DL E&C Stake in X-energy Jumps After Nasdaq IPO, Nearly Sixfold in Three Years DL E&C said its stake in U.S. small modular reactor developer X-energy has surged in value after the company’s successful Nasdaq listing, rising nearly sixfold in about three years. DL E&C said Tuesday that the value of its holdings increased to about 172 billion won after X-energy’s initial public offering. The stake was worth $20 million (about 30 billion won) when DL E&C joined X-energy’s Series C round in January 2023, meaning the value has grown about 5.7 times. The gain followed a sharp rise in X-energy’s share price after listing. X-energy began trading on Nasdaq on April 24 local time. Its IPO price was set at $23, above the top of the indicated range of $19. The stock closed at $29.20 on its first day and rose about 50% over the next three sessions, reaching $34.11 as of April 28. The IPO also set a record for fundraising by a nuclear power company, DL E&C said. X-energy raised more than $1 billion (about 1.475 trillion won) in the offering. The industry has attributed stronger SMR investment demand to rising electricity needs tied to the spread of artificial intelligence, the company said. X-energy, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, is developing a fourth-generation SMR and holds high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology that uses high-temperature helium gas for cooling. DL E&C said X-energy is working with Amazon, Dow and Centrica and has secured an 11-gigawatt pipeline. DL E&C said it has built a strategic partnership with X-energy as an early-stage investor, aiming to make SMRs a next growth engine and create synergies with its plant business. The company recently began deeper cooperation by taking on X-energy’s standardized SMR design work. The contract signed last month is worth $10 million (about 15 billion won) and is the first case in which a South Korean construction company is paid directly by an SMR developer to perform design work, DL E&C said. DL E&C said it plans to strengthen competitiveness across both large-scale nuclear plants and SMRs, building on its experience in projects including Hanbit units 5 and 6 and Shin Kori units 1 and 2. SMRs are small reactors with electric output of 300 megawatts or less and are viewed as a way to support carbon neutrality while providing stable power. The U.K. National Nuclear Laboratory has projected the global SMR market could reach about $500 billion (about 740 trillion won) by 2035. Yoo Jae-ho, head of DL E&C’s plant business division, said, “As X-energy is being valued highly by the market, we expect a virtuous cycle that leads to an increase in the value of our stake.” He added, “We will expand SMR-related investment to strengthen our global competitiveness.” 2026-04-29 14:28:25

Naver upgrades AI Cleanbot 3.0 to better block hateful, abusive comments Naver is tightening controls on hateful comments tied to suicide, death and accidents, saying the move is aimed at fostering a healthier comment environment. The company said April 29 it has completed an upgrade to its abusive-comment detection system, AI Cleanbot 3.0. Under the upgrade, Naver said it will focus on blocking comments that encourage disregard for life, including references to suicide, death and bodily harm, as well as comments that mock, demean or express hatred toward victims of incidents and accidents and their bereaved families. Naver said AI Cleanbot 3.0 has also strengthened detection by factoring in the context of news articles. It analyzes not only user comments but also article headlines and body text to more precisely identify malicious expressions in context. First introduced in 2019, AI Cleanbot has been updated through technical and policy changes to keep pace with new slang and evolving hate expressions. It initially focused on detecting profanity and vulgar language based on abusive keywords, but from 2020 it expanded to identify insulting expressions even without explicit profanity by using sentence context. Naver said it has continued to enhance the system to block sexually offensive expressions, hateful, demeaning or discriminatory remarks, and attempts to evade filters using symbols and characters. The company also said it has worked with related organizations, including reflecting the Korea Internet Self-Governance Organization’s hate-speech self-regulatory policy guidelines introduced in 2023. Kim Su-hyang, a Naver leader, said the company is continuously improving Cleanbot so it can detect not only profanity and vulgar language but also newly emerging hateful, demeaning and discriminatory expressions. She said Naver will intensively block malicious comments that encourage disregard for life or mock victims and bereaved families, while continuing to upgrade the technology by reflecting a range of opinions. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 14:25:11

