• 
  KB Kookmin Bank Expands QR Payments Across Indonesia in KB Star Banking App KB Kookmin Bank said April 2 it has expanded its cross-border QR payment service, “KB Star Banking Overseas Payment Service,” to cover all of Indonesia. The service, operated through the Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute, links Korean financial firms with overseas payment institutions so users can make QR payments abroad through their home-country banking apps. KB Kookmin Bank said it now offers the service in 12 countries and regions, including Indonesia, Japa April 2, 2026
• 
  PLAVE Releases Pre-Release Track 'Heung Heung Heung' After Fan Mission, Builds Comeback Buzz Virtual idol group PLAVE has released a pre-release song tied to a fan-completed mission, fueling anticipation for its comeback. The group recently ran a fan-participation event on its official promotional website. Fans joined as “secret agents,” played mini-games to collect “Star Shards,” and unlocked rewards once a target score was reached. The mission began at noon on March 28 and moved quickly with strong fan participation. The target score was reached at about 5:30 p.m. on April 1, April 2, 2026
• 
  Korean Pharma and Biotech Briefs: Dongkook, Dong-A, HK inno.N, Daewoong, Huons Dongkook Pharmaceutical marks 10th year of ‘Love Scaling’ volunteer dental program Dongkook Pharmaceutical said Wednesday it held a “Love Scaling” volunteer event with the Korean Academy of Periodontology on March 27 at Hanyang Women’s University. The program is a joint talent-donation initiative by the academy, the university and Dongkook Pharmaceutical. It provides oral checkups, scaling and other dental services to people who have difficulty visiting a dentist. A separate ceremony April 1, 2026
• 
  South Korea Expands ‘Culture Day’ to Weekly, but Movie Discounts Draw Backlash South Korea’s monthly “Culture Day,” previously held on the last Wednesday of each month, expanded in April to a weekly Wednesday program called “Culture Wednesday.” The change follows the Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry’s approval on March 3 of a revision to the enforcement decree of the Framework Act on Culture. The ministry said the revision broadens benefits such as discounted movie tickets and free or discounted admission to national heritage sites and sports events. But onli April 1, 2026
• 
  April Fools’ Day Celebrity News That Turned Out to Be True April 1 is known for pranks and falsehoods, so entertainment news that breaks that day is often met with extra skepticism. Still, a number of major celebrity stories reported on April Fools’ Day — or immediately after — prompted “No way” reactions before being confirmed as true. One of the best-known cases involved Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung, who died on April 1, 2003, at a hotel in Hong Kong. The news was so sudden and shocking — and fell on April Fools’ Day — that some fans initially April 1, 2026
• 
  Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young Sends Condolences on Death of North Korea’s Chang Ung Choi Hwi-young, South Korea’s minister of culture, sports and tourism, expressed condolences over the death of Chang Ung, a former honorary member of the International Olympic Committee. In a condolence message issued Tuesday, Choi said he was “deeply saddened” by the news and credited Chang with dedicating his life to advancing the Olympic movement and promoting sport, making “meaningful contributions” to international sports. Choi added that Chang’s efforts to build friendship and mutua April 1, 2026
• 
  Singer Jun Jin’s Wife Ryu I-seo Says She Is Pursuing IVF at 43 Ryu I-seo, the wife of Shinhwa member Jun Jin, said she is pursuing in vitro fertilization at age 43. A video titled, “Why the lovebird couple Jun Jin♥Ryu I-seo began preparing for pregnancy at 43,” was posted March 31 on the YouTube channel “My Love Ryu I-seo.” Asked about her goals for the year, Ryu said, “I’m currently preparing for pregnancy, so I’m doing IVF. I’m going to retrieve eggs one more time and try implantation.” When Jun Jin asked whether the IVF process was difficult, Ry April 1, 2026
• 
  Ryu Hwa-young, Lee Tae-ri announce weddings; Go Woori reveals pregnancy on April 1 April 1, better known for pranks, brought a run of real-life announcements in South Korea’s entertainment world: actor Ryu Hwa-young said she will marry in September, actor Lee Tae-ri announced a May wedding, and actor Go Woori is set to reveal she is pregnant on television. Ryu said on her social media account that she will hold her wedding Sept. 12 at a location in Seoul. Her fiance is known to be a businessman three years older than her. Ryu debuted in 2010 as a member of T-ara and la April 1, 2026
• 
  South Korea Requests Police Probe Into 186 Suspected KBO Ticket Scalping Posts The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday it has asked police to investigate 186 online posts suspected of high-priced or large-volume scalping of tickets as the 2026 KBO League season opened and illegal resales increased. The ministry said its reporting and monitoring found about 16,000 posts related to scalping in recent weeks. Around the March 28-29 opening games, it detected transactions priced as high as 13 times face value. It also said it found multiple signs of organ April 1, 2026
• 
  South Korea’s Big Four Financial Groups Seen Earning Over 5 Trillion Won in Q1; Woori Profit Up 30% South Korea’s four major financial holding companies — KB, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — are expected to post combined net profit of more than 5 trillion won in the first quarter, supported by steady interest income and a recovery in noninterest earnings. Woori Financial Group is projected to stand out, with profit expected to jump more than 30% as one-off costs fade. According to market estimates compiled by financial data firm FnGuide on Tuesday, the four groups’ combined first-quarter net April 1, 2026