South Korea Returns 12 Chinese Troops’ Remains From Korean War, Resumes Vice-Minister Ceremony South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said it held the 13th handover ceremony for the remains of Chinese troops from the 6·25 War on the morning of April 22 at Incheon International Airport. The ministry said the event was co-hosted by Defense Vice Minister Lee Doo-hee and Xu Yao, a vice minister at China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs. South Korea repatriated 12 sets of remains this year. From 2014 through last year, it returned a total of 1,011 sets, bringing the cumulative number repatriated to 1,023, the ministry said. The ceremony included the signing of documents for the transfer, a Chinese memorial service, the movement of the remains and placement aboard a military aircraft, and remarks by representatives from both sides. South Korea has held official events, including handover ceremonies, each year since 2014. It skipped public ceremonies for the 11th repatriation in November 2024 and for last year’s 12th repatriation, then resumed a vice-minister-level public event for the first time in three years. China Central Television reported that China’s delegation tasked with receiving the remains of Chinese People’s Volunteers soldiers in South Korea departed for South Korea on April 19 and was to take custody of the remains on April 22 before returning. CCTV said China deployed its newest large transport aircraft, the Y-20B, for the mission. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:45:00

Toyota Indonesia Unit to Produce Hybrid Battery Cells, Modules With China’s CATL Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia, Toyota Motor Corp.’s manufacturing unit in Indonesia, said on the 20th it will work with China’s automotive battery maker CATL to produce battery cells and modules for hybrid vehicles. TMMIN said it will invest 1.3 trillion rupiah (about 12.0639 billion yen) and plans to begin exports in the second half of this year. The cells and modules, now largely imported, will be made at a CATL plant being built in West Java. TMMIN currently packages batteries for hybrid versions of the multipurpose vehicle KIJANG INNOVA ZENIX, the small MPV VELOZ and the small SUV YARiS CROSS at its Karawang plant in the same province. By producing cells and modules locally, the company aims to raise the local content ratio, known as TKDN. TMMIN said the project will help develop Indonesian talent, reduce reliance on imports and strengthen Indonesia’s position as a production and export hub for vehicles and auto parts. CATL, through its subsidiary CBL, is also pursuing an integrated production project with Indonesian state-owned companies, including Indonesia Battery Corp., a holding company for automotive battery manufacturing, and mining firm Aneka Tambang Tbk. The project includes a nickel smelter and an electric-vehicle battery plant. Nickel is also used in hybrid-vehicle batteries.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:40:16

AI Search Battle Intensifies in South Korea as Naver Faces New Rivals South Korea’s search market is entering a major turning point as the long-standing dominance of Naver is being tested by the spread of AI technology. Google has introduced “Gemini in Chrome” in the Korean market, while Naver has responded with an AI tab. Kakao has also joined the race by adding AI search inside KakaoTalk. For years, Korea’s search market has been shaped by local strengths. Naver has held an edge in Korean-language processing, local information, and links to everyday services such as cafes, blogs and shopping. Market research tallies have put Naver’s share in the 60% range, at times topping 70%, reflecting that foundation. But the rules of competition are changing in the AI era. Search is shifting from showing lists of links to understanding user intent and summarizing, comparing and recommending information. That shift helps explain the attention on Google’s push. Few companies control a search engine, browser, operating system and a global AI model at the same time. If AI is embedded directly into the Chrome browser so users can search, summarize and compare without switching services, user habits could change. The battleground would move from a portal homepage to the browser and operating system. Naver is not standing still. Its strategy of using an AI tab to pull together its large in-house ecosystem — including news, blogs and cafes — and expand into conversational search is a practical approach. Its Korean-language data and understanding of domestic users remain clear assets. Still, the company cannot rely on familiar market standing. Users want the most accurate, fast and convenient service, not simply the No. 1 provider by share. Kakao’s move also bears watching. If AI search becomes a routine feature inside KakaoTalk, the starting point for search could shift. Solving questions immediately during a chat is a different pattern from portal-based searching. It suggests the market is moving from competition on a single platform to competition across multiple daily-life platforms. The outcome matters beyond corporate rivalry, with implications for South Korea’s broader digital industry. If domestic companies fall behind in AI search, the effects could ripple through the advertising market, content distribution, data sovereignty and the ability to secure technical talent. If homegrown firms prove competitive, the Korean-language AI ecosystem could advance. Policymakers also have a role, with the priority on building fair conditions rather than protecting specific companies. Authorities should move quickly to clarify rules for data use, copyright, algorithm transparency and systems to address misinformation. Markets should compete through innovation, while the state supports order. Naver’s 70% share is a record of past performance, not a guarantee of the future. In the AI era, the search market is effectively back at the starting line, with the focus shifting from defending an old throne to building future competitiveness.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:39:21

