• 
  Asian markets rally on ceasefire hopes, Seoul stocks surge over 8% SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) - Asian markets rose as ceasefire hopes strengthened after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a potential de-escalation within weeks, while Iran indicated willingness to end the conflict provided attacks do not resume. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 5.24 percent to trade at 53,739.68, marking its biggest gain of the year and the fourth-largest on record, as overseas investors bought on easing Middle East tensions. Semiconductor stocks led the rally, wit April 1, 2026
• 
  IVE's Jang Won-young turns heads in spring outing SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) - Jang Won-young, a member of K-pop sextet IVE, attended a promotional event for fashion brand ROLAROLA in central Seoul on Wednesday. In keeping with the French-inspired casual brand's appeal to young customers, Jang wore a white T-shirt with red embroidery, a cherry-blossom-colored cardigan tied around her waist, and a frilled lace skirt, completing her stylish look with heart-patterned fishnet stockings that awed visitors and other attendees. April 1, 2026
• 
  Investors are jittery, but analysts are buoyant behind Korean memory makers vs TurboQuant SEOUL, April 01 (AJP) - A new artificial intelligence data-compression technology from Google has hit Seoul’s main stock market as hard as Strait of Hormuz-related news, as it involves South Korea’s top memory chipmakers responsible for around 40 percent of not just the KOSPI but also the country’s exports. Since the unveiling of Google’s TurboQuant, a next-generation quantization algorithm, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix saw their shares tumble 4.7 perce April 1, 2026
• 
  Stock, FX, and debt in triple win in Seoul, but lasting strength hinges on Gulf SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) — South Korea's war-beleaguered capital markets roared back with all three assets — stocks, the won and bond prices — strengthening sharply Wednesday, helped by talk of a Gulf war endgame and a rush of foreign capital into the debt market on the first day of Korea’s inclusion in the World Government Bond Index. But since much of the rally hinges on Gulf developments, the sustainability of the gains remains in question. The doll April 1, 2026
• 
  Golden homecoming for 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' creators after Oscar win SEOUL, April 01 (AJP) -Fresh off their Oscar triumph, the creators of Netflix’s animated hit K-Pop Demon Hunters returned to Seoul to a warm, almost cinematic homecoming. The press event, held at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall, brought together director Maggie Kang, co-director Chris Appelhans, singer-songwriter EJAE and producers Lee Yoo-han, Kwak Joong-kyu and Nam Hee-dong — the team behind a film that has blurred the lines between K-pop spectacle and supernatural fa April 1, 2026
• 
  Flying for South Koreans is now a luxury as fuel surcharge triples SEOUL, April 01 (AJP) - Flying out of South Korea is fast becoming a luxury, as airlines this month slapped on fuel surcharges up to three times higher, passing on the surge in jet fuel prices driven by Middle East conflicts. For long-haul routes to the United States and beyond, passengers now face up to 600,000 won ($398) in additional round-trip costs from fuel surcharges alone. With oil prices still climbing, further increases are expected as early as next month. Industry data April 1, 2026
• 
  South Korea moves to rein in early private tutoring for toddlers SEOUL, April 1 (AJP) - A set of tightened rules will be implemented for kindergartens, nurseries, and private crammers to curb excessive courses for infants and preschoolers, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday. According to the ministry, crammers would be barred from offering rote-style intensive classes for children under 36 months as early as the second half of next year, while lesson times for preschoolers would also be capped. The move comes amid growing criticism th April 1, 2026
• 
  Data science reveals how a 500-year Joseon Dynasty was brought to knees by own elites SEOUL, April 01 (AJP) - After surviving five centuries of invasions and internal coups, the Joseon Dynasty’s ultimate undoing was a systemic collapse of fairness that data scientists have now mapped for the first time. By analyzing 14,600 officials across the "Lee" regime's 500-year history, a joint research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Hong Kong universities has pinpointed exactly how power hoarding by a few elite f April 1, 2026
• 
  The mix of populist element in Korea's "war" budget raises eyebrows SEOUL, April 01 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is set to pitch for a 26.2 trillion won ($17.4 billion) "war" extra budget Thursday before the ruling-dominant National Assembly as a "preemptive" defense against fallouts on the energy-dependent economy as the conflicts in the Middle East enters a second month. Determined to fend off bigger damage, Lee indicated during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday approving a supplementary budget — just the third month into April 1, 2026
• 
  Grand homecoming for award-winning K-pop Demon Hunters team SEOUL, April 01 (AJP) - Singer-songwriter EJAE still lives in the surreal “Golden” moment of the Oscars night she stole by winning Best Original Song for the Netflix animation K-pop Demon Hunters and performing the famously high-pitched “up, up, up” at the 98th Academy Awards. “I used to be teased in the United States, but standing on the Oscars stage and seeing the audience wave light sticks, I felt a deep sense of pride,” she said, her April 1, 2026