Coupang reclaims e-commerce dominance in South Korea as Chinese rivals gain ground SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - Coupang, South Korea's largest online retailer, has effectively shaken off the fallout from a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of about 33.7 million users late last year, with its monthly active user base and estimated transaction volume rebounding to pre-crisis levels in March. Data from IGAWorks MobileIndex on Monday showed Coupang's monthly active users (MAU) reaching 35.03 million in March, up from 33.64 million in February and 34.01 million in January. The figure marks a decisive rebound from a three-month slide that began after the New York-listed company disclosed the breach in late November 2025. Coupang's estimated monthly payment volume also recovered. The platform's transaction value climbed to about 4.62 trillion won ($3.06 billion) in March, a 12.22 percent increase year-on-year, accumulative transaction value for the whole of the first quarter also rising 11.26 percent to 13 trillion won. Even with the info leak crisis, the gap between Coupang and its domestic competitors still remained vast. The nearest Korean rivals in March were 11st with 8.15 million monthly users, Naver Plus Store with 7.77 million and Gmarket with 6.81 million, according to MobileIndex. Among domestic platforms, Naver Plus Store posted the sharpest gains behind Coupang, with its March MAU hitting a record 7.77 million — a 9 percent jump from 7.1 million the previous month, the shopping app's momentum reported to be bolstered by an AI-powered counterfeit monitoring system and a one-strike seller removal policy. "This is a leading case in which platform self-regulation has simultaneously achieved consumer protection and merchant growth," Naver's user protection committee chairman Kwon Hun-yeong said. Chinese-backed platforms continued to tighten their grip on the market. Temu, operated by PDD Holdings, drew 7.42 million monthly users in March, while Alibaba Group's AliExpress recorded 7.12 million. Their combined user base of about 14.54 million outstripped every individual domestic rival except Coupang. Temu also topped all shopping apps in new installations for a second consecutive month, logging about 749,000 fresh downloads in March, followed by Naver Plus Store at about 674,000. Coupang trailed with 461,000 new installations, a sign that its commanding market share rests more on the loyalty of its existing user base than on fresh customer acquisition. Industry observers said the data underscored an increasingly bifurcated market: Coupang's entrenched logistics network and same-day delivery infrastructure continue to lock in existing users, while Chinese platforms are leveraging ultra-low prices and aggressive marketing to capture price-sensitive newcomers at a pace domestic rivals have struggled to match. 2026-04-07 15:17:01

Korea Medical Sector Warns of Supply Risks as Middle East War Drags On The prolonged war in the Middle East is raising concerns that disruptions in raw materials and shipping could spill over into unstable supplies of medical products in South Korea. With early signs of shortages in medical disposables and pharmaceutical packaging, hospitals and pharmacies are stepping up vigilance. Industry officials said the conflict has made supplies of petrochemical feedstocks such as naphtha and bunker fuel less reliable, disrupting production of drug packaging and medical consumables. Naphtha is a key material for PVC and plastic pill bottles, IV and injection containers, and dispensing paper used for prescriptions. A pharmaceutical distribution official said volatility in raw material prices and uncertainty in ocean freight rates have led some suppliers to adjust shipments. Another pharmaceutical company official said there has not yet been major disruption to production and packaging lines, but added the company is closely watching the situation as the war drags on. Hospitals are already hearing talk of price increases for medical disposables. Suppliers of single-use items such as syringes, needles and sanitary gloves are said to be considering price hikes of about 10% to 20%. An official at a major hospital said suppliers began discussing price adjustments as early as last month, adding that the industry expects prices could rise in the first half of the year. Concerns are also spreading to neighborhood pharmacies, which rely on steady supplies of packaging materials such as dispensing paper, roll paper, dosing bottles and plastic pill containers. Some packaging firms have been partially controlling volumes or delaying deliveries since March, according to industry sources. A pharmacy owner in Seoul’s Jongno district, identified only as A, said any disruption in packaging supplies would immediately make it difficult to dispense and package medicines. Some pharmacies are also showing signs of stockpiling. A wholesaler said orders for dispensing paper and plastic pill containers have increased over the past month or two compared with usual levels, attributing the rise to growing anxiety. The government plans to inspect distribution, pricing and supply chains to prevent broader instability in supplies of medical products and medicines. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Ministry of Health and Welfare said they will update their response manual for drug and medical device supply and take strong action against market-disrupting practices such as hoarding. Related agencies said they are continuously monitoring supplies of medical disposables and pharmaceutical packaging and preparing stockpiling and alternative production plans for items expected to face disruptions.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-07 15:12:00

