Samyang Foods’ Buldak campaign music video tops 100 million YouTube views in two months Samyang Foods said Tuesday that the music video for its new global campaign, “Hotter Than My EX” (HTMX), has surpassed 100 million views within two months of its release on YouTube. The campaign features boy group BOYNEXTDOOR. The group reinterpreted its hit song “Earth, Wind & Fire” to fit the campaign concept and took part in producing the track, Samyang Foods said. The video reframes Valentine’s Day as a message about focusing on oneself, which the company said resonated with younger audiences. After the release, the music and concept drew positive reactions on social media and YouTube, prompting organic sharing by users, the company said. Samyang Foods said the 100 million-view milestone shows Buldak is moving beyond a food brand to become a cultural icon. The project also marks the first time the new character PEPPO has joined the Buldak universe. The company said PEPPO is helping expand touchpoints with global consumers through digital content such as music, challenges and memes. A Samyang Foods official said the campaign was designed to extend Buldak’s signature spiciness into “a means of confident self-expression.” The official said the company will continue to strengthen its position as a mega brand with innovative content that connects with global consumers’ lifestyles. 2026-04-21 14:44:31

Gwangju Mayor Bang Se-hwan Vows Continued Push to Ease Traffic, Improve Living Conditions Gwangju Mayor Bang Se-hwan said Monday the city will keep working to ease traffic congestion and improve residents’ living conditions. Bang said the city has completed a roundabout project at Gwaneum Intersection, where Local Road 338 and National Support Local Road 88 meet, to address chronic congestion. The project targeted a stretch that repeatedly backed up on weekends and holidays as more vehicles headed from Toechon toward Yangpyeong. Construction began in December last year and was recently completed, Bang said. The project used 319.59 million won in provincial funding. The city converted the signalized intersection into a roundabout to reduce unnecessary stops, encourage slower speeds and improve traffic flow, while also lowering accident risk. During an on-site inspection, Bang said Gwaneum Intersection is a key link between Toechon and Yangpyeong and has repeatedly become a weekend bottleneck, causing major inconvenience. He said the roundabout will allow vehicles to pass without waiting for signals, improving conditions for residents and convenience for visitors. Bang said the city will continue identifying and fixing traffic trouble spots to create a safer, more comfortable road environment.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:43:46

Lotte Chilsung Says It Cut Plastic Use by About 3,000 Tons Last Year Lotte Chilsung Beverage said Tuesday it reduced plastic emissions by about 3,000 tons last year by lowering the environmental impact of packaging across its production process under its ESG (environmental, social and governance) management approach. The company said its main strategy was to make containers lighter and expand the use of recycled materials. For bottled water, it introduced an ET-CAP with a lower bottle-neck height, cutting container weight by up to 12% and saving about 810 tons of plastic. It also expanded lightweighting to products including carbonated drinks, coffee, teas and soju, reducing preform weight by up to 5 grams per bottle. That led to a reduction of 1,650 tons, it said. For large-size products, it applied aseptic PET, cutting an additional 240 tons. Lotte Chilsung said it is also accelerating the shift to recycled inputs. In October last year, it launched what it called the country’s first PET bottle made with 100% recycled plastic for Chilsung Cider 500 mL. The company said the product cut plastic use by about 250 tons within two months of launch. This year, it is expanding the 100% recycled material to Pepsi Zero Sugar Lime 500 mL, Icis 500 mL and Saero 640 mL, it said. The company said it is working with the Korea National Park Service and the Korea Post’s postal service headquarters to build a “bottle-to-bottle” system that recycles used PET into food containers. Using clear PET collected at national parks as recycled feedstock, it said it has created a circular system of about 440,000 bottles a year, totaling 6.6 tons. A Lotte Chilsung Beverage official said the company is reducing environmental burdens through sustainable packaging technology while setting standards for the broader industry, and will continue linking ESG management to its business strategy to push its environmental transition. 2026-04-21 14:43:10

