Daegu’s Nam District Expands Housing Aid for Newlyweds, Adds Jeonse Support Daegu’s Nam District said it will significantly expand its loan-interest support program for newlyweds buying homes by adding support for jeonse (lump-sum deposit leases) and easing eligibility rules. The district said it will increase the number of beneficiary households from 1,000 to 1,500 by adding 500 jeonse households. Nam District said it completed consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare on changes to the social security system, allowing the program—described by the district as the first of its kind in Daegu—to extend beyond home purchases to reflect newlyweds’ housing needs. The district said it will abolish the age limit, expand the definition of newlyweds to couples within 10 years of marriage from the current seven, and raise income and housing-price thresholds. For home purchases, the combined annual income cap will rise to 130 million won from 100 million won, and the home price limit will increase to 650 million won from 600 million won. Under the new jeonse category, eligible applicants are households living in homes with deposits of 300 million won or less and exclusive floor area of 85 square meters or less, with combined annual income of 75 million won or less. Applications will be accepted online through Daegu’s civil service and public contest home service from June, between the first and 15th of each month, excluding May and November. Selected households can claim interest support twice a year, receiving up to 250,000 won a month, or 3 million won a year, for up to three years, for a maximum of 9 million won. Nam District Mayor Cho Jae-gu said the expansion to jeonse and the eased standards reflect newlyweds’ varied housing situations. He said the district will continue refining the policy so that meaningful relief in housing costs can help attract residents and improve settlement conditions.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 12:42:18

Cheongdo County Expands Child Allowance to Under Age 9, Up to 120,000 Won a Month Cheongdo County said it will expand eligibility for child allowance payments under the revised Child Allowance Act, aiming to ease families’ financial burden and strengthen a child-friendly environment. The county said the eligible age will rise to under 9 from under 8. It will also apply a special provision for depopulation areas, adding 20,000 won a month per eligible child. With the national benefit of 100,000 won, children in Cheongdo will receive up to 120,000 won per month. For 139 children born from January 2017 to March 2018 who have previously received the benefit, the county said the process will be handled through an ex officio application, with no separate request required. The expanded allowance is set to be paid for the first time on April 24 to 833 children. Payments will be deposited monthly on the 25th into an account in the guardian’s name, or the prior day if the 25th falls on a holiday. Under the government plan, the eligible age will increase by one year each year, expanding to under 13 by 2030. Acting Cheongdo County Mayor Kim Dong-gi said the move goes beyond simple cash support and is meant to be a policy families can feel, adding that the county will continue to strengthen child welfare policies to make Cheongdo a place where both children and parents can be happy.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 12:37:11

President Lee Jae-myung Heads to Vietnam After India Trip, Eyes High-Tech Cooperation President Lee Jae-myung will leave India on April 21 after wrapping up a two-night, three-day trip and travel to Hanoi, Vietnam. The visit will be the first state event hosted by Vietnam’s new leadership, which took office earlier this month. It will also be a return visit, coming eight months after Communist Party General Secretary To Lam visited South Korea in August last year. After arriving in Hanoi, Lee will begin his schedule on April 22 with a meeting with members of the Korean community. He will lay flowers at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and attend an official welcome ceremony with Vietnam’s leadership. Lee will then hold a summit with To Lam, followed by an exchange of memorandums of understanding, a joint press statement and a state banquet. On April 23, he is to meet with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and have lunch with National Assembly Speaker Tran Thanh Man. Lee will also attend a Korea-Vietnam business forum to meet with business leaders from both countries and discuss ways to expand trade and investment. On April 24, he is to tour the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel with To Lam before returning home. Separately, Lee posted on Facebook on April 21 under the title, “Korea and India, walking together toward a better future,” reflecting on his India trip. “This summit was a place to discuss concrete and practical measures to take Korea-India cooperation to the next level,” Lee wrote. “We agreed to deepen cooperation in strategic core areas such as shipbuilding, finance, AI and the defense industry, and to create new growth opportunities together based on advanced technology and innovation.” He added, “Above all, I extend my deep gratitude for the warm welcome shown by Prime Minister Modi and the people of India,” and said he hoped to meet again in South Korea in the near future.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 12:34:01

