Democratic Party Unveils Local Election Platform, Calls for Region-Led Growth The Democratic Party on the 22nd announced an overall platform for the June 3 local elections built around five visions and 15 policy tasks, as it seeks victory in the vote. At a platform briefing held at the National Assembly, the party said it would pursue what it called a major shift aimed at “normalizing the nation,” including new-industry growth and region-led development tied to the Lee Jae-myung government’s “5 poles, 3 special zones” approach. The party listed its five visions as: region-led growth and balanced national development; growth in new industries such as artificial intelligence and an economic leap; guaranteeing opportunity and “national success”; stabilizing livelihoods and a fair society; and “normalizing the nation” and restoring popular sovereignty. Han Jeong-ae, the party’s policy chief, said the local elections share a common goal of supporting the Lee Jae-myung government and achieving “balanced growth for the people.” She added that detailed pledges would be presented later. Yoo Dong-soo, the party’s vice chair for economic affairs, said the party would designate “mega special zones” linked to the government’s “5 poles, 3 special zones” policy to create regional growth hubs. He said the party would provide policy support including fiscal incentives and stronger local autonomy. Yoo also outlined a “Our Child Self-Reliance Fund,” under which the government would enroll children in a fund from birth and make regular deposits. He said withdrawals would be allowed after the child becomes an adult, with use limited to purposes such as education and starting a business. Park Sang-hyeok, the party’s vice chair for social affairs, said the party would introduce “climate insurance” to reduce economic losses caused by the climate crisis through an insurance system backed by the central or local governments. He also said the party would promote a “sunlight income village” policy, forming cooperatives on public land to install solar power plants and use the proceeds, and pursue supportive housing policies to help older adults and people with disabilities with daily living as society enters a super-aged era. Han noted that the terms of local government heads elected in this vote would be similar to President Lee’s, and urged Democratic Party candidates to take an active approach. “The Democratic Party and President Lee have a clear goal of carrying out balanced regional development and drawing out real growth engines,” Han said. “I hope those who will work with us are elected. Those who win in this local election should move forward proactively.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:30:42

Korea's pump prices rise faster than Japan and US SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Kuwait’s declaration of force majeure on crude exports is adding to supply concerns at a time when South Korea’s fuel prices are already rising sharply, amplifying the impact of the prolonged Middle East conflict. State-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. last Friday notified buyers that it would maintain contractual force majeure for an extended period, citing damage to infrastructure and the time needed to restore full operations. South Korea relied on Kuwait for 8.7 percent of its crude imports last year. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed for nearly two months, Seoul has been forced to turn to longer shipping routes to secure additional volumes from other Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Unlike the two, Kuwait relies entirely on the crippled waterway to ship out its energy. The strain is already visible at the pump. Gasoline prices have climbed above 2,000 won per liter, with the national average reaching 2,003.17 won as of Tuesday, while diesel stood at 1,996.76 won, rising 18.4 percent and 25.0 percent, respectively, from Feb. 27, before the conflict escalated, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Resources Wednesday. Neighboring Japan has kept gasoline prices in the 1,500 won range — 1,527 won as of April 19 — through sustained government subsidies, limiting increases to single digits over the same period. Korea’s prices are 23.8 percent higher than Japan’s for gasoline and 28.3 percent higher for diesel. “While Korea has implemented a price ceiling, our rate of increase is more than double that of Japan,” Yang Ki-wook, deputy minister for industrial resource security, admitted at a briefing of the government’s Middle East response task force. “Japan appears to be continuing to inject substantial subsidies.” The United States presents a more mixed pattern. Gasoline prices stood at 1,586 won per liter as of April 20, about 20.8 percent below Korea’s level, while diesel was higher at 2,170 won, reflecting stronger freight demand and refining margins. The comparison comes as Seoul faces mounting calls to more aggressively curb prices through fiscal measures. Officials maintain that Korea is focused on managing the pace of increases — through a combination of price ceilings and fuel tax adjustments — rather than directly subsidizing retail prices. "With wide variations in price levels and increases across countries, whether Korea is excessively suppressing prices should be assessed in comparison with other cases,” Yang said. Korean refiners have been diversifying import sources to secure replacement volumes, but dependence on the Middle East continues to constrain flexibility. Four of Korea’s top five crude suppliers — excluding the United States — are located in the region, leaving supply exposed if disruptions persist. The pressure is also spilling into industrial supply chains. Concerns over ethylene gas — a key input derived from naphtha and used in shipbuilding — have prompted emergency coordination between the government and industry. HD Hyundai has begun producing and supplying ethylene through its affiliate HD Hyundai Chemical, shipping around 2,000 tons from the Daesan petrochemical complex to shipyards near Ulsan. About 200 tons will be allocated to smaller shipbuilders. “We will continue to expand public-private cooperation to prevent production disruptions amid supply chain instability,” Yang said. 2026-04-22 11:30:14

