Singer Shin Jung-hwan Promotes ‘Excel Broadcast’ Cyber Hostess Show, Recruiting Crew Singer Shin Jung-hwan, known as a member of Country Kko Kko, has been confirmed as taking a lead role as a representative for a so-called “Excel broadcast,” described as a cyber room salon-style livestream. According to reporting on the 29th, Shin posted a notice on an entertainment company’s official social media account seeking applicants for an “Excel broadcast, first crew recruitment.” He wrote that he would “open a new paradigm for Excel broadcasts” and publicly recruited participants for the project. In the post, Shin said he was looking for fixed members for the first lineup of the “Shin Jung-hwan Excel broadcast” project, describing it as a chance to break past the limits of broadcasting and build a crew that can “laugh, grow and create a huge fandom” together. He also promoted support including skin care and makeup services, a dedicated studio with interior design, and professional equipment for streaming. The notice said participants would receive close assistance such as one-on-one directing, management, video editing and web design for branding. The post also promised a “transparent and fair profit structure,” saying it would offer top-level treatment in the industry, reasonable and transparent revenue sharing, and weekly settlements if needed. It added that any adult man or woman age 20 or older could apply. A promotional video released with the notice introduced him as “One Label CEO Shin Jung-hwan” and showed women described as “Maxim models” and “former racing girls” being interviewed or dancing to music. Shin drew controversy in 2010 over allegations of gambling in the Philippines and later halted activities amid criticism over false explanations related to dengue fever. 2026-04-29 08:41:16

NH NongHyup Bank to Provide 500 Billion Won in Financial Support to OCI NH NongHyup Bank said it is moving to provide 500 billion won ($500 million) in financial support to OCI as part of efforts to foster future strategic industries. The bank said April 29 that it signed a financial cooperation agreement with OCI aimed at expanding “productive finance” and supporting future strategic industries. Under the agreement, NH NongHyup Bank plans to provide a total of 500 billion won in productive financing over the next three years. The bank said the support will go beyond simple funding to meet company needs, including technology development, facility investment and overseas exports. “We will do our best to serve as a reliable financial partner for OCI’s growth,” bank President Kang Tae-young said. “We will continue to contribute to national economic growth through productive financial support.” OCI is a chemical materials company that produces basic chemicals and advanced semiconductor materials, including polysilicon for semiconductors and hydrogen peroxide.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:40:42

Chaebi, Hyundai Motor launch EV charging subscription with 299 won-per-kWh discount Chaebi, a South Korean operator of fast EV charging infrastructure, said April 29 it has partnered with Hyundai Motor to roll out a Hyundai-only EV charging subscription plan. The plan, aimed at buyers of new Hyundai vehicles, offers a discounted rate of 299 won per kWh at Chaebi chargers and partner roaming stations. It also includes a 10% discount on Chaebi credit purchases of 10,000 won or more and discount coupons for “Chaebi Wash,” a premium hand car-wash service at Chaebi Stay. Customers can sign up through the subscription menu in the My Page section of the Chaebi app. The company said the benefits are designed to apply to all new-car buyers this year, regardless of delivery timing. With monthly fees of 19,900 won or 9,900 won, subscribers can use Chaebi’s ultra-fast and fast charging network nationwide at reduced rates for the remainder of 26. At Chaebi Stay, charging discounts, credit discounts and premium hand-wash benefits are offered as a package. “This cooperation is a starting point for Hyundai Motor and Chaebi to write a new standard for the EV charging experience together,” Chaebi CEO Choi Young-hoon said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:39:59

Korea Investment & Securities raises HPSP target price 20% on AI-driven chip spending Korea Investment & Securities on Tuesday raised its target price for HPSP by 20% to 65,000 won from 54,000 won, citing expected benefits from expanding artificial intelligence demand that is driving investment in foundry and memory chips. It maintained its “buy” rating. Researcher Chae Min-sook said TSMC’s shortage of 3-nanometer production capacity is expected to create spillover gains for Intel and Samsung Foundry, and that HPSP should benefit because it supplies equipment to all three leading-edge foundries. She added that rising AI demand is expected to lift utilization not only at 12-inch legacy foundries but also at 8-inch foundries, increasing the likelihood of revenue growth for HPSP, which has a broad base of foundry customers. HPSP has grown mainly with foundries on the back of its high-pressure hydrogen annealing equipment, and the brokerage expects its expansion into memory semiconductors to accelerate. As AI systems increase the share of NAND used, demand is rising to convert related processes, and equipment demand is expected to grow in tandem, it said. Major chipmakers are also speeding up investment as competition intensifies to stack more NAND layers. SK hynix plans to convert about half of its NAND production bits to 321-layer technology in 2026, while Samsung Electronics is accelerating process conversions at its Xi’an and Pyeongtaek plants. Kioxia and YMTC are also pursuing capacity expansion and process upgrades at the same time. The brokerage said this trend is likely to translate directly into growth in HPSP’s NAND-related revenue. Momentum is also expected in DRAM. The report said pilot-line investment in the 1d nanometer process is set to begin from late 2026, and from that stage the use of high-pressure hydrogen annealing is expected to expand. That would allow HPSP to extend growth proven in foundries into memory and strengthen its medium- to long-term earnings base, it said. The brokerage added that the global foundry market remains supportive. With AI inference demand rising, utilization is increasing not only at leading-edge foundries but also at legacy foundries that produce power management ICs, and the possibility of expanded capital spending by major players is being discussed. In a broader investment upcycle, it said, HPSP is expected to benefit given that it counts most foundry companies among its customers. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:39:10

