Journalist
Lee Hugh
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Samsung Holds GSAT Aptitude Test for Entry-Level Hiring Applicants Samsung said April 26 it administered its Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) for entry-level recruitment applicants over two days starting April 25. A total of 18 affiliates held the test, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDI, Samsung SDS, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Bioepis, Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung E&A, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Securities, Samsung Asset Management, Cheil Worldwide, Samsung Global Research, S-1 and Samsung Welstory. Samsung began its first-half open recruitment process in March with the application period. After GSAT, it plans to select new hires through interviews in May, health checks and other steps. Applicants for software development and design positions will be evaluated through an SW competency test and a design portfolio review, respectively, instead of GSAT. GSAT is designed to assess creative thinking and flexible problem-solving. It was first introduced in the second half of 1995 and marks its 31st anniversary this year. Samsung has administered GSAT online since 2020, a shift made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants can take the test on a PC in an independent location. Samsung introduced South Korea’s first open recruitment system for new employees in 1957 and has maintained it for 70 years. The company has announced a plan to hire 60,000 people over the next five years as it seeks to accelerate investment in future growth businesses. A Samsung official said the company will continue expanding efforts to identify talent in artificial intelligence to lead the global AI era, adding that it plans to actively foster future growth businesses and contribute to the national economy. 2026-04-26 13:03:16 -
Korea Chip Leveraged ETFs Surge More Than 11-Fold as Semiconductor Funds Jump Expectations for an improving semiconductor cycle have pushed returns sharply higher for chip-related exchange-traded funds in South Korea, with leveraged products far outpacing standard funds. According to Koscom's ETF CHECK data released on the 26th, Samsung Asset Management's KODEX Semiconductor ETF returned 95.10% year to date. Its six-month return was 112.20%, and its one-year return rose to 300.85%. Mirae Asset Global Investments' TIGER Semiconductor TOP10 ETF showed a similar pattern, posting returns of 90.03% year to date, 112.07% over six months and 304.39% over one year. Leveraged ETFs magnified those gains. The KODEX Semiconductor Leveraged ETF returned 215.21% year to date, more than double the non-leveraged KODEX fund. Its six-month return was 261.55%, and its one-year return reached 1,115.98%. The TIGER Semiconductor TOP10 Leveraged ETF returned 201.60% year to date, 259.90% over six months and 1,141.10% over one year. Even when tracking the same semiconductor index, leveraged ETFs apply a multiple to daily returns. If an index keeps rising, compounding can widen performance gaps beyond a simple two-times effect, potentially reaching three to four times over longer periods. Regulatory changes are also lifting expectations. With listings now allowed for leveraged ETFs using Samsung Electronics and SK hynix as underlying assets, about 10 products are expected to launch next month, led by major asset managers. The move is expected to help capture domestic demand that has been directed to overseas markets, where single-stock leveraged ETFs already trade. Kim In-sik, a researcher at IBK Investment & Securities, said demand is likely to flow first into products linked to expectations for the semiconductor cycle and earnings momentum centered on Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Still, leveraged ETFs can amplify losses in down markets. Price gaps between a fund's intrinsic value and its market price can also be wider than for standard ETFs, underscoring the need for investors to review risks before investing. 2026-04-26 13:00:31 -
KOSPI Surge Lifts Minors’ Stock Holdings to Nearly $3 Billion Despite Fewer Shares A sharp rally in South Korea’s stock market last year pushed the value of stocks held by minors higher even as the number of young shareholders and the amount of shares they owned declined, data showed. According to the Korea Securities Depository on April 26, minors under 20 held about 2.9761 trillion won in shares at the end of last year among 88 companies in the top 200 by market capitalization that disclosed shareholder data by age. The total number of minor shareholders at those firms was 728,344. The depository provides stock-distribution data only for companies that have appointed it as their transfer agent. The shift was clear compared with a year earlier. The average number of minor shareholders per company fell to 8,277 from 8,466, and average shareholdings slipped to about 370,000 shares from about 400,000. But the average value of those holdings jumped more than 72% to 33.8 billion won from 19.6 billion won, reflecting rising stock prices. By company, Samsung Electronics drew the largest number of minor shareholders. At year’s end, 343,694 minors held 16,063,292 shares of the chip and electronics giant. While the number of minor shareholders and shares held fell about 13% and 17%, respectively, the stock price surged to 119,900 won from 53,200 won over the same period, lifting the per-person holding value to about 5.6 million won. Similar patterns appeared elsewhere. At LG Energy Solution, 34,329 minors held 116,072 shares, with per-person holdings valued at about 1.24 million won. At Samsung Biologics, 3,928 minors held 22,882 shares, with per-person holdings valued at about 9.87 million won. Other large-cap stocks also showed minors’ holdings valued in the millions of won per person, including Samsung Electro-Mechanics (about 4.06 million won), Samsung C&T (about 5.49 million won) and Shinhan Financial Group (about 2.59 million won). The depository said it could not confirm stock-distribution data for some companies, including No. 2 market-cap SK hynix, apparently because they did not appoint it as transfer agent. As a result, the total value of stocks held by minors is likely higher than the disclosed figure. Market watchers attributed the changes to profit-taking during the rally and shifting investment behavior. Last year, individual investors reduced exposure to sharply rising stocks by taking gains while moving funds into exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. 2026-04-26 12:57:47 -
