Journalist
Lee Hugh
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Past Post Attributed to Translator Hwang Seok-hee Resurfaces After Sex Crime Report A past online post believed to have been written by translator Hwang Seok-hee drew renewed attention after reports said he committed three sex crimes, including quasi-rape and filming a person’s body. On the 30th, an online community circulated the post, which was attributed to Hwang. In the post, Hwang wrote that students sometimes send him messages using words such as “role model,” “mentor” and “respect,” but that he tells them not to respect him or think of him as a mentor. “One day, you will definitely be deeply disappointed,” he wrote. The post spread quickly online as it overlapped with the current controversy, with some commenters saying it appeared to foreshadow the situation. Hwang issued a statement on social media shortly after the report. Hwang wrote that he is reviewing the matter with a lawyer and that if the coverage includes anything that is untrue, unverified, or phrased beyond the scope of legal judgment, he will consider seeking corrections and taking action. Some online commenters criticized the statement, writing that he did not deny the criminal record and questioning how he could seek corrections regarding matters they said had already been decided by a court.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-30 14:06:15 -
BTS’ ‘ARIRANG’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 for Seventh Career Top Spot BTS has returned to the top of the U.S. Billboard 200 with its fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG,” setting new weekly marks for a group album on sales and streaming. According to Billboard’s chart preview posted Monday on its website, “ARIRANG” debuted at No. 1 on the April 4-dated Billboard 200 with 641,000 equivalent album units. Billboard said it is the biggest weekly total for a group album since the chart began tracking units in December 2014. Pure album sales totaled 532,000. Billboard said that was the highest weekly sales figure for a group album in the past decade. Streaming-equivalent album units came to 95,000, a weekly streaming high for BTS. Physical sales were also strong. “ARIRANG” sold 516,000 physical copies, including 208,000 vinyl records. It marked BTS’ best vinyl week and the largest weekly vinyl sales for a group since Luminate began tracking in 1991. The album also led Billboard’s Top Album Sales and Top Streaming Albums charts. The No. 1 debut gave BTS its seventh career leader on the Billboard 200. The group previously topped the chart with six albums, starting with 2018’s “Love Yourself: Tear,” including “Proof.” The album also topped major charts overseas, including four categories on Japan’s Oricon, as well as the U.K. Official Charts, Australia’s ARIA and Germany’s official music charts, the report said. The title track, “SWIM,” rose to No. 2 on the U.K. Official Singles Top 100, the group’s best showing on that chart. In South Korea, it won four music show trophies without separate broadcast appearances. 2026-03-30 13:39:07 -
Union-proof Samsung faces twin labor flare-ups as Biologics joins chip unit unrest SEOUL, March 30 (AJP) -Samsung Group, long seen as union-proof, is facing back-to-back labor unrest as its biopharmaceutical arm Samsung Biologics moved toward its first-ever strike, joining a parallel standoff at Samsung Electronics. The union at Samsung Biologics secured strike authorization with overwhelming support, marking the first such move since the company’s founding in 2011. About 95.5 percent of 3,678 eligible voters backed industrial action after months of stalled wage negotiations, the union said Sunday. The union represents roughly 3,689 workers, or about 75 percent of the company’s workforce. Labor and management have held 13 rounds of talks without narrowing differences. The union is demanding an average 14 percent wage increase, a 30 million won ($19,846) one-time incentive per employee, performance bonuses equivalent to 20 percent of operating profit, and stock grants over three years. Management has offered a 6.2 percent pay raise, citing alignment with compensation standards across major Samsung affiliates, including Samsung Electronics. “We are willing to talk at any time if management brings an improved proposal — there is clearly room for compromise at a reasonable level,” union chairman Park Jae-sung said. The standoff has raised concerns among industry observers, who warn that prolonged disruption could derail Samsung Biologics’ 15 trillion won ($10.8 billion) capacity expansion plan through 2034 and delay plant commissioning, at a time when global rivals Lonza and Fujifilm Diosynth are aggressively courting clients. The union plans to begin informal talks once CEO John Rim returns from an overseas trip. Failing progress, workers are set to launch a full-scale general strike on May 1. Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor workforce is locked in a parallel dispute. Its union — representing about 90,000 members — secured legal strike rights last month after 73.5 percent backed a walkout, and has warned of an 18-day general strike from May 21 to June 7 if negotiations over bonus reforms break down. The prospect of simultaneous industrial action across two of Samsung’s most critical units is raising concerns over operational disruptions at a time when the group is navigating intensifying global competition and supply chain uncertainty. At 1:30 p.m. Shares of Samsung Biologics were trading 4.05 percent down at 1,540,000 won ($1,018). 2026-03-30 13:30:57 -
