Journalist

Lee Hugh
  • Kumho Petrochemical to Restore Migratory Bird Habitat in Yeosu Wetland Project
    Kumho Petrochemical to Restore Migratory Bird Habitat in Yeosu Wetland Project Kumho Petrochemical Group said it is launching a habitat restoration project in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, aimed at protecting biodiversity and supporting climate response efforts. The group said April 28 it will begin a project to improve habitat for endangered migratory birds. Five affiliates will participate: Kumho Petrochemical, Kumho P&B Chemicals, Kumho Mitsui Chemicals, Kumho Polychem and Kumho T&L. Working with Thanks Carbon, the group will invest a total of 260 million won over the next three years to create wetlands by flooding farmland near the Gasari Eco Park. The area will expand in phases, from about 1,200 pyeong in the first year to 2,400 pyeong in the second and 3,400 pyeong in the third. The Yeosu area, near the Suncheon Bay wetland, has served as a key stopover and wintering site for migratory birds. The group said industrialization and development have reduced farmland and worsened habitat conditions. Its plan is to restore winter habitat by creating flooded rice paddies on farmland during the off-season. Flooded paddies can support a range of species and are also known for storing carbon in soil, the group said. It plans to monitor bird numbers and environmental changes using unmanned sensor cameras and to develop management strategies based on the data. Local farmers will take part as operators. The group said nearby farms are supplying feed such as rice seed and sweet potatoes once a week during winter. In March, Kumho Petrochemical employees joined on-site activities, it said. Baek Jong-hoon, CEO of Kumho Petrochemical, said, “Preserving Yeosu’s ecological value and protecting biodiversity is a responsibility for a company that has grown with the local community.” He added, “We will continue sincere efforts to deepen our ESG management.” Separately, the company said employees raised 210 plants of the Jeju native species ‘pachoil-yeop,’ a Class II endangered wild plant, for nine months and planted them near their natural habitat at the Kumho Jeju Resort. 2026-04-28 14:15:18
  • Iran Nears Oil Storage Limit Under U.S. Pressure, May Face More Output Cuts
    Iran Nears Oil Storage Limit Under U.S. Pressure, May Face More Output Cuts Iran is rapidly running out of crude oil storage capacity under U.S. economic pressure, raising the likelihood of additional production cuts, analysts said. Bloomberg reported on April 27, citing commodities analytics firm Kpler, that Iran has only about 12 to 22 days of usable crude storage remaining. Kpler said shrinking storage could push Iran to cut output by as much as 1.5 million barrels a day by mid-May. Goldman Sachs has previously assessed that Iran has already reduced crude production by up to 2.5 million barrels per day. Iran’s crude exports have fallen sharply since a U.S. maritime blockade, Kpler said. Recent exports were about 567,000 barrels a day, down from a March average of about 1.85 million barrels a day. Crude loadings have also dropped about 70% since the blockade, it said. Even with lower production, the fiscal hit is expected to arrive with a lag. It takes about two months for Iranian crude to reach Chinese ports, its main destination, and payments take additional time, meaning the impact of reduced revenue is expected to become more pronounced in about three to four months. Iran is expanding stopgap measures to keep production going, The Wall Street Journal reported. With crude piling up at home, Iran has restarted disused storage tanks in poor condition and is using temporary facilities such as containers. The steps are seen as aimed at easing infrastructure strain and reducing U.S. pressure amid tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the U.K. think tank Chatham House, said Iran is trying to avoid shutting in production and deepening revenue losses. “A production shutdown would increase pressure and encourage negotiations,” she said. Iran is also turning to rail transport, a method typically avoided because it is less profitable and efficient. A spokesperson for the Iran Petroleum Exporters Association said Iran is pursuing a plan to ship crude to China by rail. Erica Downs, an energy policy expert at Columbia University, said it is unclear whether small Chinese refineries will absorb higher rail costs, calling it “a measure born of desperation.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 14:12:05
  • BR Korea Names Cho Yoon-sang CEO
    BR Korea Names Cho Yoon-sang CEO BR Korea, which operates Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin, said April 28 it has appointed Cho Yoon-sang as its new CEO. Cho is a management specialist with 27 years of experience in marketing and digital strategy at major companies in South Korea and abroad. He previously led the marketing communications group at LG Electronics and served as marketing director at YUM! Global, a global franchise operator of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell, overseeing assessments of brands’ digital competitiveness, organizational management and marketing strategy. He later served as chief marketing officer for the Asia-Pacific region, leading product innovation and marketing strategy. During the pandemic, he was credited with advancing new channel strategies centered on delivery apps to respond to rapid shifts in the dining market. Most recently, Cho served as CEO of Pizza Hut Korea, where he led efforts to strengthen the organization. The company said he reinforced cooperation through direct communication with franchisees while pursuing digital transformation and performance-based restructuring, shifting the business model toward profitability. BR Korea said the appointment is aimed at strengthening its management foundation and accelerating efforts to boost brand competitiveness and digital transformation. A BR Korea official said Cho is a leader with broad market understanding, experience and strong on-the-ground execution, adding that the company expects him to raise the brand value of Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin and further advance its business model through digital innovation."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 14:06:17
