Seoul Mayor Candidate Oh Se-hoon Pledges to Double City Kids Cafes, Build Job-Experience Theme Parks Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party’s Seoul mayoral candidate, said Tuesday he would double the number of Seoul-style kids cafes and build a new public job-experience theme park called “Seoul Children’s Imagination Land.” Oh announced the plan, billed as “Happy Kids City Seoul,” at the Green Green Kids Cafe inside the Seoul International Garden Show at Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu on Children’s Day. Oh’s campaign said the pledge aims to redesign the city from children’s perspective while May 5, 2026

Korea Sports Council Secretary General Kim Nami Resigns After Remarks to Family of Comatose Athlete Kim Nami, secretary general of the Korea Sports Council, has resigned after sparking controversy over remarks she made to the family of a student athlete who collapsed during a match and remains unconscious. The council said May 4 that Kim had offered to step down and take responsibility for the matter raised recently. Her resignation came three days after she was suspended from her duties on May 1. In a statement released through the council, Kim said, “I deeply apologize for causing con May 5, 2026

South Korea Urged to Shift From Punishment to Prevention in Semiconductor Tech Leaks Prosecutors visited Samsung Electronics’ Pyeongtaek campus to inspect semiconductor processes and on-site security systems. Senior officials handling technology-leak investigations checked production lines and heard directly from workers, a notable shift. Technology crimes cannot be addressed with legal knowledge alone. Without understanding manufacturing steps and how data moves, investigators can struggle to identify evidence and measure damage. Even if overdue, the on-site approach is a neces May 5, 2026

South Korea Likely to Keep Age Threshold for Juvenile Criminal Responsibility The government’s public consultation on the age cutoff for criminal responsibility — the standard that defines so-called “juvenile offenders below the age of criminal responsibility” — is reportedly moving toward keeping the current rule. Under the existing system, children under age 14 are subject to protective measures rather than criminal punishment, and the government is expected to focus on strengthening safeguards instead of changing the age threshold immediately. If that conclus May 5, 2026

Trump’s Hormuz Pressure Tests South Korea’s ‘Survival Alliance’ With the U.S. Alliances long operated on a simple premise: In a crisis, partners move together. Little explanation was needed, and the choice seemed straightforward. That premise is now under strain. President Donald Trump’s demand that South Korea take part militarily in a crisis involving the Strait of Hormuz is more than routine diplomatic pressure. It signals a structural shift in how alliances are expected to work. Trump’s message is blunt: “Security is not free.” That line carries three calculations. May 5, 2026

LG Electronics Again Ranks in S&P Global’s Top 1% for ESG, Third Straight Year LG Electronics has again placed near the top of major global ESG assessments, underscoring its sustainability management results. The company said Monday it was named to the “Top 1%” in S&P Global’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment for a third consecutive year. The assessment covered 9,243 companies worldwide, with only the top 1% in each industry group classified separately. LG Electronics scored 77 points in the household durables and leisure equipment category, the highest score in May 5, 2026

South Korea Urged to Pursue Orderly Restructuring as Cable TV Industry Falters South Korea’s cable TV industry is sliding deeper into crisis. As streaming services and internet protocol TV expand, cable subscriptions have fallen and profitability has eroded, leaving a sector that once led the pay-TV market now focused on basic survival. The downturn should not be treated as a simple market fadeout. Cable TV still carries public-service duties, including local news, emergency alerts and community information. That makes it a policy issue, not something the government can May 5, 2026

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan to Visit U.S., Canada for Investment Talks and Submarine Bid Kim Jung-kwan, South Korea’s minister of trade, industry and energy, will visit the United States and Canada to step up economic and industrial cooperation, with talks expected to cover a first U.S. investment project and Canada’s submarine procurement competition. The ministry said Kim will travel to Ottawa and Washington from Tuesday through May 8 (local time) for meetings aimed at strengthening partnership on economic and industrial cooperation. The trip comes about two months after he May 5, 2026

SK On-Nissan Battery Deal Under Review as EV Demand Slows Cracks are emerging in the electric-vehicle battery industry, with reports that SK On and Japan’s Nissan have entered a full review of a battery supply agreement said to be worth about 15 trillion won. The move highlights structural uncertainty in a market long described as a growth sector, as demand shifts collide with heavy investment burdens. The review is rooted in a slowdown in the EV market. As global automakers adjust production plans, battery demand is weakening faster than expect May 5, 2026

On Children’s Day, South Korea’s kids are still headed to cram schools "A magic trick that turns a golden holiday into a skills holiday." That was a promotional line from a private academy for Children’s Day 2026. The day is meant for children, but the copy’s real beneficiary is the parent — more precisely, parental anxiety. This year’s Children’s Day scene in the academy districts is familiar. Academies advertising special classes added that they would “maintain learning continuity and secure parents’ rest time.” It is Children’s Day, but children are not the su May 5, 2026