Kim Hyo-joo defends title at Ford Championship in Arizona SEOUL, March 30 (AJP) - Golfer Kim Hyo-joo won the LPGA Tour's Ford Championship in the U.S. on Sunday, defending her title. In the tournament's third and final round at Whirlwind Golf Club in Arizona, Kim shot a 3-under 69, finishing at 28-under 260 to edge out U.S. golfer Nelly Korda by two strokes. Korda closed the tournament at 26-under 262. It was Kim's ninth career LPGA title and her second consecutive LPGA Tour victory, following her win at the Fortinet Founders Cup in Menlo Park, California the previous week, bringing her career total to nine wins. Kim Hyo-joo became the first player to record two victories this season, achieving the feat in the first six LPGA events of the year. She is also the first South Korean to post multiple wins in a season since compatriot Ko Jin-young in 2023, when Ko captured five titles. Kim's victory follows Lee Mi-hyang's win at the Blue Bay LPGA in Hainan, China, earlier this month, marking the first time since 2019 that South Korean players have won three consecutive LPGA Tour events. Meanwhile, other South Korean players also posted strong finishes, with Chun In-gee finishing fifth and Yoon I-na tied for sixth. 2026-03-30 11:28:57 -
Cheong Wa Dae revamps website to mark Lee's 300 days in office SEOUL, March 30 (AJP) - Cheong Wa Dae's official website was revamped on Monday to mark President Lee Jae Myung's 300th day in office, the presidential office said. Lee, who began his term in June last year without a usual two-month transition period following the ouster of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment over his botched Dec. 3, 2024 declaration of martial law was unable to put together a proper website and other administrative preparations in the early months of his presidency. The website was revamped with interactive menus intended to encourage users to participate by allowing them to leave messages and propose policies and ideas. Cheong Wa Dae said the site was redesigned to boost administrative transparency and better serve the public's right to access government information. "The revamp is a strong expression of our commitment to share the achievements of the Lee administration's first 300 days and to build future governance together with the public," said a Cheong Wa Dae official, adding that the website will serve as a "space where the people's voices are heard." Meanwhile, a recent poll showed that more than 60 percent of respondents believe Lee has been doing a good job. Pollster Realmeter surveyed some 2,513 adults nationwide last week and found his approval rating unchanged from the previous week at 62.2 percent. About 32.2 percent disapproved of his performance, while 5.6 percent remained undecided. 2026-03-30 11:04:39 -
Hanwha Pompidou Center to Open in Seoul in June With Cubism Exhibition Hanwha Culture Foundation and France’s Pompidou Center will open Pompidou Center Hanwha in June at the 63 Building in Seoul’s Yeouido district. The foundation said Monday that the museum, completed in late February, is finishing interior work and opening preparations and plans to welcome visitors starting June 4. Over the next four years, Pompidou Center Hanwha will stage two exhibitions a year based on the Pompidou’s internationally known collection. It also plans to present two to three in-house exhibitions focusing on Korean and global contemporary art, aiming to connect major currents in international art history and today’s debates with Korea’s cultural context. The opening exhibition, “The Cubists: Innovators of Vision,” begins June 4 and focuses on Cubism, the movement that marked a turning point in 20th-century art. The museum said the show is meant to signal a “new beginning” through Cubism, which opened new ways of seeing in modern art. It was organized through joint Korean-French curatorship rather than as a simple touring display of Pompidou holdings, and will fill two combined galleries totaling 1,000 pyeong. The exhibition features leading Cubist artists including Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Leger, Juan Gris, and Sonia and Robert Delaunay. It also introduces artists less commonly seen in Korea, including Albert Gleizes, Amedee Ozenfant and Natalia Goncharova. A special section titled “KOREA FOCUS” revisits the symbolic and cultural meaning Paris held during the formation of modern Korean art in the first half of the 20th century. The museum said its four-year program will trace major developments in 20th-century modern art through Pompidou collection-based exhibitions while highlighting avant-garde innovation and a range of media and genres. Starting with Cubism, exhibitions through 2027 will include shows on Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Henri Matisse and Fauvism, it said. After that, it plans to spotlight Surrealism and abstract art and to bring women artists who remained on the margins of art history to the forefront. The museum is also planning what it described as Korea’s first large-scale exhibition of Constantin Brancusi, a pioneer of abstract sculpture. Other plans include early digital art that looks back at the origins of the 21st century’s digital and AI revolution, combining key works from the Pompidou collection with in-depth interpretation.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-30 10:39:17 -
