Gwanghallu Pavilion, setting of Korea's Romeo and Juliet tale, eyes national treasure status SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) — Gwanghallu Pavilion in Namwon, a southwestern city immortalized as the backdrop to Korea’s Romeo-and-Juliet-like love story, has been preliminarily designated as a national treasure, the Korea Heritage Service said Friday. The move marks an upgrade from its designation as a state treasure in 1963, reflecting its elevated historical, architectural and cultural significance. Widely regarded as the finest pavilion in the Honam region, Gwanghallu April 24, 2026

Korean Air delivers 5,000th wingtip device for Airbus' A320 SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - Korean Air has delivered its 5,000th "Sharklet," a wingtip device fitted to Airbus' A320 aircraft, the South Korean flagship carrier said on Friday. The upward-curving Sharklet is attached to the tip of the narrow-body airliner, helping improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. After winning a bid from Airbus in 2010 to manufacture Sharklets, Korean Air produced its first unit in July 2012 and has since built an automate April 24, 2026

Hyundai Mobis posts steady Q1 gains amid global demand slump SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - Hyundai Mobis reported resilient first-quarter earnings, logging revenue of 15.56 trillion won ($10.5 billion) and operating profit of 802.6 billion won as expanded supply of high-value electrification components and robust aftermarket demand offset a broader cooling in global vehicle sales. Revenue rose 5.5 percent from a year earlier while operating profit climbed 3.3 percent, the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday. Net profit came in at 883.1 bi April 24, 2026

South Korea's foreign patient arrivals top 2 million for first time SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - South Korea welcomed more than 2 million foreign patients last year, the first time the figure has breached that threshold since record-keeping began in 2009. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday 2,011,822 patients from 201 countries sought treatment in 2025, capping a three-year streak of record highs after arrivals cratered to about 110,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese nationals accounted for 30.8 percent of the total, overtaking Japan April 24, 2026

South Korea expands cooperation with Moldova as economic pact takes effect SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - An agreement on economic cooperation between South Korea and Moldova took effect on Friday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The agreement aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various sectors, including science and technology, energy, and transportation, laying the groundwork for a more comprehensive partnership between the two countries. Under the agreement, the two countries will establish a joint committee to review and impleme April 24, 2026

KAIST researchers develop high-efficiency carbon capture technology SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - A research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has developed a high-efficiency Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology inspired by electric vehicle battery manufacturing processes, placing them among the top four finalists in a global carbon removal competition. The development addresses the high costs and low efficiency currently hindering the commercialization of technologies that remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, the April 24, 2026

OPINION: What goes up must pay - a warning on Korea's chip windfall A profit windfall is taking shape in South Korea’s chip sector. Samsung Electronics is projected to post 320 trillion won in operating profit this year, while SK hynix could reach 230 trillion won — a combined 550 trillion won. On that estimate, the two Korean chipmakers would edge past Microsoft and Google to rank among the world’s four most profitable tech companies. The temptation is to read this as a triumph of strategy and execution. It is not — April 24, 2026

Samsung heiress' ex-husband serving jail term in bizarre case involving shaman girlfriend SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) - Im Woo-jae, the ex-husband of Samsung heiress Lee Boo-jin and former adviser at the conglomerate's minor subsidiary Samsung Electro-Mechanics, has been serving a one-year prison sentence, it was belatedly revealed on Thursday. Lee was found guilty of obstruction of official duties after getting caught up in a bizarre case involving his girlfriend, who is a shaman, according legal sources. He apparently deceived officials while attempting to shield his April 23, 2026

Samsung Elec's Pyeongtaek campus - protest instead of celebration of chip boom PYEONGTAEK, April 23 (AJP) -The usual soundtrack of the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus—the low, constant hum of fabrication lines—was drowned out Thursday by a different cadence: tens of thousands of workers chanting in lockstep, their placards snapping in the wind as a bonus fight spilled into the open. At 2 p.m., the newly ascendant Samsung Electronics Enterprise Union—now the company’s first majority union—filled the forecourt with an est April 23, 2026

Seoul pushes for wartime command transfer as U.S. urges caution on timeline SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) - A long-simmering question at the heart of the U.S.–South Korea alliance is once again coming into sharper focus: when — and under what conditions — should Seoul take full wartime command of its own and U.S. military forces on the peninsula? Behind the scenes, officials in Seoul and Washington are quietly diverging over the timeline for transferring wartime operational control, or OPCON, with South Korea favoring an earlier date and U.S. mili April 23, 2026