  • Kim Seong-tae denies alleged salmon and drinking party, says he did not drink
    Kim Seong-tae denies alleged 'salmon and drinking party,' says he did not drink Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool, on April 28 denied allegations that he held a so-called “salmon and drinking party,” saying he did not drink and urging people to stop focusing on what he ate. He also rejected suspicions of stock manipulation involving the company. Appearing as a witness at a National Assembly hearing for a special committee investigating alleged fabricated indictments, Kim said, “I have never had a drink. I didn’t drink, so I’m saying I didn’t.” He added, “I’m close to 60. Please stop talking about what I eat.” The allegation surfaced after attorney Seo Min-seok, who previously represented former Gyeonggi Province peace vice governor Lee Hwa-young, released a transcript on March 29. The transcript raised claims that on May 17, 2023, Kim held the gathering in the office of prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who investigated the Ssangbangwool case involving alleged remittances to North Korea. On the stock manipulation allegations, Kim raised his voice, saying, “There has to be a benefit for me to manipulate stock prices. What stock manipulation are you even saying I did?” He also pushed back against claims that prosecutors conducted a lenient investigation to link President Lee Jae-myung to the North Korea remittance case, saying, “What did those vicious prosecutors supposedly go easy on?”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 14:03:50
  • South Korea launches nationwide carbon-neutral action campaign, forms preparatory committee
    South Korea launches nationwide carbon-neutral action campaign, forms preparatory committee The government is moving to step up a nationwide public action campaign aimed at carbon neutrality and a major shift in energy use. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said it will hold a launch ceremony Monday afternoon at Korea House in Jung-gu, Seoul, for the “Republic of Korea Climate Action Preparatory Committee for Carbon Neutrality and the Energy Transition.” At the event, the committee will declare this year the “first year of Republic of Korea climate action” and discuss ways to build and expand everyday public participation to respond to the climate crisis and advance the energy transition. About 100 people from across society — including religious groups, industry, finance, education and civil society — are expected to attend, marking what organizers described as a new start for the initiative. The committee said it plans to systematically spread climate actions rooted in daily life and local communities so that small steps can contribute to carbon neutrality, while building broader public consensus through voluntary private-sector participation. Participants will issue a climate action declaration under the theme “From the declaration of 100 people to the practice of 10 million citizens.” Free remarks will follow, covering topics such as climate action guidelines and ways to broaden participation nationwide, environmental, social and transparent governance (ESG) cases, and policy proposals. Starting Monday, the committee plans promotional activities, including public participation events, through the “2026 Environment Day and Climate Action Launch Event” on June 5. The ministry said it will reflect the committee’s input in a future national climate action plan and build an operating framework based on voluntary participation to link the “declaration of 100 people” to “the practice of 10 million citizens.” Minister Kim Seong-hwan said, “Now is the time for everyone to act together with a sense of urgency.” He added that he hopes the preparatory committee will serve as a hub for nationwide climate action by “spreading declarations into practice, and practice into culture.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 14:03:17
  • Incheon mayoral race: Voters weigh ties to ruling party vs policy continuity
