Ian Werther

The South China Morning Post, citing unnamed sources, reported on the 13th that Marco Rubio, often viewed as one of the United States’ most hawkish voices on China, is expected to accompany President Donald Trump on a planned visit to China. Rubio had not readily accepted the invitation to travel

Lotte Home Shopping said at its regular shareholders’ meeting on the 13th that the composition of its board of directors has been realigned: the slate now consists of six executives from the Lotte side and three from Taekwang Industrial, up from the previous 5–4 split. The change means Lotte

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said it is investigating suspected price coordination at certain regional gas stations, focusing on areas in Busan, parts of North Gyeongsang Province, and Jeju Island. The inquiry follows reports of possible price alignment that could hurt consumers. KFTC Chair Jo Byung-gi disclosed the status

Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University warned that the United States could face a period of stagflation—a combination of high inflation and slow growth—as tensions in the Middle East and tariff policies weigh on the economy. He spoke in a Money Matters podcast interview that was

South Korea will debut a government-imposed ceiling on petroleum product prices, the first since price liberalization in 1997. Known as the oil price ceiling plan, the policy takes effect from March 13 at 0:00 and will be updated every two weeks to reflect global oil markets. The initial price

Two weeks into the war sparked by American and Israeli airstrikes, Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Hamenei, issued his first official message on the 13th, signaling a hardline response to the United States and Israel. In the televised address, Hamenei said Iran would keep using the leverage of

Netflix’s animated feature K-Pop Demon Hunters, the streaming giant’s most successful animation to date, will return as a sequel. The company said it has formalized a multi-year animation writing and directing partnership with Maggie Kang, a Korean-Canadian co-director, and Chris Appelhans, a fellow director. A timeline for the

Lotte Home Shopping, the home shopping arm of South Korea’s Lotte Group, held its regular shareholders meeting in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, and approved a board-wide expansion of independent outside directors. Under the vote, the board composition shifted from a setup of five Lotte-recommended directors (three inside directors and two outside

Woori Bank, Nol Universe and Kona AI announced on the 13th that they have signed a business partnership to offer a foreigner-only prepaid card–based financial service. The agreement was described as aimed at improving payment convenience and financial access for foreign tourists visiting Korea. The three companies plan to

Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC), in a meeting with the Korea Federation of Banks and seven banks on the 13th, discussed steps to strengthen support for victims of jeonse fraud and to consider a discounted distribution of delinquent mortgage claims tied to affected properties. The proposal, described as a