Samsung Welstory 2025 Operating Profit Slips 2.5% to 153 Billion Won on Higher Costs Samsung Welstory posted higher revenue last year, but operating profit edged down as cost pressures increased. According to a filing on the electronic disclosure system on Tuesday, the company’s operating profit totaled 153 billion won, down 2.5% from a year earlier. Its operating margin slipped to 4.7% from 5.0%, a decline of 0.3 percentage points. The company cited higher labor costs and rising food ingredient prices as weighing on profitability. Revenue rose 4.7% to 3.264 trillion won January 28, 2026

Cold Wave to Grip Central South Korea; Snow or Rain Expected on Jeju Cold weather will persist Thursday, with the harshest conditions centered on South Korea’s central regions. Morning lows are forecast at minus 15 to 3 degrees Celsius (5 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit), with daytime highs of minus 3 to 7 C (27 to 45 F). That is colder than seasonal averages of minus 12 to 0 C (10 to 32 F) in the morning and 1 to 8 C (34 to 46 F) in the afternoon. Cold wave warnings remain in effect for Gyeonggi Province, inland and mountainous Gangwon Province, inland Chungcheo January 28, 2026

South Korea Justice Ministry Holds Public Meeting on 2026 Immigration Policy South Korea’s Justice Ministry said it held a public communication meeting on Jan. 27 to share key directions for its 2026 immigration policy, including managing illegal stays and protecting the rights of foreign nationals. The ministry said the meeting was organized amid calls to better reflect what most citizens want from immigration policy while ensuring the enforcement process does not neglect the human rights of foreign nationals. It shared its 2026 policy direction with civic groups January 28, 2026

NAND Flash Supply Tightens as Chipmakers Prioritize HBM, Raising Costs for Businesses and Consumers As the semiconductor industry shifts investment toward high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, and other high-performance DRAM, a deepening shortage of NAND flash is expected to squeeze both corporate buyers and consumers. Industry officials said Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have recently concentrated equipment and staff on expanding HBM and converting to advanced DRAM processes, while keeping new NAND investment and line expansions to a minimum. As a result, global NAND supply growth is expec January 28, 2026

South Korea to Require English Disclosures for All KOSPI-Listed Companies Starting Next March Starting in May, the number of listed companies required to file disclosures in English will jump to 265 from 111. Disclosure items will expand and some deadlines will be shortened. To raise the KOSPI market’s international standing, South Korea will also move up the start of mandatory English disclosures for all KOSPI-listed companies to next March, more than a year earlier than planned. The Financial Services Commission said it approved revisions to the “Regulations on Issuance and Disc January 28, 2026

Korean GM Workers Rally Against Mass Layoffs at Sejong Logistics Contractor "Direct and subcontract workers have united. Bring out the real boss now." Direct employees and subcontract workers at Korean GM rallied together over mass layoffs involving subcontract workers at the company’s Sejong logistics center. On Jan. 28, about 300 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Korean GM branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union held a joint rally outside the west gate of Korean GM’s Bupyeong plant, demanding that the company immediate January 28, 2026

Uzbekistan to retain trade protection rights during World Trade Organization accession SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - Azizbek Urunov, the Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on World Trade Organization (WTO) issues, announced on January 26 that the country will maintain the right to protect specific economic sectors as it enters the final stages of its accession process. This measure is intended to support national industries facing temporary difficulties or pressure from imports while aligning with international trade rules. The move follows nearly a d January 28, 2026

Ecuador Protests After ICE Agents Try to Enter Consulate in Minneapolis U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tried to enter Ecuador’s consulate in Minneapolis on Monday but left after consulate staff blocked them, according to The Washington Post. Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it immediately submitted a letter of protest to the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador, demanding steps to ensure such an incident does not happen again at any Ecuadorian consulate in the United States. The ministry said the agents attempted to enter the building January 28, 2026

Fire at Scrap Yard in Cheonan Extinguished; No Injuries Reported A fire broke out at a scrap yard in Cheonan, South Korea, officials said. Fire authorities said the blaze was reported at about 5:17 p.m. on the 28th at a scrap yard in Seonghwan-eup, in Cheonan’s Seobuk-gu district. Officials responded after residents reported seeing black smoke and fully extinguished the fire 22 minutes later. No injuries were reported. Earlier, Cheonan sent an emergency text alert at about 5:28 p.m., warning residents to avoid inhaling smoke and asking drivers to tak January 28, 2026

South Korea’s Law Firm Won Wins 3 Categories at ABLJ 2025 Korea Law Firm Awards Law Firm Won said Jan. 28 it won three categories — defense industry, ESG and entertainment and sports — at the “Korea Law Firm Awards 2025,” announced by Asian Business Law Journal (ABLJ). ABLJ, a legal media outlet covering Asia, conducts annual surveys of companies and law firms in the region to select top performers. Won’s latest results extend its streak to two straight wins in ESG and three straight in entertainment and sports, while marking its first win in the defense industry ca January 28, 2026