Hanwha Construction Partners With Mastern Investment Management on Real Estate Development Hanwha Construction said Tuesday it has partnered with Mastern Investment Management to expand its real estate development business. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding Monday at Hanwha Building in Janggyo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, to jointly pursue development projects. Attendees included Yoon Seong-ho, head of Hanwha Construction’s Development Business Division, and Park Kyung-bae, head of Mastern Investment Management’s Domestic Division 1. Hanwha said the agreement is aimed at moving beyond a construction-centered contracting model by combining financing and development. The partners plan to broaden cooperation in stages, from identifying new projects to establishing joint entities. The collaboration will cover the full development cycle, from early planning through post-completion operations. Hanwha said it will apply preconstruction services to review costs and schedules in advance and assess feasibility early, then take charge of design and construction to strengthen execution. Mastern will handle fundraising and investment-structure design, including securing project funding through investor recruitment and managing financial risks based on market conditions. After completion, it will also pursue value-up strategies to enhance asset value. Hanwha said it plans to build an integrated decision-making system spanning finance and construction, manage risks from the structuring stage and improve profitability. Over the longer term, it aims to secure a stable development pipeline and broaden cooperation with financial institutions to strengthen its base for sourcing new projects. “Based on the combination of finance and construction, we will strengthen our competitiveness in development and build a stable business structure,” Yoon said. Park said he expects “meaningful synergy” from combining real estate finance expertise with design and construction capabilities. Hanwha said it will sequentially expand cooperation with major financial institutions, including securities firms and asset managers, starting with this agreement. 2026-04-21 14:39:43

Masked Stepfather Who Tied 10-Year-Old Girl’s Hands Gets Suspended Prison Term A foreign man in his 30s who covered his face and tied up his stepdaughter’s hands has been given a suspended prison sentence. According to legal officials on the 21st, the Ulsan District Court’s Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Bae On-sil) sentenced a Vietnamese national identified as A to one year in prison, suspended for three years, for violating the Child Welfare Act. Prosecutors said A entered the bedroom of his 10-year-old stepdaughter, identified as B, at their home in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, in July last year. He concealed his face with a windbreaker and a neck warmer and wore work gloves. While the girl was looking at her phone, A repeatedly wrapped her hands and head with clear tape. The child fled the house, believing she was being kidnapped. The girl later suffered severe psychological shock and has been reported to fear being alone. A told investigators he did it “as a prank to play with the child.” The court said wrapping a 10-year-old girl’s body with clear tape “cannot be viewed as a prank.” It cited as mitigating factors that the tape was applied loosely enough for the victim to remove it herself, that A admitted wrongdoing, and that he is not meeting the victim.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:39:03

Demand Deposits at Top South Korean Banks Drop Nearly 19 Trillion Won, Raising Loan-Rate Concerns Demand deposits at South Korea’s five major commercial banks fell by nearly 19 trillion won in the first half of this month, fueling concerns that lending rates could rise as banks’ funding costs increase. Financial industry data showed that as of April 16, demand deposits at KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH Nonghyup Bank totaled 680.9236 trillion won. That was down 18.9845 trillion won from 699.9081 trillion won at the end of last month. Demand deposits can be withdrawn at any time and are widely viewed as cash parked on the sidelines. Because they pay little interest, their balances tend to move with capital-market sentiment. Market participants said the renewed decline suggests investors have shifted money back into financial markets, citing increased expectations for possible negotiations to end the U.S.-Iran conflict. A sharp outflow over a short period can raise banks’ funding costs. Demand deposits help keep average funding costs low because interest expenses are limited. When those balances shrink, banks may need to rely more on higher-cost funding such as issuing bank bonds or expanding higher-yield deposit products. That burden is likely to be passed on to borrowers, including companies, as higher funding costs can translate into higher loan rates. Corporate borrowing costs have already been rising as market rates, including government bond yields, have swung since the Middle East situation escalated. A Bank of Korea survey showed the weighted average interest rate on corporate loans at banks stood at 4.20% a year as of February, up 0.05 percentage point from the previous month. Rates rose to 4.13% for large companies, up 0.04 point, and to 4.28% for small and midsize firms, up 0.07 point. At the same time, demand for corporate loans to secure working capital has continued to grow. Corporate loan balances at the five banks totaled 859.7737 trillion won at the end of last month, up 15.0483 trillion won from the end of last year. In the Bank of Korea’s loan officer survey released that day, both large companies (14) and small and midsize firms (28) were expected to see higher loan demand as they seek liquidity amid rising domestic and external uncertainty. If Middle East-driven geopolitical risks persist and upward pressure on lending rates continues, companies’ financing burdens are expected to increase further. Concerns are growing that repayment strains could widen quickly, starting with smaller firms, and weigh on the real economy. “If the share of demand deposits falls, the average funding rate has to rise,” a financial industry official said. “Given domestic and external conditions, it is also difficult for the Bank of Korea to cut its policy rate, so upward pressure on lending rates is likely to persist for some time.” 2026-04-21 14:38:11