Trump Rejects Iran Proposal; Pakistan Expects Revised Plan Within Days, CNN Reports Pakistan, acting as a mediator, expects to receive a revised Iranian proposal to end the war within days as U.S.-Iran talks remain stalled, CNN reported April 28. CNN, citing a Pakistani source, said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was to return to Iran that day after a trip to Russia and consult with the country’s top leadership. The source said internal coordination could take considerable time because the supreme leader’s whereabouts are not publicly disclosed, limiting communication. President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he would not accept Iran’s proposal. The plan was described as a phased approach: end the war first, then address key disputes tied to Iran’s nuclear program in follow-up talks. Sources said negotiations remain ongoing and fluid, with a central question being whether Iran will revise its offer to a level the United States can accept. Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Iran had just told the United States it was in a “State of Collapse.” He added that Iran, while trying to resolve its leadership situation “(I believe they can),” wants the Strait of Hormuz opened as soon as possible.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:38:27

Kyobo Securities Raises Samsung SDI Target to 880,000 Won After Q1 Beat Kyobo Securities on Tuesday raised its target price for Samsung SDI to 880,000 won and maintained a “buy” rating, citing first-quarter results that beat market expectations by a wide margin. Choi Bo-young, a researcher at Kyobo Securities, said Samsung SDI posted consolidated first-quarter revenue of 3.5764 trillion won, up 12.6% from a year earlier. The company reported an operating loss of 155.6 billion won, a sharp improvement from the consensus estimate of an operating loss of 280.9 billion won, Choi said. Kyobo attributed the surprise to expanding battery demand tied to artificial intelligence data centers, improved performance in the energy storage system, or ESS, business, and the reflection of customer compensation payments. Choi said losses narrowed more than expected as demand strengthened for battery backup units, or BBUs, for AI data centers and for high-output cylindrical batteries used in power tools in the small-battery division. He added that in the ESS division, increased shipments of high value-added uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, products for data centers supported results, and compensation related to volumes from a North American customer also helped profitability. On the UPS segment, Choi said the market remains limited in size but growth visibility is improving quickly, with proactive steps underway such as converting a UPS line at the Ulsan plant. He forecast that because global competitors are limited in the high-output small BBU segment, Samsung SDI’s market share could expand faster than overall market growth.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:30:16

Korea Investment & Securities Raises Kumho Tire Target Price 71% on Improved Results Korea Investment & Securities said Kumho Tire posted solid results despite production disruptions from last year's factory fire, raising its target price 71% to 7,500 won and maintaining a 'buy' rating. In a report issued Tuesday, analyst Kim Chang-ho said higher raw material costs had already been reflected in earnings estimates, but the firm raised its profitability forecast to account for stronger-than-expected sales volume and an increase in average selling prices. Kim said Kumho Tire's first-quarter operating profit rose 0.3% from a year earlier to 147 billion won, in line with the market consensus. He added that profit also increased from the previous quarter and called the result effectively robust given production setbacks after a fire at the company's Gwangju plant in May 2025. He cited expanded use of lower-cost inputs, led by stabilized natural rubber prices, along with improved product mix that supported tire price increases and higher output at other plants, including in Vietnam. He said the Gwangju plant, which has resumed production, recovered to about 10,000 tires a day in April, partially normalizing to an annual capacity of 3 million tires. Kim cautioned that higher-cost raw material inputs beginning in the second quarter will be a burden. He pointed to rising geopolitical risks in the Middle East and a sharp jump in global oil prices, which he said drove a surge in butadiene, a key feedstock for synthetic rubber. He added that with synthetic rubber prices rising and natural rubber also turning higher, material cost pressure is expected to increase from the second quarter, with the materials ratio likely peaking in the third quarter.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:27:16

Bitcoin Slips to $76,000 Range as Middle East Tensions Weigh on Crypto Major cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, weakened after a short-term rise as geopolitical tensions centered on the Middle East continued to weigh on risk assets. Bitcoin was trading at $76,221 as of 8 a.m. on the 29th, down 1.09% from a day earlier, according to global crypto market tracker CoinMarketCap. Ethereum fell 0.39% to $2,285. Binance Coin (BNB), Solana and XRP also slipped 0.31%, 1.02% and 1.25% to $623, $83 and $1.37, respectively. Analysts said rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and growing uncertainty in energy markets were adding downward pressure to crypto prices. As investors cut exposure to riskier assets, bitcoin and other major tokens have remained under pressure. In South Korea, bitcoin traded at about 113.40 million won ($76,223) on the won-based exchange Bithumb as of 8 a.m., up 0.44% from the previous day. The so-called “kimchi premium” stood at 0.999%, indicating bitcoin was priced higher domestically than overseas.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:21:16

