South Korea’s Democratic Party Speeds Up By-Election Nominations Ahead of June 3 Vote The Democratic Party of Korea, after quickly wrapping up nominations for provincial and metropolitan chief executives for the June 3 local elections — ending with the announcement of its Jeju governor candidate on April 18 — is also moving fast to pick candidates for the by-elections being held the same day. With many of the contests taking place in districts previously held by the party, the DPK aims to complete nominations by the first week of May to maximize candidates’ time on the ca April 24, 2026

Mosuseoul Apologizes After Customer Alleges Wine Vintage Switch; Online Backlash Follows A wine service dispute at Mosu, the Michelin three-star fine-dining restaurant run by chef Ahn Sung-jae, has drawn attention online after the restaurant posted an apology and commenters criticized its wording. Earlier, a customer identified as A wrote on a Naver cafe that during a visit to Mosuseoul, they ordered an expensive wine but believed a different wine was served. A said the sommelier held up a bottle described as a “2005” vintage and explained it as 2005, but after tastin April 24, 2026

Lee Jae-myung Visits Hanoi’s Thang Long Imperial Citadel During Vietnam State Trip President Lee Jae-myung on April 24 (local time) visited Vietnam’s Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a cultural heritage site, with Vietnamese Communist Party chief and state president To Lam and his spouse as part of a friendship program. Lee, on a state visit to Vietnam, wore a tie featuring red and blue Taegeuk colors, while first lady Kim Hye-kyung wore a white two-piece outfit. The presidential office said the couple chose coordinated attire symbolizing a single Korean flag, expressing April 24, 2026

Special counsel raids Joint Chiefs over alleged bid for second martial law deployment A special counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young, investigating unresolved questions after the 12·3 insurrection incident, launched its first compulsory investigation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday, focusing on allegations of an attempted “second martial law.” The probe has gained urgency after new testimony suggested the military considered additional troop deployments even after the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding martial law be lifted. The team sent prosecutors April 24, 2026

PPP Leader Jang Dong-hyeok Rejects Calls to Step Down, Vows to Face Voters’ Verdict Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, on April 24 rejected calls within his party for him to resign, saying stepping down because circumstances have worsened is not what a responsible politician does. In a Facebook post, Jang said he has focused since taking the party’s top post on winning upcoming local elections. “People are saying a lot about my future,” he wrote, referring to the resignation talk. “That kind of politics is not Jang Dong-hyeok’s politics. I will do my best April 24, 2026

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok says he will weigh resignation amid 15% support Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, said April 24 that internal divisions were a key reason the party’s support had fallen to a record low of 15%, rejecting calls for him to step down.  Speaking at a news conference at the National Assembly, Jang said talk about his future and resignation had followed the polling, noting there were 40 days left until local elections.  Referring to survey results released the previous day, he said one poll showed the party “stuck at 15%,” a April 24, 2026

Financial Services Commission chief says IBK wins Vietnam banking license after 9 years Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eok-won, who accompanied President Lee Jae-myung on a state visit to Vietnam, said IBK Industrial Bank of Korea’s Vietnam unit has obtained a full local banking license after nine years. In a post on X on the 23rd, Lee said the president’s Vietnam trip “expanded the territory of K-finance,” and outlined financial outcomes reached in Vietnam. He highlighted IBK’s license as the most notable result, saying Vietnam’s central bank had not issued a n April 24, 2026

BLACKPINK’s Jisoo wins rising star award at Cannes International Series Festival BLACKPINK’s Jisoo has won a rising star award at the 9th Cannes International Series Festival. Jisoo received the Madame Figaro Rising Star Award at the festival’s opening ceremony on April 23 (local time) in Cannes, France. In a statement posted on its website, the organizers said Jisoo is expanding her filmography by pursuing work across genres and formats while continuing her music career. Citing projects including the Netflix series “Monthly Boyfriend,” the festival said she w April 24, 2026

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Warns of ‘Soft Dictatorship,’ Urges Voters to ‘Protect Seoul’ People Power Party Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon, the incumbent mayor, on Thursday urged voters to back him, saying it was important to “protect Seoul” to prevent what he called the possibility of “soft dictatorship” under the Lee Jae-myung government. In a TV Chosun YouTube interview that morning, Oh said that if the ruling party won a landslide in the local elections, it would become “like a runaway locomotive with no brakes.” Oh also warned that if the Democratic Party’s Seoul ma April 24, 2026

Lee Jae-myung calls for scaling back tax breaks for nonresident homeownership President Lee Jae-myung said April 24 that tax relief tied to long-term homeownership should focus on people who actually live in their homes, not on owners who hold property as an investment. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lee said that to protect single-home owners, capital gains tax relief based on the period of actual residence is needed. But he said cutting taxes on the sale of expensive homes “just because someone invested for a long time without living there” is not a housing April 24, 2026