Kim Hyo-joo wins LPGA Ford Championship again for second straight title Kim Hyo-joo repeated as champion at the LPGA Tour’s Ford Championship, capturing her second straight tour title. Kim shot a 3-under 69 on Sunday in the final round at Whirlwind Golf Club (par 72) in Phoenix, Arizona, with six birdies, one bogey and one double bogey. She finished at 28-under 260, beating Nelly Korda of the United States (26-under 262) by two shots. Kim earned $337,500 in prize money (about 510 million won). Kim, who won this event last year, became a two-time defending champion at the Ford Championship. She also followed last week’s Founders Cup victory with another win, giving her back-to-back LPGA titles for the first time and her first multiwin season on tour. Her LPGA career total rose to nine wins, moving her into a tie for sixth among South Korean players in LPGA victories. Kim became the first player to reach two wins this season, doing so in the year’s sixth LPGA event. She is also the first South Korean to post two wins in a season since Ko Jin-young in 2023, when Ko won five times. Kim added another LPGA milestone in Phoenix. After shooting 11-under 61 in both the first and third rounds, she became the first player in tour history to record two rounds of 61 at 11-under. She also set the 54-hole scoring record at 25-under 191. With Kim’s win following Lee Mi-hyang’s victory at last month’s Blue Bay LPGA, South Korean players have now won three straight LPGA tournaments. It is the first time since 2019 that South Koreans have won three consecutive events, when Yang Hee-young (Honda LPGA Thailand), Park Sung-hyun (HSBC Women’s World Championship) and Ko Jin-young (Founders Cup) did it from February to March. In a broadcast interview, Kim said, “I came to Phoenix feeling good, and it feels even better to win as the defending champion.” She added, “I’ve never won two weeks in a row before, and I’m so happy I can’t even find the words.” Other South Koreans also posted strong finishes. Jeon In-ji was fifth at 19-under 269, her first top-10 since a tie for eighth at the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open. Yoon Ina finished tied for sixth at 18-under 270, her best result since debuting on the LPGA Tour last year. Lee So-mi and Lee Il-hee ended the tournament tied for 15th at 14-under 274.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-30 10:33:00 -
CJ CheilJedang to supply PHA bioplastic to India's Konspec as global green materials push gains pace SEOUL, March 30 (AJP) - CJ CheilJedang said Monday it will supply polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA, to Konspec, one of India's leading bioplastic compound manufacturers, marking the latest step in the South Korean food and biotechnology giant's push to commercialise its biodegradable materials business globally. Under the arrangement, CJ CheilJedang will deliver PHA to Konspec, which will use the material to produce compounds optimised for cutlery products such as forks and knives. The partnership comes as tightening environmental regulations — including the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, or PPWR — and mounting pressure to move away from conventional plastics are driving demand for bio-based alternatives. PHA-based cutlery is biodegradable in both soil and seawater, while offering durability and a feel comparable to conventional plastic products. Cutlery firms across India, Thailand, and Malaysia are already evaluating PHA adoption, with further expansion into the United States and other major markets expected to follow. The Konspec deal adds to a string of recent commercial milestones for CJ CheilJedang's PHA business. PHA straws, piloted at select Paul Bassett cafes earlier this year, are set to roll out across all of the chain's domestic outlets. Last month, the company partnered with Yuhan-Kimberly and Eugene Hanil Synthetic Fiber to launch a biodegradable household wipe under the Kleenex brand — billed as the world's first commercial application of PHA in hygiene products. Since launching its dedicated biodegradable materials brand PHACT in 2022, CJ CheilJedang's bio materials division has steadily extended PHA's reach into cosmetic containers, disposable packaging, toothbrushes, and artificial turf infill. The material is drawing fresh attention as volatility in crude oil prices destabilizes the supply of naphtha and other petroleum-based inputs, prompting global packaging and vinyl film companies to seek alternatives. "As the shift away from plastics accelerates, the market for eco-friendly materials such as PHA is expected to grow rapidly," a CJ CheilJedang spokesperson said. "We will continue to strengthen our differentiated technological competitiveness and deliver PHA products that meet the highest standards of safety and convenience." 2026-03-30 10:12:23 -