Hyundai Green Food to Open First Seoul Texas Roadhouse Flagship on April 28 Hyundai Green Food, the food company of Hyundai Department Store Group, said April 26 it will open the Texas Roadhouse Jamsil main store on April 28 in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Texas Roadhouse is a steak brand founded in 1993 in Indiana. It operates more than 800 locations across 11 countries, including the United States, Mexico and Taiwan. In South Korea, Hyundai Green Food opened the first store in 2020 at Hyundai Premium Outlets Space One in Namyangju and now runs six locations, including stores in Songdo and Gimpo and outlets at Hyundai Department Store’s Jungdong and Pangyo branches and The Hyundai Daegu. The Jamsil main store is the brand’s first flagship in Seoul’s core retail district. The restaurant spans about 505 square meters (153 pyeong) with 200 seats. Hours will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., one hour longer than existing stores, the company said, citing heavy foot traffic in the area. The chain has built competitiveness around offering Choice-grade steaks at reasonable prices. Stores also feature an in-house meat room and professional meat cutters so customers can see and select cuts and weights before ordering. Lee Jong-pil, executive director and head of Hyundai Green Food’s dining-out business division, said the Jamsil opening is the company’s first flagship-style store in a key Seoul commercial area. He said the launch will help promote the brand and further strengthen Hyundai Green Food’s competitiveness in the dining business.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 12:57:15 -
Russia’s Lower House Speaker Visits North Korea for Kursk Operation Anniversary Event Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament (the State Duma), has visited North Korea to attend events marking the first anniversary of the end of what North Korea calls the “Kursk liberation operation,” in which North Korean troops took part. North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun reported April 26 that an official Russian delegation led by Volodin arrived in Pyongyang the previous day at the invitation of the Supreme People’s Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense. The paper said the delegation would attend the inauguration ceremony for the Overseas Military Operation Battle Merits Memorial Hall, described as a facility honoring troops deployed to the Russia-Ukraine war. Jo Yong Won, chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly Standing Committee, and Kim Jong Gyu, a vice foreign minister, greeted the delegation at the airport, the report said. Kim Jong Un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission, has visited the construction site several times and set the completion date to coincide with the “first anniversary of the liberation of Kursk,” making it likely the ceremony will be held April 26. Russia, which lost control of Kursk at one point during the war with Ukraine, officially declared on April 26 last year that it had regained the territory. Jo said the Russian leadership’s decision to send a high-level delegation to the ceremony was “a sign of the sincere support and respect of the entire Russian people” for North Koreans who “reverently recall the shining lives” of those who fought in overseas operations and “wish for their eternal life.” Volodin said he expressed “sincere gratitude” to Kim and the North Korean people for helping drive out what he called “Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers” from Russia’s Kursk region. He added that Russia would “never forget” the feats of “heroic” North Korean officers and soldiers who, he said, gave their lives in the Kursk operation.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 12:48:16 -
Trump evacuated after gunfire at White House correspondents' dinner SEOUL, April 26 (AJP) - A suspected shooter was apprehended after U.S. President Donald Trump and other top officials were evacuated from the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association in Washington, D.C., on Saturday following gunfire. At around 8:40 p.m. EDT, gunshots were fired near the main security screening area of the Washington Hilton while dinner was being served in the main ballroom. In a televised statement at the White House a few hours later, Trump said, "A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service." Authorities identified the suspect as a 30-year-old man from California who was injured and taken into custody at the scene after he was reportedly found with a shotgun and a handgun. Trump said the alleged shooter's motivation remains unclear, but added that he was a "guy who looked pretty evil when he was down." Saturday's shooting incident was the third assassination attempt against Trump. During his 2024 presidential campaign, he narrowly survived a shooting while delivering a speech in Pennsylvania. Two months later, a gunman was found to have been lying in wait at a golf course in Florida. When asked by reporters why he has repeatedly been the target of assassination attempts, Trump replied that it may be because he is "impactful," comparing himself to former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated in 1865, while dismissing any relevance to the current impasse in his war in Iran. "I've studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people