Journalist

Lee Hugh
  • Comedian Yoon Taek Says His Father Has Terminal Bile Duct Cancer
    Comedian Yoon Taek Says His Father Has Terminal Bile Duct Cancer Comedian Yoon Taek spoke about his father’s illness on tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block.” The program aired on the 25th and featured “I Am a Natural Person” cast members Lee Seung-yoon and Yoon. Yoon said his father has end-stage bile duct cancer. “There isn’t much time left, so every time I face my father, it’s so hard that I can’t hold back my tears,” he said. “Nothing lasts forever, but he says he’ll go peacefully,” Yoon added. “It’s heartbreaking, but there’s nothing I can do.” Yoon also said “I Am a Natural Person” was the happiest time of his father’s life. He recalled his father proudly telling people at restaurants, “Do you know ‘Natural Person’? Yoon Taek is my son,” and said that was when his father seemed happiest. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-26 09:39:31
  • NH NongHyup Bank CEO Kang Tae-young Opens Pangyo Corporate Finance Center, Pledges Tailored Support
    NH NongHyup Bank CEO Kang Tae-young Opens Pangyo Corporate Finance Center, Pledges Tailored Support Kang Tae-young, CEO of NH NongHyup Bank, has stepped up on-site management as the bank seeks to expand what it calls productive finance. The bank said on the 26th that Kang attended the opening ceremony the previous day for the Pangyo Corporate Finance Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The center is tasked with focusing support on future growth industries tied to the Pangyo area, including artificial intelligence, data, information technology and semiconductors. Kang said the bank will “take the lead in fostering and supporting growth in advanced technology industries” by reflecting the characteristics of local client companies, and will “expand region-tailored productive finance to boost economic vitality.” Also on the 25th, Kang visited the Gyeonggi Business and Science Accelerator, which supports small and midsize companies and industrial innovation, to assess on-the-ground demand for financial services. He then went to the bank’s Gyeonggi headquarters and said he would continue field-focused management so that feedback from front-line staff can be translated into practical financial support policies. A bank official said the Pangyo foothold will be used to strengthen financial solutions tailored to specialized industries by region. The official said the bank plans to continue on-site management by touring major regions nationwide to expand cooperation with companies and institutions and to hear from employees. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-26 09:36:00
  • South Korea to Hold Forum on Adding Hangul Signboard at Gwanghwamun Gate
    South Korea to Hold Forum on Adding Hangul Signboard at Gwanghwamun Gate The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday it will hold a public forum March 31 to hear views on whether to add a Hangul signboard at Gwanghwamun Gate. The “Gwanghwamun Signboard Forum” is scheduled for 2 p.m. at a sixth-floor conference room of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. At a Cabinet meeting on Jan. 20, Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young proposed keeping the existing signboard in Chinese characters while adding a Hangul version, aiming to respect the gate’s historical character while reflecting a modern symbol. The ministry said the forum will organize key issues and begin fuller discussion, and any interested member of the public may attend. Presentations will be given by Lee Geon-beom, head of the Hangul Culture Solidarity, and Choi Jong-deok, former director of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. The discussion will be moderated by Yang Hyun-mi, a professor in cultural arts management at Sangmyung University. Panelists include Kim Kwon-jung, a curator at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History; Kim Ju-won, president of the Hangul Society; Lee Kang-min, a professor of architecture at the Korea National University of Arts; Hong Seok-ju, a professor of architecture at Seoil University; and Kim Hyung-woo, head of the Korean Peninsula Culture and Tourism Research Institute. The ministry said it will continue gathering opinions after the forum. It plans to open an online message board on its website in early April and to conduct expert consultations and a public survey as it reviews the policy in detail. “Gwanghwamun is a place where history and the future coexist, and a leading space that symbolizes the Republic of Korea, so we need to think together about what is appropriate for it,” Choi said. “The government will listen broadly with an open attitude and, through sufficient deliberation and opinion-gathering, prepare an option the public can support.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-26 09:24:17
  • Seoul’s SPOEX sports industry expo opens at COEX with 300 companies
    Seoul’s SPOEX sports industry expo opens at COEX with 300 companies The 2026 Seoul International Sports and Leisure Industry Show, known as SPOEX, will be held from March 26 to 29 at COEX in Seoul’s Gangnam district, organizers said. The event is co-hosted by the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and the Korea International Trade Association, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Launched in 2001, SPOEX is South Korea’s largest sports industry exhibition and one of Asia’s three major sports industry trade shows. The culture ministry said about 300 companies from South Korea and abroad will take part, and it expects about 46,000 visitors. Organizers said this year’s show will operate as a platform where visitors can experience the latest sports industry technologies and trends and connect them to business. Exhibits include health and fitness equipment, sporting goods, health care technologies, and underwater and water sports gear. Sports services featuring advanced technologies will also be presented, including AI-based exercise prescription systems and