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  Korean Films Line Up for April Releases After 15 Million-Ticket Hit 'The King and the Man Who Lives' The Korean box office has been buoyed by “The King and the Man Who Lives,” which drew 15 million moviegoers and helped bring audiences back to theaters. Attention is now shifting to April releases, with new Korean films rolling out across genres, from crime thrillers to horror and human drama. Leading the early April slate is “Endgame Investigation,” which opened April 2. It is director Park Cheol-hwan’s first feature film, after earning notice for the series “Grid” and “Dominant April 3, 2026
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  Korea to Recruit 300 Trainees for 2026 Creative Content Mentoring Program The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency said Thursday they will recruit 300 trainees through April 15 for the 2026 Creative Content Talent Companion Program. Now in its 15th year, the program is a flagship effort to develop talent across the content industry. Past graduates include Hong Bichira, creator of the webtoon “Severe Trauma Center: Golden Hour,” director Jang Jae-hyun of the film “Exhuma,” and writer Moon Ji-won of the drama “Extraordina April 2, 2026
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  Six Policy Lenders to Back Hyundai Motor Group’s Saemangeum Growth Hub Project Six state-run policy finance institutions, including the Korea Development Bank, are set to support Hyundai Motor Group’s project to build an innovation-led growth hub in the Saemangeum area of North Jeolla Province. Financial industry officials said Thursday that a consultative body made up of the Korea Development Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, Export-Import Bank of Korea, Korea Trade Insurance Corp. and Korea Technology Finance Corp. is expected to sign a m April 2, 2026
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  Policy Split Deepens Divide Between Korea’s Pharma and Biotech Sectors Korea’s pharmaceutical and biotech industry is showing a sharper divide as government policy moves in opposite directions. While authorities are rolling out support measures to foster biotech, they have also decided to cut prices for generic drugs, leaving drugmakers bracing for tighter margins.  Industry officials said April 2 that Samsung Biologics and Celltrion, the country’s two biggest biotech companies, are each targeting more than 5 trillion won in sales this year.  Both compan April 2, 2026
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  Korean Pharma-Bio Briefing: Kolon Life Science, Daewoong, Celltrion, Daewon, Samsung Medical Center Kolon Life Science secures additional Asia patents for TG-C mixed-cell gene therapy Kolon Life Science said Thursday that patents covering the “mixed-cell gene therapy” approach used in TG-C, an osteoarthritis gene therapy being developed by affiliate Kolon TissueGene, have recently been approved for registration in several Asian markets. The patents cover a technique that combines cells engineered to produce growth factors (TGF-β or BMP) with cells designed to respond to those s April 2, 2026
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  Prain Sports golfers target new-season wins after 63 tour victories, 36.8 billion won in prize money Prain Sports golfers are gearing up for the start of South Korea’s men’s and women’s tours, with 22 players set to begin their push for titles. Active players under the management company have combined for 63 wins on the top-tier KLPGA and KPGA tours and about 36.8 billion won in career prize money — an unusually large total for a single agency. Sixteen players are preparing to compete on the KLPGA Tour this season: Lee Jeong-min, Lee Ju-mi, Park Ji-young, Park Gyeol, Han Jin-seon, Park B April 2, 2026
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  ILLIT to Hold Seoul Children’s Grand Park Festival for ‘MAMIHLAPINATAPAI’ Release 그룹 아일릿(ILLIT)이 미니 4집 '마밀라피나타파이'(MAMIHLAPINATAPAI) 발매를 기념해 오는 5월 5일 서울어린이대공원에서 축제를 연다. 빌리프랩은 2일 "일명 '아일릿 서울 어린이대공원 페스티벌'"을 소개하며 "이 행사는 아일릿의 신보 타이틀곡인 '잇츠 미(It's Me)'를 메인 테마로 꾸며진다. 가족과 친구 단위의 방문객이 함께 즐길 수 있는 다양한 체험 부스가 마련되고 아일릿은 신곡 무대로 열기를 더할 예정"이라고 밝혔다. 이어 "'아일릿 서울 어린이대공원 April 2, 2026
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  Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Association Holds Emergency Meeting on Drug Price Cuts The Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Association said it will focus on limiting the impact on the industry from the government’s drug pricing system overhaul.  The association said it held an emergency meeting of its board on April 2 to discuss a response plan to the overhaul, which was recently approved by the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee. The government last month announced the plan, including cutting prices for generic drugs to 45% of the original drug price, down April 2, 2026
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  Violinist Pinchas Zukerman Returns to Korea for Beethoven Concert With KG Philharmonic World-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman will return to the Korean stage for the first time in about eight years. KG Philharmonic Orchestra said it will present “KG Philharmonic Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman — Masterpiece Series: Beethoven” on May 31 at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. Ticket sales begin April 2 with a presale for paid Seoul Arts Center members, followed by general sales on April 3. The one-day performance pairs Zukerman with the KG Philharmonic (KG Philharmoni April 2, 2026
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  Jeju Bank Launches DJ Bank Brand, Expands ERP-Based Corporate Finance Jeju Bank has launched DJ Bank, a digital brand focused on corporate finance, and is moving ahead with enterprise resource planning, or ERP-based, business banking. Jeju Bank said it unveiled DJ Bank’s first set of solutions on April 2 at Douzone Eulji Tower in central Seoul. Attendees included Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong, Jeju Bank CEO Lee Hee-soo and Korea Federation of Banks Chairman Cho Yong-byeong, the bank said. DJ Bank is a digital corporate-finance brand develope April 2, 2026