People Power Party Picks Lee Jeong-hyeon for Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City, Yang Jeong-mu for North Jeolla Governor The People Power Party’s nomination management committee on Tuesday made single-candidate nominations for Lee Jeong-hyeon, a former nomination committee chair, as its candidate for mayor of the planned Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, and for Yang Jeong-mu, a former party chapter chair for Jeonju Gap, as its candidate for governor of North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province. Committee chair Park Deok-heum said at an afternoon news conference at the party’s central headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, that Lee is “the right person” to lead “change and a new leap forward” for the newly launching integrated special city, citing his national government experience and political skills. Ahn Tae-uk, a former Gwangju party chair who had applied for the Jeonnam-Gwangju post, withdrew his application. Park said he expects Ahn to continue supporting the party “for a new leap forward and victory,” noting a by-election is expected in Gwangju’s Gwangsan-eul district. The by-election is expected after Min Hyung-bae, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, was ultimately selected as the party’s candidate for mayor of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City. The committee also made single-candidate recommendations for Cha Hwa-yeol as its candidate for mayor of Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi province and for Lee Nam-hyung as its candidate for head of Seoul’s Gwanak district. For the June 3 parliamentary by-elections, the party nominated Kim Min-kyung in Asan-eul, South Chungcheong province; Kim Seok-hoon in Ansan Gap, Gyeonggi province; and Oh Ji-seong in Gunsan-Gimje-Buan-gun Gap, North Jeolla province. Park said more discussion is needed on the nomination for Pyeongtaek-eul in Gyeonggi, where Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, is running, adding that a decision will be made “within a day or two.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 18:00:19

Seoul mayoral rivals Oh Se-hoon and Jung Won-oh court social workers in first joint appearance Democratic Party Seoul mayoral candidate Jung Won-oh and People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon, the incumbent Seoul mayor, appeared side by side at an official event for the first time since their nominations were confirmed on April 22, seeking support from social workers. They attended the 40th anniversary ceremony of the Seoul Association of Social Workers that afternoon at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Seoul’s Hyochang-dong neighborhood. Also present were Seoul Vice Mayor for Political Affairs Kim Byung-min, Democratic Party lawmakers Nam In-soon and Jung Tae-ho, and People Power Party lawmakers Seo Myung-ok and Kim Jae-seop. In congratulatory remarks, Oh said Seoul has made “accompanying the vulnerable” the top priority of city administration and pointed to what he described as policy results. “Seoul is an administrative unit where debt tends to keep rising, but during my term the debt fell significantly,” Oh said. He added that even under tight budgets, the city has worked each year to raise social workers’ pay and bring allowances in line with reality to improve working conditions. Oh said a survey of social welfare workers showed job satisfaction rose to 81.7% from 64.4% three years earlier. “I believe a warmer and healthier special city with a higher quality of life will be completed when social workers can take pride in their work,” he said. Oh also signaled his desire to serve another term, saying he wanted to “take responsibility to the end” so social workers can focus on their jobs in a better environment. Jung, casting himself as the challenger, responded by setting a higher target. “Since Mayor Oh says he did so well that job satisfaction rose into the 80% range, I’ll set my goal at 90%,” Jung said. He also highlighted his personal ties to the field, noting his wife is a social worker and that he studied social welfare. Jung said that while working as Seongdong district mayor, he felt most strongly that welfare is not completed by systems and budgets alone but “at the fingertips of social workers.” “I will do everything I can so that those fingertips can carry strength and warmth,” he said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:54:16