Loa&Co Holdings to Buy Aloys Stake, Take Control and Expand AI Media Platform Plans Loa&Co Holdings said it has agreed to acquire control of KOSDAQ-listed Aloys, a company focused on media platforms, as the Loa&Co group seeks new growth engines. The company said April 29 that it signed a share purchase agreement to buy a combined 6,994,990 common shares, or 20.20%, held by Aloys CEO Shin Jeong-gwan, the company’s largest shareholder, and research director Lee Si-young. The total purchase price is 11.2 billion won, or 1,600 won per share. Once the deal is completed, Loa&Co Holdings will become Aloys’ largest shareholder, it said. Loa&Co Holdings said it will keep Shin’s management structure in place in recognition of the current leadership’s expertise and will retain all employees to ensure business continuity. It also said it plans to quickly resolve a recent control dispute involving Aloys and build a stable management environment by forming a capable board. The company said it will strengthen the global competitiveness of Aloys’ core business in OTT devices while expanding into next-generation media platform businesses that incorporate artificial intelligence. It said it plans to target global markets through AI-based content recommendations and platform upgrades. An Aloys official said the transaction will change the largest shareholder and remove uncertainty over control. “Based on a transparent and stable governance structure, we will be able to accelerate execution of our mid- to long-term growth strategy,” the official said. A Loa Holdings Company Group official called the investment a strategic decision to build a stable portfolio and said the group will actively support efforts to resolve Aloys’ control dispute and normalize management. “By combining the group’s content capabilities with Aloys’ technology, we will help it leap into a company that leads the AI-based media market,” the official said. 2026-04-29 14:24:21

OpenAI Pushes Back on Growth Slowdown Concerns, Citing Strong Consumer and Business Demand OpenAI rejected concerns about slowing growth, saying its business is progressing smoothly overall. Bloomberg reported that OpenAI said in a statement Monday that both its consumer and enterprise businesses are performing strongly and that “internal sentiment is very positive.” The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing unnamed sources, that OpenAI had fallen short of targets for new users and revenue, and that concerns had been raised internally about whether it can sustain the heavy costs of investing in artificial intelligence. The Journal also said OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar recently told executives that if revenue does not rise fast enough, the company could struggle to cover future AI data center costs. After the report, worries about the AI boom weighed on shares of OpenAI investor and partner companies including SoftBank, Oracle and CoreWeave during Monday’s session. OpenAI dismissed the Journal report as a “typical clickbait story.” In its statement, the company reaffirmed its stance on securing more computing capacity, calling it “what makes everything possible.” Earlier this month, OpenAI told investors in a memo that it is expanding compute capacity quickly and steadily and gaining an edge over Anthropic. It said the gap matters because compute resources have become a bottleneck for products, underscoring the need to keep investing in infrastructure. Still, Bloomberg reported that even before the Journal article, OpenAI had begun taking a more cautious approach to infrastructure spending. OpenAI has said it plans to pause a project underway in the United Kingdom, and Microsoft is set to lease a data center in Norway that had been planned for OpenAI. Bloomberg also reported last month that Oracle and OpenAI withdrew a key AI data center expansion plan for the “Stargate” project after fundraising talks were delayed.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 14:22:45

