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  South Korea watchdog to add consumer-protection teams to bank inspections South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service, which has said it will create separate consumer-protection teams during regular examinations, is set to inspect KB Kookmin Bank, Jeonbuk Bank and K Bank this year. Banks are watching closely for changes, including a revamp of the consumer-protection assessment system. According to the financial industry on Saturday, the FSS will begin regular bank inspections in the first half of this year, starting with Jeonbuk Bank. Regular examinations of February 22, 2026
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  Report: Nearly 80% of Biologics Losing EU Patents by 2032 Have No Biosimilar in Development Europe is expected to see patents expire on about 100 biologic drugs over the next six years, but 79% of them have no biosimilar versions currently in development, a report found. The Korea Bio Medicine Association said in a report released on the 22nd, citing IQVIA and other sources, that exclusive rights for about 100 biologics in Europe will end by 2032. Even so, 79% have no biosimilars in development. Biosimilar pipelines slated for Europe accounted for just 10%, while 11% had unclea February 22, 2026
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  K Bank IPO Draws Tepid Demand on First Day of Retail Subscription K Bank, seen as this year’s first major IPO, posted weaker-than-expected results on the first day of its retail share subscription. Even after setting its offering price at the bottom of the indicated range, investor interest was markedly cooler than during KakaoBank’s 2021 listing. According to the financial investment industry on the 22nd, subscription deposits collected by lead managers and underwriters NH Investment & Securities, Samsung Securities and Shinhan Investment Corp. t February 22, 2026
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  BLACKPINK Becomes First Artist Channel to Reach 100 Million YouTube Subscribers BLACKPINK has reached 100 million subscribers on YouTube, the first time in the platform’s history that an official artist channel has hit the mark. YouTube said on the 21st that it presented BLACKPINK with a “Red Diamond Creator Award” made to commemorate the milestone. The group’s YouTube channel was launched in June 2016, reaching the record in about 9 years and 8 months. The channel has produced 50 videos with more than 100 million views each, and its cumulative views t February 22, 2026
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  'A Man Living With the King' Tops 5.26 Million Admissions, Leads Weekend Box Office 영화 '왕과 사는 남자'가 520만 관객을 돌파했다. The film “A Man Living With the King” remained No. 1 at the box office, drawing 581,184 moviegoers on Feb. 21, according to the Korean Film Council’s integrated ticketing network. Its cumulative audience reached 5,260,595. The film hit 5 million admissions two days earlier than “The King and the Clown,” the first historical film to surpass 10 million moviegoers, and is matching the pace of “Masquerade,” which drew 12 million admissions, the February 22, 2026
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  BTS to Open Ticket and Viewing Details for Gwanghwamun Square Comeback Show BTS’ Gwanghwamun Square concert is 27 days away. HYBE shared additional details on Weverse, raising anticipation among fans. Access to the designated viewing areas will be limited to winners selected from Weverse Global reservation purchasers and to holders of advance-sale tickets. Areas outside the viewing zones may face partial restrictions under on-site safety guidelines. The audience setup will include standing sections and reserved seating. Some reserved seats may have limited views February 22, 2026
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  Norway Clinches Top Spot in Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics; South Korea 13th Norway locked up first place in the overall standings at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics with one day remaining. South Korea stayed 13th with 10 medals (three gold, four silver, three bronze). As of Feb. 21 local time, Norway led with 18 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze medals. With only five gold medals left on the final day, the United States in second (11 gold, 12 silver, nine bronze) cannot catch Norway even if it wins all remaining events. The result gives Norway a f February 22, 2026
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  Cha Jun-hwan, Lee Hae-in bring Korean music to Olympic figure skating gala in Milan Cha Jun-hwan of Seoul City Hall and Lee Hae-in of Korea University, two of South Korea’s top figure skaters, took the ice in the Olympic gala show with programs set to Korean music.  They skated in the 2026 Milan-Cortina figure skating gala at Milan’s Ice Skating Arena. The gala is an exhibition in which selected Olympic skaters perform without required jumps and with freedom in costumes and music choices. It features medalists in men’s and women’s singles, pairs and ice dance, al February 22, 2026
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  Kim Yu-ran, Jeon Eun-ji Place 16th in Women’s Two-Woman Bobsled at Milan-Cortina Olympics Kim Yu-ran of Gangwon Provincial Office and Jeon Eun-ji of the Gyeonggi federation finished 16th in the women’s two-woman bobsled at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Racing at the Cortina Sliding Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, the pair posted a four-heat total of 3 minutes, 52.04 seconds after completing heats three and four on Feb. 22 (Korea time). They were 15th among 25 teams after the first two heats in 1:55.79. In the third heat, they clocked 58.15 seconds to stay 15th at 2 February 22, 2026
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  Choi Min-jeong, Hwang Dae-heon to carry South Korea flag at Milan Olympics closing ceremony Short track skaters Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) and Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office) will carry South Korea’s flag at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee said the Games will end with the closing ceremony at 4 a.m. on the 23rd (Korea time) at the Verona Arena in Italy. The Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics featured competition for 116 gold medals across 16 events in eight sports. Choi was selected February 22, 2026