Gunwi youth volunteers launch Food Run to deliver homemade side dishes to at-risk teens Gunwi County’s 1388 Youth Support Volunteers, part of the Gunwi County Youth Counseling and Welfare Center, have begun the 2026 Food Run program to promote healthy eating and help stabilize daily life for local youth. Eight volunteers attended the first meeting on April 20 and pledged private-sector cooperation to protect at-risk teens. Food Run is a regular volunteer effort that will run through November, selecting 10 households with at-risk youth. Once a month, volunteers will cook side dishes and deliver them to each home while checking on the youths’ health and living conditions. The 1388 Youth Support Volunteers serve as a key private network in the youth safety net, helping identify and protect young people showing signs of crisis. Last year, the group carried out a range of activities, including school violence prevention campaigns, meal deliveries, promotion of the 1388 youth hotline and mentoring for vulnerable groups. Lee Kyung-sook, head of the Gunwi County Youth Counseling and Welfare Center and director of the county’s Resident Welfare Office, said, “I am grateful for the hard work of the volunteers who dedicate themselves to young people.” She added, “We will build a tighter, more practical support system so that youth can grow up healthy with the community’s 관심 and love.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 12:33:17

Gyeongsan Family Center Launches Soccer Program to Encourage Fathers’ Child Care GYEONGSAN, South Korea — The Gyeongsan Family Center in North Gyeongsang Province is running its 2026 neighborhood fathers class, “Goal-Kicking Kids and Dads,” to encourage fathers to take a more active role in child care and strengthen bonds with their children. The program targets fathers and their children ages 7 to 9. It began in April and will run through October for a total of 23 sessions. Along with play, it includes instruction to help fathers better understand child-rearing based on developmental stages. Soccer activities range from basic drills to mini-games, designed to help fathers and children cooperate and communicate through physical activity. The center said it expects the program to promote more active involvement by male caregivers at home and deepen emotional connections with children. Shin Yong-ik, head of the Gyeongsan Family Center, said the hands-on program will expand opportunities for family communication and help build a healthy family culture. The center said it plans to continue offering additional education programs for fathers.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 12:27:15

China Recasts Coal as Power-Grid Backstop Amid Energy Security Concerns China is again elevating coal in its energy policy as surging electricity demand, the intermittency of renewables and geopolitical uncertainty sharpen concerns about energy security. Analysts say Beijing, which has promoted a shift away from coal, is redefining it as a “safety valve” to help keep the power grid stable. The direction was underscored at a recent State Council meeting. China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on April 21 that the State Council held its 19th group study session the previous day on “accelerating the building of a new energy system through coordinating energy security and the green, low-carbon transition.” Premier Li Qiang said strengthening energy security is a core foundation for building China into an energy power. Citing rapid changes in the international situation and rising energy consumption, he called for maintaining a sense of urgency and preparing for worst-case scenarios to improve the resilience and security of the energy system. Li said the key to stronger energy security is optimizing the energy mix. He urged greater innovation in energy technology, faster construction of a new energy system and a push for low-carbon shifts in energy production and consumption. He also called for expanding large clean-energy bases, including wind and solar in the northwest, hydropower in the southwest and offshore wind along the eastern coast, while developing distributed solar and wind and region-specific biomass, geothermal and ocean energy. At the same time, Li made clear that coal’s role is changing. He said China should raise the level of clean and efficient use of fossil energy, speed upgrades to improve efficiency at existing coal-fired plants and accelerate retrofits to cut carbon. He also said coal power should move beyond serving only as baseload supply and become a flexible source that can adjust output to match demand. China has promoted “de-coal” policies while pursuing goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, pushing a shift from coal to renewables. With expanded wind and solar installations, renewable capacity rose to about 2.334 billion kilowatts last year, accounting for about 60% of total power capacity. But electricity demand has been rising quickly, with some warning it is outpacing capacity growth. Driven by artificial intelligence, data centers and the spread of electric vehicles, power consumption last year exceeded 10.4 trillion kilowatt-hours, more than double the 2015 level and more than twice that of the United States. A key challenge is the nature of renewables. Solar and wind output can swing sharply with weather, making it difficult to respond reliably when demand peaks. With volatility in global energy markets rising amid the Russia-Ukraine war and the outbreak of the Iran war, arguments have gained traction for slowing the pace of coal cuts. Against that backdrop, coal is re-emerging as a central stabilizing element in China’s power system. Coal output has continued to rise, and the National Bureau of Statistics said production last year hit a record 4.85 billion tons. Some analysts say this does not signal a return to a coal-centered system, but an evolution in coal’s function. The U.S. foreign affairs magazine The Diplomat said that as renewables expand, China’s policy focus is shifting from increasing generation to ensuring grid stability, with coal being reshaped from a baseload source into flexible capacity that offsets renewable variability. Still, some warn that local governments may lean on coal generation because it is easier to build and cheaper in the name of short-term energy security, potentially adding pressure to long-term carbon-reduction goals. 2026-04-21 12:24:38