Aricell CEO’s sentence cut to 4 years on appeal in fire that killed 23 A South Korean appeals court sharply reduced the prison sentence for Park Soon-kwan, CEO of Aricell, who was indicted under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act after a factory fire that killed 23 workers.  The Suwon High Court’s Criminal Division 1 on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling that had sentenced Park to 15 years in prison and instead sentenced him to four years. Park was charged with violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (industrial manslaughter), the Dispatch Workers Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.  The court said the outcome of the fire was “extremely grave,” noting that 23 people died and nine were injured. But it said Park appeared to have made a management decision in delegating much of Aricell’s work to his son, and that there was insufficient basis to conclude he did so to evade responsibility under the serious-accidents law or the dispatch law. While the appeals court agreed Park qualified as a responsible manager under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and upheld multiple safety-duty violations found at trial, it reached a different conclusion on prosecutors’ primary allegation regarding emergency exits.  It said Article 17 of the safety and health rules requires emergency exits in workplaces handling hazardous materials and in the buildings themselves, but does not require exits on every floor. The court said there was no duty to install an emergency exit on the second floor of Building 3 at the factory. The appeals court also reduced the sentence for Park’s son, Park Jung-eon, Aricell’s general headquarters chief. It overturned the lower court’s sentence of 15 years in prison and a 1 million won fine, and sentenced him to seven years in prison and a 1 million won fine. He was indicted on charges including violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and professional negligence resulting in death and injury.  After the ruling, bereaved families protested, saying, “What kind of law is this?” and “If the court had considered the families even a little, it could not have issued a four-year sentence.” A lawyer for the victims said a four-year term in a case of this scale raised doubts about whether the serious-accidents law could function going forward, calling the decision “a ruling that deeply hurt the families.” Park was indicted over the June 24, 2024, fire at Aricell’s plant in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong, accused of failing to inspect harmful and dangerous factors and of not preparing a manual for major accidents, among other alleged breaches of safety and health obligations. His son was accused of violating duties of care in battery storage and management and in safety management to prepare for fires, leading to a large loss of life.  In September last year, the trial court sentenced Park to 15 years in prison, the heaviest sentence imposed in a case prosecuted since the Serious Accidents Punishment Act took effect in 2022. His son was also sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 1 million won.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:51:39

How a single remark exposed deeper fault lines in U.S.–South Korea relation SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - When South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told lawmakers in March that North Korea was operating uranium enrichment facilities in Yongbyon, Kangson and Kusong, he intended to highlight the growing sophistication of its nuclear program. Instead, his remarks triggered an intelligence dispute with Washington and a controversy within the highly divisive Korean society. At the heart of the dispute is Kusong, a location that Washington claims had never been officially acknowledged at such a high level. That is not to say it had not appeared in open-source analyses, according to Chung's defense. "This statement was based on publicly available sources, including reports by the Institute for Science and International Security and media reports," the minister said in a recent interview. "Framing this as a leak of classified information is deeply regrettable and raises questions about the motive." A ministry spokesperson followed up by stating that "no such information was provided by any foreign government." Despite these denials, U.S. concerns appear to center on perception rather than strict classification boundaries as intelligence-sharing relationships depend not only on what is disclosed, but also on how it is publicly framed. Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), pushed back directly against Chung’s justification. "We did not report on enrichment activities, which is the claim by the minister. We reported on high-explosive test triggers. Big difference," Cha wrote on X on Tuesday. "CSIS has never done a report on nuclear facilities at Kusong. Just setting the record straight." This distinction is significant. While earlier research pointed to possible high-explosives testing in Kusong — relevant to nuclear detonation mechanisms — it did not confirm uranium enrichment activities. For U.S. officials, conflating the two could imply a higher level of certainty than the intelligence supports. Analysts suggest that Washington's response reflects accumulated frustration over a range of issues rather than a single incident. "It is possible that accumulated dissatisfaction between South Korea and the United States over North Korea and foreign policy has surfaced through the minister's remarks," said Hwang Jin-tae, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University. "The United States may suspect that sensitive information it collected was used as the basis for the statement." Recent flashpoints include South Korea's push for greater control over the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), debates over joint military exercises, and disagreements over communication regarding U.S. Forces Korea operations. The reported restriction of intelligence sharing underscores how sensitive the issue has become. "Reports say the United States has withheld 50 to 100 pages of North Korea-related intelligence per day for a week," People Power Party lawmaker Kim Gunn wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. "This is a serious issue that must be resolved quickly." "In foreign and security affairs, remarks by senior officials are not personal opinions," Kim said. "They are strategic messages. Especially on sensitive issues like North Korea's nuclear program, government messaging must be precise and fact-based." However, not everyone agrees with Washington's response. "There is no doubt that the existence of nuclear-related facilities in Kusong had already been widely known through academic papers and media reports," President Lee Jae Myung wrote on X on Monday in defense of his minister. The controversy has quickly become politicized in Seoul. Conservative lawmakers have accused Chung of undermining trust, while progressives argue he has been unfairly targeted. "Restricting information unilaterally when it is not classified violates the spirit of the alliance," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "The Kusong uranium enrichment issue has already been disclosed publicly, so it is clearly not subject to protection." "Amplifying this issue domestically does not help the U.S.–South Korea alliance," he added. Beyond the political fallout lies the core concern that Pyongyang's nuclear program is expanding beyond known facilities. Historically, Kusong has been associated with high-explosives testing. Identifying it as a uranium enrichment site marks a significant escalation in official rhetoric — one that carries strategic implications for both intelligence assessment and diplomacy. Ultimately, the Kusong controversy is less about whether the information was technically classified and more about the fragile trust underpinning intelligence cooperation. Whether the two sides can manage these tensions without undermining cooperation remains an open question. 2026-04-22 17:46:55

