Vietnamese Media Expert Breaks Down How Korea Built Global Soft Power Through Hallyu As President Lee Jae-myung visited Vietnam, a Vietnamese media expert said South Korea’s soft power is creating a virtuous cycle in which global interest leads to sustained consumption of Korean cultural products. The expert said the Korean Wave is not a passing trend but the result of a strategic alignment among the state, companies and cultural workers. Vietnamese online outlet Vietnamnet on 21 (local time) published an opinion piece by media expert Nguyen Dinh Thanh analyzing how Kore April 22, 2026

Singer Kim Ho-joong’s stake in agency valued at about 5 billion won while he serves prison term Singer Kim Ho-joong, who is serving a prison sentence after being convicted in a drunk hit-and-run case, still holds a sizable equity stake in his affiliated company, according to entertainment industry reports. On 22, industry sources said Kim owns 7.43% of ArtMNC. The stake is estimated to be worth about 5 billion won. Kim’s agency, formerly known as Saenggak Entertainment, changed its name to ArtMNC after the 2024 Kim case and has pursued a diversification strategy beyond its artist-m April 22, 2026

EVs Emerge as Grid Assets as Global Race to Commercialize V2G Accelerates As interest in electric vehicles rises again amid the war involving the United States and Israel and Iran, major countries are moving faster to use EVs as core infrastructure in domestic energy systems, industry officials said. Automakers and other sources said efforts are expanding in South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and the Netherlands to treat EVs as power assets, not just transportation. The push centers on vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, technology, which links EV April 22, 2026

Jeonbuk Gov. Kim Kwan-young Wishes Rep. Ahn Ho-young Recovery After Hunger Strike Hospitalization Jeonbuk Gov. Kim Kwan-young on Tuesday wished Rep. Ahn Ho-young a speedy recovery after Ahn was rushed to a hospital with hypoglycemic shock following a hunger strike that began after the Democratic Party’s primary for Jeonbuk governor.  Ahn has demanded a renewed inspection, saying oversight was not properly conducted into allegations involving candidate Lee Won-taek and claims that his meal expenses were paid by others.  In a Facebook post, Kim wrote that Ahn looked so gaunt April 22, 2026

Korean Builders Expand AI Use, but Adoption Still Centered on Drones and Video Safety South Korean builders are expanding the use of artificial intelligence technologies such as drones, video analytics and robots to improve job-site safety and quality, but their applications largely remain focused on video-based safety management, industry officials said. Overseas competitors, by contrast, are extending AI across the full construction process, widening the gap. As of April 22, the industry said domestic firms are gradually broadening AI-based tools, but remain at an early April 22, 2026

Taiwan President Lai’s Eswatini Trip Canceled After African States Revoke Overflight Permits Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s planned trip to Eswatini, the island’s only diplomatic ally in Africa, was canceled a day before departure after three countries withdrew overflight permission for his charter flight. Taiwan said China’s economic pressure was behind the move and condemned it. According to Hong Kong’s Ming Pao and other outlets on April 22, Pan Meng-an, secretary-general of Taiwan’s Presidential Office, said at a news conference the previous evening that Seychelles, April 22, 2026

Vietnam Emerges as a ‘Second Home Market’ for South Korean Food Companies South Korean food companies are stepping up investment in Vietnam, a country of about 100 million people, treating it as a “second home market” by expanding local production and tailoring products for Vietnamese consumers. Backed by annual growth in the 6% range and a large young consumer base, the companies aim to strengthen their foothold while using Vietnam as an export base. Industry officials said April 22 that major South Korean food makers have expanded in Vietnam since the late 19 April 22, 2026

Democratic Party Weighs Special Subsidies, 30 Trillion Won Fund to Draw Firms to Mega Special Zones The Democratic Party is considering special subsidies and support from a 30 trillion won National Growth Fund to attract companies to “mega special zones” it is promoting in five regional hubs outside the Seoul metropolitan area, according to reporting by Aju Business Daily. The party has been discussing a package of measures aimed at boosting regional economies and fostering national strategic industries. The plan would offer what it calls top-level preferential treatment for anchor comp April 22, 2026

Former Vietnam Ambassador Says Lee Jae-myung Visit Can Lift Korea-Vietnam Partnership Nguyen Vu Tung, a professor of international politics at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam who served as Vietnam’s ambassador to South Korea from 2020 to 2023, said President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Vietnam from April 21-24 could be a turning point that lifts the two countries’ “comprehensive strategic partnership” to a higher level. Tung wrote in an online commentary published Monday (local time) by Viet Nam News that the trip is significant because it is the first visit by April 22, 2026

Hanwha heir Kim Dong-seon leaves Hanwha Corp. to focus on new Tech & Life holding company Hanwha Group Vice President Kim Dong-seon, the conglomerate chairman’s third son, has left Hanwha Corp. and will concentrate his management efforts on the Tech & Life business that is set to be spun off, according to the business community. Some analysts said the move suggests the group’s third-generation management structure is nearing completion. According to the business community on Tuesday, Kim is believed to have resigned from Hanwha Corp. at the end of March. He had served as he April 22, 2026