who do the most, are the ones they go after," he said, describing his profession as "dangerous" and adding that attempted violence is "part of the job." He added, "And I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I've done a lot." Shortly after the incident, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social, "The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition." He also said the dinner would be rescheduled "within the next 30 days," vowing that it would be "bigger, and better, and even nicer." The gunfire occurred despite tight security at the hotel during the dinner, which was attended by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, meanwhile, said he was "deeply shocked by the violent incident," in a post on X, formerly Twitter both in Korean and English. "It is especially regrettable that such an incident occurred at an event meant to reaffirm the role of the press and freedom of speech," he wrote. "Political violence is a grave threat that undermines the very foundation of democracy and can never be justified under any circumstances." Lee also said he was relieved to learn that Trump, the first lady, and all others present were safe, and expressed his "deepest sympathies to the American people." 2026-04-26 12:34:42 -
PPP Picks Choo Kyung-ho as Daegu Mayor Candidate; Yoo Eui-dong Sole Nominee in Pyeongtaek-eul Rep. Choo Kyung-ho has been selected as the People Power Party’s candidate for Daegu mayor in the June 3 local elections. The party’s nomination committee also decided to make former lawmaker Yoo Eui-dong its sole recommended candidate in the Pyeongtaek-eul district in Gyeonggi Province for a special election to be held alongside the local vote. Nomination committee chair Park Deok-heum announced the results at a briefing April 26 after a committee meeting, saying, “As a result of the primary, candidate Choo Kyung-ho was selected as the People Power Party’s Daegu mayoral candidate.” Park added, “We resolved to make candidate Yoo Eui-dong our sole recommendation for the Pyeongtaek-eul by-election,” and said Yoo is “the best fit” to lead Pyeongtaek’s next step, citing his policy experience, including as the party’s policy committee chair, and his three-term legislative career. With the committee’s decision, the Daegu mayoral race will pit Choo against Kim Boo-kyum, a former prime minister. The Pyeongtaek-eul seat is also where Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, has declared his candidacy. Park said the party will, in principle, hold primaries to pick candidates in nine districts where vacancies will be created because incumbent lawmakers are running in the local elections. A total of nine sitting lawmakers — including Choo and eight lawmakers nominated by the Democratic Party for metropolitan-level chief executive posts — are expected to resign their National Assembly seats within this month to run. Separately, the nomination committee said it will reopen applications for the Incheon Gyeyang-eul parliamentary by-election. Applications will be accepted April 27-28, followed by candidate interviews on April 29. 2026-04-26 12:21:17 -
Maeil Marine CEO Kim Myeong-jin Pledges Advanced Materials to Link Shipbuilding, Defense "We will go beyond distributing ship supplies and become a global marine technology group representing South Korea," Kim Myeong-jin, CEO of Maeil Marine and chairman of the Maeilbiz Association, said at a press briefing on April 23 at the company’s plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. Kim said the company is shifting from a ship-services business to a broader marine technology company spanning manufacturing, renewable energy, defense and nuclear-related fields. Founded in 1995, Maeil Marine grew on its ship-supply business and has become a top-tier player with 30 billion won in revenue and about 50 employees, the company said. Kim said Maeil Marine strengthened its position through mergers and acquisitions and rebranded as Maeil Marine Partners. Starting with the 2018 acquisition of Sehwa Machinery, the company secured precision machining capabilities and localized production of key ship components such as turbochargers. In 2020, it merged SAS into its plant business division to build an environment for producing shipbuilding and onshore and offshore power-generation plants. In 2025, it acquired Samyang Trading to build logistics infrastructure linking Northeast Asia. Kim said Maeil Marine plans to combine advanced-materials technology from affiliate Maeil Ceracam with its ship-services know-how to build an end-to-end value chain, from manufacturing ship engine parts and fabricating structures to distributing ship supplies. The company is also reshaping its portfolio by moving into new businesses tied to the energy transition, including offshore wind power, and by expanding into defense, Kim said. He said Maeil Marine aims to target global markets by building an edge in marine defense technology. A tour of the Changwon production site ahead of the briefing highlighted Maeil Ceracam’s core technology: an advanced material that the company said maintains Level III-A ballistic protection while also withstanding temperatures of 1,100 degrees Celsius for more than four hours. The material is expected to be used in special-purpose ship structures, as well as in the defense industry and high-spec construction markets, the company said. Kim said the company is also developing electromagnetic shielding and radiation-shielding coating technology for stealth applications, targeting higher-value markets such as naval vessels, military vehicles, and nuclear and security facilities. "If we focused on distributing ship supplies in the past, we are now putting all our efforts into manufacturing for offshore wind plants and developing future technologies such as ship drones," Kim said. He said diversification would create new market value of 1 trillion won a year. "Based on our distribution and manufacturing know-how, we will change the landscape of the global marine industry through an integrated value chain that links shipbuilding and defense," he said. 2026-04-26 12:18:19 -