Polarization deepens as two chip giants dominate KOSPI SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) -South Korea's main bourse is flying to new heights and exports remain resilient despite Gulf shocks, but the momentum is increasingly powered by a single engine — chips. Memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix now account for about 67 percent, or 137.3 trillion won ($XX billion), of total first-quarter operating profits among South Korean companies, according to financial data provider FnGuide. That is more than double last year’s share, when the two firms contributed less than 30 percent of the total. Samsung Electronics alone posted more than 57 trillion won in operating profit for the first quarter, surpassing the combined total of all KOSPI-listed companies during the same period last year. SK hynix, a pure-play memory chipmaker, is also on track for outsized results, with its first-quarter operating profit expected to exceed 40 trillion won in its earnings report due Thursday — nearing its full-year earnings level. Their stellar performances are attributed to both companies securing strong positions in the semiconductor market while achieving sustained growth in high-value chips such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), used in artificial intelligence (AI)-related infrastructure. The outlook for other major players, however, remains bleak. Hyundai Motor Company, despite steady sales, is expected to see its first-quarter operating profit decline by more than 1 trillion won year-on-year, partly due to a 15 percent reciprocal tariff in the North American market. LG Energy Solution is also projected to remain in the red following the termination of contracts with Ford Motor Company and Freudenberg Battery Power Systems. This imbalance has fueled a rally in the stock market. On Wednesday, the benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,417.93, up 0.46 percent, hitting an all-time high for the second consecutive day. However, the gains have been largely concentrated in the two tech giants. According to the Korea Exchange, as of Wednesday, the combined market capitalization of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix reached approximately 2,140 trillion won. This represents 41 percent of the total KOSPI market cap of 5,200 trillion won ($3.5 trillion). A year earlier, the two companies' combined market cap stood at 1,350 trillion won or around 30 percent of the total. The most significant risk factor is the surge in debt-leveraged trading. According to the Korea Financial Investment Association, the outstanding balance of margin loans reached 34.7 trillion won as of Tuesday, marking another all-time high. The figure has been on a steady upward trajectory since surpassing 30 trillion won on Jan. 29. In response to rising volatility, brokerages have raised margin requirements and banned new transactions in contracts for difference (CFDs) - derivative products that allow investors to settle price differences in cash without owning the underlying asset. Despite these measures, implementation for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix has been slower than for other stocks, raising questions about their effectiveness. Non-bank lending is also increasing. Card loan balances reached nearly 43 trillion won in the first quarter, another record high. Data submitted by the Financial Supervisory Service to the office of Lee Hun-seung of the People Power Party shows that new card loan issuance to high-credit borrowers - those with scores above 800 - exceeded 3 trillion won in the fourth quarter. High-credit borrowers are increasingly turning to high-interest card loans, which can carry rates of around 15 percent, to fund real estate and stock investments, the FSS said. The trend is driven by tighter mortgage lending at commercial banks and efforts to capitalize on the surging KOSPI. While household financial assets have grown significantly from 960 trillion won in 2024 to 1,430 trillion won last year, the KOSPI's volatility remains a concern, as a growing number of investors may struggle to repay their debts. When the KOSPI plunged more than 12 percent on March 4 following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the ratio of forced liquidations to outstanding credit reached 6.5 percent - the highest level since the market shock during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. 2026-04-22 17:34:19