OPINION: What Belarusian leader's first visit to Pyongyang means SEOUL, March 30 (AJP) - Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko visited North Korea last week, becoming the first Belarusian head of state to do so. With the conflict in the Middle East dragging on with no signs of an end, attention has turned to why North Korea invited a leader from an Eastern European country more than 6,500 kilometers away to Pyongyang. Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, has become more than a regional conflict and is shaking the U.S.-led international order built after World War II. In that upheaval, North Korea appears to be moving quickly to widen its room to maneuver, and it also seems to view the Middle East conflict as another opportunity. U.S. allies in Europe are already weary of a prolonged war. Many are also engaged in tariff disputes with the U.S. and appear reluctant to be pulled into a Middle East conflict that, many feel, lacks a clear rationale for intervention. Time is not on Washington's side. Charbel Antoun, a Washington-based journalist, warned in an op-ed for The Hill that Russia and China could quietly back Iran, turning the situation into a prolonged war the U.S. cannot win. To stabilize soaring global oil prices, the U.S. has eased sanctions on Russian and Iranian crude, a move that replenishes revenue for both countries and, with it, their capacity to fund war materiel. The lesson is not new: prolonged wars erode domestic support, as Presidents Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush learned from the wars in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. North Korea appears to read today's contradictions and fractured coordination among like-minded states as an opportunity to rally anti-Western forces, believing that the dispersal of U.S. strategic assets could hasten what North Korea calls a "multipolar order." North Korea has recently described the Middle East conflict as an "illegal act of aggression” and “the most despicable form of violation of sovereignty," while singling out the United States for criticism. Its state media called the U.S. the “mastermind" behind the Israel-Hamas war and Israel's airstrikes on Iran, accusing both Washington and Tel Aviv of fueling the conflict. The U.S. arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January this year, along with the deaths of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in February and senior security official Ali Larijani in U.S.-Israeli strikes the following month, likely reminded Pyongyang of Donald Trump's infamous "fire and fury" threat in 2017. Few countries now believe that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons. Belarus, under Lukashenko, has closely aligned with Moscow, supporting Russia's war in Ukraine and sharing military bases. Belarus and North Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992, but meaningful ties remained limited for decades. Minsk largely complied with U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang - freezing accounts linked to violations in 2016 and expelling a North Korean intelligence agent in 2017. North Korea did not send an ambassador to Minsk until 2019. Ties deepened after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. At the 2024 Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda, their top diplomats, Choe Son-hui and Maxim Ryzhenkov, met to discuss closer cooperation, followed by reciprocal visits in July and October 2025. A key moment came when Kim and Lukashenko met on the sidelines of China's Victory Day celebrations in September 2025. By February this year, the two countries were exchanging goods banned under sanctions. Both sides agreed to commit to establishing a multipolar world order, maintaining an anti-Western stance, and pursuing broader cooperation in politics, economics, and science and technology. Lukashenko's visit to Pyongyang's Liberation Tower, a symbol of the historic North Korea-Soviet alliance, and his laying of flowers there was no coincidence. It signals that North Korea sees itself as a key pillar of an anti-Western bloc stretching from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. The visit should also be seen alongside North Korea's rare Workers' Party congress, which wrapped up last month. Through the mass party gathering, Pyongyang declared an assertive foreign policy aimed at dismantling the U.S.