FuriosaAI Names Ex-Nvidia Executive Charlie Foo as Principal Advisor FuriosaAI, an artificial intelligence semiconductor company, is stepping up its push into the AI infrastructure market by hiring a senior executive with experience at major global technology firms. FuriosaAI said April 22 that it has appointed Charlie Foo, who helped expand AI infrastructure and enterprise ecosystems at Nvidia and Mellanox, as principal advisor. The hire comes as FuriosaAI moves to commercialize its AI chip, RNGD (Renegade), globally. The company recently established a subsidiary in Portugal and said it is accelerating its expansion into overseas markets by bringing in top-tier talent. Foo is an AI computing specialist with about 35 years of experience at IBM, Brocade, Mellanox and Nvidia. He previously led Mellanox operations across Asia-Pacific and Japan and worked on expanding Nvidia’s enterprise and partner ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region, the company said. FuriosaAI said Foo will advise its overall global growth strategy, focusing on expanding strategic partnerships, building an enterprise customer base and developing an AI infrastructure ecosystem. “The next phase of AI depends not just on model performance, but on how efficiently it can be deployed at scale,” Foo said. He added that FuriosaAI “has strong competitiveness in the global AI infrastructure market” because it combines a differentiated architecture with mass-production capability. Chief Executive Baek Jun-ho said the company has entered “a full-fledged growth phase” based on mass production of RNGD and that more talent with global experience is joining. “This hire will further accelerate strategic expansion and partnership building in global markets,” Baek said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:29:57

China’s March Power Use Rises 3.5% as EV Charging Demand Jumps China’s National Energy Administration said on the 20th that nationwide electricity consumption in March 2026 rose 3.5% from a year earlier to 859.5 billion kilowatt-hours. Demand for power used in charging and battery-swap services for electric vehicles and other “new energy vehicles” increased sharply. By sector, primary industry consumption rose 6.7% to 11.3 billion kWh, while secondary industry use increased 2.0% to 570.8 billion kWh. Tertiary industry consumption climbed 7.7% to 160.1 billion kWh. Within secondary industry, power use by high-tech and equipment manufacturing rose 5.6%. In the service sector, electricity used for charging and battery-swap services surged 51.3% to 13.0 billion kWh. Power consumption for internet data services also jumped 40.1% to 8.0 billion kWh. Household electricity use rose 5.2% to 117.2 billion kWh. For January through March, electricity consumption increased 5.2% from the same period a year earlier to 2.5141 trillion kWh. Primary industry use rose 7.1% to 33.6 billion kWh, secondary industry use increased 4.7% to 1.5987 trillion kWh, and tertiary industry use climbed 8.1% to 483.3 billion kWh. Household consumption rose 3.4% to 398.5 billion kWh.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:29:25

Asian markets retreat as Trump's extension of ceasefire with Iran casts fresh uncertainty SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Asian markets mostly fell on Wednesday morning as lingering uncertainty over the prolonged conflict in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment, after U.S. President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran indefinitely. Overnight, all three major U.S. indices closed lower. The S&P 500 fell 0.63 percent to 7,064.01, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.59 percent to 24,259.96 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.59 percent to 49,149.38. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI earlier broke above the 6,400 level to hit a fresh record high, driven by strong gains in chipmakers and growing expectations of a supercycle, as improving export data reinforced confidence in the sector's earnings outlook. Investor flows showed a clear divergence. Retail investors were heavy buyers with 671.1 billion won ($454.1 million), while foreign investors sold 336.0 billion won and institutions followed with 287.4 billion won, suggesting that the decline was driven by sustained selling from foreign and institutional investors. But underlying sentiment remained relatively resilient, supported by continued optimism around the semiconductor cycle. Energy-related shares also provided selective support, as elevated oil prices fueled expectations of a rebound in battery-related industries. Oil prices, however, edged lower, with both Brent crude and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures slipping about 0.4 percent, as the extension of the ceasefire eased immediate supply disruption concerns despite lingering geopolitical uncertainty. However, escalating uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict has pushed the market into a more volatile phase, with the benchmark index struggling to establish a clear direction after hitting record highs. Large-cap stocks were broadly weaker. Samsung Electronics fell 1.3 percent to 216,250 won, while SK hynix declined 2.0 percent to 1,200,000 won. LG Energy Solution slipped 0.3 percent to 476,500 won. Automakers also traded lower, with Hyundai Motor down 2.8 percent at 531,000 won and Kia falling 1.4 percent to 157,800 won. SK Square dropped 2.9 percent, while Doosan Enerbility declined 2.9 percent. Gains were limited. Samsung Biologics rose 0.2 percent to 1,591,000 won, while Hanwha Aerospace advanced 1.9 percent to 1,417,000 won. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ also moved lower, falling 1.5 percent to 1,160.96 as of 10:30 a.m. Retail investors bought 257.0 billion won worth of shares on the KOSDAQ, while foreign and institutional investors sold 51.7 billion won and 166.8 billion won, respectively. Currency markets showed modest movement. The Korean won traded at 1,477.8 per dollar, up 0.3 percent against the greenback. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.2 percent to 59,423.0, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.9 percent to 26,251.6. China’s Shanghai Composite Index edged down 0.2 percent to 4,075.9. 2026-04-22 11:27:20

