Cathay Pacific Issues HK$2.08 Billion in First Hong Kong Dollar Public Bond Sale Hong Kong's largest airline, Cathay Pacific, said on the 24th it will issue its first Hong Kong dollar-denominated public bond, raising HK$2.08 billion (about 42.3 billion yen). The three-year bond will carry a coupon rate of 3.78%. The company said it is the largest Hong Kong dollar public bond ever issued by a Hong Kong private-sector company, adding that demand was strong from a broad range of investors, including asset managers, banks and private banks. Cathay Pacific said the offering is a good opportunity to further diversify its funding sources. Proceeds will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Sharpe said it was "evidence of our continued commitment to our home in Hong Kong."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 11:22:36

GS E&C Joins Korea National Arboretum, WWF for Hands-On Environmental Volunteer Event GS E&C said Sunday it held a hands-on environmental volunteer program with the Korea National Arboretum and the World Wide Fund for Nature at the arboretum in Pocheon, Gyeonggi province. About 80 people, including CEO Heo Yun-hong and employees and their families, took part. Participants attended a lecture by the arboretum’s director on forest ecosystems and the importance of protecting biodiversity. They also joined interactive programs including forest activities, creating a biotope and visiting the Forest Museum, the company said. The program followed the arboretum’s ESG initiative, aiming to help companies and employees’ families learn about and spread the value of ecological conservation. It was also designed to move beyond donation-centered efforts and put into practice a “donate-participate-spread” approach through direct employee involvement. GS E&C said it also delivered a donation to WWF Korea late last year. A GS E&C official said the event was organized to deepen understanding of biodiversity conservation and expand environmental ESG values within the organization. The official said the company will continue to carry out its social responsibility through ESG volunteer activities built around a “donate-participate-spread” cycle.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 11:22:06

RSquare’s RA Real Estate Data Platform Expands Across Finance, Adds Decision Tools Commercial real estate data platform RSquare said its data solution, RA (RSquare Analytics), is spreading across the financial sector and moving beyond basic information to support investment decisions and risk management. RSquare said RA has added new customers including Hyundai Capital, a specialty finance company, as adoption broadens across finance. RA is now used by about 60 institutions, RSquare said, including major South Korean financial firms such as Samsung Securities, IGIS Asset Management, Koramco Asset Management and Hyundai Commercial, as well as global investors including GIC, DWS and PAG. RSquare said its cumulative customer base has surpassed 150 companies. RSquare said its annual revenue topped 200 billion won last year and cumulative transaction volume reached 17 trillion won. The company said it strengthened its data edge by collecting building information through on-the-ground surveys, covering 300,000 buildings in South Korea and 100,000 in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, for a total of 400,000 properties. The company said it views the expansion as a signal of a shift toward a decision-making platform, noting that financial institutions are typically cautious about adopting new tools. RSquare said RA is being used in core workflows including investment review, asset management and risk management. RSquare said RA’s strength is field-verified data. Dedicated staff visit buildings to gather information such as rents, vacancies and tenant details, then cross-check it with public data and in-house research and update it continuously, the company said. The platform provides time-series data on key indicators including rents, vacancy rates, transaction prices, tenant mix, lease expirations and comparable deals. It also offers map-based location analysis, district comparisons and market-trend visualizations to support investment decisions. In March, RSquare added a corporate analysis function that combines financial, corporate registry and disclosure information for 2.5 million companies. RSquare said the feature allows users to review corporate distribution by area, industry composition, revenue growth, employment changes and headquarters relocation trends, enabling more detailed analysis of office demand and shifts in industry. RSquare said it is also expanding ESG data. RA plans to launch a green-building information service in the first half of the year that integrates building data for G-SEED and LEED certifications. RSquare said investors will be able to check global-standard sustainability data including projects by country, certification level and certification timing. “As green certification becomes a key benchmark for global capital’s investment decisions, we are expanding into infrastructure that supports sustainability decision-making,” the company said. RSquare said commercial real estate data platforms are evolving beyond price information to cover urban economies, capital flows and ESG standards, shifting from building-only analysis to data-driven investing that also considers the companies inside buildings and future value. Park Dae-gwang, head of RA planning, said corporate growth and relocation are key variables directly tied to office demand. “RA is evolving into a platform that combines corporate and real estate data, covering everything from market analysis to investment decision-making,” he said. RSquare said it also plans to roll out a retail sales-based trade-area analysis service and an AI-based automated valuation model, or AVM, in the second half of the year.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 11:21:17