Will Banks, Hospitals, Delivery and the Stock Market Close for May 1 Labor Day? Interest is growing over whether workplaces and essential services will close for May 1 Labor Day. Starting this year, Labor Day is a statutory public holiday, extending the day off to public-sector workers such as civil servants and teachers. That has prompted more people to confirm operating schedules for banks, schools, hospitals, parcel delivery and the stock market. The Ministry of Personnel Management said April 28 that the Cabinet approved a partial revision to the regulation on public holidays for government offices, designating Labor Day and Constitution Day as official holidays. The move follows earlier legal revisions, meaning May 1 Labor Day and July 17 Constitution Day will be treated as statutory public holidays starting this year. Labor Day was set in 1963 as “Workers’ Day” and has been observed as a paid holiday for private-sector employees. Civil servants and teachers, who are not covered by the Labor Standards Act, were excluded, fueling fairness concerns. The name was changed to “Labor Day” in November, and this year’s public-holiday designation further expands coverage. This year, Labor Day falls on a Friday. With the weekend of May 2-3 and Children’s Day on May 5, workers who take one day of leave on May 4 can take five consecutive days off, increasing interest in how to use the early May break. Not all businesses and facilities will close. Government offices and schools will observe the holiday, but hospitals, pharmacies, big-box retailers and restaurants may operate depending on their policies. For medical services, operating hours can vary by facility, except for emergency rooms, on-duty pharmacies and designated holiday clinics, so visitors are advised to check in advance. Bank branches typically close on public holidays, though some services may remain available through mobile and online banking and ATMs. The securities market also generally closes on public holidays, so investors with trading or withdrawal plans are advised to confirm trading availability and settlement schedules ahead of time. Parcel delivery requires extra attention. Although Labor Day is now a statutory holiday, pickup and delivery schedules can differ by courier, logistics center and online retailer. Some companies are separately announcing cutoff dates and staggered delivery plans to reflect the Labor Day and Children’s Day period, and customers are advised to check schedules before ordering fresh food or urgent items. Holiday work pay is also drawing attention. Article 56 of the Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay at least an additional 50% of ordinary wages for up to eight hours of work on a holiday, and at least an additional 100% for hours beyond eight. For example, an employee who works eight hours on Labor Day, a paid holiday, is entitled to paid-holiday wages, wages for the hours worked and the holiday premium. For salaried workers, paid-holiday pay is often already included in monthly wages, so the method for calculating additional pay may differ from hourly or daily wage systems. Because calculations vary by work arrangement and pay structure, employees should review workplace rules and their employment contracts. Another point of confusion is the difference between a “substitute public holiday” and “holiday substitution.” Labor Day and Constitution Day are included in the substitute-holiday system when they fall on a weekend or overlap with another public holiday. However, the Ministry of Employment and Labor says employers are not allowed to have employees work on Labor Day and then unilaterally designate another day off in its place, because Labor Day is specified as a paid holiday on May 1 under the Labor Standards Act. In other words, if Labor Day falls on a weekend, an additional substitute holiday may be created, but an individual workplace cannot replace the May 1 holiday by assigning a different day off at its discretion. Experts advise workers to confirm in advance whether they are scheduled to work, how holiday pay will be calculated, and whether key institutions will close. Medical visits, financial transactions, parcel deliveries and stock trading may be affected depending on how the public holiday is observed.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 14:21:40

Reform Party floor leader urges budget support for Jeonnam-Gwangju integration, state-backed legal aid for teachers Cheon Ha-ram, floor leader of the Reform Party, on the 29th proposed central government budget support for the Jeonnam-Gwangju integration and a state-backed system to handle lawsuits involving teachers. Speaking at a luncheon meeting at Cheong Wa Dae that morning hosted by President Lee Jae-myung for lawmakers from non-negotiating parties and independents, Cheon said that during the review of a supplementary budget, 57.3 billion won in “essential” funding for the Jeonnam-Gwangju integration was cut in full. He said the money was needed for steps such as integrating administrative networks and updating building registers. “President Lee Jae-myung arranged the marriage between Jeonnam and Gwangju, but it’s not right to tell them to cover the wedding costs on their own,” Cheon said, arguing that the central government should fund the procedures required for the integration. On a state responsibility system for teacher lawsuits, Cheon said the problem lies in the current setup. He said frontline teachers are expected to handle malicious complaints and then fend for themselves when those disputes escalate into criminal complaints, accusations or civil suits. Calling it a system that leaves teachers to shoulder the burden alone, Cheon urged the government to pursue a policy so that, when incidents occur, teachers do not have to spend time going to police stations and courts.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 14:20:46