digital fitness measurement solutions. An “AI + SPO-TECH” special zone will offer hands-on experiences with innovative products and services reflecting global technology trends. A pro sports zone will feature sport-by-sport programs and league-related content, and current and former professional players in baseball, golf and soccer will provide instruction for visitors. Events on main stages inside the venue will include a bodybuilding competition, fitness demonstrations, yoga and Pilates classes, and K-pop and hip-hop dance contests. Business-focused programs will also be held, including a sports industry job fair, export consultations, investment matchmaking consultations and an industry symposium. Organizers said networking events among participating companies and investment-linked programs for early-stage firms will be used to strengthen cooperation and support South Korean sports companies’ expansion into global markets. Kim Daehyeon, vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, visited the opening ceremony on March 26 and encouraged participants. “This exhibition is an important opportunity to promote the technological capabilities and competitiveness of South Korean sports companies in the global market and to create new growth opportunities through cross-industry convergence,” Kim said. “The ministry will actively support the sports industry with policies that reflect on-the-ground demand so it can build a foundation for sustainable growth,” he said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-26 09:06:00
  • Shinhan Bank, KODIT to Provide 123 Billion Won in Support for Non-Capital Firms
    Shinhan Bank, KODIT to Provide 123 Billion Won in Support for Non-Capital Firms Shinhan Bank said March 26 it signed an agreement with the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund to expand “productive finance” and support growth recovery for companies outside the Seoul metropolitan area. The program targets firms with headquarters or business sites in non-capital regions, aiming to strengthen local industrial bases and help key regional companies recover and grow. Shinhan Bank plans to provide 123 billion won in guarantees and additional support for guarantee fees to reduce financing costs. It will offer preferential guarantee ratios and fee reductions to improve funding conditions and support stable investment and expanded hiring. Eligible companies include regional leading-industry firms, regional cooperation-industry firms, small and medium-sized companies relocating to 지방 areas, and “regional core” companies. A Shinhan Bank official said the agreement focuses on strengthening local economies’ resilience and growth foundations through proactive financial support for regional hub companies, adding that the bank will continue to expand practical support that non-capital firms can feel. Separately, Shinhan Bank has participated since March 19 with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation in the “Seoul-type Small Business Relief Credit Line Support Program No. 3.” The product is a non-face-to-face revolving credit line for small business owners, with Shinhan Bank covering the credit-line arrangement fee and guarantee fee. The bank also plans to run a financial counseling booth at the “2026 Small Business Support Expo,” held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza from March 26 to 27, to provide locally focused financial assistance.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-26 09:03:32
  • Book Review: Building a Respected Family Business
    Book Review: Building a Respected Family Business Success stories rarely lose their appeal, especially when they trace a climb from poverty through hardship to wealth and recognition. That arc drives Hwang Ho-taek’s book, “A Tycoon Who Loved Fine Instruments” (Nanam Publishing), built around the memoir of Min Myeong-sul, 84, chairman and founder of Cosmos Musical Instruments. It follows Min from a poor childhood in Haenam, South Jeolla province, through decades of struggle and growth. Min left home at 15 with 200 hwan, first for Mokpo and then, on impulse, for Seoul. He started his business at 30 and, more than 50 years later, had built a company with annual sales of 50 billion won. The book highlights friends and bosses who helped him at key moments, and it recounts a romance with the woman who became his wife after they connected through a morale-boosting letter during his Vietnam deployment. The memoir also emphasizes discipline. Min still keeps a stark note titled “Life and Death” that he wrote in 1965 before leaving for Vietnam, along with a 1972 opening announcement card. He says he has lived with the mindset that “the stake of my life is 200 hwan,” a posture the book links to steady work habits, trust in relationships and business opportunities. The narrative describes how that trust mattered as he moved from selling imported cigarettes and gum to working at a musical-instrument shop, and later as he pursued partnerships with global companies such as Yamaha and Kawai. Min’s pen name, Nam-eun, refers to Haenam’s nickname as Korea’s “land’s end.” The book frames it as both an endpoint and a starting line, reflecting Min’s insistence on continued challenge rather than settling. It also portrays a life of giving. Min, who entered the Catholic Church at 50 following his wife, Jeong Jin-suk Klara, is identified as Min Myeong-sul Francisco and is described as continuing donations and good works for his hometown and neighbors. The review argues that Min’s story also raises questions about family businesses. Min says he never pressed his children to take over, but the succession appears to be unfolding naturally. In South Korea, the author writes, negative sentiment toward conglomerates and inherited wealth remains strong, and corporate problems are real. Still, the review notes that family-run firms can benefit from fast decision-making, long-term planning and stable management, and it points to examples abroad: Japan’s Kawai, a piano maker run by the founder’s family into the fourth