Battery maker CEO gets far reduced sentence in appeals court over deadly factory fire SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Lithium battery maker Aricell's CEO was sentenced to four years in prison over a deadly fire in an appeals court in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday. It was a far lower sentence than the 15 years handed down in the first trial over the fire at the company's plant last year, which claimed about two dozen lives. The Suwon High Court delivered the far more lenient sentence to Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan, who was indicted on several charges including April 22, 2026

Police seek arrest warrant for HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk over alleged IPO fraud SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - South Korean police have applied for an arrest warrant for Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of BTS agency HYBE, on allegations that he misled investors ahead of the company’s initial public offering (IPO), authorities said Tuesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Financial Crimes Investigation Unit said it requested the warrant from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office on charges under the Capital Markets Act. The move comes about 16 April 21, 2026

Number of EVs tops 1 million in cumulative registrations SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - The number of registered electric vehicles this year has surpassed 100,000 as of last week, bringing cumulative registrations to more than 1 million, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said on Tuesday. The milestone is coming faster than in previous years, as it took until early July to hit 100,000 registrations last year, and until mid-September a year earlier. Until March, EVs accounted for about 20 percent of new vehicle registrations, or 8 April 21, 2026

Korea's antitrust watchdog weighs naming Coupang's Kim as group head SEOUL, April 20 (AJP) - South Korea's antitrust regulator is poised to decide as early as next week whether to name Coupang founder Bom Kim as the e-commerce group's controlling shareholder, a shift that would bring the U.S. citizen under the country's toughest corporate disclosure and anti-self-dealing rules for the first time. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) is in the final stages of reviewing whether to replace the Coupang corporate entity with Kim, chairman of April 20, 2026

Health authorities say current vaccines remain effective amid concerns over new COVID-19 variant SEOUL, April 18 (AJP) - The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Saturday that current COVID-19 vaccines remain effective against a new variant, urging the public not to overreact. The agency cited an assessment by the World Health Organization regarding the BA3.2 variant, noting that currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are “expected to continue providing protection against severe disease,” and adding that there is “no data indicating increased April 18, 2026

South Korea to hold training camp in Salt Lake City to prepare for World Cup in June SEOUL, April 17 (AJP) - The final roster of South Korea's national soccer team for this year's FIFA World Cup will be decided by mid-May, the Korea Football Association said on Friday. Once the 26-man roster is announced by head coach Hong Myung-bo on May 16, they will leave for Salt Lake City, Utah to hold a pre-tournament camp to prepare for the quadrennial sporting event. This year's World Cup, which kicks off in June, will be the first to feature 48 teams and th April 17, 2026

Wolf escaped from Daejeon zoo undergoes surgery to remove fishhook after capture SEOUL, April 17 (AJP) - "Neukgu," a wolf that escaped from a zoo in Daejeon last week and was caught after a nine-day search on Friday, is recovering at a veterinary clinic after undergoing surgery to remove a fishhook found in its stomach. According to Daejeon city officials, an X-ray revealed a 2.6-centimeter fishhook, along with leaves and fish bones. The fishhook, which posed a risk of perforation, was safely removed. The wolf was captured after rescue April 17, 2026

Seasoned economic expert tapped as South Korea's new ambassador to UK SEOUL, April 17 (AJP) - Kim Heung-chong, the former head of a state-run think tank was tapped as South Korea's new ambassador to the U.K., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. Kim, who headed the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) from 2020 to 2023, also served as an adviser in South Korea's negotiations on a free trade agreement with the European Union (EU) and sat on committees under various ministries including the Ministry of Trade, Ind April 17, 2026

Sewol families still trapped in that day 12 years ago as closure never arrives SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - The familiar ache — the rage, the self-hate, the gut-wrenching grief, and finally the emptiness — returns every April. It is, for Choi Soon-hwa, the cruelest month. Each night in the days leading up to April 16, she returns to that day, now twelve years ago. “Why did so many people have to die? Why weren’t they saved? Why didn’t anyone tell them to come out, to jump, to escape?” For twelve years, these questions have April 16, 2026

First meeting on next year's minimum wage to be held next week SEOUL, April 15 (AJP) - This year's first meeting of a committee responsible for setting next year's minimum wage is scheduled to be held next week. The committee, consisting of members from labor, employer and government representatives under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, will gather for talks at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong on April 21. With the committee's chair remaining vacant, members in attendance are expected to elect April 15, 2026