Fresh uncertainty arises as Trump extends ceasefire with Iran indefinitely SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended a ceasefire with Iran indefinitely until Tehran submits a "unified proposal" to end the conflict in the Middle East, reversing a statement he made only hours earlier that there would be no extension. "We have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal," Trump wrote on his own platform Truth Social. "I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other," he added. The extension came at the last minute, as the two-week ceasefire was set to expire on Wednesday, just ahead of a planned trip by Vice President JD Vance to Islamabad, Pakistan, for another round of talks that was put on hold after Iranian negotiators said they would not attend. Uncertainty now further surrounds whether and when a new round of talks between Washington and Tehran will resume, though Trump who may want to quickly pull out of the conflict while saving face, remained optimistic that Washington would "end up with a great deal" with Iran. "I think they have no choice. We've taken out their navy, we've taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way. But these leaders are much more rational," he said. 2026-04-22 09:40:45

Kakao Pay Insurance Revamps Policy for Elementary and Middle School Students Kakao Pay Insurance has revamped an insurance product for elementary and middle school students, strengthening coverage for risks tied to school life. The company said Tuesday it revised its “non-dividend elementary and middle school student insurance,” simplifying benefits and improving practicality. It reorganized the plan from seven basic coverages and five packages into six core coverages and two packages to make enrollment easier. The revision adds expanded protection related to school violence and legal disputes. It provides up to 1 million won in treatment costs for victims of school violence and up to 20 million won in civil lawsuit legal fees, broadening coverage from medical care to dispute response. The six core coverages are emergency room visit costs, school violence victim coverage, civil lawsuit legal fees, fracture diagnosis benefits, treatment costs for injuries from car accidents, and hospitalization benefits for traffic injuries. The product also offers 23 disease- and injury-related riders, covering illnesses such as influenza and pneumonia and accidents such as fractures and burns. The plan comes in a basic option and a more comprehensive option, and customers can also tailor coverage by selecting only the riders they need. A company official said the changes reflect risks that occur in school life and strengthen practical protection.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:37:45

KB Kookmin Bank launches homecoming service for overseas Koreans returning to South Korea KB Kookmin Bank said on the 22nd it has launched the “KB Prime Donghaeng Homecoming Service” to help overseas Koreans settle stably after returning to South Korea. The bank said the service was created to meet demand for relocation and asset restructuring as global asset-market conditions shift and interest grows in South Korea’s education and living infrastructure. Reflecting the complex needs of return-migration customers — including moving assets as well as residence — the bank plans to provide an integrated package covering administrative, tax, real estate, legal and wealth-management services. The KB Prime Donghaeng Homecoming Service is the first offering in the bank’s “Donghaeng” series for WM (wealth management) clients. It provides tailored support across the return process, including help with administrative steps such as restoring nationality, transferring overseas assets and rebuilding financial portfolios, and tax-saving and gift-tax consulting. With the launch, KB Kookmin Bank opened a dedicated return-migration counter, the “KB Homecoming Desk,” at its Myeong-dong Asset Management Advisory Center. In South Korea, customers can request consultations through nearby branches. In the United States, consultations are available through partner firm Koriny. The bank said it plans to expand eligible customers and the scope of services by linking the program with its KB WM Star Advisory Group and family office services for managing wealth at the family level. A KB Kookmin Bank official said, “We hope this service will provide practical help to customers,” adding, “We will continue to expand customer-focused comprehensive financial services based on differentiated WM capabilities.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:37:10

LIG D&A, South Africa’s Milkor to Co-Develop Unmanned Aircraft Platform LIG Defense&Aerospace, or LIG D&A, is partnering with South African defense company Milkor to pursue the global market for next-generation unmanned aerial systems, the company said. LIG D&A said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Milkor on Monday (local time) at DSA 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, covering cooperation on future unmanned aircraft platforms and integrated mission systems technology. The agreement aims at joint development of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft platforms and advanced mission equipment carried on them, which the companies described as increasingly essential on modern battlefields. LIG D&A and Milkor said they plan to deepen the partnership beyond technical exchanges, including jointly planning weapons-system development. Under the MOU, the companies plan to pursue system-integration options that would combine LIG D&A’s in-house active electronically scanned array, or AESA, radar and advanced electronic warfare equipment with Milkor’s next-generation unmanned aircraft platform. The goal is a turnkey integrated unmanned system that can carry out missions ranging from surveillance and reconnaissance to precision strikes on a single platform. A LIG D&A official said the combination of the company’s mission-system technology and Milkor’s proven unmanned platform would help secure a competitive product for the global market. The official said LIG D&A will continue efforts to develop unmanned-system solutions optimized for future battlefields and to strengthen the standing of South Korea’s defense industry.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:36:18

