South Korea Man, 60s, Found Dead After Paddleboard Disappearance in Ho Chi Minh City A South Korean man in his 60s who went missing while paddleboarding on Da Den Lake in Ho Chi Minh City was found dead about a day later, Vietnamese media reported. The case has renewed attention on a string of water recreation deaths involving stand-up paddleboards, or SUPs, in Vietnam. Vietnamese outlets including Tuoi Tre reported that on May 2, Do Chi Koi, a member of the Kim Long area People’s Committee, confirmed the victim was found near the spot where he disappeared at 12:20 p.m. May 3, 2026

Lee Says Illegal Loans Exceeding Legal Rate Are Void, Borrowers Need Not Repay President Lee Jae-myung said loan contracts that exceed the legal interest-rate cap are invalid, signaling a tougher response to harm caused by illegal private lenders. The message was widely seen as encouraging victims to report abuses. Lee wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday after sharing a post by Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eok-won: “Illegal loans that exceed the legal limit do not have to be repaid.” In his post dated April 28, the FSC chairman said a May 3, 2026

How to Manage Urban Data Center Conflicts: Speed Permits and Fair Compensation As artificial intelligence services spread, data centers are moving rapidly into urban neighborhoods, intensifying disputes in many areas. A case in Seoul’s Geumcheon district, in Doksan-dong, is being cited as an early sign of the kind of clash likely to recur nationwide. Demand is surging for “edge data centers” located close to users as AI services that require ultra-low latency — such as autonomous driving and real-time interpretation — expand. The problem is that social acceptance and rules May 3, 2026

Dutch report says South Korea midfielder Hwang In-beom out for season with injury South Korea national team midfielder Hwang In-beom, who plays for Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie, will end his season early because of injury. Dutch outlet 1908.NL reported on May 3 (Korean time), citing sources, that Hwang will not be able to play in the remaining matches. Feyenoord, currently second in the league, has three games left before the season ends. Hwang injured his right ankle in a match against Excelsior on March 16. He was named to Hong Myung-bo’s squad for March int May 3, 2026

South Korea’s June 3 Local Elections: Parties Urged to Focus on Livelihood Issues South Korea’s June 3 local elections are a month away. Voters will choose leaders of 16 metropolitan and provincial governments, along with mayors, county chiefs and local council members. The vote carries added weight as the first nationwide election since the current administration took office a year ago. The ruling party is seeking to extend its power from the legislature and the executive branch into local governments, while the opposition is aiming for a late turnaround to regain m May 3, 2026

South Korea Steps Up Crackdown After 600 Billion Won in Illegal FX Deals Uncovered South Korea is strengthening interagency enforcement as authorities continue to uncover large-scale overseas outflows of funds through illegal foreign exchange transactions. The Ministry of Finance and Economy said Saturday that it held an all-government meeting of its Illegal Foreign Exchange Transaction Response Team on April 30 to review enforcement results and major cases. The team said it found that a small overseas remittance operator abused virtual accounts to illegally send abo May 3, 2026

South Korea approves five National Growth Fund projects, bringing total to 8.4 trillion won The Financial Services Commission is moving to step up investment through the National Growth Fund. The FSC said Saturday it approved funding support for five projects at a meeting of the fund’s investment review committee. With the latest approvals, the fund has approved 11 projects totaling 8.4 trillion won in cumulative financing. A key agenda item was a 100 billion won direct investment in Upstage, a South Korean AI venture that develops AI solutions for businesses and government an May 3, 2026

South Korea launches public contest for water-energy integration ideas The government is seeking policy ideas that treat water and energy as a single system, aiming to improve efficiency by linking areas that have been managed separately. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said Saturday it will run a nationwide “Water-Energy Convergence” idea contest from May 4 to 31. In this context, “water-energy convergence” refers to a cooperation platform that integrates the water and energy sectors into one circular system and applies it jointly in policy May 3, 2026

Korea Fair Trade Commission Fines Jeju Liquor Wholesalers Group for Price, Client Controls Jeju’s liquor wholesale market has long operated under practices that controlled prices and customer accounts, and competition authorities have now sanctioned the trade group at the center of those rules.  The Korea Fair Trade Commission said Saturday it decided to issue corrective orders and fine the Jeju Liquor Wholesalers Association 256 million won for restricting competition among member companies by blocking efforts to win customers and by limiting discounts on selling prices. Acco May 3, 2026

World Bank Names Min Jin-a as Director for Market and Counterparty Risk The World Bank Group has appointed Min Jin-a, head of credit risk for the state-owned enterprise and reinsurance division at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, as director for market and counterparty risk, South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance said Sunday. The ministry said Min is scheduled to take up the post on June 1. With the appointment, the number of South Koreans in senior World Bank posts will expand to one vice president and one director. Min is a risk manage May 3, 2026