Trump Floats ‘Project Freedom’ to Move Ships Stuck in Strait of Hormuz, Easing Korea Oil Supply Fears 도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령이 호르무즈 해협에 발이 묶여 있는 제3국 선박을 안전하게 이동시키는 '해방 프로젝트(Project Freedom)' 추진을 시사했다. 계획이 예정대로 시행되면 한국의 원유 수급에도 도움이 될 수 있다. 다만 이란의 반발이 즉각 나오면서 불확실성은 여전하다는 지적도 나온다. 4일 관계 부처에 따르면 트럼프 대통령은 3일(현지시간) 트루스소셜에 "전 세계 여러 나라에서 호르무즈 해협에 갇힌 자국 선박들을 풀어줄 수 있는지 문의해 왔다"며 "이들은 이 분쟁과 아무 관련이 없는 중립적이고 무고한 방관자일 May 4, 2026

South Korea Tax Agency Alerts 220,000 to File Capital Gains Tax Returns by June 1 Taxpayers who traded real estate, stocks or other assets must file their final capital gains tax return by June 1, South Korea’s National Tax Service said. The agency has sent filing notices to about 220,000 people and is expanding support for simplified online filing through Hometax. The NTS said it began sending mobile notices on the 4th to about 220,000 taxpayers required to file final capital gains tax returns for 2025 income. Those include people who sold real estate, stocks or other May 4, 2026

Lee Jae-myung urges public input on timing, process for special counsel probe of alleged illegal prosecution President Lee Jae-myung said Monday that a national consensus has formed around the Democratic Party’s push for a special counsel to investigate what it calls politically motivated, fabricated indictments by prosecutors. Hong Ik-pyo, the presidential senior secretary for political affairs, told reporters in a briefing at the Chunchugwan press center that a parliamentary investigation had already revealed much of the alleged illegal conduct and improper investigations carried out under th May 4, 2026

Democratic Party Slams People Power Nominations as ‘Yoon Again’ Push Ahead of June 3 Local Elections The Democratic Party of Korea on May 4 stepped up its criticism of the People Power Party’s nominations for the June 3 local elections, with party leader Jung Cheong-rae calling them, in his words, a declaration of a return to a “Yoon Again party.” Speaking at an on-site Supreme Council meeting in Busan, Jung said the lineup of nominees was “shocking,” and asked whether the party was nominating “remnants” or the “main body” of an insurrection, and whether it was trying to “stage another May 4, 2026

Kim Keon Hee case heads to South Korea’s top court as both sides appeal The special counsel team led by Min Jung-gi has taken to the Supreme Court the case of Kim Keon Hee, who was sentenced on appeal to four years in prison over allegations including Deutsche Motors stock manipulation and receiving valuables tied to the Unification Church. Kim’s side had already filed an appeal, setting up a final round of arguments over guilt and sentencing. According to the legal community on Monday, the special counsel filed its notice of appeal with the Seoul High Court’ May 4, 2026

U.S. Catholic Churches Draw Gen Z as Mass Attendance and Baptisms Rise Catholic churches in the United States are drawing growing interest among young people, The Wall Street Journal reported May 3. The trend has been compared to the way Buddhism in South Korea has gained a “cool religion” image among younger generations in recent years. The Journal visited St. Joseph’s Church in Lower Manhattan, where the 6 p.m. Sunday Mass was packed. Some worshippers sat on balcony steps or leaned against walls through the 90-minute service. When it came time for Communio May 4, 2026

KOSPI Jumps More Than 3% as Foreign and Institutional Buying Lifts Seoul Stocks South Korean stocks surged in intraday trading Monday, led by semiconductor shares, with the benchmark KOSPI rising more than 3% and setting a fresh record high.  As of 11:02 a.m., the KOSPI was up 242.98 points, or 3.68%, at 6,841.85, according to the Korea Exchange. The index opened up 184.06 points, or 2.79%, at 6,782.93 and extended gains on foreign buying. In the main market, foreigners and institutions were net buyers of 2.3264 trillion won and 1.2675 trillion won, respectively, wh May 4, 2026

China-Taiwan Diplomatic Rivalry Intensifies in Africa and South America China and Taiwan are stepping up diplomatic competition in Africa and South America, vying for the last remaining Taiwan allies in each region. On May 2 (local time), Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini, according to the BBC and other outlets. The small monarchy in southeastern Africa, formerly known as Swaziland, gained independence from Britain in 1968. Eswatini has been Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa since Burkina Faso cut ties with Taiwan and established relati May 4, 2026

Fed’s Kashkari Says Next Rate Move May Not Be a Cut The Middle East war and a resulting oil shock could alter the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate path, a Fed official warned. According to Reuters on May 4, Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said economic uncertainty has increased because of the war involving Iran, making it harder for the Fed to give clear signals about the direction of future rates. He said that if disruptions to crude oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz persist, infl May 4, 2026

Gold Holds Steady as Markets Watch U.S. Hormuz Shipping Plan, U.S.-Iran Talks International gold prices were little changed as investors weighed a U.S. plan to steer some ships away from the Strait of Hormuz and hopes for progress in U.S.-Iran talks. Demand for safe-haven assets eased somewhat, but gold avoided a sharper drop as energy prices stayed elevated, tempering expectations for interest-rate cuts in major economies. Bloomberg reported that spot gold in Singapore trading on Monday morning was $4,609.23 an ounce (about 6.78 million won), down 0.1%. It traded May 4, 2026