McDonald’s Korea Doubles Happy Meal Donations for Family Month Campaign McDonald’s Korea is expanding donations linked to its children’s Happy Meal menu item to mark Family Month. The company said Wednesday it will double the amount set aside from Happy Meal sales for about a month, from April 30 through the end of May. The donation per set will rise to 100 won from 50 won. During the campaign, the company will provide donation certificates and stickers to help children better understand and take part in the giving process. On May 24, McDonald’s Korea will hold its walking fundraiser, the “2026 McDonald’s Happy Walk.” This year, it will expand participation to 6,000 people from about 5,000 previously. “Happy Meal is a meaningful menu item that lets customers join in giving simply by making a purchase,” a McDonald’s Korea official said. The official added that the company will continue to increase everyday opportunities for families to share and give through programs such as the Family Campaign and Happy Walk. McDonald’s Korea said it is RMHC Korea’s largest sponsor and has continued support efforts for sick children and their families.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 14:27:57

Korea Transportation Safety Authority wins Interior Ministry award for 'Accident-Free Today' campaign The Korea Transportation Safety Authority, known as TS, said April 23 it won the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award in the safety management category at the Korea Creative Management 2026 awards ceremony held at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul. TS said it received the honor for helping spread a traffic safety culture through its governmentwide “Accident-Free Today” campaign. The agency said it has been running the campaign at major transportation hubs nationwide. Since last year, it has held on-site events at key locations including Seoul Station, Incheon International Airport, Daejeon Complex Terminal and Gimpo Airport, drawing about 20,000 visitors and securing safety pledges from about 10,000 participants. Working with its 14 regional headquarters, TS said it conducted the campaign 548 times, targeting pedestrians as well as motorcycle and bus drivers. TS also said it designated Gimcheon as “Accident-Free Today City No. 1” and promoted six safety rules at high-traffic facilities such as Gimcheon-Gumi Station, other public facilities, and cultural and sports venues. This year, TS said it again held an on-site campaign tied to the Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee’s 13th GIVE ’N RACE marathon event on April 5 in the area around Gwangalli Beach in Busan, with about 20,000 people taking part. TS President Jeong Yong-sik said the award recognized employees’ efforts to expand traffic safety culture and create a safer, more convenient transportation environment. “TS will continue to pursue its management vision as a safe mobility partner that protects everyone’s daily lives, and do its best to prevent traffic accidents and ensure public traffic safety,” Jeong said. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 14:27:15

Lotte Speeds Turnaround as Jamsil Hub Tops 5 Trillion Won and Southeast Asia Grows Lotte Group’s food, retail and hotel affiliates are leading a recovery in results, the company said. In South Korea, “Lotte Town Jamsil” posted a record by topping 5 trillion won in annual sales for the first time. Overseas, growth has continued mainly in food and retail operations in India, Vietnam and Indonesia. The chemicals business, which has faced a prolonged slump, is accelerating restructuring to protect profitability. Lotte said Thursday that its retail affiliates are continuing to expand in Southeast Asia. A key example is Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, which opened in 2023. Since opening, it has maintained double-digit sales growth and has surpassed 600 billion won in cumulative sales. Lotte Mart is also stepping up its push in Southeast Asia. It operates 63 stores in the region, including 15 in Vietnam and 48 in Indonesia. The company said it has stabilized its hypermarket business locally and is continuing to grow by focusing on groceries and daily necessities. Food affiliates are adding momentum. Lotte Wellfood has stood out in India, with the effect of launching the merged Lotte India entity reflected in results. Sales last year rose 10% from a year earlier, and the company expects growth to continue this year. Lotte Chilsung Beverage is also strengthening its push in key overseas markets to support an improving earnings trend. At home, growth at Lotte Town Jamsil has been notable. The complex, which includes Lotte Department Store, Lotte Hotel and Lotte World, exceeded 5 trillion won in annual sales last year for the first time. Lotte said seasonal large-scale events and differentiated content helped draw more than 60 million visitors over the year. A central driver has been Lotte Department Store’s Jamsil branch. The store posted more than 3 trillion won in sales last year, matching 2024 and marking a second straight year above 3 trillion won. From 2021 through last year, its average annual growth rate was about 15%. The hotel and duty-free businesses have also shown signs of recovery. Lotte Hotel said sales and operating profit improved across all regions last year, helped by a rebound in global travel demand and an increase in foreign tourists. Lotte Duty Free recorded profits for four consecutive quarters last year and returned to profitability on a full-year basis. It recently reopened its store in the DF1 zone at Incheon International Airport and expects an annual sales boost of more than 600 billion won. The chemicals business is moving faster on restructuring to improve its fundamentals. Lotte Chemical is participating in petrochemical restructuring, including integrating naphtha cracking centers at Daesan and Yeosu. It is also pursuing a spinoff of business divisions at its Daesan plant and a merger with HD Hyundai Chemical. A company official said, “We will also work to improve profitability by shifting the business toward high value-added areas.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 14:23:56

