Journalist
Lee Hugh
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Hanse Yes24 Group blood drive collects donor cards to aid children with cancer Hanse Yes24 Group has launched a relay blood donation campaign involving employees across its affiliates to mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. Kim Gi-hong, a pioneer of South Korea’s blood donation movement. Industry officials said the “Life Sharing, Love Blood Donation Campaign” began April 16 at the group’s headquarters in Seoul’s Yeouido. Employees from key affiliates, including Hanse Yes24 Holdings, Hanse Corporation, Color & Touch, Yes24, and Dong-A Publishing, volunteered to donate. Staff at Hanse Mobility in Daegu are scheduled to continue the campaign on May 20 and May 27. This year’s campaign is also aimed at providing direct support for children with cancer. Blood donor cards donated by employees will be delivered to the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The group said it will also set aside 10,000 won per card through a “special matching grant” to provide additional support for patients’ treatment costs. The companywide relay was planned to honor the legacy of Dr. Kim, the late father of group founder and chairman Kim Dong-nyeong. Dr. Kim, a physician credited with laying the groundwork for laboratory medicine in South Korea, became head of the Korea Blood Donation Association in 1971. He introduced systems such as blood donation deposits and patient reimbursement, and worked to end the then-widespread practice of paid blood selling. Hanse Yes24 Group has held an annual companywide blood donation campaign since 2022. It also received a Blood Services Merit Award from the Korean Red Cross this year in recognition of its efforts. “Dr. Kim’s dedication to saving lives through blood research is now being carried forward as hope for children with cancer,” Hanse Yes24 Holdings Vice Chairman Kim Seok-hwan said. “We will continue to uphold his spirit of sharing life by helping stabilize the blood supply and strengthen the culture of blood donation.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:18:27 -
Hyundai Livart Launches Three New Furniture Lines for Total Interior Solutions Hyundai Livart said Tuesday it has launched three new products targeting the first-half moving and wedding season. The company said the releases share a theme of “user-centered space optimization,” focusing on efficient storage, improved comfort and multiuse designs that blur boundaries in the home. Hyundai Livart said it aims to offer a “total interior solution” spanning spaces from kitchens and living rooms to bedrooms and home offices. The “Edit” built-in wardrobe uses a made-to-order system adjustable in 5-millimeter increments to maximize storage efficiency, the company said. Its modular design lets users reconfigure the interior to fit their lifestyle. It comes in white and greige, and uses a stone-like texture intended to make the unit part of the room’s overall look. Customers can also choose an “endless door” option that extends the door line to the end of the wall to make the space appear larger, Hyundai Livart said. The “Swanie” is a hotel-style bed designed to bring a hotel-room feel to the home, the company said. It features a stable structure and restrained design, with aluminum details used in the frame. Indirect lighting runs continuously across the headboard and the tops of both side panels to create a more comfortable sleeping environment. It is available in ivory and deep brown, Hyundai Livart said. The “WeMove” is a multipurpose smart table with an electric lift system intended for use across living rooms, kitchens and home offices, the company said. The tabletop height can be adjusted from 610 millimeters to 1,020 millimeters for activities including meals, children’s play, studying and working from home. Hyundai Livart said it uses dual motors from “Jechang,” which it described as the world’s top linear motor manufacturer, to reduce vibration and noise and improve stability. The table also uses a ceramic top designed to resist stains and scratches, and a minimalist design meant to fit in various rooms. A Hyundai Livart official said the new products prioritize core function and user convenience over decorative elements. “We will continue to introduce practical products that naturally fit into daily life while improving quality of life,” the official said. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:17:37 -
SK Group to Turn Off Lights at Major Offices for Earth Day SK Group said it will join an Earth Day lights-out event to underscore the seriousness of the climate crisis and the need to cut carbon emissions. The group said lights at major headquarters buildings of SK Inc. and affiliates including SK Innovation, SK Telecom, SK ecoplant, SK Gas, SK Square, SK Networks and SK Chemicals will be turned off for 10 minutes starting at 8 p.m. on April 22. SK said it is encouraging participation through internal bulletin boards and social media so employees can take part in saving energy in daily life. Separately, SK said it has also been voluntarily switching off nighttime lighting for SK logos attached to the exteriors of key buildings since April 8, including SK Seorin Building, T Tower, Susong Square, Jongno Tower, Samil Building, SK U Tower and Pangyo ECO Hub, as part of broader efforts to conserve energy amid a growing national energy crunch.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:16:51 -