Korea FTC Awards 15 Million Won to Staff Who Uncovered Sugar Price-Fixing South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission said April 26 it will pay a combined 15 million won ($) in special achievement bonuses to two staff members credited with uncovering illegal collusion by three sugar manufacturers and sellers. The FTC said it held its first special achievement awards ceremony on April 22. The bonus program was introduced this year following a presidential directive to provide exceptional rewards to public officials who deliver outstanding results. The FTC said it will award 10 million won to Jeong Mun-hong, an official, and 5 million won to Woo Byeong-hoon, a senior official. The agency said the two, while investigating suspected collusion in the sugar sector, secured a decisive confession from an employee of a cartel participant. The confession and subsequent evidence led the sugar companies to voluntarily report, allowing the investigation to be wrapped up quickly, the FTC said. In March, the FTC imposed 396 billion won in fines on the three sugar companies. The agency also said the probe produced key leads that could help uncover cartel cases in major food raw materials such as corn syrup and flour. The FTC said the confession and evidence it obtained were later used as core materials in prosecutors’ investigations, and were cited as showing how early FTC fact-finding and securing admissions can be pivotal in bringing criminal penalties in cartel cases. The FTC said it highly valued the officials’ persistent tracking of covert collusion in the food sector and their role in driving down prices. It said sugar prices at the three companies fell 16.5% from the collusive level after the cartel was uncovered. Other award recipients included: four officials, including Min Ji-hyeon, for strengthening economic penalties for unfair practices (6.5 million won); five officials, including manager Eum Jan-di, for a tough response to omissions involving DB, Youngwon and HDC affiliates (6 million won); and three officials, including manager Jang Ju-yeon, for operating a monitoring team on unfair trade in items closely tied to daily life (4.5 million won). FTC Chairman Joo Byeong-gi said the sugar cartel case reflected investigators’ ability to read competitive conditions and their determination to uncover the truth. He said the key was persuading a participant in a “giant cartel” to voluntarily report after 12 months of persistent investigative work.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 12:08:31 -
Korea Chamber Signs Vietnam University MOUs to Ease SME Skilled Labor Shortage The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Saturday it signed education cooperation agreements with four leading universities in Vietnam to help train industrial technology workers, as South Korean small and midsize companies face persistent shortages of skilled labor. The chamber said the memorandums of understanding were signed April 23 in Hanoi on the sidelines of a Korea-Vietnam business forum. The partner schools are Vietnam National University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi Industrial University and the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology. The agreements are part of a project the chamber has been pursuing with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy since this year to attract bachelor’s-level overseas technical talent to regional areas, it said. Under the MOUs, the universities will cooperate on selecting candidates and assessing their capabilities, running training programs in Vietnam, and developing curricula based on demand from industrial sites in South Korea. The chamber said the schools plan to begin selecting trainees in May and start training. The chamber said the project centers on an integrated process it runs directly: selection, training and verification, matching with companies, and follow-up management. It described the approach as demand-driven, contrasting it with earlier programs that mainly recruited available workers locally and then connected them to firms. Using its nationwide chamber network, it first identifies hiring and job needs at regional small and midsize companies, then reflects those needs in overseas training and matches candidates with firms, it said. The chamber said it is focusing on verifying job skills required by regional companies, beyond Korean-language ability. Trainees will be evaluated on whether they can perform without additional retraining once placed in the workplace, and must complete job projects designed around real work conditions to qualify for matching. It also said it will provide post-placement support for overseas hires, including Korean-language education and a help desk. According to the chamber, the industrial technology labor shortage rate at small and midsize-sized workplaces in 2024 was 2.9%, about 5.8 times the 0.5% rate at large workplaces. Regional turnover was higher outside the Seoul metropolitan area at 10.7% than in the capital region at 7.3%, with Daegu at 13.9% and North Gyeongsang at 12.3%. The chamber said it is also expanding cooperation beyond Vietnam to top universities in Indonesia, including the University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University and Bandung Institute of Technology. Lee Sang-bok, head of the chamber’s Human Resources Development Project Group, said regional small and midsize companies face limits if they rely only on domestic technical workers. “Using global professional technical talent is not an option but a necessity,” Lee said, adding that he expects the project to strengthen regional industrial competitiveness and contribute to balanced regional development and efforts to address population decline in provincial areas.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 12:07:37