    Incheon mayoral race: Voters weigh ties to ruling party vs policy continuity "Wouldn’t candidate Park Chan-dae, who is close to the president, be more helpful in resolving pending issues?" (office worker Kim, surname only) "For policy continuity, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok should win another term." (homemaker Cho Mi-ryeong) With the Incheon mayoral election approaching, voters in the city often called a microcosm of South Korea showed little sign of rallying behind a single party or candidate. The contest pits Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party against Yoo Jeong-bok of the People Power Party, drawing attention as a matchup between a key figure in the Lee Jae-myung administration and an incumbent seeking a third term. It is also the only race for a metropolitan mayor in the Seoul area framed as a contest between two local natives. At Incheon Bus Terminal in Gwangyo-dong, Michuhol-gu, taxi driver Byun Jang-su, 68, said he supports Yoo, adding he would vote for him "to keep the ruling party in check." A 53-year-old self-employed resident, who also described himself as Incheon-born, said the city tends to choose based on candidates and pledges rather than party or the administration in power. He said he plans to vote for Yoo, citing his experience and a high rate of delivering on promises. Old downtown areas including Michuhol-gu, Jung-gu and Dong-gu have larger elderly populations and have traditionally leaned conservative; Yoo won there in the 2022 local elections. Still, some voters signaled a shift. A 25-year-old job seeker in Jung-gu said he expects Park, a former floor leader of the ruling party, to communicate smoothly with the president and the National Assembly. A 58-year-old woman working near Sinpo International Market in Jung-gu said Yoo has done a good job but she will vote for Park, saying Park’s ties to President Lee would help address local issues. In newer districts such as Yeonsu-gu and Seo-gu, seen as decisive battlegrounds, opinions also split. Na Hyun-ju, a 48-year-old office worker in Songdo, Yeonsu-gu, said Yoo’s performance has not been rated poorly, but some residents worry that if the mayor is from a different party than the administration, projects in Songdo such as the Incheon Tower and a tram could face difficulties. She said the mayoral race there has tilted toward the Democratic Party. In contrast, Cho Mi-ryeong, a 43-year-old homemaker in Lu1 City in Seo-gu, said new towns still have many unresolved issues, including daily infrastructure. She said the city needs a candidate who can steadily continue current policies rather than offer new pledges, and she plans to vote for Yoo. Centrists and unaffiliated voters appeared even more cautious. Cho Yoon-sun, a 70-year-old woman in Namdong-gu, sometimes called Incheon’s political hub, said she votes every time but has not decided yet. She said she will back the candidate whose pledges would help residents more. A man in his 70s met near Incheon City Hall also said he plans to vote but does not have a preferred candidate. Some younger voters said they may sit out the election, saying no candidate or pledge clearly addresses problems facing their generation, including difficulty finding jobs. Noh, a 29-year-old woman in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, said people her age and other young voters around her have long had little interest in elections and that she does not plan to vote in the local elections. Yoo, the incumbent mayor, is set to step down from the post on April 29 and formally announce his bid for a third term in front of City Hall. Park, a three-term lawmaker representing Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu Gap district who declared his candidacy on April 22, will also resign his parliamentary seat that day and begin campaigning in earnest. 2026-04-28 14:01:16
  • Samsung mulls TV pullout option after smartphone-like defeat in China
    Samsung mulls TV pullout option after smartphone-like defeat in China SEOUL, April 28 (AJP) -Samsung Electronics is weighing a pullout from its TV business in China, in what would mark a second setback in the world’s second-largest market after its retreat from smartphones. Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that “no such decision has been finalized,” responding to speculation over a possible withdrawal. A company spokesperson said market conditions in China are under review, but denied reports of a full exit from its TV and home appliance business. According to market research firm AVC, Samsung’s share of the Chinese color TV market stood at just 3.62 percent as of early this month, more than halved from 8.48 percent share in March 2024. Japan's Nikkei reported Samsung plans to end its direct home appliance and TV sales in China by the end of the year, and AVC forecasts the company is likely to transition from a direct sales model to a proxy agency model within the second half of the year. Samsung Electronics Visual Display (VD) Division President Yong Seok-woo earlier this month admitted that the China business was difficult, adding that the company is "looking at the business in various forms, and discussions are currently ongoing." A retreat from the TV market would represent a second major blow to Samsung in China, echoing its earlier failure in the local smartphone sector. Much like its mobile division—which lost its dominance to domestic brands and saw its market share evaporate to roughly 1 percent—Samsung's TV division is being squeezed out by aggressive local competitors. Samsung first entered the Chinese market in the mid-1990s and established itself as a top-tier brand. By early 2011, the company led the Chinese flat-panel TV market with a 12.3 percent share, firmly cementing its image as a premium electronics manufacturer. However, Chinese rivals such as Hisense and TCL rapidly closed the gap, leveraging superior panel procurement capabilities, aggressive pricing, and expansive local distribution networks. While Samsung’s OLED TVs are still highly regarded by Chinese tech reviewers for their AI chips, design, and gaming performance, superior product quality is no longer translating into business viability. Industry analysts note that high-end strategies are failing to gain traction as domestic manufacturers successfully push into the premium segment. Foreign brands as a whole are struggling; total TV shipments in China for Sony, Samsung, Sharp, and Philips combined fell short of 1 million units last year, capturing less than a 5 percent collective market share. 2026-04-28 14:01:01