Kumho Tire wins 2026 German Design Award for Ecsta Sport tire Kumho Tire said April 22 that it won a main prize at the 2026 German Design Award, citing the honor as recognition of its global design competitiveness. The GDA is an international design competition hosted by the German Design Council, founded in 1953. Kumho Tire received the main prize in the Excellent Product Design category, automotive parts segment, for its ultra-high-performance Ecsta Sport tire. Ecsta Sport is designed to maximize driving performance for high-performance, high-output vehicles. Its tread uses a zigzag layout intended to improve stability at high speeds. The GDA jury said the tire’s distinctive tread design, highlighted by a dynamic checkered-flag motif, gives Ecsta Sport a strong identity, adding that the combination of functional precision and design clarity was particularly impressive. Kim Young-jin, executive vice president and head of Kumho Tire’s R&D division, said it was meaningful for the company to post strong results in major design awards at home and abroad, including the GDA as well as the U.S. IDEA Design Award and Japan’s Good Design Award.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:34:15

Dalba Global shares rise more than 6% on expectations of strong Q1 earnings Dalba Global shares climbed more than 6% in early trading on expectations of strong first-quarter earnings. According to the Korea Exchange, Dalba Global was trading at 211,000 won as of 9:17 a.m. on Tuesday, up 12,300 won, or 6.19%, from the previous session. The gain came as brokerages issued upbeat forecasts for the company’s first-quarter performance. In a report released Tuesday, Shinyoung Securities projected first-quarter revenue of 166.4 billion won and operating profit of 38.8 billion won, up 46% and 29%, respectively, from a year earlier. It estimated an operating margin of 23.3%. Lee Gyoseok, an analyst at Shinyoung Securities, said growth in Western markets is expected to remain strong, supported by an expansion of offline operations in the United States and solid Amazon sales in Europe. He added that sales trends in the company’s core markets — Japan, Russia and South Korea — also remain steady. Lee said improved profitability in Western markets, driven by category diversification and a larger business-to-business share, underpins the firm’s forecast for a 20.7% operating margin in 2026. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:33:29

OpenAI Unveils ChatGPT Image 2.0 With Sharper Text and More Precise Layouts OpenAI on 22 announced a next-generation image model it said significantly improves output quality, widening the practical use of AI-generated images for workplace tasks. The company introduced the new image-generation model, called ‘ChatGPT Image 2.0.’ OpenAI said the model more precisely follows detailed user instructions, arranging objects and their relationships more naturally while improving accuracy in areas that have challenged earlier systems, including small text, icons, user interface elements and complex layouts. A key upgrade is text rendering. OpenAI said the model can produce readable lettering suited to real production needs such as posters, infographics and UI mockups, moving beyond simple image creation toward work-ready results. The model supports multiple aspect ratios, from up to 3:1 to 1:3, and can more precisely reproduce styles including photos, illustrations, comics and film looks. OpenAI said this enables outputs that can be used directly for proposals, marketing materials, educational resources and social content. OpenAI also said it strengthened multilingual performance, improving text rendering in languages including Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi and Bengali for global content production. Users can generate up to 10 images at once to compare and review different options more quickly. OpenAI said the model is its first image generator to combine a ‘ChatGPT-based thinking’ function, allowing users to supplement information through web search or generate multiple images from a single prompt and check the results in a broader production workflow. ‘ChatGPT Image 2.0’ is available in ChatGPT and Codex. Advanced image-generation features are offered to subscribers on ChatGPT Plus Pro and business plans.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:31:53