Democratic Party infighting flares as Rep. Ahn Ho-young’s hunger strike drags on As Rep. Ahn Ho-young continues a hunger strike demanding a renewed party inspection into allegations that rival candidate Rep. Lee Won-taek had meal expenses paid by someone else in the Democratic Party’s North Jeolla governor primary, two senior party officials publicly criticized party leader Jung Cheong-rae for what they called an indifferent response. The dispute appears to be deepening within the party’s top leadership. Supreme Council Senior Member Lee Eon-ju and Supreme Council Member Kang Deuk-gu held a news conference in front of Ahn’s tent site at the National Assembly, saying Ahn had entered his 12th day of fasting and that they had come to ask him to stop. Lee said that when the allegations against Lee Won-taek surfaced, she argued the party should conduct a proper inspection and proceed with the primary in the interest of fairness, citing what she called the need for balance with the case involving allegations of cash envelopes tied to North Jeolla Gov. Kim Kwan-young. She said she was unable to press that position through and warned that optimism about the local elections appeared to be overshadowing procedural and fairness concerns. “Showing fairness is the minimum duty to voters, the public and the president,” Lee said, questioning how the party leader could fail to visit a fellow lawmaker who is fasting while raising concerns. “At least show the minimum decency to someone on a hunger strike,” she said. She also pointed to the leadership’s decision to hold a Supreme Council meeting on a boat near Yokjido, saying that while one side was “holding back tears and crying out,” the leadership looked as if it were “posing for a photo shoot” at sea. Kang also appealed to Jung, saying politicians must focus on people’s livelihoods but should also listen to Ahn and “take his hand.” Kang said he and Lee, as members of the leadership, felt “boundless responsibility” and even “a sense of shame.” North Jeolla Gov. Kim, who has said he supports Ahn, also visited the site, according to the officials.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:35:43

Vietnam Festival 2026 Set for Late May at Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park, Featuring Water Puppetry The Vietnam Festival 2026 executive committee said April 21 that “Vietnam Festival 2026” will be held in late May at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward. The two-day event is scheduled for May 30-31 at the park’s event plaza. Organizers said it will feature 120 booths and is expected to draw 180,000 visitors. With “immersive festival” as its theme, the event will expand hands-on content and include performances of Vietnam’s traditional water puppet theater, along with concerts by popular Vietnamese artists. Organizers said a mobile ordering system will be introduced for the first time, allowing visitors to order and pay by smartphone via QR codes at the venue, in an effort to reduce wait times and improve the overall experience. The water puppet shows, typically staged in theaters, will be performed several times a day in the festival’s open-air setting. Concerts will feature ERIK and Ngô Lan Hương, organizers said. The Vietnam Festival has been held annually since 2008 and is Japan’s largest Japan-Vietnam exchange event, drawing more than 100,000 visitors each year. In 2025, it attracted 140,000 visitors.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:35:11

KelpDAO Hit by $290M DeFi Hack; Possible Link to North Korea’s Lazarus Cited A major hack has hit the decentralized finance platform KelpDAO, with a North Korea-linked hacking group cited as a possible culprit. The attack has not been officially confirmed as North Korean. LayerZero, which operates the underlying infrastructure, said in a preliminary review that the incident may be connected to the Lazarus Group, specifically a subgroup known as TraderTraitor. LayerZero said on April 21 (local time) that the hack occurred April 18 and caused losses of about $290 million, or about 4.285 trillion won. Investigators believe the attacker interfered with KelpDAO’s process for verifying asset transfers, allowing nonexistent transactions to be approved as if they were legitimate — effectively tricking the validation system to siphon funds. The two sides are disputing how the breach was possible and who is responsible. LayerZero said KelpDAO’s verification design was overly simple, creating a single point of failure. KelpDAO countered that the root cause was a breach of LayerZero-provided infrastructure, not a flaw in KelpDAO’s service. Fallout is spreading. The Arbitrum Security Council froze 30,766 ether tied to the hack, worth about $71 million, or about 104.9 billion won. Crypto lending service Aave also temporarily halted transactions involving assets linked to the incident while it assesses the scale of losses.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:34:29

