Minister Park Hong-keun Pledges Support for 5·18 Veterans and Families Park Hong-keun, Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, stated on May 18 that he will intensify efforts to support veterans and families of the May 18 Democratic Uprising throughout their lives. After attending the 46th anniversary ceremony of the May 18 incident in Gwangju, Minister Park visited the May 18 Memorial Culture Center and held a meeting with representatives of veterans' organizations. During the meeting, leaders of the veterans' organizations proposed the constructio May 18, 2026

Seoul Mayor Candidate Jung Won-o's Housing Promises Lack Concrete Plans As elections approach, politicians often make grand promises, citing figures in the billions and hundreds of thousands. However, what citizens truly want to know is not the size of these numbers but how they will become a reality. The critical questions are how, where, and when these plans will be implemented. On May 18, Jung Won-o, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, announced his housing policy for young people and newlyweds in front of Seoul City Hall. The main point May 18, 2026

KOSPI Plummets Amid Rising Interest Rate Fears, Individual Investors Bet Big The South Korean stock market experienced another severe "rollercoaster" day on May 18. Fears of rising interest rates from the U.S. led to a sharp drop in the early trading session, prompting concerns of a "Black Monday" akin to last week's "Black Friday." However, the fear of rising rates did not deter individual investors, who have made over 32 trillion won in net purchases over the past eight trading days. On this day, they contributed more than 2 trillion won in buying, helping to lift the May 18, 2026

Seoul Mayoral Candidates Focus on Youth Engagement Seoul mayoral candidates Jung Won-o of the Democratic Party and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party both engaged with young voters on May 18, aiming to capture the support of a demographic with a significant number of undecided voters. Jung held an event titled "Jung Won-o Goes: Interviewing Seoulites, Episode 9 - Youth Living in Seoul" in the afternoon at Cheonggyecheon in the Gwanghwamun area. The event was designed to hear the challenges faced by young people living in Seoul and inclu May 18, 2026

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Enjoys Street Food in Beijing, Eric Trump Visits Great Wall Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, accompanied President Donald Trump on his recent trip to China and took the opportunity to explore local street food in Beijing. On May 15, videos and photos surfaced on Chinese social media platforms, including Weibo, showing Huang interacting with residents in the historic hutong area of Nanluoguxiang. Despite the sweltering heat, with temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius, he donned his signature black leather jacket while sampling traditional fermented May 18, 2026

DBKorea Opens First 'Hong Kong Banjum' Location in Mongolia DBKorea, led by CEO Baek Jong-won, has opened its first Korean-style Chinese restaurant, 'Hong Kong Banjum,' in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. On May 9, DBKorea announced the opening of the first Hong Kong Banjum location in Mongolia. This marks the company's second brand expansion in the country, following the launch of Saemaul Restaurant in 2023, which currently operates five locations in Mongolia. DBKorea chose to expand with Hong Kong Banjum due to the growing demand for Korea May 18, 2026

Kyochon Chicken Reports Average Franchise Revenue of 780 Million Won with 0% Closure Rate Kyochon F&B, the operator of Kyochon Chicken, announced on May 18 that its franchisees achieved an average revenue of 780 million won last year, with a closure rate of 0% in the first quarter of this year. According to performance data released by Kyochon F&B on May 12, the average revenue for franchises in 2025 was reported at 780 million won, significantly higher than the average revenue of 328 million won for chicken franchises, as per the Fair Trade Commission's statistics. This figur May 18, 2026

Iran Blames U.S. and Israel for Middle East Instability in Call with South Korea's Foreign Minister Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed bilateral relations and regional stability with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun during a phone call. In a statement released on May 17 via its official Telegram channel, the ministry noted, "Minister Araghchi emphasized the importance of a forward-looking perspective for the development of relations between the two countries, referencing their historical ties." Araghchi also described the current situ May 18, 2026

Former Legal Chief of Capital Defense Command Questions Constitutionality of Emergency Declaration During the emergency declaration on December 3, 2024, the former legal chief of the Capital Defense Command expressed doubts about its constitutionality upon reading the official statement. On May 18, at the Seoul Central District Court, the trial of former Commander Lee Jin-woo, who faces charges related to insurrection, continued. Colonel Moon Sang-won, the former legal chief of the Capital Defense Command and current head of the Gangwon Regional Army Prosecutor's Office, testified about May 18, 2026

Korea Railroad Corporation Denies Seoul's Claims of Missing Rebar in GTX-A Project The Korea Railroad Corporation (KRC) has firmly denied media reports claiming that the city of Seoul notified them three times about missing rebar in the GTX-A project at the Samsung Station section. In an official statement on May 18, KRC stated, "While it is true that Seoul submits monthly construction management reports, the issue of missing rebar in the Samsung Station section was not included in the 'Summary of Key Contents' of the report, and it was reported as 'not applicable' under the ' May 18, 2026