Duo Launches 1-Year Unlimited Matchmaking Plan Matchmaking company Duo has introduced a “time-based plan” that lets clients use its matching service without limits for a set period, adding a new option to its traditional meeting-count products. Duo, led by CEO Park Su-gyeong, said it began selling the plan on the 24th. Under the structure, clients start with three meetings, then can sign a separate agreement to use the matching service without a limit on the number of matches for one year. The plan applies mainly to major programs such as Noblesse, Proud and Oblige, while some specialized programs are excluded for operational efficiency. The move comes as the ways people use matchmaking services become more varied. Such services have typically been sold as packages offering a fixed number of meetings. Recently, however, demand has grown among clients who want to search more intensively within a set period, broadening the criteria for choosing services. Duo said the added option is intended to give clients who want to pursue meetings more actively over a short period a clearer choice, while allowing service use to vary by lifestyle and the pace of marriage preparation. The matchmaking services market has been growing, with industry observers saying demand continues among unmarried men and women who want to marry, even as trends toward remaining single or marrying later persist. As a result, competition increasingly centers on membership size, matching methods, counseling and management systems, and more flexible product structures. Duo posted record sales last year of about 48.3 billion won. The company said it sees a rising need to expand service options in line with market growth and more segmented customer demand. Duo said it expects the time-based plan to broaden the customer base seeking more active meetings and to provide an environment for exploring a range of potential partners within a set period. It cited reduced pressure from meeting limits and greater flexibility in using the matching service as key advantages. “As customers’ lifestyles and expectations become more diverse, services also need to shift to a more flexible structure,” a Duo official said. “Through the time-based plan, we will support people in continuing meetings in ways that fit their individual circumstances.” Duo, founded in 1995, operates its matching service based on its in-house DMS (Duo Matching System) and strict identity verification. The company provides tailored introductions through consultations with couple managers and analysis of member preferences and conditions.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 11:19:25

Park Hong-geun Pushes Voluntary Carbon Market Law, Unified Exchange Park Hong-geun, minister of the Office of Planning and Budget, said on the 27th that the government will move to institutionalize a voluntary carbon market as a key tool for meeting carbon-neutrality goals and will pursue the creation of a unified exchange. Speaking at the launch ceremony for the “Korean-style Voluntary Carbon Market Alliance” at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Park said carbon cuts are “no longer a cost but a new business model that raises corporate value.” The government also announced its “Korean-style voluntary carbon market development plan,” focusing on building the institutional framework, expanding trading infrastructure and broadening demand to foster a carbon-market ecosystem. As a legal foundation, it will push to enact a “Voluntary Carbon Market Act.” The bill would include operating a registry institution to manage the full lifecycle of carbon credits — issuance, distribution and retirement — and disclosing evaluation standards to improve transparency and trust. To strengthen fairness and stability in trading, the government plans to establish a dedicated voluntary carbon market exchange. It aims to open the exchange within the Korea Exchange by the end of this year to consolidate dispersed carbon-credit trading and improve convenience through standardization by product category. The government also plans to work with overseas rating agencies to bolster international credibility for traded emissions-reduction results and to expand links with international carbon markets. The newly launched alliance is a public-private governance body bringing together companies, financial institutions and research organizations to connect supply and demand and identify tasks for improving the system. The government said activating the voluntary carbon market is needed to strengthen incentives for emissions cuts in nonregulated areas, including small and medium-sized companies and startups that are not covered by the emissions trading system, or ETS. The ETS currently covers about 70% of national greenhouse gas emissions, but incentives for the remaining 30% are insufficient, it said. Park said the government will provide institutional support so the domestic market can become an Asian hub amid the global expansion of carbon markets, and pledged to build a virtuous cycle in which emissions-cutting performance leads to investment and growth. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 11:18:39