Hyundai Motor posts record Q1 revenue of 45.9 trillion won; operating profit falls to 2.51 trillion Hyundai Motor posted weak first-quarter results as U.S. auto tariffs in its largest export market and rising raw material costs weighed on earnings. Hyundai Motor said in a regulatory filing on the 23rd that its first-quarter operating profit on a consolidated basis was provisionally tallied at 2.5147 trillion won, down 30.8% from a year earlier. Revenue rose 3.4% to 45.9389 trillion won, the highest ever for a first quarter. Net profit fell 23.6% to 2.5849 trillion won. Operating margin was 5.5%. The company said operating profit fell by more than 1 trillion won from the same period last year due to U.S. auto tariffs, higher warranty provisions tied to a weaker exchange rate, and softer global demand linked to the Iran war, among other factors. “Amid a global industrial environment with growing uncertainty, difficult market conditions are continuing, including a 7.2% year-on-year decline in demand for the global auto industry,” a Hyundai Motor official said. “However, Hyundai Motor is maintaining a steady sales trend compared with the decline in overall demand by expanding sales of high value-added models such as hybrids.” Hyundai Motor sold 976,219 vehicles worldwide in the January-March 2026 period, down 2.5% from a year earlier. Domestic sales fell 4.4% to 159,066 vehicles, which the company attributed to demand tied to waiting lists for new models. Hyundai Motor said it plans to roll out a large number of new vehicles this year, starting with a facelifted Grandeur. Overseas sales slipped 2.1% to 817,153 vehicles, despite a 0.3% rise in the key U.S. market to 243,572, as overall market conditions deteriorated. Global sales of eco-friendly vehicles, including commercial models, rose 14.2% to 242,612 units in the first quarter, driven by higher EV sales and a strengthened hybrid lineup. EV sales totaled 58,788 units and hybrid sales 173,977. Hyundai Motor said it expects an increasingly hard-to-forecast business environment to persist due to greater macroeconomic uncertainty, rising geopolitical risks and deepening trade conflicts between countries. To navigate those conditions, the company said it will seek new growth momentum centered on major new models launching this year. It plans to pursue both higher sales and improved profitability through key new-model lineups and upgraded versions that bolster brand competitiveness, while also advancing electrification, expanding high value-added models and pursuing region-specific strategies. Under the value-up program announced last year, Hyundai Motor said it will pay a quarterly dividend of 2,500 won, the same as the dividend paid in the year-earlier quarter. “Despite changes in the macro business environment, Hyundai Motor will continue striving to faithfully implement the shareholder return policy it has promised in order to maximize shareholder value,” the official said. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 14:23:05

