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  Hanwha Ocean to Pay 400% Bonus to Both Direct and Subcontracted Workers, Stirring Cost Concerns Hanwha Ocean, which posted an earnings surprise last year, will pay a performance bonus of about 400% of monthly base pay to both its direct employees and subcontracted workers. The move is effectively a first in South Korea’s shipbuilding industry to narrow the compensation gap between prime contractors and subcontractors. Supporters say it aligns with the Lee Jae Myung administration’s “equal pay for work of equal value” agenda, though critics warn it could add to cost pressures across ma February 13, 2026
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  South Korea’s Choi Ga On Wins Olympic Snow Sports First Gold in Women’s Halfpipe South Korea’s Choi Ga On (Sehwa High School) said she wants to “work even harder” and become an athlete who can surpass herself after winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in a snow event.  Choi won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Thursday (local time) with 90.25 points. She beat Chloe Kim of the United States, the gold medalist at the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Games. It was South Korea’s first Olympic gold in a snow sport and the fir February 13, 2026
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  Singer-Actor Lee Seung-gi to Become Father of Two as Wife Lee Da-in Is 5 Months Pregnant Singer and actor Lee Seung-gi is set to become a father of two. Big Planet Made Entertainment said on Feb. 12 that Lee’s wife, actor Lee Da-in, is five months pregnant. The agency said the couple are prioritizing her health and stability. Lee and Lee married in April 2023 and welcomed their first child, a daughter, in February 2024. Lee is currently appearing on the ENA variety show “Change Street.”* This article has been translated by AI. February 13, 2026
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  South Korea’s Lim Jong-eon wins bronze in men’s 1,000 at Milan Olympics South Korea’s Lim Jong-eon, a 19-year-old considered a rising star on the men’s short track team, won his first Olympic medal with a late surge to take bronze in the men’s 1,000 meters. Lim finished in 1 minute, 24.611 seconds in the final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. He was the only South Korean skater to reach the final, racing against Jens van ’t Wout of the Netherlands, Sun Long of China and William Dandjinou of Canada. Lim stayed February 13, 2026
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  South Korea women’s curling team beats host Italy 7-2 for first win at Milan-Cortina 2026 South Korea’s women’s curling team, known as Team 5G (Gyeonggi Provincial Government), earned its first win of the tournament by routing host Italy. Skip Kim Eun Ji, third Kim Min Ji, second Kim Su Ji, lead Seol Ye Eun and alternate Seol Ye Ji beat Italy 7-2 in the second round-robin game of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on Thursday (Korea time) at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. South Korea rebounded after a shaky start, having lost 8- February 13, 2026
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  Choi Min Jung Misses Women’s 500m Final After Crash at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korea’s women’s short track team came up empty in the 500 meters at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, with star Choi Min Jung failing to reach the final after a collision in the semifinals. Choi (Seongnam City Hall) finished fifth out of five in semifinal heat 2 at the Milan Ice Skating Arena, clocking 43.060 on Friday (Korea time). After advancing comfortably by winning her quarterfinal, Choi got off to a strong start in the semifinal and led until three laps remai February 13, 2026
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  South Korea’s Choi Ga On Wins Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe Gold at Milan Olympics Choi Ga On of South Korea won the country’s first Winter Olympic gold medal in a snow sport.  Choi, a student at Sehwa High School, scored 90.25 to take first in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy. She beat American Chloe Kim, who scored 88.00.  The gold was also South Korea’s first for the national team at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and the first Olympic gold for South Korean skiing.  Choi also became the youngest Olympic champio February 13, 2026
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  Hanwha Ocean Bonus Move Spurs Subcontractor Unions to Press Other Shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean’s decision to pay subcontractor workers bonuses at the same rate as its direct employees — in the 400% range — is raising pressure across South Korea’s shipbuilding industry. The move is being praised as a step toward narrowing the gap between prime contractors and subcontractors. But it is also fueling concerns that it could disrupt established bargaining practices. Because shipbuilding is highly cyclical, pledges to match bonus rates could become a financial burden during d February 13, 2026
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  Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida wins women’s 5,000 gold for second 2026 Milan-Cortina title Francesca Lollobrigida, 35, delivered another gold for host Italy, edging the women’s 5,000 meters by 0.1 seconds to become a two-time champion at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Lollobrigida won Friday at the Milan Ice Skating Arena, finishing in 6:46.17. Skating in the final pairing against veteran Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic, Lollobrigida surged late despite fading legs, closing her last lap in 31.86 seconds. She caught and passed Merel Conijn of the N February 13, 2026
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  South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan to stick with planned free skate at Milan Olympics South Korea’s top men’s figure skater, Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall), said he will focus on polishing his performance rather than raising difficulty ahead of the free skate. After official practice on Thursday (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, Cha told reporters the gap to the third-place skater is large and “it seems like there needs to be a way to increase difficulty to win a medal,” but he plans to “perform the elements I’ve been doing so far” and concentrate on im February 13, 2026