Seoul Design Award 2026 Accepting Entries Through June 30; New designboom Prize Added The Seoul Design Foundation said Monday it is accepting entries for the Seoul Design Award 2026 through June 30. Now in its seventh year, the Seoul Design Award is a public global award focused on sustainable design aimed at addressing social problems. The foundation said the competition has expanded from 75 entries at its first event in 2019 to 941 projects from 74 countries in 2025, a 1,100% increase over six years. The foundation said it has broadened the award this year by adding new categories, including a designboom special prize. The global design media outlet will judge and select three winners, who will receive global promotion opportunities, including a featured article on designboom’s platform. A new ESG Design Impact Prize will also spotlight companies and institutions practicing sustainable design. The foundation said the category is intended to identify strong projects and show how design can serve as a practical tool for advancing ESG values. The foundation also expanded opportunities for young designers. The existing Concept Prize has been renamed the Young Designer Prize, and participation has been widened for undergraduate and graduate students in South Korea and abroad, the foundation said. Entries will be accepted in four categories based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Health & Peace, Equal Opportunities, Energy & Environment, and Cities & Communities. Applications will be accepted only in English via the Seoul Design Award website from March 30 through 3 p.m. on June 30. An awards ceremony and an international conference are scheduled for October at DDP, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. 2026-04-07 14:51:20

Nearly 3 million barrels delivered to refiners in first week of oil swap program SEOUL, April 7 (AJP) - About 2.8 million barrels of crude oil have been supplied to refiners just a week after the launch of an "oil swap" program, which lends government-owned stockpiles to help them secure alternative supplies, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Tuesday. At a daily briefing at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong, Yang Gi-uk, a ministry official, said the country's four major refiners had applied to swap more than 30 million barrels of crude oil, with two deals completed under which about 2.8 million barrels have already been delivered. "With at least four additional contracts scheduled for this week, total swapped volumes are expected to reach about 8 million barrels by the end of the week," Yang added. The program was launched on March 31 to ease supply disruptions by lending government oil reserves to refiners, who will be required to replenish them once they have secured their own supplies. Under the program, refiners who have faced difficulties importing Middle Eastern crude due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is able to secure substitute supplies. The program was launched on March 31 to ease supply disruptions by lending government oil reserves to refiners, which are required to replenish them once they secure their own supplies. Under the program, refiners facing difficulties importing Middle Eastern crude due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz can secure alternative supplies. Meanwhile, the government has secured about 50 million barrels of alternative oil supplies for April and about 60 million barrels for May, equivalent to roughly 60 percent and 70 percent of typical levels, with supplies sourced from countries including Australia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. Naphtha supplies are also at about 70 percent of normal levels. "Imports of light naphtha stood at roughly 1.16 million tons last year, while expected imports for April are about 770,000 tons. Factoring in approximately 1.1 million tons produced domestically, overall supply is at more than 80 percent of typical levels," Yang said. Stressing the need to ensure a steady naphtha supply, he said the ministry will seek additional sources through measures financed by a supplementary budget. The ministry, however, said that key raw materials are being supplied stably despite surging petroleum prices and shortages of some packaging materials, pledging to keep monitoring high-demand items such as packaging for instant noodles and powdered milk, as well as trash bags. 2026-04-07 14:45:30

BOK, BdF address central bank role in tokenized environment SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) -South Korea and France’s central banks discussed stablecoins and the evolving role of banks in a tokenized financial system during a joint session in Seoul, the Bank of Korea said Tuesday. The Bank of Korea (BOK) and the Banque de France (BdF) are holding a two-day meeting from Tuesday through Wednesday as part of a regular academic exchange launched in 2024 to address shifts in the global economic landscape. This year’s session coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit and a summit with President Lee Jae Myung, where the two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in economic and security sectors last Friday. Talks focused on the implications of stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for the international monetary system, as well as the changing roles of central and commercial banks in a tokenized environment. The Banque de France has been among Europe’s most active advocates of CBDCs, leading pilot programs on wholesale CBDCs (wCBDCs) to enhance cross-border payments and test their use as settlement assets for tokenized securities. These efforts are seen as helping shape the European Central Bank’s digital euro project. The BOK has also been advancing its own CBDC framework under “Project Han River,” launched in 2023, with real-transaction testing now entering a second phase last month. The latest discussions are expected to deepen policy coordination between the two sides. The session also examined how climate change is feeding into inflation dynamics and posing broader macroeconomic challenges for financial institutions. Participants include BOK Deputy Governor and Chief Economist Lee Jae-won and Na Seung-ho, deputy director general at its Economic Research Institute. The French delegation is led by Deputy Governor Agnès Bénassy-Quéré and Stéphane Latouche, the bank’s Asia-Pacific chief representative. 2026-04-07 14:40:21