SK Intellix wins two Red Dot Design Awards for 2026 product design SK Intellix has won two top prizes at the Red Dot Design Award 2026, one of the world’s three major design awards, the company said. SK Intellix said it received two Winner awards in the product design category at the Red Dot Design Award 2026 ceremony held in Germany on the 22nd. The Red Dot Design Award is widely regarded as one of the world’s top three design competitions, along with Germany’s iF and the United States’ IDEA. The wins came in both kitchen appliances and robotics. In the kitchen appliance category, the SK Magic TwoWater water purifier was recognized for combining functionality — providing both mineral water and pure water — with a minimalist exterior design. The company said the product had also received the top “Grand Gold” grade at a water-taste evaluation, and the Red Dot award further validated both its technology and design. In the robotics category, the wellness robot NAMUHX A1 won a Winner award. The company said the product combines autonomous air purification with voice conversation, based on agentic AI technology. Its rounded, soft design, inspired by the traditional Korean moon jar, was praised for emphasizing an emotional appeal as a “daily companion,” rather than a conventional appliance. An SK Intellix official said the awards showed global recognition of the company’s design capabilities across both its health platform brand SK Magic and its wellness robotics brand NAMUHX. “We will combine AI technology and design to move forward as a ‘global AI wellness platform’ company,” the official said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:20:54

S. Korean researchers develop DNA molecular computer smaller than two nanometer semiconductors SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - A research team in South Korea has developed a molecular computer using DNA that is smaller than current two-nanometer semiconductors and can perform calculations while simultaneously storing information. Professor Choi Young-jae and his team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology created a bio-transistor that operates at a scale of 0.34 nanometers, which corresponds to the distance between DNA bases, the research institute said Wednesday. Existing molecular DNA circuits have previously been used for simple tasks such as detecting the presence of cancer-related substances. However, these circuits were limited because they were consumable and could not be used again after a single reaction. The new bio-memory circuit overcomes this limitation by allowing for continuous information processing. The researchers designed the DNA molecules to change their arrangement by binding or separating based on input signals, and the molecules maintain that state to store the result. As semiconductor manufacturing reaches the two-nanometer level, the industry is approaching the physical limits of silicon-based technology. This has led to increased interest in molecular computing, which uses the natural properties of DNA to process information at a much smaller scale. DNA is a candidate for high-density information processing because its bases are spaced only 0.34 nanometers apart. By using complementary base pairing, researchers can design specific reactions to occur with high precision. The bio-transistor developed by the team allows for real-time calculation without the need for a separate reset process. This mimics the function of traditional silicon transistors, which control and amplify electrical signals to process and store data in modern electronics. Professor Choi Young-jae said, "This research marks a significant step forward in the realization of molecular computers using DNA." He noted that the development could suggest new directions for the fields of bio-computing and medical technology as a whole. The study included Professor Lim Seong-sun and researchers Kim Tae-hun, Jeong Sang-eun, and Kim Si-on from the KAIST Graduate School of Engineering Biology. They collaborated with Kim Woo-jin and Shim Jun-ho from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST). The research findings were published in the international journal Science Advances on April 1, 2026. (Reference Information) Journal/Source: Science Advances Title: Reset-free DNA logic circuits for real-time input processing and memory Link/DOI: https://science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeb1699 2026-04-22 11:19:52

