• 
  Actress Uhm Ji-won Says She Needed Emergency Surgery After Japan Trip Injury Actress Uhm Ji-won said she underwent emergency surgery after breaking her ankle during a trip to Japan. A video titled “An unprecedented situation during a trip, Uhm Ji-won’s emergency surgery” was posted March 5 on her YouTube channel, “Uhm Ji-won.” The video shows Uhm returning to South Korea after suffering an ankle fracture in Japan in February and then having surgery. Uhm said she was not injured while skiing, but in what she described as a combination of circumstances. “My shoe go March 6, 2026
• 
  Novel Explores Kim Gu’s Personal Struggles in ‘Baekbeom, Lying Down on the Mountains and Rivers’ “‘They say the Japanese enemy is surrendering!’ To me, those words were not good news but as if the sky were collapsing and the ground giving way. Years of effort to prepare to enter the war came to nothing. We worked closely with the U.S. War Department, but Japan surrendered before we could carry anything out. I regretted all we had put into it, and I worried about what lay ahead.” -Baekbeom Kim Gu UNESCO has selected Kim Gu as its “Peace Figure of the Yea March 6, 2026
• 
  Secret 1920 Letter by Independence Leader Kim Ga-jin Goes on Display After 106 Years On March 12, 1920, Joseon Minjok Daedongdan president Kim Ga-jin sent a secret letter to Park Yong-man (1881-1928), the group’s military affairs chief — a role comparable to a defense minister today. In the letter, Kim argued for an “independence war,” saying Korea should not only reclaim its territory but also open a path to strike Japan’s mainland.   “There is nothing better than to build ties with China, ally with the United States, make an agreement with the radicals, and then choose March 6, 2026
• 
  Gasoline, Diesel Prices Top 1,800 Won Nationwide; Seoul Nears 1,900 Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have increased volatility in global oil prices, and rising demand at the pump has pushed average gasoline and diesel prices at South Korean stations above 1,800 won per liter. According to the Korea National Oil Corp.’s Opinet price information system, the nationwide average gasoline price stood at 1,840.5 won per liter as of 7 p.m. on the 5th, up 63.0 won from the previous day. It was the first time the national average topped 1,800 won since Aug. March 5, 2026
• 
  Toss Operator Viva Republica Weighs Korea Listing Alongside U.S. IPO Plans Viva Republica, the operator of the Toss financial platform, is reviewing a potential listing on South Korea’s stock market, industry sources said. According to the industry on the 5th, the company recently asked the Financial Supervisory Service for guidelines on preparing for a domestic listing, including how to apply for and be assigned a designated external auditor. Applying for a designated auditor refers to the process by which a company preparing to list undergoes a pre-IPO audit March 5, 2026
• 
  Hanwha Systems to Open Joint R&D Centers With Seoul National, Sungkyunkwan for Defense-Space Chips Hanwha Systems said March 5 that it held ceremonies with Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University to establish joint research and development centers to secure design technologies for defense and space semiconductors. The centers will be set up at SNU’s Semiconductor Joint Research Institute and at Sungkyunkwan University’s College of Information and Communication Engineering on its Natural Sciences Campus, the company said. Hanwha Systems and SNU will conduct joint r March 5, 2026
• 
  Eugene Corp. launches AI training for executives to speed digital shift Eugene Corp. said Thursday it is strengthening employees’ ability to use artificial intelligence, aiming to accelerate digital transformation and “smart” management by training senior leaders. The company recently opened an “AI Intensive” course for executives and headquarters team leaders to build practical AI skills. The program runs in four sessions from Feb. 13 to March 13, focusing on helping leaders on the front lines of management use AI confidently as a strategic tool. Eugene C March 5, 2026
• 
  CRAVITY’s Hyeongjun to Star in Interactive Short-Form Drama ‘Kill the Romeo,’ Due in March CRAVITY member Hyeongjun will make his acting debut as the lead in Kitts’ first interactive short-form drama, “Kill the Romeo,” set for release in March. The interactive, multi-ending romantic comedy begins when the narrator — a professional killer whose alter ego is a devoted fan — is assigned a new target: the narrator’s favorite idol. The story opens with an A-list assassin receiving a new mission, only to learn the target is the idol “Hyeongjun,” the person the assassin loves mos March 5, 2026
• 
  Shinhan Bank Hires Big Tech AI Talent to Speed Digital Transformation Shinhan Bank is expanding recruitment of outside talent in artificial intelligence and digital transformation, known internally as AX, as it seeks to strengthen its AI capabilities. The bank has been bringing in engineers and executives with backgrounds at major technology companies including Samsung Electronics and SK. On March 5, the financial industry said Shinhan Bank this month appointed Choi Cheol as head of its AX Digital division. Choi previously led the SK AIX Convergence Group March 5, 2026
• 
  Korea Tightens Delisting Rules, Raising Risks for Low-Priced Pharma Stocks Tighter delisting requirements are heightening anxiety across South Korea’s pharmaceutical and biotech sector, particularly among smaller drugmakers that have posted losses for years and now trade below 1,000 won a share. Industry officials said March 5 that starting in July, any stock that stays below 1,000 won for 30 consecutive trading days will be designated an “issue for administration.” If it then fails to recover for at least 45 trading days within 90 days, it must enter delisting March 5, 2026