Google Unveils 8th-Gen TPU Chips, Challenging Nvidia as AI Accelerator Market Shifts Google has unveiled what it called its highest-performing AI-only chips yet at its annual tech conference, taking direct aim at Nvidia’s dominance. Analysts say that as the AI accelerator market diversifies beyond Nvidia, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix stand to gain because they supply the key memory used in those chips. According to the IT industry on the 23rd, Google Cloud on April 22 (local time) introduced two eighth-generation Tensor Processing Units at “Google Cloud Next 2026” in Las Vegas: the training-focused TPU 8t and the inference-focused TPU 8i. Both are scheduled for official release within the year. TPUs are AI-specific application chips (ASICs) that Google co-designed with Broadcom. Unlike general-purpose graphics processing units, they are optimized for AI workloads and are widely viewed as more power-efficient. The key change in the eighth-generation TPU is a design that separates training and inference for the first time. It is the first major architectural shift since Google first launched the TPU in 2015. The TPU 8t uses a “superpod” design that can link up to 9,600 chips in a single system. Google said each pod delivers 121 exaflops of performance and trains models three times faster than the previous generation, with double the power efficiency. Through its Pathways platform, Google said more than 1 million TPUs can be pooled to operate like a single cluster, cutting development time for very large AI models from months to weeks. The TPU 8i targets demand tied to agentic AI. Google said it delivers 9.8 times the performance of the seventh generation and includes 384MB of on-chip SRAM — more than triple the prior generation — along with 288GB of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Market share remains heavily tilted toward Nvidia. Google’s TPUs account for about 5% of the AI accelerator market, while Nvidia’s GPUs hold about 92%, according to the report. Nvidia’s next-generation “Vera Rubin” platform has already entered mass production and is set for commercial release in the second half of this year. Still, conditions are shifting in Google’s favor as a prolonged shortage of Nvidia GPUs pushes customers to seek more cost-effective alternatives. Amazon Web Services is also pursuing a strategy to reduce reliance on Nvidia by promoting its own AI accelerators, including Trainium for training and Inferentia for inference. Hedge fund Citadel has built quantitative research software using Google TPUs, and 17 U.S. national laboratories under the Department of Energy are operating TPU-based “AI co-scientist” software, the report said. The trend is drawing attention to South Korean chipmakers. Each TPU carries six to eight HBM stacks, and supply of HBM for Google’s TPUs has effectively consolidated around Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. In Nvidia’s GPU supply chain, Samsung, SK hynix and Micron compete, but Micron has effectively fallen out of the TPU camp due to limited production capacity, the report said. The industry expects the eighth-generation TPU to use HBM4, a sixth-generation HBM standard, and forecasts Samsung’s HBM shipments to Google will more than double from this year. SK hynix, described as Google’s preferred supplier, is currently supplying HBM3E and is also reported to be the exclusive supplier of 12-high HBM3E for the power-efficiency-improved TPU 7e. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 14:22:22

A Bio Materials Launches Plant-Derived Exosome Inner-Beauty Brand in Vietnam The global beauty industry is increasingly expanding beyond topical cosmetics into “inner beauty,” a category often described as ingestible beauty products. Industry observers say the inner-beauty market is being reshaped quickly around functional ingredients and biotechnology. Against that backdrop, South Korean biomaterials company A Bio Materials is moving into Southeast Asia. The company partnered with food brand NOWLAB and Vietnamese distributor OMB GROUP to introduce the inner-beauty brand “EXO QUEEN” in Vietnam. The three companies held a seminar for influencers in Hanoi on April 14 to present the products and underlying technology. Discussions also covered how to use content and coordinate marketing partnerships, according to the companies. The newly unveiled products apply plant-derived exosome ingredients. Exosomes are known for their role in cell-to-cell signaling, and their potential use is being studied not only in cosmetics but also as food ingredients. A Bio Materials said it used its in-house technology to formulate the ingredient in a food format. The key ingredient is derived from Centella asiatica, and related research has suggested potential links to anti-inflammatory effects and skin improvement. However, the use of exosomes in foods remains at an early stage, making national regulations and safety verification critical. In the health functional food market, whether an ingredient is recognized for functionality and supported by clinical evidence is a major factor in competitiveness. The project is structured as a division of roles across materials, branding and distribution. A Bio Materials supplies the ingredient, NOWLAB handles product planning and brand operations, and OMB GROUP manages local distribution and marketing. Vietnam has been seeing growing consumption of K-beauty products, with rising interest among younger consumers in health functional foods and skin-care items. Influencer marketing on social media has become a key sales channel. OMB GROUP, which is handling local distribution, is known for experience distributing K-beauty brands. The companies said the product’s ability to gain a foothold will depend on local consumer response. Industry watchers say collaboration models between biomaterials firms and brand and distribution companies are increasing as the inner-beauty market expands around functional ingredients. Southeast Asia is widely viewed as a high-growth region, drawing continued entries by global companies. A Bio Materials said it plans to broaden its lineup using a range of plant-derived ingredients. Industry sources said the project is being watched as one test of how South Korean biotechnology can be applied overseas.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 14:18:16

