South Korea’s National Pension Service hit by fan backlash after ENHYPEN’s Heeseung exits Some overseas fans angry over ENHYPEN member Heeseung’s announced departure and move to solo work directed their frustration at an unlikely target: South Korea’s National Pension Service, a major shareholder in HYBE. Kim Seong-ju, chairman of the National Pension Service, said in a social media post on the morning of March 18 that the agency’s International Pension Support Center was briefly overwhelmed after its contact information spread online. The backlash began after HYBE subsidia March 18, 2026

Korea Zinc Develops Technology to Recover Rare Earth Mix From Discarded Products Korea Zinc said March 18 it has developed a technology to recover a rare earth mixture from discarded products. The company described the material as an intermediate product in which 17 rare earth elements are mixed. In advanced and defense industries, the mixture is separated and refined, then converted into oxides for use. Korea Zinc said its technology research institute at the Onsan smelter and its headquarters engineering team developed the process over three years. The method extr March 18, 2026

T’way Air Triples April Fuel Surcharges, Up to 213,900 Won One-Way T’way Air said Tuesday it has set fuel surcharges on one-way international tickets departing South Korea and issued in April at 30,800 won to 213,900 won. The fees are about triple this month’s levels of 10,300 won to 67,600 won. Under the new schedule, the shortest routes, including Incheon and Busan to Fukuoka, will carry a 30,800-won surcharge. Midrange routes such as Incheon to Da Nang and Cebu will be charged 87,900 won, while long-haul routes including Incheon to Paris, Rome an March 18, 2026

Chabot Mobility Named to FT-Statista Asia-Pacific High-Growth List for Third Straight Year Mobility platform company Chabot Mobility said Tuesday it was named for a third consecutive year to the “2026 Asia-Pacific High-Growth Companies” list jointly compiled by the Financial Times and global research firm Statista. Now in its eighth edition, the annual ranking selects 500 companies across 14 Asia-Pacific countries based on high compound annual revenue growth. The list is widely watched as a gauge of growth momentum among startups and technology firms because it emphasizes revenu March 18, 2026

KB Kookmin Bank to Hire About 110 Entry-Level Employees in First Half of 2026 KB Kookmin Bank said March 18 it will recruit about 110 entry-level employees for the first half of 2026. Hiring will be conducted in five categories: UB (corporate client finance and wealth management), UB (regional talent), discharged officers, ESG shared growth, and veterans. Applications will be accepted through March 25 on the bank’s official recruitment website. The process includes document screening, a written test, a first interview and a second interview. Final successful candi March 18, 2026

Doosan Enerbility Wins First U.S. Order for Large Combined-Cycle Steam Turbines Doosan Enerbility said it has won a U.S. contract to supply steam turbines for data center power generation, expanding its footprint in the North American electricity market serving AI data centers. The company said March 18 that it recently signed a supply agreement with a U.S. company for two 370-megawatt steam turbines and two generators to provide electricity for data centers. It said this is its first steam turbine supply deal in North America. Doosan Enerbility said the contract d March 18, 2026

Hana Bank Rolls Out Generative AI for Corporate Credit Reviews, Cutting Draft Time to 10 Seconds Hana Bank said on March 18 it has developed an in-house generative AI-based “corporate credit review opinion generation system” and deployed it across all branches. The system analyzes a range of data — including financial statements, company information and industry trends — and automatically produces a draft review opinion needed in the credit rating process for audited and non-audited companies. Hana Bank said staff previously spent an average of more than 30 minutes analyzing indicat March 18, 2026

Eastar Jet Expands Co-Marketing With Doosan Bears to Reach Younger Baseball Fans Eastar Jet said Tuesday it will continue co-marketing with KBO team the Doosan Bears. The airline and the Bears have expanded their brand collaboration for a third straight year since signing a “strategic business agreement for joint marketing” at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in August 2024. Under the agreement, Eastar Jet provides prizes such as airline tickets for events aimed at fans attending the Bears’ home games, while the Bears support promotion of the carrier through advertising plac March 18, 2026

Porsche Korea Opens First Official Showroom in Jeju Porsche Korea said Tuesday it has opened Porsche Center Jeju, an official showroom for the Jeju region. The center opened Monday, marking the first official Porsche showroom on Jeju since the company operated the “Porsche Now Jeju” pop-up store in 2021. It will be run by Porsche Korea’s authorized dealer, Deutsche Auto. Porsche Center Jeju spans 3,944.54 square meters (about 1,193 pyeong) from one basement level to three stories above ground. The company said the facility features an inte March 18, 2026

LG Energy Solution, GM JV to Start LFP Battery Cell Production for U.S. Energy Storage LG Energy Solution and General Motors’ joint venture, Ultium Cells, will begin producing LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery cells for energy storage systems at its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant, the company said.    LG Energy Solution said it is investing about $70 million to convert part of an existing electric-vehicle battery line to ESS production, with mass production set to start in the second quarter. Cells made at the Tennessee plant will be supplied through LG Energy Solution’s March 18, 2026