Ruling, opposition parties agree to pass 90 noncontroversial bills; filibuster dropped The ruling and opposition parties agreed to pass 90 noncontroversial livelihood-related bills at Wednesday’s plenary session. The People Power Party said it will withdraw its filibusters on those bills. Cheon Jun-ho, floor operations deputy chief of the Democratic Party, and Yoo Sang-bum, floor operations deputy chief of the People Power Party, said they reached the deal Tuesday during talks at the National Assembly on the plenary agenda. Cheon said that of 175 bills slated for the plenary session, the parties agreed to prioritize urgent livelihood measures and pass 90 of them. He said a revision to the National Assembly Act needs further discussion and is expected to be finalized through additional talks between the floor leaders. Yoo said the parties agreed to pass the bills included in the deal by withdrawing the filibusters that had been requested. The parties’ floor leaders are set to meet later Tuesday afternoon to continue final talks on the National Assembly Act revision. 2026-01-28 16:27:18

ADOR Says Min Hee Jin’s NewJeans Tampering Claims Should Be Settled in Court ADOR distanced itself from a news conference held by former CEO Min Hee Jin’s side over allegations of “tampering” involving K-pop group NewJeans. After the news conference on Tuesday, ADOR said, “If they have claims, it’s something to be argued in court.” Earlier Tuesday, a news conference titled “The truth about tampering by former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin and the Dabolink stock price manipulation case” was held at the Kyowon Jonggak Building in Seoul’s Jongno district. Kim Sun Woong, an attorney at law firm Jiam representing Min, attended. Min did not. Kim said the event was meant to “set the record straight” on the “NewJeans tampering allegations” raised during ADOR’s damages lawsuit and in contract termination and damages suits involving some NewJeans members. Min’s side argued the tampering allegations were orchestrated by a stock price manipulation group and were unrelated to her. They also raised the possibility of involvement by members’ families and a specific businessman, and claimed there were signs ADOR’s management and its largest shareholder knew of it but sought to use it in legal disputes.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-01-28 16:27:00

Kia Says U.S. Tariffs Cut Profit; Bets on Hybrids and EVs to Rebound Kia said U.S. tariffs pushed its operating profit below 10 trillion won for the first time in three years, and it expects its annual tariff bill to remain above 3 trillion won despite a lower rate. The automaker said it plans to expand sales in major markets including the United States, Europe and India and step up cost-cutting to restore operating profit to 10 trillion won this year. In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, Kia reported 114.1409 trillion won in revenue last year and 9.0781 trillion won in operating profit. Revenue rose 6.2% from a year earlier, while operating profit fell 28.3%. On an earnings conference call, Kia said U.S. tariffs cut operating profit by 1.022 trillion won in the fourth quarter. For the full year, the impact totaled about 3.093 trillion won. Kia forecast this year’s tariff burden at 3.3 trillion won to 3.5 trillion won, higher than last year. Although South Korea and the United States agreed to cut the tariff rate to 15% from 25%, Kia said it effectively began paying the tariff in May last year, while it expects to bear the impact for the full year in 2026. Even with uncertainty from U.S. tariffs and rising incentives amid tougher competition, Kia said it will pursue growth by expanding sales of hybrids and electric vehicles. Kim Seung-jun, executive vice president and head of Kia’s finance division, said the company views the third quarter of last year as its low point and said it saw a partial turnaround in the fourth quarter. He said the 15% tariff rate took effect Nov. 1, but “purely” applying the 15% rate did not happen until late November because of inventory at its U.S. sales unit. He said Kia expects improved results starting in the first quarter. For 2026, Kia projected sales of 3.35 million vehicles, revenue of 122.3 trillion won, operating profit of 10.2 trillion won and an operating margin of 8.3%. The company said wholesale volume would rise 6.8% from last year and revenue would increase 7.2%. In the United States, Kia plans to drive growth centered on SUVs and hybrids, citing the Telluride, a new Seltos and additional hybrid models. In Europe, it plans to launch the EV2 early this year and complete a mass-market EV lineup spanning the EV3, EV4 and EV5 to strengthen its EV leadership. In India, it plans to target premium SUV buyers with launches including a new Seltos to bolster its market position. In Europe, Kia set a sales target of 594,000 vehicles, up 11.1% from a year earlier, despite intensifying competition from Chinese and European companies. Kia said that in the fourth quarter, EV sales in Europe surpassed gasoline vehicles for the first time. It said the 11% growth target reflects its expanded EV lineup launched since the second half of last year and higher incentives. Kia said incentives in Europe rose about 10% last year and are expected to increase by a similar pace this year. In the United States, Kia set a target of 892,000 vehicles, up 5% from a year earlier, saying internal combustion engine vehicles and hybrids are replacing EVs as EV subsidies end and environmental regulations ease. It said it plans to increase output of ICE and hybrid models. 2026-01-28 16:24:20