Fashion mogul Park Sun-ho’s rise from poverty to 1 trillion won in sales and 40 billion won in giving Park Sun-ho, known as South Korea’s “fashion king” for building a major fashion group from nothing, shared his life story on television, including his rise in business and decades of philanthropy. On the April 22 broadcast of EBS’ “Seo Jang-hoon’s Next-Door Millionaire,” the program traced Park’s path from poverty to business success. Born the fourth of seven children in a poor family, he said he struggled even to eat as a child. Unable to attend middle school, he began farm work at 14 to help support his family and took a job at 16 at an underwear wholesaler in Masan. Park recalled working in harsh conditions without a salary, but said he was grateful simply to be fed three meals a day while learning the trade. Two years later, he moved to Busan to pursue his own business. Seeking a shop, he pleaded with a landlord to wait “three to four months” for the deposit, and said the landlord’s decision allowed him to enter Busan’s largest market, Jungang Market, without paying a deposit upfront. He later secured exclusive supply deals with 130 retailers and expanded into the wholesale market, saying he kept his promise. Park said he was called a “kid tycoon” in his 20s and recalled that he “scooped up money in sacks.” After establishing himself in wholesale, Park moved into apparel manufacturing. He said he became the second in South Korea to succeed in producing cotton T-shirts, and that a self-developed “seamless turtleneck” became a major hit. He said the success enabled him to buy a two-story house and marry, marking his peak in his 20s. The momentum did not last. After long-sleeve T-shirts sold well in spring, he produced short-sleeve versions, but the thick fabric failed in the summer market, leaving him with large inventories. Park said unpaid factory bills totaled 38 million won at the time, which he said would be worth “tens of billions of won” today. He said he pushed on, urging the fabric mill owner to invest more so he could repay the debt. After running the factory around the clock, he said he repaid the full amount in four years. His business then rebounded, he said, reaching 10 billion won in sales in 1987, surpassing 100 billion won in 1995, and hitting 1 trillion won in annual sales in 2011. His life also drew attention after being made into the 2005 drama “Fashion 70s,” the program said. The broadcast also highlighted Park’s giving, describing him as a “sharing king.” It said he has donated a cumulative 40 billion won over about 40 years. The program said Forbes Asia named him a “top Asian philanthropist” in 2010, and that he received honors including a presidential commendation for volunteer service and the Order of Civil Merit, Dongbaek Medal. It also said he has helped renovate homes for marginalized people, providing new housing for 300 households to date. When the show revealed he ranks fifth nationwide in the Honor Society, Seo Jang-hoon said, “I’m a member too, but the chairman’s amount is enormous.” Near the end of the program, Park said, “Growing a company and making money are important, but I want to be remembered as someone who does what society truly needs.” He added, “You can’t take money with you when you die. What matters is using the money you earned through sweat and hard work in a meaningful way.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 14:16:12

South Korea watchdog refers executives to prosecutors over alleged sham sale, hidden debt South Korea’s financial authorities said they have uncovered alleged unfair trading by executives at a listed company during a push to split and relist the firm, and have referred the case to prosecutors. The Financial Services Commission’s Securities and Futures Commission said Thursday it decided at its 8th regular meeting on April 22 to file a criminal complaint against four people, including executives of Company A, for alleged violations of the Capital Markets Act’s ban on fraudulent trading. The commission said the suspects are accused of artificially propping up Company A’s value by making it appear its financial condition would improve after selling a troubled subsidiary at an inflated price to a third party unrelated to Company A. According to the authorities’ findings, executives at Company A and its subsidiary, Company B, planned to sell loss-making Company B as part of a plan to split Company A into two listed companies and relist them. In the process, they allegedly used funds from Company A’s largest shareholder and an affiliate to have a paper company, Company C — with no real business operations or financial capacity — acquire Company B. The commission said Company A continued to support Company B even after the sale by providing ongoing debt guarantees and loans, including operating funds. The commission said the suspects intentionally left large debts off financial statements, inflating the value of Company B’s shares. Authorities said the group then made it look as if Company B had been sold at a high price to an unrelated third party, suggesting Company A’s finances had improved, and succeeded in the split-and-relisting plan. The commission said it confirmed allegations that Company A’s share price surged sharply for a time and that the suspects reaped substantial illicit gains. The commission noted that accounting violations tied to omitting Company B’s liabilities from Company B’s financial statements and Company A’s consolidated financial statements had already led to measures in July last year, including administrative penalties and a notice to prosecutors. Under the Capital Markets Act, using fraudulent means in trading financial investment products, or making false statements or omitting material information to obtain money or other property gains, can be punished by at least one year in prison or fines of up to six times the illicit profit, the commission said. Financial authorities said they will keep a close watch for unfair trading and will thoroughly investigate confirmed violations and impose strict measures to help maintain market order. They also urged the public to actively report suspected unfair trading in capital markets. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 14:15:18