South Korea Supreme Court Upholds Acquittal of Lim Jeong-hyeok in Baekhyeon-dong Case Attorney Lim Jeong-hyeok, a former high prosecutors’ office chief accused of taking money in exchange for seeking to blunt an investigation into alleged corruption in the Baekhyeon-dong development case, has been cleared in a final ruling. According to legal officials on the 22nd, the Supreme Court’s Second Division (Justice Cheon Dae-yeop presiding) on March 12 upheld an appeals court decision acquitting Lim of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act. Lim was indicted after prosecutors said he received 100 million won in June 2023 from Jeong Ba-ul, chairman of Asia Developer and a private developer in the Baekhyeon-dong project. Prosecutors alleged the money was intended for cultivating ties with and lobbying public officials in connection with the corruption probe. The Baekhyeon-dong case centers on allegations that Seongnam city granted preferential treatment to a private developer, including raising land-use zoning by four levels at once and approving construction of apartments with a retaining wall. A trial court found Lim guilty and sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended for three years, and ordered forfeiture of 100 million won. The court said Lim’s alleged act of personally meeting senior officials at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to seek a noncustodial investigation for Jeong amounted to improper private contact by a former senior prosecutor turned attorney, and that taking a large sum in return for such a request fell outside permissible legal work. The appeals court overturned that ruling and acquitted Lim, rejecting the credibility of testimony by Lee Dong-gyu, former chairman of KH Real Estate Development, which had been central to the trial court’s conviction. The appeals court said Lee had a motive and likelihood to make false statements, citing indications he tried to align his account with investigators’ direction to claim cooperation and seek favorable consideration in his own case. It also noted that confirmed legal fees Jeong paid to more than 10 lawyers exceeded 2.8 billion won. Given Lim’s background as an attorney who had held senior prosecutorial posts and the public attention on Jeong’s case at the time, the court said it could not conclude that agreeing to a 900 million won success fee and receiving 100 million won as an initial retainer was so excessive that it could not be considered payment for normal legal representation. Lee’s own case was finalized at the Supreme Court in December 2024, when he received a three-year prison term and forfeiture of about 1.3 billion won. Another attorney, Gwak Jeong-gi, a former police superintendent indicted on similar allegations of taking money in return for seeking to blunt an investigation, was sentenced on appeal in December last year to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, and forfeiture of 50 million won. He has appealed.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:37:20

Survey: 34% of South Korean travelers say food is a main reason to travel; searches rise for spring destinations Food is increasingly a primary reason for travel, and South Korea ranked third in a survey of Asian travelers on “food trips.” Demand is also rising at home this spring for travel tied to seasonal ingredients. Agoda, a digital travel platform, said Tuesday that its “2026 Travel Outlook Report” survey across eight Asian markets found Taiwan had the highest share of respondents citing food as a main travel purpose, at 47%. Vietnam followed at 35% and South Korea at 34%. Malaysia was at 33%, Japan 32%, Indonesia 31%, Thailand 20% and India 8%. South Korea’s figure was above the Asia average of 31%. Korean travelers are also seeking regional seasonal specialties. Agoda said its analysis of domestic lodging searches from January through March showed year-on-year increases across major spring ingredient-producing areas. Changwon, which accounts for about 70% of Korea’s production of sea squirt, saw lodging searches rise 34%. Seocheon, known for webfoot octopus, and Gwangyang, known for corbicula clams, rose 30% and 28%, respectively. Jindo, a spring blue crab producing area, increased 23%, and searches by domestic travelers surged 357% amid anticipation for the Jindo Blue Crab Festival, scheduled for May 1-3. Nonsan, the country’s largest strawberry-producing area, posted an 18% increase. The Nonsan Strawberry Festival, held March 26-29, drew about 670,000 visitors and sold a total of 150 tons of strawberries. “Among travelers recently, the trend of wanting to experience local food culture is becoming clear,” said Lee Jun-hwan, Agoda’s Northeast Asia head. “South Korea offers distinctive seasonal foods by region, from Changwon’s sea squirt to Nonsan’s strawberry desserts.” He said Agoda will continue supporting travelers with competitively priced flights, lodging and activities so they can experience local cuisine in each area.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:34:07