South Korea Probes Firm Sanctioned by U.S. Over Nonproliferation Law Allegations South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that relevant authorities are investigating a South Korean company after the United States added it to a sanctions list over alleged violations of laws aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology. The ministry said South Korea and the United States have been in ongoing communication and that Seoul was aware of the move in advance. It added that the government has joined international efforts to prevent transfers of materials that could contribute to WMD development and said it will continue those efforts while staying in close contact with the United States. The U.S. State Department said Tuesday, local time, that it designated six individuals and entities for sanctions over alleged illegal trade in WMD- and missile-related technology or items with North Korea or Iran and Syria, among others. Those designated include South Korean company JS Research, North Korean national Choe Chol Min and the Foreign Affairs Bureau of North Korea’s Second Academy of Natural Sciences (SANS FAB). Companies from China, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates were also listed. Under the sanctions, the targets are barred from U.S. government procurement contracts for goods and services. They also face limits on participation in U.S. government assistance programs and on transactions involving items listed on the U.S. Munitions List. They also cannot obtain new licenses to receive export-controlled items under the Export Control Reform Act, and all existing licenses are suspended. The sanctions took effect Jan. 22 and will remain in place for two years.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-01-28 16:21:48

Kwon Seong-dong Sentenced to 2 Years in First Trial Over Alleged 100 Million Won Unification Church Payment Breaking: Kwon Seong-dong, accused of taking 100 million won from the Unification Church, was sentenced to two years in prison in a first trial.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-01-28 16:21:44

Kim Keon Hee Sentenced to 1 Year, 8 Months; First Case of Ex-President Couple Jailed Together Kim Keon Hee, who was indicted in custody on charges including receiving valuables tied to the Unification Church, was sentenced to prison in a first-trial ruling. The decision came after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of obstructing an arrest by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, marking the first time in South Korea’s constitutional history that a former president and spouse have both received prison terms at the same time. The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 27, led by Presiding Judge Woo In Sung, sentenced Kim to one year and eight months on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, violating the Political Funds Act and influence peddling under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The court ordered the confiscation of one seized Graff necklace and imposed forfeiture of 12,815,000 won, payable in advance. The court found Kim guilty on only part of the influence-peddling allegations involving the receipt of money and valuables connected to Unification Church-related matters. It acquitted her of allegations tied to Deutsche Motors stock-price manipulation under the Capital Markets Act and claims involving free opinion polling provided by Myung Tae Kyun under the Political Funds Act. The sentence was far below what Special Counsel Min Joong Ki’s team sought at last month’s closing arguments: 15 years in prison, a 2 billion won fine and about 900 million won in forfeiture. After the ruling, the special counsel team said it would appeal, saying, “The court’s findings on co-perpetration, political-funds donations and solicitation that led to acquittals are difficult to accept in light of legal principles and common sense, and the sentencing for the guilty portion is also insufficient.” Kim’s lawyers also said they are reviewing whether to appeal, arguing the sentence is excessive. 2026-01-28 16:21:22

