YouTuber Kim Seon-tae Donates Car for Just $2.50 김선태, known as "Chungju Man," has gained attention for donating his car to a 24-year-old father with a sick child. On May 29, Kim shared the process of selling his vehicle, which he had driven for nearly a decade, on his YouTube channel. According to a valuation from a professional platform, Kim's car was appraised at 5.5 million won (approximately $4,600). However, instead of selling it for that price, he chose to give it to a subscriber with a special story. The recipient is a young f May 30, 2026

Financial Services Chair Lee Eok-won Announces Second Launch of National Growth Fund Lee Eok-won, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, announced plans to launch a second round of the National Growth Fund, which sold out within five days of its initial release. In a video appearance on the YouTube channel Sampro TV released on May 30, Lee stated, "We will prepare for the second round of the National Growth Fund for public participation." However, he noted that details regarding the timing and scale of the additional supply would be determined after further revi May 30, 2026

US Forces Korea Commander Clarifies 'Dagger' Comment on China US Forces Korea Commander Jay B. Brunson clarified that his recent controversial remark describing South Korea as a "dagger" aimed at China was intended to explain the operational environment. On May 30, Brunson addressed questions from the Chinese delegation during a session at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, stating, "It was in the context of explaining the operational environment we face." He emphasized the need to understand not only the perspective of the Korean Peninsula bu May 30, 2026

Buying Lottery Tickets Online and Offline Leads to Simultaneous Wins "I have a special habit of buying the same numbers both online and offline." As interest grows in the winning numbers for the 1226th Lotto draw on May 30, a story about a winner of the 312th Pension Lottery 720+ is making headlines. The winner, who claimed one first prize ticket and four second prize tickets, shared their experience on the Donghaeng Lottery winners' bulletin board. The winner stated, "I usually buy pension lottery tickets frequently, but this time I purchased a ticket re May 30, 2026

An Kyoo-baek: Strengthening US-South Korea Alliance and Enhancing Self-Defense Capabilities An Kyoo-baek, South Korea's Minister of National Defense, announced plans to pursue a security strategy that strengthens the US-South Korea alliance while enhancing the country's self-defense capabilities in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. According to Yonhap News, An made these remarks during a speech at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 30, 2026, addressing the theme of "Regional Secu May 30, 2026

Gas Prices Decline for Two Consecutive Weeks, Average Price at 2011 Won Domestic gasoline and diesel prices at gas stations have reported a slight decline for the second consecutive week. According to Yonhap News and the Korea National Oil Corporation's oil price information system, Opinet, the average selling price of gasoline at nationwide gas stations for the fourth week of May (May 24-28) fell by 0.2 won from the previous week to 2011.1 won per liter. In terms of regional prices, Seoul, which has the highest prices, saw a decrease of 0.6 won to 2050.8 w May 30, 2026

South Korea and Japan to Conduct Joint Search and Rescue Exercise on July 7 The South Korean Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will hold a joint search and rescue exercise (SAREX) on July 7. This marks the first such training since 2017, raising hopes for the restoration of defense cooperation between the two countries. According to Yonhap News on May 30, South Korean Defense Minister An Kyung-bae announced the exercise during a bilateral meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, a multilateral security May 30, 2026

Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol Addresses Concerns Over Market Bubble Koo Yoon-cheol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, recently addressed concerns regarding a potential bubble in the South Korean capital market, stating, "Such worries arise when there is a lack of innovative efforts." According to a report by Yonhap News on May 30, Koo expressed these views during an appearance on the YouTube channel Sampro TV, responding to fears that the KOSPI index might drop below the 8,000 mark. He emphasized that the government would promote s May 30, 2026

Early Voting for National Assembly By-Elections Sees 24.12% Turnout, Lowest in Daegu Dalseong Early voting for the National Assembly by-elections, held alongside the June 3 local elections, concluded on May 30 with a final turnout of 24.12%. According to the National Election Commission, 546,757 out of 2,267,121 eligible voters participated in early voting, which took place from 6 a.m. on May 29 to 6 p.m. on May 30. Among the 14 electoral districts nationwide, Jeonbuk Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan recorded the highest turnout at 42.59%. This was followed by Chungnam Gongju, Buyeo, and May 30, 2026

Early Voting Rate for Local Elections Reaches Record High of 23.51% The early voting rate for the 9th nationwide local elections reached a record high of 23.51%. According to the National Election Commission on May 30, a total of 10,498,411 out of 44,649,908 eligible voters participated in early voting over the two days from May 29 to 30. This figure is 2.89 percentage points higher than the early voting rate of 20.62% recorded in the previous local elections in 2022. However, it remains 13.42 percentage points lower than the all-time high of 36.93% seen May 30, 2026