Rep. Kang Sun-woo Says She’s Wrongly Accused in 100 Million Won Nomination Bribery Trial In the first trial of a case alleging a 100 million won cash payment in exchange for a city council nomination, a former Seoul city council member and an aide to independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo admitted the charges. Kang’s side said she is being treated unfairly and postponed a detailed response. Judge Lee Chun-geun of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 1 held the first hearing Tuesday for Kang, former Seoul city council member Kim Kyung and Kang’s aide, identified only by the surname Nam, who are charged with violating the Political Funds Act and other offenses. Kim and Nam accepted all allegations in the indictment. Kim’s attorney said, however, that there is room for legal interpretation regarding the breach-of-trust bribery charge and that the defense will submit a written opinion. Kang’s attorney said the defense was recently retained and has not yet fully reviewed records or met with Kang, asking to state a specific position at the next hearing. The lawyer added that, unlike the other defendants, Kang “is appealing her unfairness,” indicating she denies the allegations. Prosecutors allege that ahead of the 2022 local elections, Kang accepted 100 million won in cash from Kim in return for securing a nomination for a Seoul Gangseo District city council seat. Investigators say Kim proposed providing the money through Nam, coordinated the handoff with him and had Nam report the plan to Kang. Prosecutors say Kang agreed, and the three met at a hotel in Seoul’s Yongsan District, where Kang received a shopping bag containing cash. Prosecutors say the defendants conspired to exchange money tied to an improper request related to candidate recommendations and to give and receive funds exceeding legal limits under the Political Funds Act. Kang is charged with violating the Political Funds Act, breach-of-trust bribery and violating the anti-graft law. Kim faces charges including breach-of-trust bribery for providing the money. Kang has said during the investigation that she returned the money and has denied it was tied to any favor. Kim has been reported to have admitted wrongdoing, including by submitting a self-report. Both were indicted last month while in custody. The court issued arrest warrants citing concerns about destruction of evidence and also rejected Kang’s request for a custody review. The court set the next hearing for 5 p.m. on May 29, saying it will move quickly given the case involves detained defendants.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 14:19:37

UAE’s Planned OPEC Exit Signals Shift in Oil Market, Opens Door for Korea-UAE Cooperation OPEC, long a central force in global energy markets, is facing what the article describes as its biggest crisis in its 66-year history after the United Arab Emirates, the group’s third-largest producer, declared it will leave effective May 1. The move is being read as more than a single member’s departure, raising questions about a Saudi-led cartel structure that has anchored OPEC for decades. The UAE’s decision follows economic and human losses tied to the recent Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but it also reflects long-running frustration with OPEC production cuts that have constrained the UAE’s ability to raise output. The article portrays the UAE as pursuing a pragmatic strategy to build national wealth by using its resources more aggressively as the energy landscape shifts. If OPEC cohesion weakens, coordination on crude supply among members could erode. With the UAE holding significant spare capacity, an independent course could expand supply and, over time, contribute to lower and more stable oil prices, the article says. It adds that international oil prices, which had been rising again after U.S.-Iran talks on ending the war stalled, eased after news of the UAE’s planned exit. For South Korea, which relies on imports for most of its energy needs, the development could bring relief. The article notes that since the Iran war began, oil prices have swung around the $100-a-barrel level as risks mounted, including the Strait of Hormuz closure and a U.S. maritime blockade, fueling domestic inflation and worsening the current account balance. Still, the article argues South Korea should view the situation not only as a potential windfall from cheaper oil but as a chance to reshape strategic cooperation. As the influence of a dominant producers’ group weakens, buyers typically gain leverage, and South Korea’s manufacturing strengths — from semiconductors and defense to energy and autos — could support broader partnerships, it says. The article highlights that the UAE has been accelerating cooperation with South Korea. It says the two countries agreed in February to large-scale cooperation projects totaling $65 billion, including defense. During the height of the Iran war last month, the UAE also promised an emergency supply of 24 million barrels of crude to South Korea, it adds. The Barakah nuclear power plant built by South Korea in the UAE is cited as a foundation for long-term energy cooperation. Outside OPEC, the UAE could pursue more aggressive infrastructure investment and industrial diversification, and South Korean technology and experience could be valuable in that process, the article says. The article cautions, however, that risks remain, including volatility in oil and global financial markets and the possibility of intensified geopolitical friction as existing producers such as Saudi Arabia push back to protect their influence within OPEC. It calls for South Korea to maintain friendly ties with other OPEC members, including Saudi Arabia, while deepening relations with the UAE. It also urges expanding contacts with countries where additional OPEC departures are being discussed, to secure practical benefits. 2026-04-29 14:15:01

