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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

A patient in Seoul’s National Medical Center was diagnosed with tuberculosis after visiting for dizziness. The 69-year-old man, identified by a pseudonym Kim Joo-hyuk, stayed two weeks in a negative-pressure isolation ward. When he was discharged, a receipt for outpatient care showed a meal charge of 31,630 won,

Iran’s next-generation leadership, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public statement since his election last week, state media reported. In a written message, he pledged to keep the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure tool against adversaries and to avenge martyrs tied to the Minab incident, signaling