generation, and Sweden’s Wallenberg family, which has managed businesses for more than 160 years while earning respect for transparency, ethics and sustained giving. Citing the ancient text “Book of Rites,” the review quotes: “Music is giving.” It adds that a well-made instrument faithfully carries a performer’s expression. Cosmos Musical Instruments, it notes, took its name from its original location in Cosmos Department Store; intended or not, “cosmos,” meaning a “harmonious world,” fits instruments as “tools for giving.” The review closes by expressing hope that the company will remain a respected family business that seeks harmony and gives back. The reviewer also notes omissions: the book offers little detail on Min’s support for musicians, on the strain of his wife’s five bouts with cancer, or on Min’s own health while living for more than 20 years with an insulin pump. By contrast, it spends lengthy space introducing artists represented in the Min Family Art Museum collection. The review suggests that imbalance may reflect Min’s modesty. It ends by calling Hwang a diligent reporter and wondering what his next reporting and writing will bring. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-26 08:54:23
  • I Am Solo Season 30: Youngsoo and Oksun confirm real-life relationship; Youngsik and Youngja split
    'I Am Solo' Season 30: Youngsoo and Oksun confirm real-life relationship; Youngsik and Youngja split The real-life couple from "I Am Solo" was Youngsoo and Oksun. On the 26th, a live broadcast featuring cast members from ENA and SBS Plus dating show "I Am Solo" Season 30 aired on the YouTube channel "Chonjang Entertainment TV." Ten cast members took part, excluding Youngchul and Hyunsook, who were absent for personal reasons. In the previous episode on the 25th, Youngsik and Youngja, and Youngsoo and Oksun, became the final couples. Youngsik later said he and Youngja dated for about a month but decided to part ways because they were not compatible. "I’m having a serious relationship with someone who understands my shortcomings," he said. Youngja said she is currently single. "It’s not like I’ve been on 100 blind dates, but I’m thinking I should make it 100," she said. Youngsoo and Oksun said they are continuing their relationship. Youngsoo said he had claimed on the show that he would date casually for three to four months, but changed course after filming ended. "Two weeks after the show ended, I confessed and we started dating," he said. Oksun said she was surprised by how direct he was. "Youngsoo was very proactive and expressed himself a lot, so I was surprised and unsure at first. I opened up a lot," she said. She added that he thinks seriously about both the past and the future, and that she decided to begin the relationship in earnest. "I Am Solo" is a dating program in which single men and women who strongly want to marry try to find love. It airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. on ENA and SBS Plus. 2026-03-26 08:21:19
  • Korean manufacturers turn sharply pessimistic in steepest BSI drop since Covid
    Korean manufacturers turn sharply pessimistic in steepest BSI drop since Covid SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) -South Korean manufacturers turned abruptly pessimistic, with sentiment posting its sharpest drop since the Covid-19 shock in early 2020 as the Middle East crisis spilled into the real economy a month after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The country's largest business association, Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), said Thursday its Business Survey Index (BSI) outlook for April stood at 85.1, based on a survey of the country’s 600 largest companies by sales. The index dropped 17.6 points from March’s 102.7 — which had marked the first positive reading in 48 months — falling back below the baseline of 100 in just one month. The March actual BSI came in at 92.6. By sector, both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing were in negative territory, at 85.6 and 84.6, respectively, marking the first time in 15 months that both sectors recorded readings in the 80s. Manufacturing sentiment deteriorated sharply, plunging 20.3 points from March’s 105.9 — the steepest drop since April 2020 during the COVID-19 shock. Nonmanufacturing also fell 14.8 points from 99.4. Within manufacturing, eight of 10 subindustries were below the 100 threshold, with only pharmaceuticals and electronic and communications equipment posting positive outlooks. All nonmanufacturing subsectors remained negative. Weakness was most evident in sectors directly exposed to crude supply disruptions. Petroleum refining and chemicals posted a BSI of 80.0, while electricity, gas and water fell to 63.2. Transportation and warehousing stood at 82.6, and nonmetal materials and products — including plastic manufacturing reliant on crude-based inputs — lagged at 69.2. FKI attributed the broad-based decline to heightened uncertainty stemming from the Middle East conflict, including surging global oil prices and rising ocean freight rates. Oil prices have Dubai grade has risen over 150 percent so far this year owing to the conflicts in the Middle East and crippling of the core waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, off the Iranian coastline. All seven major categories in the BSI remained below the 100 mark, including domestic demand (90.8), exports (94.3) and investment (95.4). The funding conditions index, which reflects corporate liquidity, fell to 89.7 — the lowest since June 2023. The profitability index dropped 7.1 points from the previous month to 90.8, signaling mounting cost pressures. FKI said companies are facing growing pressure on financial health, citing concerns over inflation from global supply chain disruptions and a slowdown in the real economy. Lee Sang Ho, head of FKI’s economic division, said rising tensions in the Middle East have heightened concerns over crude supply and dampened business sentiment, calling for swift policy support, including proactive fiscal measures, to prevent external uncertainty from spilling over into the real economy and disrupting corporate activity. 2026-03-26 07:48:02
