Journalist
Lee Hugh
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Seoul leads Asian bourse rally on war endgame hopes SEOUL, April 01 (AJP) - Asian markets surged Wednesday, with Seoul leading gains as investors moved on bargain-hunting opportunities amid signs the Middle East conflict may be winding down. U.S. President Donald Trump is due to hold a press conference later Wednesday after signaling a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iran within “two to three weeks.” Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.5 percent, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite gained 2.9 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) plunged 17.5 percent to 25.25, signaling a sharp easing in market anxiety. The U.S. dollar sharply retreated to 1,507.3 won after hovering above 1,530 won in the previous session. Oil prices remained elevated, with Brent crude rising 1.7 percent to $105.7 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate gaining 1.5 percent to $102.9, as supply concerns persisted despite improving risk sentiment. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI surged 6.2 percent to 5,370.7 in early trade, reclaiming the 5,300 level. The rally triggered a buy-side sidecar at 9:07 a.m., temporarily halting program buy orders after futures jumped more than 5 percent. The gains were driven by hopes of easing geopolitical tensions, which lifted risk appetite and spurred institutional buying in large-cap stocks. Institutional investors led the rally, buying 1.05 trillion won ($697 million) worth of shares, while retail and foreign investors sold 1.00 trillion won and 135.8 billion won, respectively. Large-cap stocks advanced broadly. In semiconductors, Samsung Electronics surged 8.5 percent to 181,400 won, while SK hynix climbed 8.4 percent to 875,000 won. Automakers also gained, with Hyundai Motor rising 7.4 percent to 478,500 won. Industrial and defense-related shares outperformed, with Doosan Enerbility rising 6.8 percent to 98,000 won, SK Ocean Plant jumping 10.8 percent to 29,750 won, and Hanwha Systems surging 14.5 percent to 130,600 won. Hyundai Engineering & Construction gained 9.6 percent to 155,700 won. The KOSDAQ also rallied, rising 5.0 percent to 1,105.7 as of 10:30 a.m. Institutional and foreign investors supported the gains, purchasing 145.9 billion won and 150.5 billion won, respectively, while retail investors sold 304.3 billion won. Improved risk sentiment fueled buying in high-beta and thematic stocks. Biotech shares advanced, with Alteogen rising 4 percent to 355,000 won, while battery-related stock EcoPro BM gained 3.6 percent to 199,300 won. Robotics-related shares outperformed, as Rainbow Robotics jumped 7.3 percent to 559,000 won. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 3.6 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 2.2 percent, and China’s Shanghai Composite rose 1.2 percent, reflecting improved risk appetite. 2026-04-01 11:37:42 -
Navy deploys US Seahawks to boost South Korea's naval capabilities SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) - The U.S. MH-60R Seahawk, a multi-mission maritime helicopter, has been deployed in South Korea, the Navy said on Wednesday. The deployment follows the delivery of two MH-60Rs by American defense and aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin under a deal signed with the U.S. in December 2020 to procure around a dozen, with the remaining units to be gradually deployed, making South Korea the seventh country to operate the highly versatile helicopter, widely regarded as the world's most advanced. The helicopter, currently operated by the U.S. Navy and several allies for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare missions as well as search and rescue operations, is expected to strengthen South Korea's capabilities to detect and counter North Korean vessels and submarines. When equipped with an auxiliary fuel tank, the helicopter can fly for more than four hours per sortie. At a handover ceremony in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Navy Chief Kim Kyung-ryul said, "The Seahawk, armed with advanced weaponry, would deliver a crushing defeat to enemies through its detection and tracking capabilities and rapid mobility." 2026-04-01 11:31:30 -
HYBE Adds Isaac Lee and Kevin Mayer to Board to Boost Global Strategy HYBE has appointed platform and media specialists to its board as it seeks to strengthen expertise for its global business. The company said it held its annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday and appointed Isaac Lee, chairman and CEO of HYBE America, as an inside director, and Kevin Mayer, a former senior vice president at The Walt Disney Co., as an outside nonexecutive director. Lee currently oversees HYBE’s business across the United States and Latin America. HYBE said the appointment is intended to unify decision-making between headquarters and overseas bases and to improve execution in North America and Latin America. Lee is also expected to help advance the company’s “multi-home, multi-genre” strategy to secure artists and content across genres through regional hubs. Mayer is regarded as a strategy specialist in the global media industry. HYBE said he led the launch of Disney+ while serving as senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Disney, and later built experience in platform and content investment through roles including TikTok CEO and as a co-founder of Candle Media. HYBE said it expects Mayer to provide professional advice on strengthening its global platform business, investments and strategic partnerships. “With key experts from the global platform and media industry joining the board, we expect our decision-making system to become more advanced,” a HYBE official said. “The addition of Isaac Lee and Kevin Mayer will support HYBE’s sustainable growth in global markets.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-01 11:09:53 -
