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  OPINION: The hidden genius in our pockets SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Last October, I had the pleasure of visiting the Korea University Museum at the invitation of its director, Professor Song Wan-beom. The visit was organized by the second graduating class of the ‘Creative CEO’ program, originally established by the National Museum of Korea in 2010. Among the many treasures on display, the Honcheonui (National Treasure No. 230) was the m 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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  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immediately; should the company fail to provide adequate supplements within three months, the offering will be deemed withdrawn.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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  OPINION: A fragile truce, a stubborn strait — and a long test ahead Thirty-nine days after the United States launched its operation against Iran, dubbed “Epic Fury,” Washington and Tehran agreed to halt attacks for 14 days and begin talks on ending the war. The deal clears an immediate hurdle — but little more. The two sides have remained adversaries for nearly 50 years. Expecting a sweeping agreement within two weeks is unrealistic. The agenda alone is daunting: reopening the Strait of Hormuz, trading limits on April 10, 2026
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  OPINION: Governance question lingers behind Korea's market rollercoaster Market volatility has become the norm in 2026. The KOSPI index is liable to shoot up and down any moment, as global analysts watch for hints of supply chains either being freed or tied up amid the conflict in the Middle East. Just before the fighting started, Korean stocks were riding an unprecedented surge. Airstrikes on Iran began in same week that an artificial intelligence boom helped the KOSPI cross the 6,000 level for the first time ever, just 250 days after surpassing 3,000. April 9, 2026
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  OPINION: Hormuz and the hidden logic of Iran's strategy The airstrikes have paused - for now. But wars rarely end when the shooting stops. They evolve. Language replaces firepower, and interpretation becomes a battlefield of its own. The two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran appears, on the surface, to signal de-escalation. In reality, it looks more like the opening move of a more calibrated contest. Within hours of the agreement, both sides accused each other of violations, while sending conflicting signals over the April 9, 2026
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  OPINION: War without order and reason The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran has entered its sixth week, with no clear end in sight. What began as a show of force has instead evolved into a grinding conflict, disrupting global energy flows, rattling markets and exposing the fragility of international order. Each morning, attention turns less to the battlefield than to Washington — to President Donald Trump’s shifting rhetoric, deadlines and threats. Policy, i April 9, 2026
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  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