MBC Documentary Revisits Actor Choi Bul-am’s Life and Career MBC will air a two-part Family Month special documentary, 'Paha, This Is Choi Bul-am.' The first episode, airing at 9 p.m. on the 5th, is a radio-style documentary that looks back on actor Choi Bul-am’s life and acting career through music. Actor Park Sang-won, who played Choi’s eldest son in the MBC drama 'You and I,' serves as presenter. Part 1 traces the time of Choi as a person, beyond the label of “national actor.” It introduces moments in which he dreamed, loved and wrest May 5, 2026

South Korea Says Blast, Fire Hit Korean-Operated Ship in Strait of Hormuz; No Casualties A blast and fire broke out on a Korean-operated ship that had been stuck in the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian control, South Korea’s government said. Officials were checking whether the vessel was attacked and said no casualties had been reported so far. The Foreign Ministry said the explosion and fire occurred at about 8:40 p.m. on the 4th (Korea time) on a vessel anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates inside the Strait of Hormuz. The ship was the NAMU, operated by South May 4, 2026

South Korea checks report of Korean ship hit near Strait of Hormuz; no casualties South Korea said it was checking a report that one of its ships anchored inside the Strait of Hormuz was attacked, adding that no South Korean crew members were hurt. A Foreign Ministry official said on the 4th that the consular bureau was confirming whether the vessel was hit. “We have initially confirmed there were no casualties among our nationals,” the official said. Cheong Wa Dae said it was also determining the cause of a fire on the ship and confirmed there were no injuries amo May 4, 2026

Hanwha Aerospace Raises KAI Stake Above 5%, Shifts to Management Participation Hanwha Aerospace raises KAI stake above 5%, shifts to management participation Hanwha Aerospace said in a regulatory filing on the 4th that it bought additional shares of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), changing its stated holding purpose from a “simple investment” to “management participation.” According to the filing, Hanwha Aerospace acquired an additional 100,000 KAI shares, or 0.1%, lifting its combined stake including affiliates to 5.09%. With the stake now above 5%, the compan May 4, 2026

U.S. military says two American merchant ships transit Strait of Hormuz safely U.S. Central Command said on May 4 local time that two U.S. merchant ships safely transited the Strait of Hormuz. According to Reuters and other outlets, Central Command said in a post on X that U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers passed through the strait to support the “Liberation Project” and are now operating in the Arabian Gulf. Central Command said it is taking active steps to help resume commercial shipping. As a first step, it said, two U.S. merchant ships successfully May 4, 2026

UAE Says It Is Discussing Currency Swap Line With U.S. After Leaving OPEC The United Arab Emirates said it is discussing opening a currency swap line with the United States, following its exit from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Yonhap News Agency reported Monday. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Al Zeyoudi said the talks are part of discussions with several countries and would place the UAE in what he called an “elite group” that operates under U.S. swap policy. He made the remarks at an event in Abu Dhabi, according to Yon May 4, 2026

Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian’ Voted Top International Booker Winner in Reader Poll The International Booker Prize marked its 10th anniversary by naming Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” the top winner in a reader vote. Yonhap reported on the 4th that the Booker Prize ran the poll on its official website from February to April, asking readers to choose among 10 winning titles from 2016 to 2025. About 10,000 people took part, and roughly one-third selected “The Vegetarian.” The prize’s international category began in 2005 as the Man Booker International Prize and changed its May 4, 2026

Meta Wins South Korea Corporate Tax Suit, Renewing Debate Over Big Tech Tax Avoidance Global big tech companies are notching a string of courtroom wins against South Korea’s tax authorities, highlighting limits in taxing overseas platforms that earn substantial revenue in the country. Yonhap reported May 4 that the Seoul Administrative Court’s Administrative Division 5 ruled April 23 that Meta’s Ireland entity partly won its lawsuit seeking to cancel a corporate tax assessment imposed by the head of the Yeoksam tax office and others. The amounts assessed, challenged May 4, 2026

Iran Claims U.S. Warship Hit by Missiles in Strait of Hormuz; U.S. Denies Iranian media reported Monday that a U.S. warship trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz was hit and forced to turn back. Yonhap News Agency said Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that a U.S. Navy frigate in the Gulf of Oman was struck by two Iranian missiles and withdrew as it attempted to pass through the strait. Citing a local source in southern Iran, Fars said the frigate tried to transit near waters off Jask in southeastern Iran after violating navigation and vessel-traff May 4, 2026

Kakao Pay Launches Parents Day Campaign, Gives Carnations and Message Cards Kakao Pay is rolling out a special campaign and promotions for May, widely observed in South Korea as Family Month. A survey published Monday by Pay Attention, Kakao Pay’s official finance journal, found that 89% of 27,095 respondents chose cash as their preferred Parents Day gift. Kakao Pay said its user data showed a similar pattern. The busiest day for Kakao Pay remittances in May last year was Parents Day, when more than 3.03 million transfers were made in a single day, the highest May 4, 2026