Wall Street Ends Lower on OpenAI Growth Concerns; Nasdaq Falls 0.9% 뉴욕증시가 오픈AI를 둘러싼 성장 둔화 우려 속에 일제히 하락 마감했다. 28일(현지시각) 뉴욕증권거래소(NYSE)에서 다우존스30산업평균지수는 전 거래일보다 25.86포인트(0.05%) 내린 4만9141.93에 거래를 마쳤다. 스탠더드앤드푸어스(S&P)500지수는 35.11포인트(0.49%) 하락한 7138.80, 나스닥종합지수는 223.30포인트(0.90%) 떨어진 2만4663.80으로 장을 마감했다. U.S. stocks closed broadly lower after negative news tied to OpenAI added to investor caution following recent record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI missed targets for new users and revenue, and that internal concerns have been raised about whether the company can sustain massive artificial intelligence investment costs. In particular, OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar was reported to have told executives that if revenue growth is not fast enough, the company may not be able to cover future AI data center costs. AI chipmakers fell. Nvidia slid 1.6%, while Broadcom dropped 4.4%, AMD fell 3.4% and Micron declined 3.9%. Oracle, which is building data centers for OpenAI, sank 4.1%. Losses in tech were limited as investors looked ahead to earnings from major companies. Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta are set to report results on 29일, and Apple is scheduled to release earnings on 30일. Investors are watching whether AI-driven demand helps deliver strong results. Chuck Carlson, CEO of Horizon Investment, told Reuters, "The OpenAI issue is giving investors more to think about in terms of whether growth is slowing and what that means for capital spending," adding, "With major hyperscalers reporting tomorrow, investors may have more incentive to take some profits." Rising oil prices also weighed on sentiment. Brent crude futures settled up 2.8% at $111.26 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 3.7% to $99.93. The gains came despite news that the United Arab Emirates would leave OPEC, as talks between the United States and Iran over ending the war remained stalled, fueling worries about prolonged supply uncertainty. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is holding a two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting through 29일 to set monetary policy. Markets are leaning toward the benchmark rate being held at 3.50% to 3.75%, and are watching what message Chair Jerome Powell delivers on recent economic conditions, including Middle East developments, and the policy path ahead.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:15:49

Online Post Recounts Aftermath of Sookmyung Girls’ High Exam Leak Case An update on the Sookmyung Girls’ High School exam paper leak case has resurfaced online. On the 29th, a post titled “Update on the Sookmyung Girls’ High exam leak twins” was uploaded to an online community. The post included a personal account from a reporter, identified only as A, who covered the case at the time. A wrote that he recently met an acquaintance who knew the family well and asked how they were doing. “I expected something, but it was more miserable than I thought,” A wrote, adding that the couple had divorced. A said the husband was the school teacher and academic affairs head implicated in the case, and that the wife also worked in education. He wrote that financial strain and stress made normal life difficult. The husband was sentenced to three years in prison and was released recently after completing his term, A said. A wrote that the man moved with the two children to a provincial area far from Seoul and now pumps gas at a service station, suggesting it was not easy to find work because of his age and career history. A also wrote that the two children, described as suffering from social anxiety, stay inside all day using their phones. “I heard they eat only when food is pushed into their room, then put the dishes back out,” he wrote. A added that he could understand why the wife chose divorce, writing that the cost of wrongdoing in one of South Korea’s most sensitive areas had been severe: the breadwinner lost his job, the family collapsed, and the children could not live normally. He wrote that they had no supporters in society. Some commenters who saw the post mentioned Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, who has declared his candidacy in the Gyeonggi Province Pyeongtaek-eul by-election ahead of the June 3 by-elections. Many commenters described the situation as a “difference in power,” with some saying Cho’s family is “living well.” Other comments included: “The kids who flipped off reporters have social anxiety?” “Did the mother abandon the family by choosing divorce?” and “They’ve already been punished legally, but it’s still sad the family fell apart.” The twins, who were first-year students at Sookmyung Girls’ High School in 2024, were found to have taken exams using answer sheets their father stole on five occasions, from the first semester final exams in 2017 through the first semester finals the following year. The twins were indicted on charges of obstructing the school’s grading work. They denied the allegations from the first trial, but the courts did not accept their claims. On the 24th, the Supreme Court’s Second Division, with Justice Kim Sang-hwan presiding, upheld a lower court ruling sentencing the two daughters of former academic affairs head Hyun to one year in prison, suspended for three years. The sisters were expelled in October 2018, shortly after police announced the results of their investigation. Their father, Hyun, was tried earlier and found guilty of obstruction of business; in March 2020, the Supreme Court finalized a three-year prison sentence.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 08:06:28