Uttar Pradesh’s 594-km Ganga Expressway to Open April 29 India’s Ganga Expressway, linking Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh with Prayagraj in the east, is expected to open on April 29. The expressway spans 594 kilometers (369 miles) and runs through Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh before connecting Meerut and Prayagraj. Prime Minister Modi is expected to attend the opening ceremony in Hardoi. Officials expect the new route to enable faster and safer travel. Improved connectivity is also expected to cut logistics costs, strengthen supply chains for fresh goods such as agricultural products, boost tourism and attract more investment, supporting growth in both rural and urban areas. Uttar Pradesh has been pushing ahead with expressway development.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:11:46 -
Anthropic Probes Possible Unauthorized Access to Claude Mythos Preview Model Anthropic has opened an investigation after signs of unauthorized access were found involving a preview version of its new artificial intelligence model, "Claude Mythos," which is widely described as having powerful autonomous hacking capabilities. Bloomberg News and other outlets reported that Anthropic is checking whether the access occurred through a third-party partner environment. The company said it is investigating reports that "unauthorized access to the Claude Mythos preview occurred through one of our third-party vendor environments." Anthropic said it has not found indications so far that the access spread beyond the partner environment into its own systems. The incident has raised questions about whether Anthropic can keep its core technology under control. The Financial Times said it "raises questions about whether the AI lab, valued at $380 billion (about 562 trillion won), can protect its technology from falling into the hands of malicious actors." The FT said the risk of unauthorized access is likely to add to anxiety around Mythos, noting the model has already sent shock waves through the market and prompted high-level discussions among financial institutions and global regulators. Anthropic unveiled Mythos on April 7, describing it as having the ability, under user instructions, to identify and exploit vulnerabilities across major operating systems and web browsers. The Mythos preview is being provided on a limited basis to companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Cisco and CrowdStrike. U.S. intelligence agencies, including the National Security Agency, are also reported to be participating privately.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:11:03 -
South Korea to Ease Stock Trading, Settlement Rules to Attract Foreign Investors The government is accelerating efforts to upgrade stock trading and settlement infrastructure to draw more foreign portfolio investment. The Finance and Economy Ministry said it held the third advisory committee meeting on expanding foreign securities investment at the Korea International Finance Center on Tuesday, where participants discussed institutional reforms in stock trading and settlement. Moon Ji-seong, the ministry’s director general for international economic management, said global investors’ interest in South Korea’s financial markets has grown as the government has advanced foreign-exchange and capital-market systems. He said the government has been actively communicating its policy direction through recent investor roadshows, including a New York presentation by the deputy prime minister for the economy and a briefing for Japanese investors on government bonds. Moon said that after South Korea’s inclusion in the World Government Bond Index in April, foreign inflows into the government bond market have continued, making it important for the stock market to meet global standards as well. At the meeting, the government outlined progress on stock and settlement measures in its broader foreign-exchange and capital-market roadmap aimed at inclusion in MSCI’s developed markets index. The steps include allowing overseas funds to open accounts through global custodian banks to improve trading convenience for foreign investors. The ministry also highlighted a change allowing real-name verification for account opening using only a confirmation document for a Legal Entity Identifier issued by the Korea Securities Depository. Since the service began on April 1, it has logged about 160 cases in roughly two weeks, the ministry said. Moon said the government will closely review suggestions raised by advisers and prepare follow-up measures to address investor difficulties. He added that it will strengthen efforts to ensure the purpose and progress of the reforms are delivered to the market accurately and in a timely manner.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:10:17 -