WSJ: Trump Asked Aides Whether to Resume Strikes on Iran After Talks Collapse U.S. President Donald Trump asked aides whether the United States should consider resuming attacks on Iran after talks aimed at ending the war between the two countries fell apart, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper, citing U.S. officials, said Trump on April 21 asked advisers whether to review the option of restarting airstrikes on Iran. The officials said Trump weighed the possibility but was cautious about restarting a war that lacks broad public support and could drag on. Inside the White House, optimism had been high that the talks could produce a written agreement with Iran, the report said. Air Force Two, the plane used by Vice President JD Vance, was said to be waiting to depart from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Pakistani intermediaries also told the U.S. side they expected the Iranian delegation to travel to Islamabad. But Iran shifted its position as a cease-fire deadline neared and did not enter negotiations, the Journal reported. Vance’s planned trip to Pakistan was paused in the early afternoon and later postponed indefinitely. Trump continued meetings at the White House with Vance, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to review response options, according to the report. Aides said Iran’s government was divided and that hard-liners were unwilling to accept U.S. demands. Some in the White House also questioned whether Iran could carry out any commitments made in talks. Trump and his team ultimately chose a middle course: keep pressure on Iran while leaving the door open to negotiations until Iran presents a specific proposal, the report said. The United States is expected to maintain existing pressure measures, including a maritime blockade, while watching for a possible return to talks. On Truth Social, Trump said the blockade would remain in place and that the cease-fire would be extended as long as negotiations continue. Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said Iran could return to talks if the United States lifts the maritime blockade. Al Jazeera reported that Iravani told reporters the United States must stop what he called “cease-fire violations” before further negotiations. “As soon as they lift the blockade, the next negotiations will be held in Islamabad,” he said, adding, “Iran is prepared for any scenario.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:30:11

South Korea to Normalize Q2 Treasury Bond Issuance as Foreign Inflows Rise The government decided to return to normal issuance of Korean Treasury bonds and other public-sector bonds in the second quarter. The Finance and Economy Ministry said it held the second meeting of a consultative group of bond-issuing agencies on the 22nd, chaired by Hwang Sun-gwan, director general of the Treasury Bureau, to discuss second-quarter issuance plans. For Korean Treasury bonds, issuance for May and June will be set within the first-half target range of 55% to 60%. Issuance of major public-sector bonds other than Treasury bonds in the second quarter is expected to rise by about 6 trillion won from the original plan. The government and issuing agencies had previously agreed to scale back first-quarter issuance to stabilize markets ahead of inclusion in the World Government Bond Index, or WGBI. A review of first-quarter results showed Treasury bond issuance came in at 61.5 trillion won, the minimum level within the 27% to 30% target range, at 27.5%. For public-sector bonds excluding Treasury bonds, issuance was reduced by about 7 trillion won from the original plan. The government said it decided to normalize second-quarter issuance after judging that Treasury yields have stabilized on a downward trend despite uncertainty such as the Middle East war and inflation concerns, and that foreign investment inflows have been smooth since WGBI inclusion. Foreign investors’ net purchases of Treasury bonds totaled 8.5 trillion won on a trade-date basis from March 30 through April 21, and 6.4 trillion won on a settlement-date basis from April 1 through April 21. Given that most public-sector bonds are short-term issues with maturities of three years or less, the government said it plans to increase the share of medium- to long-term Treasury bonds with maturities of five years or more in the second quarter to minimize supply-demand pressure on the market. Hwang said, “Since April, the bond market has stabilized with the steady inflow of WGBI funds, but external uncertainty still exists, so monitoring market conditions and coordination among agencies are necessary.” He added, “If needed, we will hold meetings as necessary to consult and adjust issuance volumes and timing.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:22:22

Kim Han-jeong Camp Files Police Complaint Against Choi Hyeon-deok Over Alleged Fake Address Registration Kim Han-jeong, who has declared his bid for Namyangju mayor, said on the 22nd that he filed a complaint with police over allegations that rival preliminary candidate Choi Hyeon-deok registered a false address in connection with the June 3 local elections. In a media notice, Kim’s camp said it submitted the complaint on suspicion of violating the Public Official Election Act. The camp said Choi is registered at a one-room unit in Byeollae-myeon, Namyangju, describing it as about 6 pyeong in size and saying its layout makes typical family living difficult, raising questions about whether he actually lives there. The camp added that claims have circulated in the community and in some reports that Choi’s family lives in Goyang, and that verification is needed on where his day-to-day life was based. “Taken together, these circumstances require clear confirmation of whether the address change was merely formal for the purpose of running for office,” the camp said, calling for a thorough investigation. It said the timing of the address change, actual residence and the existence of a living base are key factors in determining a fake address registration and should be checked carefully through objective materials. The camp said fake address registration can significantly affect election fairness and voters’ judgment, adding, “This is not an attack targeting a specific person but an unavoidable step to protect public trust in election order.” It urged authorities to strictly determine the facts. 2026-04-22 17:21:18