Kia's Q4, 2025 profit slides nearly 30% as U.S. tariffs bite despite record sales SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, saw its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 operating profit fall by around 30 percent as higher U.S. tariffs dented the bottom line despite record-high sales volumes and revenue. In its earnings filing Tuesday, Kia disclosed consolidated operating profit for the October–December period at 1.84 trillion won ($1.3 billion), up 26 percent from the previous quarter but down 32.2 percent from a year earlier. Quarterly revenue reached 28.09 trillion won, slipping 2.1 percent quarter on quarter but rising 3.5 percent from the same period last year, marking the company’s best for a fourth quarter. The automaker’s operating margin narrowed to 6.6 percent in the quarter, while the full-year margin stood at around 8.0 percent. Profitability was squeezed by a sharp rise in costs. The cost-of-sales ratio climbed to 81.7 percent from 78.8 percent a year earlier, dragging the gross margin down to 18.3 percent from 21.2 percent. Selling and administrative expenses also increased, further weighing on earnings. For the full year, Kia posted operating profit of 9.08 trillion won, down 28.3 percent from 12.67 trillion won in 2024, even as annual revenue jumped 6.2 percent to a record 114.14 trillion won. Global vehicle sales reached an all-time high of 3.14 million units. Korean-made vehicles, which had previously enjoyed near-zero duties under a bilateral free trade agreement, were hit with a uniform 25-percent “reciprocal” tariff from spring last year under the Trump administration. Although a subsequent trade deal lowered the rate to 15 percent — in line with tariffs applied to European and Japanese vehicles and retroactive to November — Kia said inventories at its U.S. operations were subject to the 25-percent duty for about two months. Weaker sales volumes trimmed operating profit by an additional 13.2 billion won. These impacts were partially offset by favorable foreign-exchange effects from a weaker won, which lifted profit by about 42.4 billion won, as well as pricing adjustments, an improved model mix and cost-cutting efforts. Balance-sheet metrics improved despite softer earnings. Kia’s debt ratio fell 4.3 percentage points year on year to 61.8 percent, while net cash rose to 19.64 trillion won as borrowings declined. Equity increased by 5.35 trillion won to 61.19 trillion won. Return on equity, however, slipped to 12.8 percent, reflecting the earnings slowdown. Kia shares closed down 2.48 percent at 149,700 won. 2026-01-28 16:20:13

Special Prosecutor Says Kim Keon Hee Ruling Is Hard to Accept, Will Appeal Breaking: Special prosecutor says Kim Keon Hee first-trial ruling is hard to accept; will appeal* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-01-28 16:15:23

South Korea Secures Record 54,000 New-Build Rental Homes, Plans 44,000 Starts in Capital Area 정부가 지난해 역대 최대 규모의 신축매입약정을 체결하고 도심 주택공급에 속도를 낸다. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) said Tuesday they secured 54,000 homes through new-build purchase agreements last year, the largest total on record. The figure was up 128% from the previous year’s 41,955 homes and about six times the 9,253 recorded in 2023, the ministry said. About 48,000 of the homes were in the Seoul metropolitan area, including 15,000 in Seoul. Under the new-build purchase-lease program, LH buys privately built or planned homes after completion and supplies them as rental housing. Many are non-apartment units, including small apartment buildings and multi-family housing. Based on last year’s results, the ministry said it plans to start construction on more than 44,000 new-build purchase homes in the capital area this year, including 13,000 in Seoul. It said the plan is intended to keep on track with targets in the Sept. 7 housing supply expansion plan: 70,000 capital-area starts in 2026-2027 and a total of 140,000 by 2030. LH said it will recruit tenants this year for 11,000 purchase-lease homes in the capital area, including 3,000 in Seoul, and supply about 60% of them to young people and newlyweds. The ministry and LH said they will also strengthen quality control to provide higher-quality, tailored housing for newlyweds and young people. They also said they will conduct a full review of whether purchase prices under the program were appropriate, after President Lee Jae Myung last year criticized LH for buying newly built private homes at high prices for the purchase-lease program. The ministry said it will form an external expert-led review committee and complete the review by April. “Especially when the housing market is difficult, it is important for the public sector to send a clear supply signal backed by results,” Minister Kim said. “If last year was a year of preparation with record agreements, this year will be a year of execution through starts of more than 44,000 homes in the capital area and more than 13,000 in Seoul.” Cho Kyung-sook, LH’s acting president, said about 11,000 homes contracted in Seoul last year are in strong locations with proven infrastructure, including near transit hubs. She said LH will “take the lead in stabilizing the housing market” through strict quality control, phased starts and on-time supply.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-01-28 16:15:00

Factory Fire in Siheung’s Geumi-dong Sends Up Thick Black Smoke A fire broke out in Geumi-dong in Siheung, Gyeonggi province. On Tuesday, the Siheung city government said in a disaster safety text alert, "A factory fire has occurred at 554-4, Geumi-dong, and a large amount of black smoke is being generated." It urged nearby drivers to detour and asked residents in the area to close their windows and take other safety precautions. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-01-28 16:13:28