  • Budget Office to Prioritize Funding for Drones, Robots and Other Advanced Defense Capabilities
    Budget Office to Prioritize Funding for Drones, Robots and Other Advanced Defense Capabilities The Budget Office said it will focus next year’s budget planning on securing advanced military capabilities such as drones and robots. On the 28th, the office held a meeting with officials from major defense companies at the Narakium conference hall in Seoul’s Yeouido district to discuss priority investment directions for the defense sector and ways to strengthen the defense industry ecosystem. K-defense exports have recently expanded, particularly to Europe and the Middle East, widening South Korea’s footprint in the global arms market. The office said, however, that as the market rapidly shifts toward advanced technologies and competition intensifies, there is a growing need to ensure export gains translate into sustainable industrial competitiveness. Company representatives at the meeting said the strategic importance of advanced weapons, including AI and drones, is rising and that major countries are increasing related budgets. They said South Korea also needs expanded investment to shift to advanced weapons systems and support for developing core technologies. Lee Je-hoon, the office’s director for administrative and defense budget review, said, “With the recent trend of declining troop numbers and changes in the nature of future warfare, fostering a smart, elite force through a transition to cutting-edge weapons systems is an important task.” He added, “When drafting the 2027 budget, we will make targeted investments in related funding to secure advanced capabilities, including unmanned-manned integrated systems such as drone and robot platforms, along with upgrading the Korean three-axis system.” Lee also said sustained global competitiveness for K-defense requires growth across the entire ecosystem, urging major firms to share results with smaller partner companies during project implementation and to help build a fair, mutually beneficial industrial environment. The Budget Office said it will use views raised at the meeting to refine defense investment priorities to be reflected in the 2027 budget proposal and the National Fiscal Management Plan (2026–2030).* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 13:57:45
  • Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon Pledges Stronger Laws to Involve Labor, Management in Preventing Industrial Accidents
    Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon Pledges Stronger Laws to Involve Labor, Management in Preventing Industrial Accidents Kim Young-hoon, South Korea’s minister of employment and labor, said on the 28th that cutting industrial accidents begins with “basic respect for human life,” and pledged to focus on strengthening laws and systems so labor and management can take an active role in preventing workplace injuries and deaths. Kim made the remarks in a commemorative address after paying respects at the Industrial Accident Victims Memorial Tower in Boramae Park in Seoul’s Dongjak District. A ceremony was later held at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District. Industrial Accident Workers’ Day was designated a statutory commemorative day in October 2024 to raise public understanding of industrial accidents and improve the rights of affected workers. Attendees included Kim; Kim Jeong-ho, chair of the National Assembly’s Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee; other lawmakers; representatives of labor and management groups; and officials from government-affiliated agencies. Groups representing industrial accident victims and bereaved families, as well as award recipients, also took part. At the ceremony, the Dongtap Order of Industrial Service Merit was presented to Seok Chang-woo, head of the Korea Disabled Artists Association, who lost both arms in a high-voltage electrocution accident and later became an artist, staging performances at more than 200 events at home and abroad to help reduce social prejudice against injured workers. An Industrial Service Medal was awarded to Min Dong-sik, head of the Incheon Industrial Accident Association, who lost his left leg in a workplace explosion and has operated a rehabilitation support counseling center while running accident-prevention campaigns. Kim said that with nationwide efforts on industrial safety, combined with labor-management cooperation, fatal industrial accidents fell in the first quarter of this year. “If dedicated efforts have produced change in reducing serious accidents, we must now solidify that momentum,” he said. He added that the government will work to build a workplace culture that respects the life and safety of all people and help workers who have suffered industrial accidents return fully to their daily lives.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 13:57:02
  • MachinaRocks CEO: Physical AI Is Moving Into Factories and Battlefields