Democratic Party, government and presidential office to form PM-led task force for balanced regional development The Democratic Party, the government and the presidential office said they will form a task force led by the Prime Minister’s Office to pursue balanced regional development and move into full implementation once personnel appointments are completed. Rep. Kim Young-bae, a member of the Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Balanced Growth, told reporters after a ruling party-government-presidential office policy meeting on the 22nd that the session broadly reviewed the Lee Jae-myung government’s strategy for balanced growth. “First, the Prime Minister’s Office’s task force for a major national land and spatial transformation has been formed, and the personnel process is nearly at the final stage,” Kim said. Kim said participants agreed that once vetting and appointments are finished, the prime minister-chaired task force and a pan-government consultative body will serve as the main pillars, with the Local Era Committee and the party’s special committee working together in a ruling party-government-presidential office framework to carry out balanced-growth policy tasks. Kim also outlined a timetable for follow-up talks. He said the three sides plan to hold another consultative meeting by the end of June, with the special committee and the presidential office meeting together, and then use those discussions to shape legislative and budget strategies to be addressed by the end of August. Kim said the meeting focused in particular on a special law for “mega special zones.” He described it as legislation that would consolidate various sandbox-based pilot projects and support their designation and operation at a broader regional level, including tax, fiscal and financial support systems, with provisions aimed at backing corporate activity and industrial ecosystems. He said the goal is to pursue legislation within the regular session of the National Assembly, with relevant ministries and standing committees moving quickly on deliberations. Kim added that participants also discussed other local-related campaign pledges as key bills, including legislation to establish an investment corporation for the southeastern region, a special law to create an Arctic shipping route committee, and a bill to establish a public medical school.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:18:19

South Korea projects 2040 peak power demand at 131.8 GW, factoring in electrification of advanced industries The government projected South Korea’s 2040 target peak electricity demand at 131.8 gigawatts, reflecting expected growth from electrification and advanced industries. That is 2.5 GW higher than the target demand through 2038 in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, despite only a two-year extension in the horizon. The Climate, Energy and Environment Ministry presented the outlook on Tuesday at a public forum in Seoul on demand projections for the 12th power supply-and-demand plan. The ministry said it separately forecast minimum demand during spring and fall shoulder seasons to improve year-round accuracy. On the demand-management side, it said it reviewed load-shifting resources to encourage optimal electricity use in response to renewable-energy variability. For 2040 electricity consumption, the ministry put baseline-scenario “base demand” at 780.8 terawatt-hours and “target demand” at 657.6 TWh. Under an upside scenario, it projected 819.6 TWh for base demand and 694.1 TWh for target demand. For annual peak demand in 2040, the baseline scenario projected 149.9 GW for base demand and 131.8 GW for target demand. Under the upside scenario, it projected 156.8 GW for base demand and 138.2 GW for target demand. The ministry said the forecast combines “modeled demand” with “additional demand” tied to electrification, including new investment in advanced industries, data centers, and the spread of electric vehicles and heat pumps. It said rising data-center demand linked to the development of artificial intelligence was reflected in the outlook. For 2040, it projected data-center electricity consumption at 26.5 TWh and peak demand at 4.0 GW. Compared with the 11th plan’s 2038 projection of 15.5 TWh and 4.4 GW, consumption rose while peak demand edged down. The outlook for advanced industries was also sharply revised. The ministry estimated 2040 electricity consumption at 27.4 to 29.3 TWh and peak demand at 3.7 to 4.0 GW. That compares with the 11th plan’s 2038 projection of 1.1 TWh and 1.4 GW. Still, some participants said the ministry should have prepared a downside scenario, such as slower economic growth or a case in which the 2035 nationally determined contribution, or NDC, is not met. At the forum, Yu Seung-hoon, a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, said Japan’s 7th Strategic Energy Plan, finalized in February, included a scenario in which NDCs are not implemented. “If there is an upside scenario, there should also be a downside scenario as an emergency plan,” he said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:16:27