Hong Kong Luxury Home Sales Value Hits 18-Quarter High in Q1 Hong Kong real estate brokerage Centaline Property said luxury single-family home deals totaled 164 in the first quarter (January-March), with a combined contract value of HK$9.056 billion (about 184 billion yen). The number of deals fell 9.4% from the previous quarter, but total value rose 6.0% to the highest level in 18 quarters. New-home transactions rose 5.3% to 20 deals, and their value jumped 27.9% to HK$3.661 billion. Resale deals fell 11.1% to 144, and value slipped 5.0% to HK$5.395 billion. Centaline said resale activity has been weakening, but noted that deal volume has stayed above 100 for six straight quarters, indicating demand from buyers and investors remains solid. Ultra-luxury homes priced above HK$100 million accounted for 22 deals, up 4.8%, while their value increased 14.6% to HK$6.006 billion. Both measures rose for a fourth consecutive quarter. The priciest deal was a resale unit at Mount Nicholson on Hong Kong Island’s Victoria Peak, at HK$1.039 billion. A new unit at Plantation Blue Pearl, also on Victoria Peak, followed at HK$557.9 million. Yang Mingyi, senior associate director in Centaline’s research department, said improving market conditions and rising asking prices have continued to draw capital from wealthy buyers, signaling a recovery in the luxury single-family home segment. Yang also said second-quarter (April-June) activity could cool, citing the Hong Kong government’s February increase in stamp duty rates on home transactions above HK$100 million, Middle East turmoil and continued price gains in the resale market. 2026-04-21 12:03:17

PM Kim Min-seok orders fast rollout of extra budget, including aid for high oil prices Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on April 21 ordered officials to closely check how 243 local governments are drafting supplementary budgets so that funding for 20 projects — including support for damage from high oil prices — can be executed quickly. In opening remarks at the 17th Cabinet meeting and the eighth emergency economy headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Seoul, Kim said “speed is the lifeblood” of what he called a “wartime supplementary budget.” He urged relevant ministries — including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare — to ensure additional supply-stabilization steps scheduled for this week, including releasing stockpiled urea for vehicles and setting a fourth maximum price for oil. With the deadline for a ceasefire between the United States and Iran approaching, Kim said uncertainty in the Middle East continues and stressed that the government will keep its current emergency economic response system firmly in place. Kim also called on ministries to follow through on steps tied to President Lee Jae-myung’s trip to India and Vietnam, saying the government must keep working under the president’s leadership to overcome difficulties from the Middle East war and strengthen energy and supply-chain stability. Kim said 217 of 341 key bills that should be handled in the first half — including the so-called materials, parts and equipment law and a bill to support victims of jeonse rental fraud — have yet to pass the National Assembly. He asked Cabinet members to keep meeting lawmakers in person to seek cooperation so the government does not miss what he called a legislative “golden time.” Kim said the government began intensive safety inspections the previous day at about 32,000 facilities nationwide considered at risk of accidents, citing concerns that oversight could weaken ahead of local elections. He instructed agencies to conduct thorough checks over the two-month inspection period and immediately carry out needed fixes, with special management for summer disaster-related sites such as underpasses, semi-basement homes and landslide-prone areas. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 12:00:06

