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  Oil Prices Jump on U.S.-Israel-Iran War, Boosting Interest in Hybrids and EVs The war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has sent international oil prices sharply higher, fueling consumer anxiety. If volatility persists, demand is likely to shift from internal-combustion vehicles to hybrids and electric vehicles. Some in the industry say eco-friendly models could account for more than half of Hyundai Motor Group’s domestic sales this year. According to industry officials on Tuesday, Dubai crude futures traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange closed at March 5, 2026
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  Hyeri’s Agency Denies Report She Listed Samseong-dong Building for 14.5 Billion Won Hyeri, an actress and former member of the group Girl’s Day, has denied a report that she put her building in Seoul’s Samseong-dong neighborhood up for sale for 14.5 billion won. Her agency, Sublime, said on March 4 that the report about a real estate sale was “completely untrue.” It said there was no fact that the property had been listed and that it had not even heard of the price cited in the article. The agency also expressed “deep regret” that unverified claims were spreading as March 4, 2026
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  War Risk Insurance for Hormuz Shipping Seen Surging as U.S.-Iran Tensions Rise U.S. strikes on Iran have heightened tensions in the Middle East, fueling expectations that war risk insurance for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz could rise sharply. The market is discussing a jump from about 0.01% of a vessel’s value to as high as 2% to 3%. If that happens, costs would spread beyond shipping lines to cargo owners, weighing on South Korean industry more broadly. According to the shipping industry on Tuesday, global reinsurers are reviewing whether to raise reinsuran March 4, 2026
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  LNG Price Spike Threatens Power-Rate Relief for Steel, Petrochemical Sectors Ahead of K-Steel Law A surge in liquefied natural gas prices following the outbreak of war involving the United States and Israel and Iran is expected to deepen concerns in South Korea’s electricity-intensive steel and petrochemical industries, which are highly sensitive to power costs. The jump in fuel costs could strengthen the government’s reluctance to expand electricity-rate relief, potentially disrupting steelmakers’ carbon-neutral plans and the petrochemical sector’s efforts to consolidate naphtha crack March 4, 2026
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  Hair-Loss Drug Market Grows as Companies Race to Develop Longer-Lasting Treatments The hair-loss treatment market is expanding rapidly, and drugmakers are stepping up efforts to develop new medicines that address the limits of existing therapies. With options narrowed by the burden of long-term daily use, side-effect concerns and restrictions by sex, demand is rising for safer, more sustainable treatments. According to global research firm Research Nester, the hair-loss drug market is projected to grow from $11.44 billion in 2025 to $33.07 billion in 2035. Population ag March 4, 2026
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  Boryung Licenses Blood Cancer Drug Xpovio; Dong-A, Daewoong and GC Wellbeing Updates Boryung signs license-in deal for blood cancer drug Xpovio Boryung said Tuesday it has signed a license-in agreement with Antengene, a China-based oncology drug developer, for the blood cancer drug Xpovio (selinexor). Under the deal, Boryung secured exclusive rights in South Korea, including sales, distribution and regulatory approval. The company began full-scale domestic supply in February. Xpovio, developed by Antengene, is a treatment for multiple myeloma and diffuse large B-cell ly March 4, 2026
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  Cha Biotech Names Vice Chairman Cha Won-tae as CEO Cha Biotech said its board met on Tuesday and appointed Cha Won-tae, vice chairman of the CHA Hospital and Cha Bio Group and chief sustainability officer at Cha Biotech, as CEO. Cha is the eldest son of Cha Kwang-ryul, global research institute director at CHA Hospital and Cha Bio Group and the group’s founder, and the grandson of the late Cha Kyung-seop, honorary chairman of CHA University and CHA Hospital, the company said. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological anatomy from Duke March 4, 2026
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  Kim Seon-tae’s New YouTube Channel Ties Chungju City’s Official ChungTV in Subscribers Kim Seon-tae, known as the original “Chungju Man,” has seen his new YouTube channel reach parity with Chungju City’s official YouTube channel, “ChungTV,” in subscriber count. As of 4:50 p.m. on March 4, the channel “Kim Seon-tae,” created by Kim, had 775,000 subscribers. Kim opened the channel on March 2. After news of it spread more widely on March 3, subscriptions rose sharply. Attention has focused on whether Kim’s channel will overtake ChungTV. ChungTV also stood at 775,000 subscri March 4, 2026
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  Bridgerton Season 4 Star Ha Yerin Says She’s Proud Sophie Baek Reflects Her Korean Identity Korean American actor Ha Yerin has stepped into the global spotlight as a lead in Netflix’s hit series ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4, saying she was proud the character’s name reflects her Korean identity. A press event for the series was held Tuesday afternoon in Seoul, with Ha in attendance. ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 follows Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), a free spirit uninterested in marriage, as he navigates love, identity and class after meeting a “lady in a silver dress” at a masked ba March 4, 2026
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  Actress Nam Bo-ra Asks Fans About Her Pregnancy Bump in SNS Post Actress Nam Bo-ra asked followers for advice about her pregnancy bump.  Nam posted a photo on her social media on the 4th with the caption, "How far out does your belly go?"  In the photo, she wears leggings and shows her baby bump.   Nam held a wedding ceremony last May with a businessman her age. She is due to give birth to a son in June. * This article has been translated by AI. March 4, 2026