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signs deal to supply power equipment for US data center SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has signed a mega contract to supply power-generation equipment to U.S. energy solutions company Aperion Energy Group, the shipbuilder said on Wednesday. Under the contract, worth 627.1 billion Korean won (US$424 million), which is the largest of its kind the shipbuilder has ever signed, the equipment with a total capacity of 684 megawatts based on its HiMSEN engines will be installed at the Texas-based company's data center, where a stable supply of large-scale electricity is required. The latest contract marks HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' entry into the U.S. market, where the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI)-related services and cloud computing has fueled surging demand for reliable, large-scale data centers. "We believe the contract will be a great stepping stone for us in establishing our presence in the North American market," said Han Ju-seok, an HD Hyundai Heavy Industries executive. "We will further expand our business portfolio beyond data centers." According to a recent forecast by the International Energy Agency (IEA), U.S. electricity demand is expected to keep rising through 2030, with about half of the increase attributed to the rapid expansion of data centers. 2026-04-22 15:06:55 -
LS Electric Shares Rise More Than 5% After Record First-Quarter Results LS Electric shares climbed in intraday trading after the company reported its best-ever first-quarter results. As of 2:46 p.m. on the 22nd, LS Electric was trading at 194,000 won, up 5.04% from the previous session, according to the Korea Exchange. The gain was attributed to improved investor sentiment after the company posted record first-quarter performance, supported by growing demand for power infrastructure for global data centers. LS Electric said the previous day that preliminary consolidated operating profit for the first quarter totaled 126.6 billion won, up 45% from a year earlier. Revenue rose 33.4% to 1.3766 trillion won, and net profit jumped 77.6% to 119.6 billion won. Brokerages also raised target prices to reflect the stronger results. Lee Sang-hyeon, an analyst at BNK Investment & Securities, wrote in a report on the 22nd that the company showed “clear growth” and largely met the operating-profit consensus. He said the strong first quarter was not a one-off and forecast orders and sales would continue to trend higher through the second, third and fourth quarters. Lee said new orders from big tech companies for data center projects are expected to rise at least 50% from 1 trillion won last year to more than 1.5 trillion won this year, and raised his target price to 230,000 won from 194,000 won. Lee Dong-heon, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp., said the stock’s “expensive valuation” could be tolerated if additional earnings growth follows from mid- to long-term orders, adding that the key issue is how much the company can expand its market position. He set a target price of 210,000 won, up from 129,000 won.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:04:18 -
Banks Expand ‘Productive Finance,’ but Public Takes Risk as Funds Favor Top Borrowers Banks have increased corporate lending in the name of expanding “productive finance,” but critics say the money is flowing more to top-rated borrowers than to innovative firms and small merchants. That helps explain why, despite announcements of trillion-won support packages, many businesses say the impact on the ground remains limited. According to the financial sector on Tuesday, KB Kookmin, Hana, Woori and IBK Industrial Bank of Korea have contributed a combined 36.5 billion won to the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund so far this year. The total includes 30.5 billion won in special contributions and 6.0 billion won in support for guarantee fees. Including those banks, seven lenders have contributed 67.2 billion won to support non-capital regions. When banks make special contributions to policy guarantee institutions such as the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund and the Korea Technology Finance Corp., the agencies use the money to issue partnership guarantees. Banks then lend to small and midsize companies using those guarantees as collateral. The industry typically estimates the contributions can generate lending equal to 20 to 100 times the amount, meaning a 100 billion won contribution can translate into several trillion won in financing. The concern is that public institutions effectively take on the credit risk. If a guaranteed loan turns sour, banks face limited losses because the guarantee agency repays the debt, allowing banks to recover up to 90% to 100% of principal. That lets banks expand loan assets without a comparable hit to their soundness ratios. Supporters say