  • OPINION: A third oil shock — and why Korea must not return to price controls
    OPINION: A third oil shock — and why Korea must not return to price controls SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) -The latest U.S.-Iran war is no longer just another geopolitical flare-up. It is rapidly taking on the contours of a systemic shock — one that is already pushing oil prices higher and exposing vulnerabilities across the global economy. President Donald Trump, who once unsettled markets with tariff threats, is now presiding over a far more destabilizing development. Damage to key oil facilities in the Middle East and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have revived fears of a supply shock, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. The roots of this instability run deep. A century of unresolved tensions — from borders drawn without regard to ethnic and religious realities to the enduring fallout of Iran’s 1978 Islamic Revolution — has left the region structurally fragile. Layered onto this are geopolitical rivalries that pit pro-U.S. and anti-U.S. blocs against one another, with energy sitting at the center of the fault line. History offers a clear warning. The oil shocks of the 1970s reshaped the global economy, driving inflation, slowing growth and forcing structural adjustments. Today, there is a growing case that the world may be entering a third such episode. This time, however, the impact is likely to be broader. Oil is no longer confined to power generation; it is embedded across transportation, manufacturing and petrochemicals. A disruption in supply now transmits more quickly and more widely through the global system. Few countries are as exposed as South Korea. More than 70 percent of its crude oil imports come from the Middle East, and roughly 700 million barrels annually pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Even a temporary disruption would reverberate through the economy. Yet supply itself is not the most immediate risk. South Korea maintains significant strategic reserves and retains flexibility to diversify imports, including from the United States. Even in the event of a short-term disruption, the country’s supply position appears manageable. The more pressing concern is price. As gasoline prices surged past 2,000 won per liter, the government responded with a price cap on petroleum products. The move reflects the political and social urgency that accompanies rising fuel costs. But it also raises deeper concerns about market function and policy direction. Price signals serve a purpose. When prices rise, demand adjusts. Suppressing that mechanism risks distorting consumption patterns and prolonging imbalances. Europe’s experience during the Russia-Ukraine war is instructive: while price caps were discussed, most countries ultimately refrained from enforcing them, recognizing the importance of preserving market dynamics. There are also questions of fairness and efficiency. Compensating refiners for losses through public funds effectively redistributes resources — often from those who rely on public transportation to those who consume fuel. It also introduces administrative complexity, requiring the government to verify costs and determine compensation, with inevitable disputes over transparency and accuracy. The implications extend beyond gasoline. Applying similar mechanisms to power generation could create distortions across the broader energy system, raising difficult questions about equity among different energy sources. More fundamentally, the policy risks reversing decades of progress. South Korea liberalized its energy pricing system to enhance efficiency and transparency. Reintroducing direct government intervention, even temporarily, risks entrenching expectations that are difficult to unwind. For that reason, the current price cap should be treated as strictly temporary — and lifted as early as conditions allow, even ahead of preset thresholds, depending on how the conflict evolves. That does not mean the status quo is without flaws. The current episode has drawn renewed attention to the structure of Korea’s refining sector, where four companies dominate the market and price domestic products in line with international benchmarks such as Singapore spot prices. This practice can result in domestic prices rising in tandem with global markets, even when input costs have not increased proportionately. Addressing such structural issues requires transparency and competition — not blunt administrative controls. Each time energy prices spike, pressure mounts for government intervention. Yet without a clearly defined framework, such interventions risk becoming ad hoc and politically driven. This moment presents an opportunity to set clearer boundaries. A coherent framework for energy pricing — spanning petroleum, electricity and gas — is needed to define both the role and the limits of government action. Failing to do so would leave South Korea vulnerable not only to external shocks, but also to repeated cycles of policy overreach. The next crisis, when it comes, should not find the system unprepared. About the author : △Seoul National University, economics △Ph.D. in economics, University of Texas at Austin △Chair, Private Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations 2026-03-26 07:29:12
  • Rapper San E Says He Has Become a Father, Thanks Fans for Congratulations
    Rapper San E Says He Has Become a Father, Thanks Fans for Congratulations Rapper San E said he has become a father. On the 25th, San E posted a photo on social media with the message, "I became a dad," adding, "Thank you to everyone who is congratulating me." The photo shows his wife holding their newborn, with San E beside her in tears. San E, who held a wedding ceremony with a non-celebrity in 2022, said in September last year that his wife was pregnant. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-26 07:12:14