Seoul and Tokyo benchmarks touch new highs as tech rally overrides Gulf jitters SEOUL, April 27 (AJP) - Seoul's main KOSPI touched a new ceiling at 6,600 on institutional buying early Monday, brushing aside weekend incidents — the stalemated U.S.-Iran peace talks and a shooting incident during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attended by U.S. President Donald Trump. Both the KOSPI and junior KOSDAQ gained nearly 2 percent, pushing their combined market capitalization above 6,000 trillion won, up nearly 40 percent from the beginning of the year. As of 11:00 a.m., the KOSPI was up 1.96 percent at 6,602.44, while the KOSDAQ rose 1.76 percent to 1,222.90. Semiconductor shares led the advance, with SK hynix hitting another 52-week high Monday, extending gains on expectations of a semiconductor supercycle. Shares rose 4.83 percent to 1,281,000 won. Support also came from expectations that the current memory upcycle may be stronger than in previous cycles, with investors watching this week’s results from global NAND suppliers for guidance that could lift consensus forecasts for SK hynix’s NAND business. Gains spread across the broader semiconductor sector, with Samsung Electronics rising 1.59 percent to 223,000 won. Autos were mostly firmer, with Hyundai Motor Company surging 3.12 percent to 529,000 won and affiliate Kia edging up 0.13 percent to 153,600 won. Industrial and defense shares were mixed, with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries up 1.04 percent at 678,000 won and Doosan Enerbility adding 0.87 percent to 128,200 won, while Hanwha Aerospace slipped 0.68 percent to 1,453,000 won. Battery names came under pressure, with LG Energy Solution down 3.17 percent to 465,750 won and Samsung SDI dropping 1.72 percent to 630,000 won. The KOSDAQ was lifted by strength in biotech and robotics shares, with nearly all of the top components trading higher. Rainbow Robotics jumped 11.44 percent to 682,000 won, while ABL Bio climbed 8.97 percent to 171,300 won and Samchundang Pharm rose 8.38 percent to 446,000 won. Alteogen added 4.20 percent to 384,500 won, while HLB gained 4.15 percent to 62,700 won. Leeno Industrial — a semiconductor testing equipment maker — was the only decliner among major components, falling 14.63 percent to 106,200 won. The dollar sharply eased on renewed foreign buying, trading at 1,474.30 won compared with the previous close of 1,484.50 won. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.23 percent to a fresh intraday high of 60,351.95 in morning trade, led by semiconductor-related shares. Advantest climbed 1.24 percent and SoftBank Group added 0.89 percent, as investors positioned ahead of the Bank of Japan’s policy decision due Tuesday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slipped 0.08 percent to 25,957.25, while China’s Shanghai Composite Index eased 0.02 percent to 4,079.00. Japan’s markets are set to close Wednesday, while South Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan will be shut Friday for Labor Day. Meanwhile, market focus will turn to how earnings from megacap technology firms shape volatility this week, with Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta due to report first-quarter results on Wednesday, followed by Apple on Thursday. 2026-04-27 11:15:28

NHN Cloud to Merge Subsidiary Into Innogrid to Build Full-Stack Cloud Platform NHN Cloud is moving to strengthen its cloud business by reorganizing its operations through a merger in which cloud platform company Innogrid will absorb NHN Inje AI&C, an NHN Cloud subsidiary. NHN Cloud said on 27일 it is pursuing a merger between NHN Inje AI&C and Innogrid. Under the plan, Innogrid will absorb NHN Inje AI&C at a merger ratio of about 1 to 31. The merger date is set for July 6. After the merger, the surviving company, Innogrid, will keep its current management structure under CEO Kim Myeongjin to maintain continuity. Through the integration, Innogrid is expected to secure broader competitiveness in private cloud services by combining technology with operations and management capabilities. Based on that, the company plans to step up its push into the enterprise market, including the public and financial sectors. Once the merger process is completed, NHN Cloud will become Innogrid’s largest shareholder and, as the parent company, will focus on generating synergies across management. The strategy is to combine Innogrid’s cloud platform technology with NHN Cloud’s infrastructure operations to build an integrated service system covering the full process from deployment to operations and management. The companies also plan to strengthen their ability to meet high security requirements in the public and financial sectors while improving support for multicloud and hybrid cloud environments, aiming to enhance full-stack competitiveness across the cloud business. An NHN Cloud official said, “Through this business restructuring, we will strengthen the foundation of our cloud business across both the public and private sectors and build a stable growth framework.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 11:15:16

