Kia's Song Ho-sung Discusses Atlas Robot Deployment and IPO Plans Song Ho-sung, president of Kia, outlined plans for the deployment of Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot, Atlas. In a recent investor presentation in Hong Kong and Singapore, he stated that the initial focus for Atlas will be on mass deployment in U.S. factories over the first one to two years to gather data and ensure stability. He emphasized that Atlas will first be used in processes that are particularly strenuous and challenging for workers.Once the effectiveness of Atlas is demonstrated in spec May 18, 2026

Trump Warns of Strong Action Against Iran Without Better Deal Donald Trump has warned of potential military action against Iran unless the country presents a better negotiating proposal. Despite a recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump has not been able to reach a clear resolution regarding Iran, leading to a review of military options as tensions in the Middle East escalate. On May 17, Trump stated on the social media platform Truth Social, "Iran doesn’t have much time," urging the country to act quickly or face severe consequences. May 18, 2026

IBK Industrial Bank to Launch $230 Million 'Co-Growth Fund' with Asset Management Firms IBK Industrial Bank is set to provide a significant funding boost of 230 billion won (approximately $230 million) amid ongoing challenges in the venture investment market due to high interest rates and economic slowdown. On May 18, the bank announced its plans to select asset management firms for the '2026 IBK Co-Growth Fund.' Through this initiative, IBK plans to invest a total of 120 billion won across three sectors: impact, bio-healthcare, and culture, aiming to create a fund exceeding 230 bi May 18, 2026

Jang Dong-hyuk Attends 5·18 Memorial, Criticizes Government's Use of Movement Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, attended the 46th anniversary memorial ceremony for the 5·18 Democracy Movement for the first time since taking office. After the event, he left without making any comments, but criticized President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party on his Facebook page, claiming they are undermining the spirit of the 5·18 movement. Jang attended the ceremony held at the 5·18 Democracy Square in Gwangju. While he remained silent during the event May 18, 2026

Boryung Begins Supplying Alimta to Taiwan's Lotus, Expanding CDMO Business Boryung announced that it has started supplying the anticancer drug Alimta (active ingredient: pemetrexed) to Taiwan's Lotus Pharmaceutical, marking the expansion of its global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business. This supply marks the first instance of Boryung's global CDMO operations becoming fully operational. Following the signing of a CDMO contract with Lotus in 2024, Boryung completed quality verification and regulatory procedures before commencing t May 18, 2026

Cryptocurrency Exchanges Strengthen Internal Controls Amid Performance Decline Domestic cryptocurrency exchanges, including Upbit, have increased investments in security and monitoring despite a significant drop in first-quarter performance this year. This trend follows a series of hacking incidents and heightened scrutiny from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which has underscored the need for stronger anti-money laundering (AML) and internal control systems.According to the cryptocurrency industry on May 18, Dunamu, which operates Upbit, reported its first-quarter May 18, 2026

Lotte Biologics Expands Partnership with Otimo Pharma for Antibody Drug Development Lotte Biologics is strengthening its position as a strategic partner by expanding its collaboration scope to include development stages. The company aims to establish a comprehensive partnership that spans from initial development to commercialization. This shift from mere production to development collaboration is expected to enhance the likelihood of future commercialization. On May 18, Lotte Biologics announced that it has signed a contract with the UK-based biotech firm Otimo Pharma f May 18, 2026

LG Uplus Surpasses 2 Million USIM Updates and Replacements LG Uplus has reported that the cumulative number of updates and free replacements for subscriber identification numbers (IMSI) has surpassed 2 million. This figure represents approximately 12% of all subscribers, indicating that a majority still need to complete the replacement process, prompting the company to enhance its outreach efforts. As of May 17, LG Uplus processed a total of 2,014,527 updates and replacements, including 750,461 updates and 1,264,066 replacements since May 13. T May 18, 2026

Samsung Heavy Industries Secures Orders for Three LNG Carriers Worth 1.12 Trillion Won Samsung Heavy Industries continues to expand its orders for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. The company announced on May 18 that it has secured orders for three LNG carriers from a shipping company in Oceania, totaling 1.12 trillion won. This month, Samsung Heavy Industries has recorded a total of six orders, including one LNG floating storage and regasification unit (LNG-FSRU) and five LNG carriers, amounting to 2.36 trillion won. In the LNG carrier sector, the company has already s May 18, 2026

Court Partially Grants Samsung Electronics' Request to Ban Union Strike The Seoul court has partially accepted Samsung Electronics' request for an injunction to prohibit an illegal general strike by the labor union. This decision comes just three days before the union's planned strike. The court's ruling is expected to hinder the strike by requiring staffing levels to remain at normal levels.In response, the largest union, the Samsung Electronics branch of the Korean Federation of Trade Unions (KCTU), stated that it respects the court's decision and plans to proceed May 18, 2026