Ryu Hwa-young, Lee Tae-ri announce weddings; Go Woori reveals pregnancy on April 1 April 1, better known for pranks, brought a run of real-life announcements in South Korea’s entertainment world: actor Ryu Hwa-young said she will marry in September, actor Lee Tae-ri announced a May wedding, and actor Go Woori is set to reveal she is pregnant on television. Ryu said on her social media account that she will hold her wedding Sept. 12 at a location in Seoul. Her fiance is known to be a businessman three years older than her. Ryu debuted in 2010 as a member of T-ara and later shifted to acting, appearing in dramas including “Mad Dog,” “The Beauty Inside” and “Player 2: War of the Swindlers.” Lee also shared wedding news the same day. His agency, Y1 Entertainment, said he will marry his non-celebrity fiancee in May. The ceremony will be held privately with only family members and close acquaintances from both sides attending. Lee first gained attention in 1998 for his role as Jeong-bae in SBS’ “Soonpoong Clinic” and has since appeared in “The Moon Embracing the Sun,” “Extraordinary You,” “Tale of the Nine Tailed” and “Bloody Heart.” Go’s pregnancy news added to the day’s announcements. She is expected to disclose the pregnancy on the MBC talk show “Radio Star,” airing April 1. She said she received the show’s invitation shortly after checking a positive result on a pregnancy test. Go married a non-celebrity man five years older than her in 2022. While April Fools’ Day is typically associated with jokes, the entertainment industry’s April 1 headlines this year centered on weddings and a pregnancy announcement. 2026-04-01 10:54:47 -
Lee set for talks with Indonesian president SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is set to hold a summit with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Seoul on Wednesday. In a written press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to expand cooperation in trade, defense, and emerging fields such as artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, while further deepening bilateral relations. Their discussions are expected to focus on defense cooperation including the export of homegrown KF-21 fighter jets to Indonesia. Along with various welcoming events including a taekwondo demonstration, a red carpet is set to be rolled out for Prabowo, who arrived in Seoul earlier this week for a three-day state visit. Lee will also present Prabowo with the Mugunghwa Order of Merit, the country's highest order of merit, in recognition of his efforts strengthen bilateral ties. The summit marks their second meeting after they met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju last fall. 2026-04-01 10:34:01 -
South Korea's March exports hit $80b mark SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) — South Korea raised the bar on exports again, achieving fresh monthly high of over $80 billion in March as an unprecedented boom in the semiconductor sector more than offset supply disruptions from the outbreak of a war in the Middle East. According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Wednesday, exports for March reached all-time monthly high of $86.13 billion, up 48.3 percent on year. The previous monthly record was $69.5 billion set in December last year. Monthly exports have extended record-setting winning streak for 10 consecutive months, largely hinged on chip demand. Chip shipments in March skyrocketed 151.4 percent to record $32.83 billion and responsible for nearly 40 percent of March exports. This is the first time monthly semiconductor exports have exceeded the $30 billion mark, eclipsing the previous high of $24.2 billion set in March 2022 during a period of surging DRAM prices. Imports rose 13.2 percent to $60.4 billion. Consequently, the trade balance recorded a surplus of $25.74 billion, marking 14 consecutive months of surplus since February last year. 2026-04-01 10:10:38 -
