Battery makers expected to post Q1 losses, but optimism remains on ESS demand SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - South Korea's three major battery makers are expected to post weak first-quarter results amid slowing demand for electric vehicles. According to data compiled by financial information provider FnGuide, Samsung SDI, SK On, and LG Energy Solution are projected to post operating losses for the first three months of this year. Samsung SDI is estimated to have posted an operating loss of 263.5 billion won ($196 million), while SK On is expected to report a l April 9, 2026

Seoul unveils new measures to fend off inflation, sees stabler FX market SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) —South Korea will reimpose a cap on retail fuel prices to contain a renewed surge in gasoline costs triggered by the prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while signaling potential upside for the battered won through parallel market-stabilization measures. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Thursday the government will unveil a third round of emergency price ceilings on petroleum products at 7 p.m., with the new caps to t April 9, 2026

BTS franchise in incessant motion: on screen and stage, and off stage SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) -BTS franchise is in incessant motion since its March 21 comeback. As the world tour opens in Goyang on Thursday, the group has been releasing weekly viral music videos, amplifying global fan excitement. Off-stage activations have been just as intense, turning Seoul into a citywide extension of the BTS universe. The “BTS THE CITY ARIRANG SEOUL” project has kicked off across the capital, drawing strong response to its fan-participation programs. Th April 9, 2026

OPINION: Hormuz and the hidden logic of Iran's strategy The airstrikes have paused - for now. But wars rarely end when the shooting stops. They evolve. Language replaces firepower, and interpretation becomes a battlefield of its own. The two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran appears, on the surface, to signal de-escalation. In reality, it looks more like the opening move of a more calibrated contest. Within hours of the agreement, both sides accused each other of violations, while sending conflicting signals over the April 9, 2026

Samsung widow sells over 3 trillion won in Samsung shares to settle inheritance taxes SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - Hong Ra-hee, the widow of the late Samsung chief Lee Kun-hee, has sold some of her stocks in Samsung Electronics worth more than 3 trillion Korean won (about US$2 billion) to settle inheritance taxes on the family's vast fortune. According to financial insiders, Hong sold 15 million Samsung Electronics shares, about a 0.25 percent stake, through an after-hours block trade on Thursday, which typically occurs after stock market hours close, allowing large tr April 9, 2026

South Korea dispatches chief of staff as Astana readies for regional summit SEOUL, April 09 (AJP) - South Korea sent its presidential chief of staff to Central Asia on Wednesday to secure attendance for an inaugural regional summit, moving to lock in vital energy and logistics access. The diplomatic push bypasses traditional military and economic alliances. Instead, the strategy builds directly on an ideological framework established seven months ago during a global interfaith congress, illustrating how modern statecraft increasingly relies on spiritual April 9, 2026

NPS holding in Korean stocks stretches $54 bn Q1 thanks to chip names SEOUL, April 09 (AJP) -South Korea’s National Pension Service, one of the world's largest with 1,540.4 trillion won worth assets under management as of January, saw its value of its holdings in domestic equities stretch by 80 trillion won ($54 billion) in the first quarter thanks to the spikes in memory stocks. According to financial data tracker FnGuide, the NPS stakes in 291 listed companies subject to disclosure with holding ratio of more than 5 percent were value April 9, 2026

KAIST researchers and Nobel winner David Baker develop AI protein sensors for cortisol SEOUL, April 09 (AJP) - Researchers in South Korea have successfully used artificial intelligence to design proteins that can detect specific chemicals, including stress hormones, through a collaboration project between the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and 2024 Nobel laureate David Baker from the University of Washington, the prominent South Korean science institute said Thursday. The study demonstrates a way to create functional biosensors from scratch, a p April 9, 2026

North Korea tests tactical ballistic missile with cluster bomb warhead, state media says SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - North Korea has conducted tests of a "tactical ballistic missile" equipped with a "cluster bomb warhead," state media reported on Thursday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the tests were conducted over three days earlier this week to "verify the combat reliability of the mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system." It added that the surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile "tipped w April 9, 2026

Chipflation accelerates, Samsung device makers bump up price tags SEOUL, April 8 (AJP)-Samsung Electronics and other South Korean device makers are raising prices across smartphones, laptops and tablets as a sharp surge in memory costs — driven by artificial intelligence demand — squeezes margins and reshapes the consumer electronics market. Samsung this week lifted prices for key products including laptops and tablets, with some models rising by as much as 900,000 won ($600). The company also raised official prices of several smart April 9, 2026