Pope Leo XIV Receives Honorary 10th Dan in Taekwondo Pope Leo XIV has been awarded an honorary 10th Dan in Taekwondo in recognition of his contributions to global peace and humanitarian efforts. The World Taekwondo (WT) announced on June 7 that Cho Jung-won, the organization's president, presented the honorary certificate and a taekwondo uniform to the Pope during the Wednesday General Audience at the Vatican on June 3. According to WT, the honorary 10th Dan is the highest honor in the taekwondo community, awarded to the Pope for his ded June 7, 2026

Minister Kim Jung-kwan Visits Kazakhstan, Middle East, and Czech Republic to Strengthen Energy and Industrial Cooperation Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan will embark on a diplomatic tour from June 7 to 18, starting in Kazakhstan and continuing to three Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—before concluding in the Czech Republic. The aim is to enhance resource diplomacy and cooperation in advanced industries. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim will hold the 11th Korea-Kazakhstan Joint Committee on Trade, Economy, June 7, 2026

Oh Se-hoon Faces Challenges as Seoul Mayor Amid Divided Council In the June 3 local elections, Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party secured his fifth term as Seoul mayor, demonstrating his political strength. However, the next four years are expected to be challenging as the Seoul City Council has shifted power back to the Democratic Party, placing Oh's administration under significant scrutiny from the outset. According to the National Election Commission, the Democratic Party has won 81 of the 118 seats in the Seoul City Council, while the People June 7, 2026

Pakistan to Deliver Letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Amid Peace Talks Amid a stalemate in U.S.-Iran peace negotiations, efforts by mediating countries are underway to revive dialogue. According to reports from Iranian state news agency IRNA and DPA, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on the evening of June 6. Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported that Naqvi is expected to deliver a letter from Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei. Munir has been a key figure in facilitat June 7, 2026

Supreme Court Rules Military Personnel Must Complete Sexual Violence Treatment Programs if Status is Set to Change According to the legal community on June 7, the Supreme Court's first division, led by Justice Cheon Dae-yeop, ruled that a military service member facing a loss of status due to a confirmed sentence must be ordered to complete a sexual violence treatment program, despite not being subject to such orders under the probation law's special provisions.The case involved A, a current non-commissioned officer, who was prosecuted for sexually assaulting B, the wife of a junior soldier, in 2020.Both the June 7, 2026

Lotte Wellfood Opens 'Dwaeji Bar Bakery' Pop-Up in Seoul Lotte Wellfood's popular ice cream brand, Dwaeji Bar, is expanding its universe through a temporary pop-up store. The company announced on June 7 that it will operate the 'Dwaeji Bar Bakery since 1983' pop-up store near Sharosu-gil in the Bongcheon-dong area of Seoul until June 21. This pop-up is themed around the recently launched 'Dwaeji Bar Bread,' bringing the unique concept of an ice cream brand opening a bakery to life in an offline setting. Celebrating its 43rd anniversary this y June 7, 2026

Baemin Reports 53% Growth in Domestic Agricultural Sales This Year Baedal Minjok's direct purchase of agricultural products has seen significant growth this year. The company, which operates Baemin B Mart, announced on June 7 that sales of agricultural products directly sourced from domestic producers increased by 53% from January to May compared to the same period last year. During this time, overall fruit sales at B Mart rose by 61% year-on-year. Seasonal fruits linked to local producers, including strawberries from Gyeongnam's Hadong and Gyeongbuk's June 7, 2026

Gudai Global Appoints Koo Chang-geun as Co-CEO to Strengthen Global Distribution Gudai Global has appointed Koo Chang-geun, the former CEO of CJ ENM and a key architect behind the transformation of CJ Olive Young into an omnichannel beauty platform, as its new co-CEO. This move is seen as a strategic effort to enhance global distribution and improve management systems. The company announced on June 7 that Koo will officially take on the role of co-CEO on June 8. Koo previously worked as an analyst at Samsung Securities before joining CJ Group, where he held various leadersh June 7, 2026

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to Meet SK Group's Chey Tae-won Again NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is set to meet with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won again. Following their initial gathering over samgyeopsal on the first day of Huang's visit, the two will continue their discussions over Kkanbu Chicken, highlighting the growing collaboration between NVIDIA and SK in AI semiconductors. According to industry sources, Huang is scheduled to meet Chey at Kkanbu Chicken in Gangnam, Seoul, around 7 p.m. This location is notable as it was where Huang held a 'Kkanbu Chick June 7, 2026

Shinhan Asset Management's Lee Seok-won: Transforming ETFs into Key Players In the financial industry, latecomers have two strategies: follow the leaders or create new markets. Lee Seok-won, CEO of Shinhan Asset Management, chose the latter. A former head of the National Pension Service's strategy division, he has rapidly transformed the organization since taking the helm this year, focusing on ETFs and Target Date Funds (TDF) as dual growth pillars. He is particularly expanding differentiated products centered around the SOL ETF, including high-dividend, covered call, June 7, 2026