South Korea watchdog reviews IT controls at internet banks after system glitches The Financial Supervisory Service has urged internet-only banks and affiliated securities firms to strengthen IT internal controls to prevent system incidents. The regulator said it held a review meeting Tuesday with chief information officers and other officials from five companies — K Bank, KakaoBank and Toss Bank, as well as Kakao Pay Securities and Toss Securities — to check their IT risk management status and improvement plans. The FSS shared recent examples of system failures, including a recent Toss Bank incident involving a system error tied to its “half-price yen exchange” service. The watchdog stressed compliance with basic internal controls, calling for thorough procedures when changing programs, including advance impact analysis, testing and third-party verification. It also highlighted the need to expand computing infrastructure to handle surges in transaction volume, review emergency response systems, and speed recovery and consumer notifications when outages occur. Preparedness for cyber threats such as distributed denial-of-service attacks and ransomware was also listed as a key review item. Lee Jong-oh, the FSS deputy governor for digital and IT, said internet banks and related firms must build IT stability and accident-prevention systems that match their growth. He also called for stronger self-regulation, including internal audits, to prevent repeat incidents caused by weak basic controls. The FSS said it plans to shift its oversight toward prevention to stop IT incidents from recurring, and it will take strict action if major system failures occur due to inadequate internal controls.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-01 10:06:19 -
Actor Lee Tae-ri to Marry Non-Celebrity Partner in May Actor Lee Tae-ri will marry in May, his agency said Tuesday. Y One Entertainment said his fiancee is not a public figure and that the couple decided to spend their lives together based on “deep trust and affection.” The agency said the wedding will be held “quietly and meaningfully” with only family members and close acquaintances in attendance. It asked for understanding that details including the date, time and location will not be disclosed to protect the privacy of the fiancee and both families. “Please send warm congratulations and support to actor Lee Tae-ri as he stands at a new starting line in life,” the agency said, adding that he plans to continue acting with a range of projects and active work. Born in 1993, Lee debuted in the 1998 sitcom “Soonpoong Clinic.” His credits include “The Moon Embracing the Sun,” “The Beauty Inside,” “Extraordinary You,” “Tale of the Nine Tailed,” “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won,” “Bloody Heart” and “Destined With You.” He recently took on a trot singing challenge through the tvN STORY variety program “Handsome Trot.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-01 10:00:20 -
Italy Misses World Cup Again, Loses to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Penalties Italy, a four-time FIFA World Cup champion, failed once more to reach the tournament finals. Italy drew Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 after regulation and extra time, then lost 4-1 on penalties in the UEFA playoff Group A final for the 2026 North America World Cup on April 1 (Korean time) at Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The defeat means Italy has missed the World Cup finals for a third straight time. Italy won the World Cup in 1934 in Italy, 1938 in France, 1982 in Spain and 2006 in Germany, but has not appeared at the finals since the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Even with the World Cup expanding from 32 teams to 48 for the North America edition, Italy again fell short of qualification. Bosnia and Herzegovina, which became independent from Yugoslavia, will make its second World Cup appearance. It debuted at the 2014 tournament in Brazil and was eliminated in European qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Bosnia and Herzegovina, which secured a World Cup ticket for the first time in 12 years by beating Italy, will play in Group B at the finals, competing with Canada, Switzerland and Qatar for a place in the round of 32.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-01 09:48:20 -
Another goalless defeat in friendly dims South Korea's World Cup hopes SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) - With the FIFA World Cup just three months away, South Korea suffered a 1-0 defeat to Austria in a friendly match held in Vienna on Tuesday, raising concerns ahead of the quadrennial global extravaganza. It was its second straight goalless defeat after a 4-0 loss to Ivory Coast in London last Saturday. Despite having 11 shooting attempts, well ahead of Austria's five, South Korea with a full lineup of star players like Son Heung-min of Los Angeles FC, Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, and Lee Jae-sung of Bundesliga club Mainz 05 was unable to find the net, failing to convert its chances into a goal. The only goal came from Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer in the 48th minute. Meanwhile, this year's World Cup, which kicks off in June, will be the first to feature 48 teams and three host countries - Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. Already grouped with Mexico and South Africa after last December's draw, South Korea will face the Czech Republic in its opening group-stage match, as the European side secured the final spot in the group by defeating Denmark in a playoff the same day. With two defeats in its last two friendlies just ahead of the football tournament, slated for June 11 to July 19, South Korea has been struggling to find form, leaving its hopes of advancing beyond the round of 32 in doubt. 2026-04-01 09:35:30