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  Hundreds of booths showcase latest tech convergence at expo in southern Seoul SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - An expo featuring the latest technologies and trends in electronics and automotive manufacturing is being held at COEX in southern Seoul, with about 250 domestic and foreign companies participating. The three-day expo with more than 400 booths which kicked off Wednesday are showcasing a wide range of equipment and solutions in the fields of automotive electronics and smart factory systems, allowing visitors to explore automated production lines and advanced m April 10, 2026
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  Flower-themed festival underway as spring in full bloom GANGNEUNG, April 10 (AJP) - A cherry-blossom-themed festival is underway along Gyeongpo Lake in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, welcoming visitors hoping to enjoy a spring outing at the peak of seasonal flowers. The weeklong festival, which kicked off last weekend and runs until Saturday, offers various programs including a singing contest, music performances, sporting events, and other activities in the surrounding areas. A roughly 4-kilometer-long trail lined with cherry blossom April 10, 2026
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  OPINION: Hwanwha's Kim Dong-kwan faces crossroads as Hanwha Solutions expansion hits financial limits SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Hanwha Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan stands before two divergent paths: one that persists with relentless expansion and another that recalibrates for structural stability. While neither choice offers a simple resolution, the window for delaying this decision has slammed shut. Under the leadership of Kim Dong-kwan, Hanwha Solutions has moved with unparalleled speed, pivoting toward solar energy and April 10, 2026
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  Statue honoring wartime sex slavery victims accessible without barricade on Wednesdays SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - A barricade that prevented people from approaching a statue honoring the victims of sexual enslavement during World War II in central Seoul was removed last Wednesday. The statue of an unsmiling girl symbolizing former sex slaves forced to serve Japanese soldiers during the war stands in front of the Japanese Embassy, where victims and their supporters have held protests every Wednesday for decades. It was the first time in about six years that the barrica April 10, 2026
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  FSS blocks 2.4 trillion won hike as Hanwha trust wavers The Financial Supervisory Service has effectively frozen a 2.4 trillion won rights offering by Hanwha Solutions, demanding a revised registration statement on the grounds that existing disclosures are insufficient and lack clarity. The regulatory intervention suspends the validity of the filing immediately; should the company fail to provide adequate supplements within three months, the offering will be deemed withdrawn. This friction in Seoul is not merely a procedural hiccup. It April 10, 2026
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  EDITORIAL: Hanwha Solutions' capital raise signals a deeper balance sheet fault line SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) — What derailed Hanwha Solutions’ planned rights offering was not disclosure alone. It was scale — and what that scale revealed. The 2.4 trillion won ($1.8 billion) capital raise, already one of the largest of its kind, carried a more troubling signal beneath the surface: 62.5 percent of the proceeds were earmarked for debt repayment. Markets did not see a growth story. They saw a balance sheet approaching its limits. The Financial S April 10, 2026
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  Asian markets rise on ceasefire talks, shrug off BOK pause SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) -Asian markets opened broadly higher Friday as investors bet on easing tensions as U.S. and Iranian delegates are set to hold face-to-face talks following a ceasefire in Pakistan on Saturday. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI rose 1.82 percent to 5,883.03, while the junior KOSDAQ gained 1.36 percent to 1,090.68 as of 11:05 a.m. The market largely brushed off the Bank of Korea’s rate freeze — extended for nearly a year — with policy inertia a April 10, 2026
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  Na Hong-jin's 'Hope' enters Cannes Competition after 4-year silence for Korea SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Na Hong-jin breaks a four-year silence for South Korean titles at Cannes with Hope, a big-budget thriller that puts him back in the Palme d’Or race. The South Korean director’s fourth feature was named to the 21-film Competition lineup unveiled Thursday (local time), marking the first time since Decision to Leave in 2022 that a Korean film has entered the festival’s top-tier section. The return carries weight beyond selection. Hope is N April 10, 2026
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  Low-cost carrier Air Premia tops 3 million int'l passengers SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Air Premia has surpassed 3 million in the cumulative number of international passengers, the low-cost carrier said on Friday. The milestone comes about three years and nine months after launching its first international routes in July 2022. Of its total of 11,458 international flights, which flew about 62.74 million kilometers, about 45.40 million kilometers or 72.3 percent of the accumulated flight distance, came from routes to North America. The averag April 10, 2026
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  Lee to meet Polish PM in Seoul next week SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung will hold a meeting with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk next week, Cheong Wa Dae said on Friday. In a written press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Tusk is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Sunday for talks with Lee. It will be the first visit by a Polish leader in 27 years and Tusk's first trip to a non-European country since taking office in December 2023. Lee and Tusk will sit down for talks o April 10, 2026