    MachinaRocks CEO: Physical AI Is Moving Into Factories and Battlefields “From raw-material procurement to design, production, quality and supply, the future MachinaRocks envisions is ‘fully autonomous manufacturing’ powered by artificial intelligence,” CEO Yoon Sung-ho said. Speaking at the company’s headquarters in Seoul’s Gangnam district, Yoon described the goal as an expansion of “physical AI” — AI that operates directly in real-world environments — across industry. With physical AI drawing global attention, including from Nvidia and Tesla, Yoon said MachinaRocks is proving what is possible through deployments in the field. “People often think first of humanoids or self-driving cars, but it starts by making the countless machines already in factories and industrial sites intelligent,” he said. “From that perspective, manufacturing and defense are the areas that can become reality first.” Founded in 2017, MachinaRocks has grown by supplying AI solutions tailored to industrial settings that demand high performance, reliability and security, including automotive, semiconductors and defense. In AI-based design and optimization, it ranks second among South Korean companies in the number of patents held, the company said. It has recently begun demand forecasting for institutional investors as it moves forward with an initial public offering, drawing attention as part of this year’s wave of “AI IPOs.” ◆Physical AI expands to defense... “An ‘AI staff officer’ directs operations” Defense is another pillar of MachinaRocks’ push for autonomous manufacturing, Yoon said, because it also requires AI to function in physical environments. “Defense is not a question of whether we can do it well — it is an area we must do,” he said. He cited results in improving maintenance efficiency and said the work is expanding toward an “AI staff officer” role that helps with operational decisions on the battlefield. As low-cost weapons systems such as drones spread, Yoon said, performance increasingly depends less on hardware and more on how precisely systems are controlled and operated. In that structure, the AI onboard and how effectively it is used can determine differences in combat power, he said. To respond, he said the company plans to expand battlefield applications based on a tentative “Defense AI OS.” ◆Runway OS aims to help industrial AI cross the “valley of death” Even so, AI adoption in industrial settings often fails to cross the “valley of death” — the gap between technical validation and commercialization — because systems do not perform as expected in real-world conditions, Yoon said. “AI performance is doubling every seven months, but in complex and unpredictable environments like factories or combat zones, it is still not easy to apply,” he said. MachinaRocks has focused on implementing physical AI in practice, including by applying more than 6,000 AI models in industrial sites to build data, he said. At the center is its in-house AI operating system, Runway, designed to work across different equipment and environments — like iOS or Android — with industry-specific AI applications built on top. Yoon said the platform approach is changing the business model. Projects that once took more than a year can now be built in one to six months, he said. “We are shifting from a services-centered model to a platform structure that can generate recurring revenue,” he said, adding that profitability should improve as reusable applications increase. On security — a sensitive issue in manufacturing and defense — Yoon said there is no room for compromise. “In these fields, 60% to 70% accuracy is meaningless; precision and reliability close to 99% are required,” he said. “Situations where confidential data leaks outside or AI goes beyond its control range can never be allowed.” He said Runway is designed to operate in closed networks to meet such mission-critical requirements. ◆Global push built on “K-manufacturing references”... “Confident of break-even in 2027” MachinaRocks is also accelerating overseas expansion. Within a year of entering Japan, it signed four contracts with major manufacturers, and in Europe it is working with a subsidiary of Germany’s Kuka Robotics, Yoon said. He said references built with South Korean companies that lead in autos, batteries and semiconductors are a strong trust asset in global markets, and that overseas firms are moving quickly because the technology has already been proven. Yoon described Japan as a large manufacturing market with relatively low AI use, where demand could grow quickly. He cited Japanese government efforts to expand AI adoption and develop talent as factors accelerating digital transformation, and said MachinaRocks aims to rapidly build a customer base centered on major local manufacturers. Funds raised through the IPO will be used to advance technology and secure an early position in global markets, he said. A tentative “dark factory OS,” intended to let AI autonomously run an entire plant, is a core technology for realizing fully autonomous manufacturing, he said, with investment planned for research and development and for expanding global bases including North America and Japan. Yoon also set a profitability target. “If expansion based on the AI OS proceeds as planned, reaching break-even in 2027 is possible,” he said. “Given our current growth and market demand, it is a realistic goal.” “Physical AI is not a distant future — it has already begun,” Yoon said. “From factories to the battlefield, we will create a new industry standard through AI that operates in real environments.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 13:55:59