-led world order and replacing it with its own multipolar vision. Kim described the past five years - including engagement with shifts in global politics such as the Russia-Ukraine war - as a "successful period" that "irreversibly" strengthened the country's status. On South Korea, he hardened his tone, labeling it "the most hostile country" and "a target to be thoroughly rejected," and warned that military response standards would be entirely different. He also abandoned talk of "the nation" and "unification," recasting the Korean Peninsula as an international dispute between two separate states and framing it within his broader multipolar vision. Kim described the past five years including responses to shifts in global politics such as Russia's war in Ukraine as a "successful" period that "irreversibly" strengthened North Korea's status. On South Korea, he struck an even harsher tone, calling it the "most hostile country." He also refused to refer to the South as a country to be "reunited," reframing the division of the Korean Peninsula not as a matter between the two Koreas, but as part of a broader vision of a multipolar world. Iran and Belarus, both under international sanctions, are the ninth and 10th members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a China- and Russia-led security and economic bloc, making them potential partners for North Korea as it looks to expand its ties with the outside world. Lukashenko met with U.S. special envoy John Coale in Minsk in mid-March, and Belarus reportedly freed 250 political prisoners after Washington promised to ease sanctions on Belarusian financial institutions. Like North Korea, Belarus ultimately needs better relations with the West. Some observers have floated the idea of Belarus acting as a mediator between North Korea and the U.S, though this prospect remains premature. As North Korea seeks to build alliances from Eastern Europe to the Middle East under the banner of a multipolar world, South Korea requires a more strategic approach. Many countries that maintain friendly ties with North Korea also have relationships with Seoul, giving South Korea some leverage. Seoul could broaden its diplomatic efforts, for example, by strengthening relations with countries like Cuba and Syria and explore both official and behind-the-scenes channels to counter North Korea's efforts to build a like-minded bloc. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-03-30 10:07:18 -
KOSPI and Nikkei tumble on oil price surge and anxiety over prolonged war SEOUL, March 30 (AJP) — South Korean and Japanese stocks plunged more than 4 percent at the open Monday as oil prices surged on Yemen’s Houthi rebels entering the Iran conflict stoked fears of a broader and prolonged war. May futures for international benchmark Brent crude rose 2.92 percent to $115.86 per barrel during early Asia hours, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were 3.20 percent higher at $102.80 per barrel. Reports that China-linked vessels were forced to turn back from the strait underscored growing supply risks, while speculation over potential U.S. ground operations added to escalation concerns. As of 9:11 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI fell 4.48 percent to 5,195.19, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ dropped 3.71 percent to 1,099.13. Japan’s Nikkei 225 also slid 4.74 percent in early trading. Investor sentiment was further dented by falling U.S. stock futures, as global markets extended a risk-off shift driven by rising energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty. The widening conflict — now entering its second month — is increasingly being priced not as a short-term shock but as a sustained supply disruption. Analysts warn that further escalation, including ground operations or expanded regional involvement, could deepen the energy crisis and prolong market volatility. Institutional selling intensified in Seoul, with heavy liquidation in chipmakers amid fresh concerns over demand outlook. Sentiment was also pressured by hype surrounding Google’s “TurboQuant,” an AI technology that some believe could reduce memory intensity, and reports that AI firm Anthropic is testing a more advanced model, Claude Mythos. The dollar spiked, hitting 1,512.80 won as foreign stock pullout continued. Large-cap stocks moved broadly lower. Samsung Electronics fell 3.78 percent to 172,900 won, while SK hynix dropped 5.31 percent to 873,000 won. Automakers also came under pressure, with Hyundai Motor down 5.66 percent and Kia losing 5.26 percent. Hyundai Mobis slipped 4.53 percent. Battery makers edged lower, with LG Energy Solution falling 1.52 percent and Samsung SDI down 2.22 percent. Biopharmaceutical and internet stocks weakened, with Samsung Biologics declining 4.17 percent, Celltrion dropping 3.20 percent and Naver falling 3.53 percent. Defense and heavy industry shares were also broadly lower, with Hanwha Aerospace down 4.72 percent, Hanwha Ocean falling 5.44 percent and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plunging 6.72 percent. Financial stocks followed suit. KB Financial Group fell 4.34 percent, Shinhan Financial Group dropped 3.85 percent, Samsung Life Insurance lost 2.69 percent and Mirae Asset Securities slid 6.56 percent. 2026-03-30 09:58:38