Pharos iBio Presents Next-Gen Cancer Drug Data at AACR, Targets Global Market AI-driven drug developer Pharos iBio disclosed new research on next-generation cancer candidates at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in San Diego, the company said. It said the presentations focused on overcoming drug resistance and expanding combination-therapy strategies, a major trend in global drug development. Pharos iBio said it presented three posters on April 20 (local time) at AACR, highlighting results from its core pipeline programs. The company released combination-study findings for PHI-101, also known as “lasmotinib,” an FLT3 inhibitor in development. The study used five approved or investigational menin inhibitors, including Johnson & Johnson’s “bleximenib” and Syndax’s “revumenib.” Pharos iBio said lasmotinib showed anti-cancer synergy when given in combination. When combined with bleximenib, tumor growth inhibition (TGI) remained at 82% to 89% two weeks after dosing was stopped, it said. The company also introduced PHI-601, a next-generation menin inhibitor, as a new strategy for treating acute myeloid leukemia. PHI-601 is being developed to reduce the menin protein itself through a targeted protein degradation (TPD)-based mechanism, it said. In preclinical research on PHI-501, a BRAF inhibitor, the company said anti-cancer effects improved when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. It said it observed potential for the candidate as a combination asset by modulating immune responses. Nam Gi-yeop, head of new drug development at Pharos iBio, said the company would “strengthen competitiveness as a combination-strategy partner in the global oncology market” based on its differentiated R&D capabilities.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:15:17

LG Electronics Expands B2B Advanced Materials Business With PuroTec LG Electronics is expanding its B2B business with its functional advanced material, LG PuroTec, aiming to broaden its footprint beyond a home-appliance-centered portfolio into the industrial materials market. The company said it is showcasing LG PuroTec at Chinaplas 2026, an industrial materials exhibition being held in Shanghai for four days starting April 21. Chinaplas is one of the world’s three major industrial materials trade shows, drawing about 4,000 companies from roughly 150 countries. LG Electronics set up its largest booth ever and highlighted applications of PuroTec across industries. The company said use cases now extend from appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators and air conditioners to building materials, functional apparel, hygiene products and food packaging. PuroTec is a powder made by crushing glass blended with functional ingredients. When added in small amounts to plastics, paint or rubber, it provides antibacterial and anti-mold effects that help curb odors, contamination and discoloration caused by microorganisms. LG Electronics said the material is designed for high compatibility, minimizing interference with various base materials and additives, making it suitable for a wide range of industries. The company also operated a dedicated consultation area for B2B customers, offering tailored proposals. LG Electronics said visitors showed strong interest in its ability to maintain existing material properties even in products such as transparent and flame-retardant plastics. LG Electronics is increasing investment in advanced materials as a new growth engine. Since ramping up the business in 2023, revenue has more than doubled each year, the company said. It is also expanding production capacity. LG Electronics operates a facility at its Changwon Smart Park in South Gyeongsang Province with annual capacity of 4,500 tons, and is building a second glass-powder production base in Hai Phong, Vietnam, targeting operations within this year. The company said it has secured about 420 patents related to glass powder and has passed antibacterial-agent regulations needed to enter European and U.S. markets. It is also working with international testing and certification bodies to obtain global certifications for antibacterial performance. Beyond PuroTec, LG Electronics said it is developing additional glass-powder-based materials, including “Marine Glass,” used for marine ecosystem restoration, and “Mineral Wash,” which enables washing without detergent. “Based on functional materials including PuroTec, we will rapidly expand our advanced materials business to meet customer needs across industries,” an LG Electronics official said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:09:59

Trump says Iran doesn’t want to close Strait of Hormuz, hints U.S. blockade will continue U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran does not want to close the Strait of Hormuz, arguing Tehran wants it open to keep earning revenue. In a post Monday on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran “wants the Strait of Hormuz open” to make $500 million a day. He said Iran would lose that income if the strait were shut. Trump added that Iran’s claims it wants to close the strait are “only” to save face because he is “completely blockading” it. The remarks were seen as pointing to Iran’s move to reclose the strait a day after saying last week it would reopen it, citing a U.S. maritime blockade. Trump also wrote that “a few days ago” people told him Iran wanted to open the strait immediately, but said no deal with Iran could be reached “unless we destroy the rest of the country, including their leadership.” His comments were interpreted as signaling the United States will keep its maritime blockade and continue counter-blockade measures around the strait. The United States has imposed a maritime blockade since April 13 in response to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, blocking all ship traffic to and from Iranian ports. U.S. Central Command said Sunday that 27 vessels had turned back since the blockade began. Trump on Monday also unilaterally declared another extension of a ceasefire with Iran, while saying the maritime blockade and military readiness posture would remain in place. Iran’s state broadcaster said it would not recognize the ceasefire extension, leaving uncertainty over whether the truce will hold and whether talks will resume.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:09:15