North Korea opens memorial for Ukraine war dead with Russian officials in attendance SEOUL, April 27 (AJP) - North Korea has completed a memorial in Pyongyang dedicated to soldiers killed while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine, state media reported Monday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, a ceremony marking its completion was held the previous day, attended by the country's leader Kim Jong-un and visiting senior Russian officials including Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament. The memorial's opening coincided with the first anniversary of North Korea's deployment to Russia's Kursk region, with Kim using the occasion to tout the two countries' deepening ties and pledge continued military cooperation against what he called Western "injustice." Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a letter read by Volodin, said the "unmatched combat feats" of North Korean troops "will remain forever in the hearts of all Russians," adding that he was confident the two sides would continue to strengthen their "comprehensive strategic partnership." North Korea has reportedly sent around 15,000 combat troops and weapons to Russia to assist Moscow's war in Ukraine since the two countries signed a mutual defense pact during Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June 2024. Thousands of North Korean soldiers, most deployed to Kursk, a southwestern Russian region bordering Ukraine, are believed to have been killed or wounded during the prolonged war. Ukrainian forces seized parts of Kursk in August 2024, but Moscow officially declared the region fully retaken in April the following year, with North Korea claiming its troops played a decisive role in helping Russia regain control of the territory. Kim, who has promoted the deployment as a symbol of the two countries' alliance, ordered the construction of the memorial last October in Pyongyang's newly developed district of Hwasong. The memorial houses the remains of fallen soldiers and displays weapons. 2026-04-27 11:02:24

Shinhan Bank Joins Vietnam Economic Delegation, Expands Corporate Finance Push Shinhan Bank is accelerating its push to expand what it calls “productive finance” in Vietnam, following similar efforts in South Korea. The bank said Monday it joined a government-led Vietnam economic delegation from April 22-24, holding talks with the State Bank of Vietnam and signing business agreements with major local financial and industrial groups. Shinhan said the trip was aimed at strengthening the foundation for financial cooperation in Vietnam and meeting financing needs of Korean companies operating there as well as Vietnamese firms. Shinhan entered Vietnam in 1993 as the first South Korean financial company to do so and has expanded its business base since then. Shinhan Vietnam Bank has maintained the top spot among foreign banks in Vietnam in key indicators including total assets, loans and deposits, the bank said. During the visit, Shinhan Bank CEO Jeong Sang-hyeok met with Nguyen Ngoc Canh, deputy governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, to discuss financial support for expanding Korean business activity in Vietnam and cooperation in digital and ESG (environmental, social and governance) areas. Shinhan also signed an agreement with Vietcombank, a state-owned commercial bank, covering cooperation on financial support and retail, foreign-exchange transactions and capital markets, and digital transformation. Shinhan said it aims to support Korean companies entering Vietnam while strengthening its position in the local financial market. With FPT Group, a major Vietnamese information and communications technology company, Shinhan agreed to work on building a digital finance ecosystem based on artificial intelligence and big data. Shinhan also signed an agreement with Agribank, one of Vietnam’s four largest state-owned banks, focused on financial support to help companies from both countries enter each other’s markets. The bank said it plans to expand tailored services for cross-border customers, including Vietnamese workers and students living in South Korea. “Vietnam is a key market that symbolizes Shinhan Bank’s global growth roadmap,” Jeong said. “We will create a model case of ‘productive finance’ that supports the global competitiveness of Korean companies and continue a true financial partnership that grows together with local communities.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 10:58:35

LH Opens Applications for 1,000 Specialized Purchase-Rental Homes in First Half of 2026 Korea Land and Housing Corp., or LH, said it will begin accepting applications on the 27th for its first-half 2026 call for specialized purchase-rental housing proposals. Under the program, private developers propose and build rental housing tailored to residents’ needs, including dedicated spaces and services. The public sector then purchases the properties and rents them out at lower rates, LH said. Examples include Haesimdang in Seoul’s Dobong district, which supports senior community-building and provides health and care services; Arts Stay in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo district, which supports young people’s arts and startups; and Dadareum House in Seoul’s Eunpyeong district, which helps people with disabilities live independently. This round seeks about 1,000 units and will use a “private proposal” format, allowing developers to suggest themes such as care and child-rearing, job and startup support, and support for people relocating to rural areas. LH said it will also apply institutional changes starting with this call, including a unified price-calculation method, a cap on total review time, and penalties for poorly run operating organizations, to encourage private participation and ensure stable project delivery. Applications will be accepted through May 11. LH plans document screening in June and a comprehensive review in July before notifying applicants of final results. For selected properties, LH will proceed with appraisals and other steps in October before signing agreements. More information is available in the notice on LH’s Cheongyak Plus platform. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 10:57:54