South Korea Elevates National Tourism Strategy Council to Presidential Level South Korea will move its top tourism policy body, the National Tourism Strategy Council, from the prime minister’s office to the president’s office, a step aimed at developing tourism as a national strategic industry. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said April 21 that the Cabinet approved revisions to the Tourism Promotion Act reflecting the change. With the amendment, the council will be formally run under a president-led system, strengthening its standing. Its mandate will also expand beyond drafting tourism promotion plans to include evaluating implementation results and feeding those findings back into policy. The ministry said the goal is to review tourism performance across ministries and reinforce interagency coordination and policy effectiveness. In February, at the 11th National Tourism Strategy Council meeting, the president attended in person and stressed tourism as a key driver of the national economy and regional development. As the first follow-up step to the overhaul, the ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization will hold a public contest for tourism policy proposals from April 22 through May 12. The contest will collect ideas in eight areas centered on measures announced at the 11th council meeting under the theme, “A major shift in inbound tourism, a major leap in regional tourism.” Participants can submit proposals through the event page on the Korea Tourism Organization’s “VisitKorea” website. After reviews by experts and private-sector committee members, 20 proposals will be selected. One top prize winner will receive 1 million won, two excellence award winners will receive 500,000 won each, and 17 encouragement award winners will receive 100,000 won each. Results will be announced May 26, and selected proposals are to be reflected in tourism policy. Kang Jeong-won, director general for tourism policy, said the upgrade to a presidential body has strengthened the system’s execution and coordination functions. He urged broad public interest and participation in the contest so the government can identify policies needed in the field.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 11:48:28

Samsung Bioepis Unveils Preclinical Data on First New Cancer Drug Candidate at AACR 2026 Samsung Bioepis said it has disclosed preclinical data for SBE303, a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) cancer drug candidate, for the first time at the American Association for Cancer Research’s AACR 2026 annual meeting, as it moves beyond biosimilars to accelerate development of its own new medicines. The company said the data were presented at the meeting in San Diego, held April 17-22 (local time). SBE303 is a next-generation ADC designed to target nectin-4, a protein overexpressed in tumor cells. Samsung Bioepis said it is its first new-drug pipeline developed through joint research and licensing agreements under an open-innovation strategy with domestic and overseas partners Intocell (South Korea) and Frontline (China). According to preclinical results presented in an on-site poster session on April 20 (local time), SBE303 showed improved tumor-cell binding specificity and more efficient intracellular drug delivery compared with existing nectin-4-targeted therapies, the company said. In safety assessments, Samsung Bioepis said SBE303 produced improved results in tests for skin toxicity, a common adverse reaction associated with nectin-4-targeted therapies. It also said no interstitial lung disease (ILD), a serious side effect that can cause irreversible damage, was observed. The company said the highest non-severely toxic dose (HNSTD) was 40 mg/kg, adding that the finding supports the potential for clinical use by securing a wide therapeutic safety margin. Samsung Bioepis said it has begun global Phase 1 clinical trials of SBE303 in the United States and South Korea. It said it plans to evaluate drug safety and early efficacy in 149 patients with advanced refractory solid tumors from March this year through July 2030. 2026-04-21 11:42:20