POSCO to directly hire 7,000 subcontractor workers in major labor overhaul SEOUL, April 08 (AJP) - POSCO has announced a sweeping plan to directly hire around 7,000 subcontractor workers at its steel mills, marking a significant move to address longstanding issues surrounding subcontracting structures in industrial workplaces. The steelmaker said Tuesday it has established a roadmap to directly employ subcontractor workers who support production operations at its Pohang and Gwangyang steel plants. The hiring will be carried out in phases. POSCO has trad April 8, 2026

Lee congratulates Thai PM on reelection SEOUL, April 8 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung spoke by phone with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday to congratulate him on his reelection, Cheong Wa Dae said on Wednesday. The call, which was made the previous day, came after Anutin, who led the conservative Bhumjaithai Party to a landslide victory in Thailand's general election last February, was reelected as the country's prime minister on March 19. He became the first Thai prime minister to win April 8, 2026

UPDATE: Korea's C/A at record high, foreign invest dip steepest in Feb *Updated with additional information SEOUL, April 8 (AJP) — South Korea's current account surplus reached a historic monthly high in February, crossing the $20 billion mark for the first time since records began and will stay largely insulated from the Middle East-driven oil and dollar spike at least through March, the central bank said Wednesday. Bank of Korea (BOK) data showed the February current account posted a record $23.19 billion surplus, surpassing the previo April 8, 2026

OPNION: BOK chief nominee Shin faces immediate test Shin Hyun-song’s nomination as the next governor of the Bank of Korea has been broadly welcomed by markets, reflecting confidence in both his credentials and temperament. In my own brief encounters with him, he left a strong impression of humility — a trait not always associated with figures of global stature. Few would dispute that his theoretical grounding and practical experience rank among the best. Notably absent so far is the kind of envy or backlash April 8, 2026

Turkish police neutralize three gunmen as Istanbul attack targets financial district SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - Turkish security forces killed three gunmen in a high-stakes shootout outside Yapi Kredi Plaza in Istanbul, on Tuesday, thwarting what authorities described as a treacherous assault on the heart of the metropolitan commercial district. The engagement, which left two officers with minor injuries, marks the most direct threat to the financial hub of Besiktas since the regional security environment fractured in late February. This disruption of the status quo on April 7, 2026

LG Energy Solution sinks deeper into red with second straight quarterly loss SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - LG Energy Solution posted a widening operating loss for the first quarter of 2026, marking its second consecutive quarterly deficit as a prolonged slump in global electric vehicle demand and a sharp drop in U.S. tax credits eroded profitability at the world's No. 2 battery maker. The company said in a preliminary regulatory filing on Tuesday that it logged a consolidated operating loss of 207.8 billion won ($138.7 million) for the January to March period, April 7, 2026

Lee urges bipartisan unity, defends extra budget in meeting with party leaders SEOUL, April 7 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung met with leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties on Tuesday, urging bipartisan cooperation and national unity as South Korea faces a major crisis amid the prolonged conflit in the Middle East. At a luncheon meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Lee said, "Internal unity is especially important when a country faces a crisis." He added that South Korea is in a "major crisis" caused by external factor April 7, 2026

Asian stocks edge up as markets brace for Trump's Iran deadline SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - Asian equities ended mostly higher Tuesday, though gains were limited as investors held back ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s self-imposed nighttime deadline for Iran. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI rose 0.82 percent to 5,494.78 after swinging between gains and losses through the session. The rebound was helped by renewed foreign buying following Samsung Electronics’ blockbuster first-quarter earnings, which placed it among the world& April 7, 2026

Samsung vaults into global top tier as AI-driven memory boom turbocharges profits SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - Its record-smashing first-quarter earnings that nearly matched the full-year income of its previous peak in 2018 place Samsung Electronics among the world’s top five big tech firms and suggest it could even challenge Nvidia in operating profit if the memory supercycle extends into next year. The company on Tuesday estimated its first-quarter operating profit at 57.2 trillion won ($38.0 billion), nearly tripling its previous quarterly high in the Octo April 7, 2026

Another bio boom burst looms over KOSDAQ SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - Boom-and-bust cycles have long defined Korea’s bio stocks, and the latest episode has unfolded around generic and specialty drugmaker Sam Chun Dang Pharm. Sam Chun Dang closed Tuesday at 519,000 won ($345), down 16.02 percent on the day. From its closing high of 1.184 million won on March 30, the stock has plunged more than 56 percent — a sharp reversal after an earlier surge of nearly 400 percent from around 270,000 won at the start of the ye April 7, 2026