South Korea Says Lee’s Vietnam Trip Deepens Energy, Infrastructure Cooperation The presidential office said Thursday (local time) that President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Vietnam produced agreement to upgrade cooperation in areas including infrastructure and energy. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said at a briefing at a press center in Hanoi that Lee and To Lam, Vietnam’s Communist Party general secretary and state president, shared the view at their summit the previous day that the two countries are each other’s most reliable partners in driving development. April 23, 2026

Iran Reports First Strait of Hormuz Transit Fee Deposit to Central Bank Local media reported on April 23 (local time) that a transit fee for passage through the Strait of Hormuz has been deposited with Iran’s central bank for the first time. Yonhap News Agency and local outlets cited Hamid Reza Haji Babaei, a deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament, as making the statement. No details were released on the amount or the timing of the deposit. Iran’s military sealed off the strait by force on Feb. 28, shortly after attacks by the United States and Israel, in what April 23, 2026

People Power Party Leadership Reconsiders Seoul Jung-gu Mayor Nomination; Seoul Chapter Vows Reapproval The People Power Party's central leadership said April 23 it did not approve the Seoul chapter's nomination of incumbent Jung-gu Mayor Kim Gil-seong as the party's candidate for the June 3 local elections. The Seoul chapter, led by Rep. Bae Hyun-jin, said it would finalize the nomination through a revote.  Choi Bo-yoon, the party's senior spokesperson, told reporters after a meeting of the party's top leadership that Kim's nomination was not approved and had been sent back to the Seoul ch April 23, 2026

South Korea Freezes Fuel Price Caps for Fourth Round, Citing Inflation Risks The South Korean government has again frozen the maximum prices applied to petroleum products supplied to gas stations, citing lingering uncertainty from the prolonged war in the Middle East and concerns that any increase could add to inflation. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday that starting at midnight April 24, the fourth round of the price-cap system will apply for the next two weeks at the same levels as the second and third rounds: 1,934 won per liter for reg April 23, 2026

South Korea’s parliament passes 103 bills, including tenant fraud relief and expanded infertility leave South Korea’s National Assembly on the 23rd passed a package of measures to strengthen protections for victims of rental fraud, including a legal basis to support tenants whose recovered deposits fall short of a minimum guaranteed amount. Lawmakers approved revisions to the Act on Support for Victims of Rental Fraud and Housing Stability by unanimous consent of the 182 members present. Under the changes, if the amount a tenant recovers by exercising opposability rights or priority repay April 23, 2026

Pension Lottery 720+ Draw 312 Numbers Draw Attention as Past Winner Shares Story "We married later in life and have a daughter born in 2019, and I think she has brought us good luck." With attention focused on the Pension Lottery 720+ Draw 312 winning numbers on the 23rd, a personal account from a Draw 294 winner has resurfaced online. The winner said they held one first-prize ticket and four second-prize tickets in Draw 294. In a post on Donghaeng Lottery’s winners’ bulletin board, the winner said they bought the Draw 294 ticket after feeling disappointed April 23, 2026

South Korea watchdog begins inspections of brokerage hub branches, starting with Hana Securities South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service has begun on-site inspections of securities firms’ hub branches, part of an inspection plan it has outlined in its work program. According to financial authorities on the 23rd, the FSS is conducting an on-site inspection of Hana Securities. The scope covers sales processes at hub branches and other outlets, as well as the head office’s overall internal control system. The FSS previously said it would expand inspections after checking hub br April 23, 2026

Korea SMEs and Startups Agency Earns Top Rating in 2025 Public-Sector Customer Survey The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency said on the 23rd it received an “excellent” rating in the 2025 public-sector customer satisfaction survey. The survey, conducted under the Ministry of Finance and Economy, found the agency exceeded its targets across all 11 business areas evaluated. The agency said it created a dedicated customer-communication team to hear feedback directly from the field and has continued outreach aimed at addressing difficulties faced by small and midsize companies and April 23, 2026

Japan Urges MBK to Halt Makino Machine Tool Deal, Citing National Security Private equity firm MBK Partners, which previously drew concerns in South Korea over potential leaks of national core technologies through overseas sales, has now been urged by the Japanese government to stop a planned acquisition on similar grounds. The move is expected to affect the outlook for the ongoing management control dispute at Korea Zinc involving MBK and Young Poong. According to the Nikkei newspaper on the 23rd, the Japanese government issued a recommendation to halt MBK’s pl April 23, 2026

South Korea passes cornerstone investor rules to curb IPO sell-offs South Korea’s financial authorities are moving to address recurring post-IPO short-term selling and sharp price drops by overhauling rules aimed at making IPO pricing more rational and expanding medium- to long-term investment. The Financial Services Commission said April 23 that amendments to the Capital Markets and Financial Investment Services Act, including the introduction of a cornerstone investor system, passed the National Assembly plenary session the previous day. The April 23, 2026