SM Entertainment Subsidiary Studio Realive Names Kim Jong-min as CEO Studio Realive, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment, has appointed Chief Creative Officer Kim Jong-min as its new CEO. Kim previously co-founded GiiOii Studio and has worked as an XR curator for the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Korea National University of Arts and as a full-time professor at the Korea Creative Content Agency’s New Content Academy. He joined Studio Realive as CCO in 2024 and has built expertise in planning, curating and producing content based on creative technology. During his tenure as CCO, Kim established collaboration frameworks with Meta, Google DeepMind and Moment Factory. He led immersive spaces and content projects, focusing on internalizing technology and strengthening platform competitiveness. The company said he has been recognized for balancing artistic quality with business viability, drawing on on-the-ground experience as both a producer and curator. Studio Realive said it plans to accelerate efforts to expand innovative media projects into a sustainable business ecosystem under Kim’s leadership. Studio Realive is an “entertech” company that combines K-pop with artificial intelligence and extended reality technologies to design next-generation entertainment experiences. It aims to build an ecosystem in which fans participate as co-creators through a content universe based on SM’s intellectual property and story worlds, and to present a new entertainment paradigm built around new experiences and narratives.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-07 14:12:15

Chef Park Eun-young of JTBC’s ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator’ Shares Wedding Photos Wedding photos of chef Park Eun-young, who appears on JTBC’s “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,” have been released following news of her upcoming marriage. Park recently shared her engagement news and additional wedding photos during the program. The newly released images show Park in a wedding dress and white veil. One photo includes a partial view of her husband-to-be, who is a doctor, drawing attention. Park is set to marry this spring at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Beyond his profession, details about her fiance have not been disclosed. 2026-04-07 13:36:15

Seoul sends envoy to Kazakhstan, Oman, and Saudi on energy mission SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - South Korea is dispatching a government delegation led by a senior presidential envoy to key energy partners in Central Asia and the Middle East to secure crude oil and naphtha supplies as the country braces for fallout from prolonged disruptions of the Strait of Hormuz. Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to President Lee Jae Myung, will depart Tuesday for Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia in his capacity as special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, the presidential office said. Speaking at a briefing, Kang said the delegation — which includes officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and representatives from domestic energy firms — will focus on securing additional supplies of crude and feedstock. “The most urgent priority at this point is to ensure stable supply of essential goods for daily life,” Kang said, noting Korea’s heavy reliance on Middle Eastern energy imports. The trip follows a recent agreement with the United Arab Emirates to prioritize shipments of 24 million barrels of crude, with cargoes already arriving at Korean ports. However, Kang stressed that further diversification is needed until the regional conflict stabilizes. “To ensure that high-level talks do not end as empty words, we will work closely with companies and provide all necessary support until shipments safely reach Korean ports,” he said. Seoul is also working to secure safe passage for 26 Korean-flagged vessels currently in or near the Strait of Hormuz, prioritizing crew safety while coordinating with shipping firms and international partners. 2026-04-07 11:58:02

LG Electronics Q1 OP beats expectations, sales hit quarterly high SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - LG Electronics on Tuesday estimated stronger-than-expected operating profit and record three-month sales in the quarter ended March thanks to its premium lineup and steady growth in business-to-business segments despite tariff pressure in the U.S. and weak Korean won. In its preliminary earnings guidance, the company reported an operating profit at 1.67 trillion won ($1.24 billion) for the January–March period, up 32.9 percent from a year earlier and well above the 1.38 trillion won market consensus compiled by FnGuide. Revenue rose 4.4 percent on year to a quarterly record of 23.73 trillion won. The performance contrasts with the volatility seen in the broader tech components sector, as LG’s earnings were underpinned by resilient demand in its home appliance division. The unit benefited from expanded subscription-based services and stronger online sales, reinforcing stable cash flow generation. Its vehicle component solutions (VS) division also sustained growth, supported by a solid order backlog, while ongoing cost structure improvements helped cushion the impact of higher raw material prices and currency pressure from a sharply weakened won. Shares of LG Electronics were up 0.5 percent at 109,900 won as of 11:40 a.m. The company is scheduled to release its full earnings report toward the end of this month. 2026-04-07 11:51:46

