Prosecutors Add Charges in Gangbuk Motel Serial Killing Case, Citing More Victims Prosecutors have filed additional charges against Kim So-young, 20, the suspect in the so-called Gangbuk motel serial killings, after confirming signs of more alleged attacks. Authorities said similar drugging cases involving other men were uncovered beyond the incidents already indicted. According to Yonhap News Agency on the 30th, the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors Office’s Criminal Division 2, led by Chief Prosecutor Kim Ga-ram, additionally indicted Kim on charges of aggravated in April 30, 2026

South Korea’s Top 5 Financial Groups to Invest 1 Trillion Won in Venture, Startup Support KB Financial Group, Shinhan Financial Group, Hana Financial Group, Woori Financial Group and NH NongHyup Financial Group will invest 1 trillion won to support venture companies and startups. The Financial Services Commission said the government and the five financial groups (KB, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH) signed a business agreement on Wednesday to boost venture investment and 추진 the “Startup for All Project.” Attendees included Minister of SMEs and Startups Han Seong-sook, Financi April 30, 2026

South Korea’s Lee orders public debate on school field trips, review of teacher liability President Lee Jae-myung on April 30 ordered officials to gather views from across society on school field trips and to review whether teachers face unreasonable legal burdens, amid what has been dubbed the “picnic controversy.” Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said at an afternoon briefing at Chunchugwan that Lee directed the government to collect opinions through an open public debate involving teachers, parents and experts on school experiential learning trips. Kang said April 30, 2026

South Korea’s Koo Yun-cheol to Travel to Uzbekistan for Trilateral, ADB Meetings Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Koo Yun-cheol will depart for Uzbekistan to attend a series of major international meetings, including a trilateral meeting of finance ministers from South Korea, China and Japan and the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Ministry of Finance and Economy said Thursday that Koo will leave on May 2 for Samarkand, where he will chair the South Korea-China-Japan meeting of finance ministers and central bank governor April 30, 2026

Ambassador Roh Jae-heon Urges Korea-China Youth to Serve as Bridge Between Peoples Ambassador Roh Jae-heon to China visited Shanghai on a one-night, two-day trip starting April 29, carrying out public diplomacy centered on Korea-China exchanges in youth, culture and history. The Korean Embassy in China said Roh delivered a lecture at NYU Shanghai on April 29 titled "A New Era in Korea-China Relations" and met with students for an open discussion. He said young people in both countries should pursue global cooperation in areas including innovation, culture and peace, and April 30, 2026

South Korea seeks discipline for 12 officials over mishandled recovery in 12·29 Jeju Air crash The Office for Government Policy Coordination said it will seek disciplinary action against 12 public officials over what it called a poor recovery effort that left victims’ remains inadequately collected and stored for an extended period after the 12·29 Jeju Air passenger plane disaster. The office’s joint government inspection team on Wednesday released results of an intensive review conducted for about a month starting March 23, covering the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation April 30, 2026

Court Halts FIU Sanction, Allowing Bithumb to Keep Operating for Now Bithumb, a South Korean virtual asset exchange, has avoided a financial regulator’s business suspension for now. According to the legal community on Wednesday, the Seoul Administrative Court’s Administrative Division 2, presided over by Chief Judge Gong Hyeon-jin, granted Bithumb’s request to suspend the Financial Intelligence Unit’s (FIU) sanction of a “six-month partial business suspension.” The measure will remain suspended until the court rules on the main case. The FIU had said Bithu April 30, 2026

Shinhan Financial to Launch $100 Million Venture Fund, Targeting $1 Billion in Startup Investment Shinhan Financial Group said it will launch a private venture fund-of-funds and provide investment support totaling 1 trillion won for youth-led and regional startups. Shinhan said it signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday with the Financial Services Commission and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to boost venture investment and will launch a 100 billion won fund-of-funds. The fund is the first project to be carried out under a public-private cooperation framework built with t April 30, 2026

Survey: 82.2% of South Korean women-owned firms say Middle East crisis is hurting business As fallout from the Middle East crisis spreads across South Korea’s small-business sector, a new survey found that more than 8 in 10 women-owned companies say their operations are already being hit. Many reported a double squeeze from higher input costs and weaker domestic consumption. According to a survey released Thursday by the Women’s Economic Research Institute under the Women’s Enterprise Comprehensive Support Center, 82.2% of women-owned firms said their business activities are cur April 30, 2026

Socar to Launch 150 Billion Won Self-Driving Unit; Krafton to Invest 65 Billion Won Socar said it is pushing to set up a self-driving-focused subsidiary with planned investment of 150 billion won, a level it described as among the largest in South Korea’s autonomous driving services sector. Video game company Krafton will join the project as a strategic investor. Socar said Thursday the new company is expected to be established in May. Socar CEO Park Jae-wook, who has led the company’s autonomous driving initiatives, will also serve as CEO of the new unit and oversee the April 30, 2026