the guarantees can serve as seed money for productive finance by helping lower-credit firms raise working capital and funds for facilities. But the burden on guarantee agencies inevitably grows as they absorb more risk. Subrogation payments by guarantee institutions have been rising. As of March, the number of troubled companies that received guarantees from the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, the Korea Technology Finance Corp. and regional credit guarantee foundations, then failed to repay bank loans on time, jumped to 13,851 — 2.8 times the previous month’s 4,907. Subrogation payments tied to those cases totaled 594.8 billion won, up more than 40 billion won in a month. Meanwhile, loans that banks extend while directly bearing the risk have largely gone to stronger borrowers. As of the end of March, outstanding large-company loans at the five major banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup Bank — stood at 179.0119 trillion won, up 5.12% from the end of last year. Over the same period, outstanding loans to small and midsize companies rose just 0.94% to 680.7618 trillion won. The figures suggest that while productive finance is billed as support for innovative firms, venture companies and small businesses, much of the money is still flowing to creditworthy conglomerates. One reason is that formal-sector finance remains difficult for vulnerable borrowers. Of loans to small merchants and self-employed borrowers, 79.8% are secured loans and 10.6% are loans with guarantors, while unsecured credit loans account for only 9.6%. A financial industry official said the sector agrees with the goal of expanding productive finance, but added that “to maintain soundness regulations, funds inevitably concentrate in relatively safe borrowers.” The official said improving productive finance in line with its stated purpose will require “qualitative improvements through a risk-sharing structure and better allocation of funds.” 2026-04-22 15:03:06 -
Democratic Party lawmaker Park Chan-dae launches Incheon mayor bid, touts 'ABC+E' growth plan Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Incheon mayor, said at an official campaign launch news conference on the 22nd that he would “get Incheon’s engine running again” with what he called the city’s “ABC+E” future strategy. After declaring his candidacy, Park visited a biotech site — one pillar of the plan — and unveiled seven biotech pledges. Speaking in the Aetteul Plaza outside Incheon City Hall, Park said Incheon has been “moving backward” because it lacked “a clear vision for the future.” He said the ABC+E strategy would turn Incheon into a place “overflowing with high-paying jobs.” ABC+E combines the initials of artificial intelligence, bio, contents and energy as a mid- to long-term growth strategy for Incheon. His pledges include: promoting AI automation for logistics at Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port; building an AI connected-car hub and a “global AI auto valley” in Cheongna; developing Songdo as a global hub for new drug development; creating a 50,000-seat Munhak K-culture stadium and building 11 content-industry clusters; and moving to secure an offshore wind power ecosystem, push for tiered electricity rates, and restart efforts for a distributed-energy special zone. Park said Incheon’s average total annual pay for wage workers stands at 41.83 million won, ranking 10th nationwide. “Incheon residents should be properly rewarded for the work they do,” he said, pledging to raise the city’s average annual salary by 2030 to the national top five, with an average of 55 million won. After the announcement, Park visited a biotech company in Songdo, calling Incheon’s bio sector both a current and future growth engine. “The perfect opportunity has come to grow it into an industry that surpasses semiconductors,” he said, adding that the city would “pour in every capability it has” during what he called the biotech industry’s golden time. Park said if anchor companies in Incheon — Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, Lotte Biologics and SK Bioscience — focus on biosimilars, the city would focus on creating the best possible environment for developing new drugs. “I will make Incheon a city that excels at both biosimilars and new drugs,” he said. He then announced seven major biotech pledges: establishing the Korea Bio Science and Technology Institute; creating an Incheon bio fund and operating a Boston-style K-bio lab hub to spur startups and investment; improving the biotech business environment; converting the Incheon industrial complex into a key base for biotech parts and equipment; building a public-private cooperation system for the bio industry; attracting a public medical school; and hosting an Incheon Bio Expo. “I will add speed to K-bio innovation,” Park said, vowing to make real what he described as President Lee Jae-myung’s vision of becoming a “top five global powerhouse” in K-bio pharmaceuticals through his seven biotech pledges.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 15:02:06