BTS Earns American Music Awards Nods as ‘SWIM’ Hits 100M Views and Charts Stay Strong BTS has landed nominations at the American Music Awards, extended its Billboard run and pushed the music video for its new single “SWIM” past 100 million views on YouTube. According to the AMA nominees list released April 14, BTS was nominated for Artist of the Year. The group previously won the category in 2021 as the first Korean act to do so. BTS also earned nominations for Best Male K-Pop Artist and Song of the Summer, bringing its total to three. “SWIM,” the title track from the gro April 15, 2026

Actress Moon Chae-won to Marry in June, Agency Says Actress Moon Chae-won has announced plans to marry. On 15일, her agency, Blitzway Entertainment, said Moon will hold her wedding in June and that her fiance is not a celebrity. The agency said the ceremony will be private, attended only by family and close relatives, and asked for warm congratulations as Moon begins a new chapter. Moon has discussed her ideal partner in past interviews. She said she dislikes people who lie and added that she would prefer someone who does not use social m April 15, 2026

March COFIX for New Loans Slips to 2.81%, Easing Some Variable Mortgage Rates The COFIX (Cost of Funds Index), a key benchmark for variable-rate mortgage loans at South Korean banks, fell back into decline after a one-month rise. The Korea Federation of Banks said Tuesday that the March COFIX based on new loan issuance came to 2.81%, down 0.01 percentage point from the previous month. The index had dropped in January for the first time in five months, falling 0.12 percentage point, then turned higher in February before easing again in March. Over the same period, April 15, 2026

NH NongHyup Bank CEO Kang Tae-young Pledges More On-Site Support in South Gyeongsang Kang Tae-young, CEO of NH NongHyup Bank, visited key industrial sites in South Gyeongsang Province to review business strategy and discuss ways to expand what the bank called “productive finance.” NH NongHyup Bank said April 15 that Kang toured the region for two days, from April 13 to 14, to inspect major local industries and consider financial support measures. The bank said the trip aimed to strengthen support for the province’s core marine, aerospace and defense sectors and to improv April 15, 2026

International Symposium to Reassess Video Art Pioneer Nam June Paik Marks 20th Anniversary of Death Korea Arts Council (ARKO) and the Nam June Paik Art Center will jointly host an international academic symposium, “Paik After Paik,” on April 23 at the ARKO Arts Theater Grand Theater in Seoul, ARKO said Tuesday.  The event marks the 20th anniversary of the death of video art pioneer Nam June Paik (1932-2006). Nine leading researchers from South Korea and abroad will review the state of Paik scholarship built over the past 60 years and discuss how his legacy can be reinterpreted within c April 15, 2026

Korean Films ‘Hope,’ ‘Colony’ and ‘Dora’ Invited to Cannes as Park Chan-wook Named Jury President Despite the box-office success of the film 'The Man Who Lives With the King,' the broader Korean film industry remains under strain. Against that backdrop, three Korean films — 'Hope,' 'Colony' and 'Dora' — were invited to the 79th Cannes Film Festival, and director Park Chan-wook was appointed president of the competition jury. The most prominent selection is director Na Hong-jin’s 'Hope.' Cannes included the film in its competition lineup, announced April 9 as part of the festival’s of April 15, 2026

Seo Dong-ju Shares Feelings After Missed Miscarriage Surgery Broadcaster Seo Dong-ju has spoken publicly about how she has been coping after a missed miscarriage. On April 14, Seo posted a video titled “How Seo Dong-ju Heals Grief Through Drawing” on her YouTube channel, “Seo Dong-ju’s Tto.Do.Dong.” In the video, Seo said it had been four days since she underwent a curettage procedure and that she was doing well. “After a few days, I feel a lot better,” she said, adding that she cried less than she expected and has been improving as eac April 15, 2026

Kona I Posts 94% Jump in Q1 Operating Profit on Premium Metal Card Exports Fintech company Kona I said Tuesday it posted first-quarter consolidated revenue of 76.6 billion won ($766 billion) and operating profit of 24.6 billion won. Revenue rose 31.3% from a year earlier and operating profit jumped 94%, the company said. The card industry typically sees weaker volumes early in the year because overseas financial institutions place orders in cycles, but Kona I reported double-digit growth in both revenue and profit. Kona I said expanded exports of premium met April 15, 2026

Ryu Ji-hyeon to Lead South Korea Baseball Team Through 2026 Asian Games Ryu Ji-hyeon, who guided South Korea to its first World Baseball Classic quarterfinal in 17 years at the 2026 tournament, is set to remain in charge through the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September. The Korea Baseball Softball Association said Tuesday that it selected Ryu as the top candidate to manage the Asian Games national team after an open recruitment process for coaches to be sent to this year’s age-group international competitions. The association held a meeting of its perfo April 15, 2026

KPGA Tour Opens April 16 in Chuncheon as Ok Tae-hoon, Jang Yu-bin Lead Field The 2026 Korea Professional Golfers’ Association Tour opens with the 21st DB Insurance Promy Open. The tournament, with a total purse of 1 billion won, will be played April 16-19 at Lavieest Belle Golf & Resort’s Old Course (par 72) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The winner earns a three-year tour exemption (2027-2029) and 1,000 Genesis Points. It is the KPGA Tour season opener for the 12th time, held in that role from 2014-2019 and from 2021-2026. Title sponsor DB Insurance has be April 15, 2026