Korea’s chip-led boom masks weak consumer demand and rising household debt South Korea’s headline numbers look strong. First-quarter gross domestic product grew a surprise 1.7%, the highest in five years, and the Kospi surged past 6,500. But the gains are heavily concentrated in one industry, leaving the broader economy uneven and vulnerable. Semiconductor giants posted outsized results. SK hynix reported first-quarter revenue of 52 trillion won and operating profit of 37.6 trillion won, both records. Its operating margin of 72% is far above typical manufacturing levels. Samsung Electronics is estimated to have posted first-quarter operating profit of 57.2 trillion won, already exceeding its total profit for all of last year. Together, the two companies are taking about 67% of total first-quarter earnings among listed firms, underscoring a deepening concentration. Outside chips, key engines are sputtering. Major manufacturing sectors such as autos and batteries have lost momentum. Stripping out the semiconductor boost, the figures show weak service-sector growth (0.4%) and modest private consumption (0.5%). The gap between hot macro indicators and strained household conditions suggests the economy is being misread by top-line peaks. The Bank of Korea’s April consumer sentiment index fell 7.8 points from the previous month to 99.2, dropping below the 100 baseline for the first time in a year. The decline was the steepest since the shock during the political turmoil following the December 2024 declaration of martial law. Even as chip exports hit record highs and stocks climbed, public sentiment sank sharply. Details point to broader stress. Indexes tied to household finances fell, including current living conditions (91) and the outlook for living conditions (92). The index for current economic conditions dropped 18 points to 68. The article also cited a Middle East-driven energy shock as an external risk that could add to supply-side inflation pressure and further erode real purchasing power. Financial risks are also building. Credit-financed stock buying has reached a record, and even high-credit borrowers are turning to high-interest card loans, the article said. If asset prices fall after being pushed up by leverage, the impact could spread through household debt. The government, the article argued, should look beyond record export and profit figures and focus policy on rebuilding domestic demand and diversifying the industrial base, warning that a downturn in the semiconductor cycle could shake the economy’s main pillar. 2026-04-23 14:13:44

Samsung E&A Q1 2026 Operating Profit Rises 19.6% to 188.2 Billion Won Samsung E&A said it posted solid results as all business segments grew despite global uncertainty. In a preliminary earnings filing on April 23, the company said first-quarter 2026 revenue rose 8.1% from a year earlier to 2.2674 trillion won. Operating profit climbed 19.6% to 188.2 billion won, and net profit increased 3.9% to 163.3 billion won. The company attributed the steady growth to the fuller reflection of revenue from large petrochemical plants and domestic advanced-industry plant projects. By segment, petrochemicals accounted for 1.1299 trillion won of revenue, while the advanced-industry and new energy segments posted 574.2 billion won and 563.3 billion won, respectively, out of total revenue of 2.2674 trillion won. Samsung E&A also reported strong new orders. It booked 4.6 trillion won in new orders in the first quarter, reaching about 40% of its annual target. Its order backlog stood at 20.6 trillion won, equivalent to about 2.3 years of work. A company official said Samsung E&A is achieving ongoing cost improvements by differentiating execution through innovative technology and will pursue sustainable growth by responding actively to changes in the global energy market. 2026-04-23 14:12:59