Justice Ministry Drops Appeals in 863 State Compensation Suits Over Past Abuses The Justice Ministry said it has withdrawn or waived appeals in 863 damages lawsuits filed against the state by victims of major past human rights abuses, including the Brothers Home case, Seongam Academy, the Samcheong re-education camp and the Yeosu-Suncheon Oct. 19 incident. The ministry said on the 29th it has taken steps to strengthen remedies for victims of past abuses, including refraining from routine appeals in state compensation cases, withdrawing or waiving appeals, and stopping statute-of-limitations defenses in cases that have received truth-finding decisions. As of March, the ministry said it had withdrawn or waived appeals in a total of 863 suits involving 3,587 plaintiffs: 116 Brothers Home cases (756 people), 42 Seongam Academy cases (357 people), 608 Samcheong cases (1,570 people) and 97 Yeosu-Suncheon Oct. 19 cases (904 people). Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho also ordered blanket withdrawals and waivers of appeals in state compensation suits: on Aug. 5 last year for Brothers Home and Seongam Academy, on Sept. 29 for Samcheong, and on Oct. 13 for the Yeosu-Suncheon Oct. 19 incident. As a result, 2,202 victims received compensation totaling about 199.579 billion won. Prosecutors, citing the difficulty many victims face in pursuing legal procedures on their own, have also been using court-ordered retrials more actively. The ministry said prosecutors have secured not-guilty rulings in cases including the Jeju 4·3 incident and cases involving fishermen who were abducted and later returned, helping restore victims' reputations. The ministry and prosecutors have also begun reviewing records of deferred prosecution decisions, not only convictions. Deferred prosecution is a decision not to indict despite acknowledging wrongdoing, and it has continued to leave victims stigmatized as criminals. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office said it reopened a case on its own authority and changed the disposition to "no charges" for a suspect who in 1983 had been handled under the National Security Act for possessing "Das Kapital." The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office and the Gyeongju branch office also moved to change dispositions in cases involving the Assembly and Demonstration Act and cases tied to abducted-and-returned fishermen. Prosecutors are expected to continue actively considering "no charges" decisions based on relevant records and findings by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, even when co-defendants have not sought retrials or when retrials are still pending. A Justice Ministry official said, "These measures are the result of efforts to support, administratively and judicially, the core values of the people-sovereignty government: protecting human rights and addressing past abuses." The official added, "The Justice Ministry and prosecutors will continue to closely review petitions, including identifying retrial cases and canceling deferred prosecutions, and will do our utmost to restore honor so that not a single wronged victim is left behind."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 14:13:55

Actress Tang Wei Faces Online Speculation About Second Pregnancy After Shanghai Event Actress Tang Wei has become the subject of online speculation that she is pregnant with a second child. According to the entertainment industry on the 29th, Tang appeared at a brand event held April 26 in Shanghai, China. She wore a loose black dress and low-heeled shoes, and images of what some described as a visible baby bump spread quickly online. Fans said she appeared to be expecting, and Chinese media outlets also reported the claims, fueling the speculation. In March, Tang was also seen on a date with her husband, director Kim Tae-yong, in Sanlitun in Beijing. At the time, she wore an oversized check shirt that appeared to cover her abdomen, prompting similar talk. Tang’s side has not issued an official statement. Tang met Kim through the film “Late Autumn.” They married in July 2014 and have a daughter. Tang was born in 1979 and is 47, while Kim was born in 1969 and is 57. Separately, Tang has announced she will appear again in a film by director Park Chan-wook. It has been described as a Western about revenge and punishment set in a frontier era. Tang previously worked with Park on “Decision to Leave,” released in 2022.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-29 14:13:11