Korea Runs Unified Pavilion at Malaysia’s DSA 2026 Defense Show to Target Southeast Asia Korean defense companies are taking part in the DSA 2026 defense exhibition in Malaysia as they seek to expand in Southeast Asia. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the Korea Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement and the Korea Defense Industry Association are jointly operating a unified Korea pavilion at DSA 2026, being held from April 20 (local time) to April 23 at MITEC in Kuala Lumpur. Hosted by Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence, DSA 2026 is an international defense cooperation event drawing about 1,400 companies worldwide and government and military officials from more than 60 countries, the organizers said. A total of 23 Korean companies are participating, including major prime contractors such as LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, along with smaller firms and region-based companies. Eight promising small and midsize Korean defense firms are exhibiting at the unified pavilion, organized through cooperation among DAPA, the institute and the association. The pavilion is intended to strengthen coordination between prime contractors and parts and component suppliers. Exhibits include battlefield awareness and detection equipment, intelligent command-and-control systems, tactical mobility and operational equipment, and sustainment and maintenance gear. Products aimed at the operational and maintenance needs of key Southeast Asian countries pursuing military modernization were also on display. Jeong Gi-yeong, head of DAPA’s Future Force Program Bureau, said Southeast Asian countries are pushing to modernize weapon systems and that interest in South Korea is high because it can offer both fast delivery and cost-effectiveness. Kim Tae-gon, a cooperation official at DAPA, said participation in DSA 2026 could be a major turning point for Korean defense companies to expand market share in Southeast Asia and build a sustainable basis for cooperation. He said the unified Korea pavilion will continue at major global exhibitions, including those in France and Poland, to broaden the reach of South Korea’s defense industry. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:30:57

UK, France Convene Military Talks With 30-Plus Nations on Reopening Strait of Hormuz Britain and France have begun drafting a multinational military plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, moving from last week’s diplomatic understanding to operational planning with military officials from multiple countries. The British government said it will host military representatives from more than 30 countries for two days of talks starting April 22 to discuss plans to reopen the strait. The meeting is being held at the U.K. Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north of London. Britain’s Foreign Office said it would advance military planning to reopen the strait “as soon as conditions allow” after a “sustainable ceasefire” is agreed. The talks are intended to turn the earlier diplomatic consensus into a concrete multinational response framework. Britain and France said they aim to draw in as many countries as possible to pool military capabilities and expertise. Discussions are expected to focus on operational details, including force deployments and command-and-control arrangements. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron last week convened a leaders’ meeting in Paris with participation from 51 countries, calling for the immediate, unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The two countries also reaffirmed plans to create a “strictly defensive” multinational mission to protect commercial shipping, ensure maritime safety and conduct mine-clearing operations. U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said the task over the two days is to translate the diplomatic agreement into a joint plan to protect freedom of navigation and support a sustainable ceasefire. “I am confident we will make real progress over the two days,” he said. Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz was a key maritime route through which about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas passed. Since the outbreak of war on Feb. 28, most commercial traffic has been halted. Iran said last week it would reopen the strait but reversed course within hours as the United States continued blocking Iranian vessels. Tensions at sea have remained high after the United States seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament committee on national security and foreign policy passed a bill that would allow Iran to levy transit fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Press TV reported April 22. The bill is expected to face a vote in the full parliament. 2026-04-22 09:30:14

Missing Woman Found Dead in Car at Public Parking Lot in Incheon’s Songdo A woman in her 60s was found dead in skeletal condition inside a vehicle at a public parking lot in Incheon’s Songdo International City, police said. According to the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station on the 21st, the body of the woman, identified only as A, was discovered at about 3:47 p.m. in a car parked at a public lot under the Convensia Bridge in Songdo-dong, Incheon. Police said the discovery followed a report from her younger sibling to the 112 emergency line, saying, in effect, “I think my older sister is in the car.” The vehicle had been left in the lot for an extended period, and authorities had contacted the sibling, a co-registered owner of the car, asking that it be moved, police said. A had previously been reported missing. A police official said no signs of criminal activity had been found and that officers were investigating the circumstances.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:28:00