Lee Jae-myung calls for tough punishment for fake news, abusive comments President Lee Jae-myung said on the 30th that “fake news that shows a complete lack of humanity, and insulting comments, deserve severe punishment.” Lee wrote the message on X (formerly Twitter) after linking a news report that police had arrested a man in his 50s accused of repeatedly posting online content that disparaged the Sewol ferry disaster, the Itaewon crowd crush and the victims’ families. He warned that “police task forces will respond strictly in the future as well to fake April 30, 2026

Apartment Fire in Uiwang Kills Couple, Injures 6 A fire broke out at an apartment building in Naeson-dong, Uiwang, south of Seoul, killing a couple in their 60s and injuring six other residents, Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday. The fire started about 10:30 a.m. on the 14th floor of a 20-story building, officials said. A man in his 60s who lived in the unit where the fire began died after falling, and his wife, in her 50s, was found dead inside the apartment. Six residents suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation, and we April 30, 2026

Divorce Becomes Variety-TV Material in South Korea, Drawing Mixed Reactions Celebrity divorces have become a staple of variety shows and YouTube content, turning what was once treated cautiously as private life into material for jokes and talk. Public reaction, however, remains divided. The debate resurfaced after comments by actor Ahn Jae-hyun. On April 28, a video titled “Crossing the line Son Byung-ho game. Kang So-ra shares her 15-day proposal story. Alddalcham Season 2 EP.5” was posted on the YouTube channel ‘Alttalttalhan Chamgyeon.’ The cast played the “Son Byun April 30, 2026

China Expects 1.52 Billion Trips Over May Day Holiday, Boosting Hopes for Consumption China is bracing for a surge in travel during the five-day May Day holiday from May 1 to May 5, with expectations that the rush will help revive domestic demand. The Ministry of Transport said at a recent briefing it expects total passenger movement during the holiday to reach a record 1.52 billion trips. Average daily travel is projected at 304 million trips, up 4% from a year earlier and a new high. On May 1, the first day of the break, travel is expected to hit 344 million trips. April 30, 2026

SK Square Hits 52-Week High on SK Hynix Rally SK Square rose to an intraday 52-week high on Wednesday, lifted by strength in shares of chipmaker SK Hynix. According to the Korea Exchange, SK Square was trading at 845,000 won as of 1:39 p.m., up 15,000 won, or 1.81%, from the previous session. The stock climbed as high as 877,000 won during the session, setting a new 52-week high. The move was widely seen as reflecting expectations that SK Square’s stake value will rise as SK Hynix shares advance. SK Square is SK Hynix’s largest shar April 30, 2026

CJ ENM Unveils AI-Assisted Feature Film, Says Costs and Time Cut Up to Sevenfold “Watching a shot that wouldn’t come together for days get solved at once with AI made me realize how important technology is in content production.” Jung Chang-ik, head of CJ ENM’s AI Studio team, made the remarks April 30 at the “CJ ENM 2026 AI Culture Talk” event at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall in Seoul. CJ ENM used the event to debut “Apartment (The House),” a hybrid feature film combining AI and live-action footage, and said it signals a shift in how films are made. The film was completed April 30, 2026

OneStore Unveils 'All-in-One' Platform Plan, Targets 2 Trillion Won in Transactions by 2030 South Korean app marketplace OneStore on April 30 laid out an “All in ONE Store” vision that combines downloading, payments and play on a single platform, as it moves to expand beyond a traditional app store. The company said it aims to reach 2 trillion won in transaction volume by 2030. OneStore unveiled its growth strategy for the next decade at a 10th anniversary press briefing at SKT’s T Tower in Seoul. CEO Park Tae-young said the past decade was about becoming a leading domestic ap April 30, 2026

Hana Bank to Provide Up to 85 Billion Won in Support for HD Construction Equipment Suppliers Hana Bank said April 30 it signed a business agreement with HD Construction Equipment and the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund to support shared growth in the construction equipment industry. The agreement aims to help promising small and midsize companies in the sector grow, while building a public-private cooperation framework to support next-generation technology development and expand exports. Under the deal, Hana Bank and HD Construction Equipment will set up a special contribution fund April 30, 2026

Samsung Electro-Mechanics Q1 Operating Profit Rises 40% as Revenue Tops 3 Trillion Won Samsung Electro-Mechanics said Thursday it posted first-quarter consolidated revenue of 3.2091 trillion won and operating profit of 280.6 billion won. Revenue rose 470.5 billion won, or 17%, from a year earlier and 307.0 billion won, or 11%, from the previous quarter. Operating profit increased 801 billion won, or 40%, year over year and 411 billion won, or 17%, quarter over quarter, despite reflecting 71.4 billion won in one-time costs. It was the first time since the company was found April 30, 2026

South Korea Supreme Court Upholds Convictions of 18 in Seoul Western District Court Riot Supporters who stormed the Seoul Western District Court in protest of an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol have had their convictions finalized. According to the legal community on Wednesday, the Supreme Court’s third division, with Justice Oh Seok-jun presiding, upheld lower-court rulings that sentenced 18 defendants, including a man identified by his surname Kim, to prison terms or suspended sentences on charges including aggravated trespass. Prosecutors said the group April 30, 2026