Lumenrai Targets South Korea’s On-Premises Local LLM Market South Korean on-premises AI company Lumenrai, led by CEO Ahn Tae-min, is moving to target the country’s local large language model market. Lumenrai supplies on-premises AI platforms tailored to Korean corporate environments. The company said it has proprietary technology to fine-tune and deploy retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems using vetted open-source LLMs, including Meta Llama, OpenAI GPT-OSS, Microsoft Phi, Qwen, Mistral, DeepSeek and EXAONE. The company’s core capability, it said, is selecting and tuning the best model for a customer’s industry, data and security requirements, then deploying it in a fully offline environment. Lumenrai said it has co-developed a local LLM deployment platform with Japan’s Number One Solution since 2024 and, through that partnership, confirmed the product’s prospects in Japan. Lumenrai plans to formally launch a Korea-optimized on-premises AI platform in the first half of 2026. Its flagship product will be a Korean version of “Microcosm,” an on-premises AI platform built on a 100% air-gapped architecture. The platform runs fully offline so corporate data is not sent to external servers, the company said. Lumenrai said the system meets requirements tied to the AI Basic Act set to take effect in January 2026, the National Network Security Framework (N2SF) differentiated security at Level 3, a medical law ban on sending patient data outside, financial network separation and defense-industry security standards. “The open-source LLM ecosystem is already mature,” Ahn said. “What the market needs now is the technology to precisely tune top-tier global open-source models for each customer and operate them reliably. We have focused on building that capability over the past two years, and we are launching it through Lumenrai, newly established in Korea.” Ahn said Lumenrai aims to take responsibility for the full process, from choosing open-source models to automating operations, and to supply local LLMs that can be used immediately in the workplace at competitive prices with stable systems. As more companies weigh adopting generative AI, on-premises deployments are emerging as a key strategy, particularly in industries where data security and regulatory compliance are critical. In those sectors, the trend of running open LLMs on in-house servers is accelerating. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:33:18

Korea Fair Trade Commission Probes Olive Young, Daiso Over Supplier Dealings South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has sent investigators to the headquarters of CJ Olive Young and Asung Daiso, which operates Daiso, to secure transaction records with suppliers. The on-site inspection is aimed at determining whether the companies violated the law governing large retailers. While the probe appears to be separate checks on two firms, it also reflects a broader effort to set clearer rules for fast-growing retail powerhouses. Familiar consumer brands should not be exempt from scrutiny. Olive Young and Daiso have moved beyond being simple storefronts. Olive Young has become a leading distribution channel for the K-beauty industry, and Daiso has emerged as a key sales network in the household goods market. For small manufacturers and suppliers, whether their products are carried can directly affect sales and growth. In an environment where placement on a retailer’s shelves can influence production, hiring and follow-on investment, fair dealing becomes more important as retailers’ influence expands. According to an FTC fact-finding survey, Olive Young’s effective commission rate was 23.52% for its online business and 27.0% for its offline specialty stores. At Daiso, the average payment period for direct-purchase transactions was 59.1 days, close to the legal limit of 60 days. These figures alone do not establish illegality, given factors such as industry practices, contract structures and inventory turnover. But if suppliers have little practical ability to refuse terms, the impact changes: higher commissions can squeeze small firms’ margins, and slower settlements can strain companies with weak cash flow. For companies with significant market power, meeting only the minimum legal standard does not end their responsibility. Fair trade depends not just on formal legality but on whether bargaining power is balanced in practice. A signed contract does not necessarily mean negotiations were equal. If one side accepts terms without real alternatives, the market is already tilted. If such conditions persist, the broader industry can lose momentum. Small manufacturers may devote more resources to meeting listing costs and conditions than to product innovation. When money that should go to research, development and quality improvements is diverted to commissions and promotional burdens, competitiveness can erode. Consumers may benefit from low prices in the short term, but over time could face less product variety and higher prices. The FTC’s investigation should be calm and precise. It should avoid both showy punishment because the companies are well-known and leniency because they are popular brands. Authorities should closely examine the facts — including contract terms, return responsibilities, how promotional costs are shared, settlement timing and other demands on suppliers — and decide based on law and principle. What the market needs is not emotional retribution but predictable rules. Companies, too, need to adjust their approach. As they grow, their responsibilities grow with them. Without building supply chains that grow alongside suppliers, today’s success may not last. Consumers’ choices are not determined by price alone; trust that a company trades fairly can strengthen brand value. Olive Young and Daiso are widely seen as success stories that reshaped Korea’s retail market. The remaining question is not how much bigger they become, but how fairly they grow. A retail leader’s real strength lies not only in sales, but in building trading practices that all market participants can accept.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:32:06