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to Supply $4.6 Billion in Power Equipment for U.S. Data Centers HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has taken its first step into the U.S. market as demand for data centers grows. The company said Tuesday it recently signed a supply contract with U.S. energy infrastructure developer Aperion Energy Group for power-generation equipment based on 20-megawatt HiMSEN engines. The deal totals 684 megawatts and is worth 627.1 billion won, the largest power-engine contract HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has signed to date. The equipment will be used for data center power infrastructure, where stable, large-scale electricity supply is required. The 20-megawatt HiMSEN units are large, medium-speed engines that the company said offer world-class generation efficiency and reliability. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said the contract is significant as it expands its business portfolio into power generation for data centers. The U.S. data center market has been growing rapidly, driven by the spread of generative AI services and increased investment in cloud infrastructure. The International Energy Agency has projected that U.S. electricity demand will continue to rise through 2030, with about half of the increase attributed to the rapid expansion of data centers, the company said. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said it plans to broaden applications for its HiMSEN engine lineup across data centers, industrial power, and emergency and auxiliary power. Han Ju-seok, head of the company’s Engine & Machinery Business, called the contract “an important bridgehead” for entering the U.S. data center market. “Building on this achievement, we will strengthen our presence in North America and continue to create diverse power-generation business opportunities, including data centers,” he said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:33:43

People Power Party chief backs Kim Jin-tae in Yangyang as governor warns of voter anger Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, visited Yangyang in Gangwon Province on the 22nd to announce tailored campaign pledges and bolster Kim Jin-tae, the incumbent governor and the party’s candidate for the post. Kim, citing sour local sentiment, urged Jang to take responsibility and resolve the situation. Speaking at a party event at a fishing village hall in Yangyang County, Kim said he has met many voters who tell him, “I used to be with the red party, but thinking about the central party this time makes me so angry I won’t vote.” “At first I thought I just needed to work hard,” Kim said, “but the party has to back us up to some extent.” He warned that if such voters stay home, “we really have no hope.” Kim said there are about 300 party candidates in Gangwon Province and many feel the same way. He added that some candidates asked him to speak even more forcefully when meeting Jang. He said that even after spending all day on the trail until his feet swell, “every time central news breaks, my heart sinks.” With 42 days left until the election, he said, candidates feel the pressure. Kim, recalling their time together on the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, told Jang he hoped he would “go back to the great Jang Dong-hyeok of the past.” Jang said Gangwon’s development requires a governor who has lived alongside residents and knows the province well. Taking aim at Democratic Party candidate Woo Sang-ho, Jang said Gangwon’s forests and development cannot be entrusted to a “parachute candidate” who has lived his whole life without ties to the province. Jang credited Kim with launching the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and said Kim continues to fight what he called the Lee Jae-myung administration’s neglect of Gangwon, including by shaving his head in protest. He said the People Power Party would stand firmly with Kim and devote all its strength to Gangwon’s development. The party’s tailored pledges for Gangwon include: △ linking the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon within about one hour by transportation △ promoting a medical artificial intelligence-based regional development project △ building a clean methanol and critical minerals-based cluster in Taebaek △ creating a medical industry cluster in Samcheok △ establishing a hydrogen-specialized complex along the east coast. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 11:31:37

BTS' song tops Billboard global charts for fourth straight week SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - K-pop juggernaut BTS' latest song has held the top spot on Billboard's global charts for four consecutive weeks. According to the American music chart, "Swim," the title track from their fifth full-length album "ARIRANG" remained at the top of the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts for the week ending this Saturday, extending its run to a fourth straight week. Their album also held steady on the main U.S. charts, remaining in the top three of the Billboard 200 albums chart, while "Swim" has stayed on the Hot 100 since its worldwide release on March 20. The momentum extends to their global tour, which kicked off in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on April 9. They are scheduled for some 85 shows across 34 cities around the world, with more than half already sold out, the most dates ever for a South Korean act on a single tour. Following their successful concerts in Tokyo, Japan, last week, they are set to perform in Tampa, Florida for three days starting this Saturday, as they ramp up the North American leg of the tour. Separately, BTS will also hold gigs along with other programs to meet fans, as part of projects stopping in cities including Las Vegas next month and Busan in June. 2026-04-22 11:31:00

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