Royal Culture Festival to Run 9 Days at Seoul’s Five Grand Palaces, Jongmyo Shrine The 2026 Royal Culture Festival will be held for nine days from April 25 to May 3 at Seoul’s five major palaces — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung — as well as Jongmyo Shrine. The National Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the agency-affiliated Korea Heritage Service Foundation said Tuesday that the theme for the spring 2026 festival is “Palace, Awakening Art.” An opening ceremony will be held April 24 at Heungnyemun Square at Gyeongbokgung. Director Yang Jeong-ung, who served as artistic director for cultural events tied to the “2025 APEC summit,” will stage a performance titled “Palace, Awakening Art — Hyper Palace,” combining K-content sensibilities with palace aesthetics. The program will begin with the National Dance Company’s “Mongyudowonmu,” followed by rapper Woo Won-jae and the foundation’s arts troupe performing “Ganggangsullae,” a hanbok fashion show blending Korean traditional music with EDM, and joint stages featuring Choi Ho-jong and Heo Yun-jeong, an accredited performer of the national intangible heritage geomungo sanjo. Performances will also include singer Choi Ye-rim with the Noah Children’s Choir and a reinterpretation of Bongsan mask dance by dancer AIKI with HOOK. The finale will feature a media-facade mapping show and the National Gugak Center’s “Hyangamurak,” showcasing court dance traditions. At Gyeongbokgung, programs include “Gyeongbokgung, Time Travel (4.25.~4.29.),” “Recreating Daily Life at Court (4.25.~4.29.),” “Newcomers to the Royal Court (4.25.~4.29.)” and the “Children’s Royal Culture Festival (5.1.~5.3.).” For socially vulnerable groups, including single-parent families, “A Gyeonghoeru Outing With Jangakwon Musicians (4.25.~5.3.)” offers hands-on experiences with traditional wind instruments and family photos with the palace as a backdrop. A “K-Heritage Market (4.25.~5.3.)” will run throughout the nine days, selling souvenirs. At Changdeokgung, the festival will present “Awakening the Palace in the Morning (4.28.~5.3.)” and “Crown Prince Hyomyeong and the Dance of the Moon (4.28.~4.30.).” The latter program lets visitors follow the process of preparing a banquet in 1828 to mark Queen Sunwon’s 40th birthday, touring key buildings and the rear garden. At Injeongjeon Hall, a traditional arts performance titled “Palace Concert — Taepyeongjiak by 100 Performers (太平之樂)(5.1.~5.3.)” will feature 100 performers presenting Korean traditional pieces including Sujecheon, Taepyeongga and Arirang. At Deoksugung, “Imperial Hobby Club (4.25.~5.3.)” at Jeonggwanheon will offer experiences such as tasting yangtang-guk (coffee) enjoyed by King Gojong and trying sports and other pastimes, along with special music performances. For foreign visitors, “The Emperor’s Table (5.1.~5.3.)” at Jungmyeongjeon will offer a chance to taste banquet dishes from the Korean Empire’s imperial court and hear about the history of royal cuisine. At Changgyeonggung, “Yeongchunheon, Spring Library (4.27.~5.1.)” and “The Queen’s Taste (4.30.~5.3.)” will be offered. At Gyeonghuigung, the foundation’s arts troupe will lead a street parade, “Royal Culture Festival Gilnori (5.1.),” from Heunghwamun Gate to Sungjeongmun Gate, featuring traditional performances including lion dance, Jindo drum dance and pangut. At Jongmyo Shrine, “Jongmyo Jeryeak Night Performances (4.28.~4.30.)” will present the royal ancestral ritual music in the evening. Programs requiring advance reservations will open sequentially starting at noon April 8, with tickets available through Ticketlink. Programs for foreign visitors can be booked through Creatrip. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-07 11:42:25