lending has sharply reduced the volume of policy loans such as Didimdol and Bogeumjari, with lending down by about half. With authorities capping this year’s growth in household lending — including policy loans — at 1.5%, the lending squeeze is expected to deepen.  According to the financial sector on Monday, 4,567 first-time homebuyer Didimdol loans were issued from November through February. That was down 57.9% from 10,844 in the same pe April 7, 2026

Celltrion’s Truxima Tops U.S. Rituximab Prescriptions, a First for a Korean Biosimilar Celltrion’s blood cancer treatment Truxima (rituximab) has ranked No. 1 in prescription share in the United States, the world’s largest pharmaceutical market, the company said. It is the first such milestone for a biosimilar from South Korea. According to IQVIA, a pharmaceutical market research firm, Truxima held a 35.8% share in the U.S. in February, based on prescription volume, placing it first. The result comes about six years and three months after Truxima entered the U.S. market i April 7, 2026

Korea Medical Sector Warns of Supply Risks as Middle East War Drags On The prolonged war in the Middle East is raising concerns that disruptions in raw materials and shipping could spill over into unstable supplies of medical products in South Korea. With early signs of shortages in medical disposables and pharmaceutical packaging, hospitals and pharmacies are stepping up vigilance. Industry officials said the conflict has made supplies of petrochemical feedstocks such as naphtha and bunker fuel less reliable, disrupting production of drug packaging and medi April 7, 2026

SM Entertainment Subsidiary Studio Realive Names Kim Jong-min as CEO Studio Realive, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment, has appointed Chief Creative Officer Kim Jong-min as its new CEO. Kim previously co-founded GiiOii Studio and has worked as an XR curator for the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Korea National University of Arts and as a full-time professor at the Korea Creative Content Agency’s New Content Academy. He joined Studio Realive as CCO in 2024 and has built expertise in planning April 7, 2026

Royal Culture Festival to Run 9 Days at Seoul’s Five Grand Palaces, Jongmyo Shrine The 2026 Royal Culture Festival will be held for nine days from April 25 to May 3 at Seoul’s five major palaces — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung — as well as Jongmyo Shrine. The National Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the agency-affiliated Korea Heritage Service Foundation said Tuesday that the theme for the spring 2026 festival is “Palace, Awakening Art.” An opening ceremony will be held April 24 at Heungnyemun S April 7, 2026

Comedian Heo Kyung-hwan Says Elementary Students Now Recognize Him Comedian Heo Kyung-hwan said elementary school students are starting to recognize him. A video titled “I’m being funny, but I’m nervous… Legendary KBS 22nd class comedians | Jjanhanhyeong Shin Dong-yup, Jung Ho-cheol” was posted Sunday on the YouTube channel “Jjanhanhyeong Shin Dong-yup.” In the video, host Shin Dong-yup said Heo’s catchphrase has been gaining popularity. Heo replied that until recently, elementary students “didn’t know me at all.” Heo described riding an elevator wit April 7, 2026

Singer-Actor Im Chang-jung Says Raising Five Sons Makes Dining Out Costly Singer and actor Im Chang-jung has spoken about what it is like raising five sons. On the April 6 episode of tvN STORY's "Namgyeoseo Mwohage," Lee Young-ja, Jung Sun-hee, Im and Kim Yong-gun appeared together under the theme "People of Geumchon House." Asked by Lee how much he spends on food with five boys, Im said he had planned to stop at two children if he had a daughter. "So we had a third, but it was a son, and the fourth was a son, and the fifth was a son," he said. "So with th April 7, 2026

Korea to Offer Up to 290 Million Won for AI, XR-Linked Music Content Projects The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, known as KOCCA, said Monday they will back production of content that combines popular music intellectual property with new technologies such as artificial intelligence and extended reality.  KOCCA announced the “2026 Support for Development of Music Content Converging New Technologies” program and will accept applications through April 14. The program totals 2.949 billion won and will select 12 projects. April 7, 2026

Samchundang Pharm CEO says results will address doubts after $100 million U.S. deal "We will prove it through management and results." Jeon In-seok, CEO of Samchundang Pharm, said at a news briefing Monday at the company’s Seoul headquarters that he would restore trust by delivering business results amid controversy over a recent technology export agreement. The company disclosed March 30 that it had signed a $100 million (about 1.5 trillion won) technology export deal with a U.S. partner for an oral diabetes and obesity treatment. Market doubts spread over th April 6, 2026

JW Pharmaceutical: Hemlibra Study Shows Lower Bleeding Risk in Children With Hemophilia A JW Pharmaceutical said on 6 that a study published in the international journal TH Open found children and adolescents with hemophilia A who received Hemlibra (emicizumab) maintained a low risk of bleeding even while taking part in a range of physical activities. Hemlibra is a novel drug designed to mimic the function of clotting factor VIII, which is lacking in people with hemophilia. The company said it is the only hemophilia A treatment that can be used in both patients who have develo April 6, 2026