Journalist
Lee Hugh
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Kim Han-jeong Camp Files Police Complaint Against Choi Hyeon-deok Over Alleged Fake Address Registration Kim Han-jeong, who has declared his bid for Namyangju mayor, said on the 22nd that he filed a complaint with police over allegations that rival preliminary candidate Choi Hyeon-deok registered a false address in connection with the June 3 local elections. In a media notice, Kim’s camp said it submitted the complaint on suspicion of violating the Public Official Election Act. The camp said Choi is registered at a one-room unit in Byeollae-myeon, Namyangju, describing it as about 6 pyeong in size and saying its layout makes typical family living difficult, raising questions about whether he actually lives there. The camp added that claims have circulated in the community and in some reports that Choi’s family lives in Goyang, and that verification is needed on where his day-to-day life was based. “Taken together, these circumstances require clear confirmation of whether the address change was merely formal for the purpose of running for office,” the camp said, calling for a thorough investigation. It said the timing of the address change, actual residence and the existence of a living base are key factors in determining a fake address registration and should be checked carefully through objective materials. The camp said fake address registration can significantly affect election fairness and voters’ judgment, adding, “This is not an attack targeting a specific person but an unavoidable step to protect public trust in election order.” It urged authorities to strictly determine the facts. 2026-04-22 17:21:18 -
Democratic Party, government and presidential office to form PM-led task force for balanced regional development The Democratic Party, the government and the presidential office said they will form a task force led by the Prime Minister’s Office to pursue balanced regional development and move into full implementation once personnel appointments are completed. Rep. Kim Young-bae, a member of the Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Balanced Growth, told reporters after a ruling party-government-presidential office policy meeting on the 22nd that the session broadly reviewed the Lee Jae-myung government’s strategy for balanced growth. “First, the Prime Minister’s Office’s task force for a major national land and spatial transformation has been formed, and the personnel process is nearly at the final stage,” Kim said. Kim said participants agreed that once vetting and appointments are finished, the prime minister-chaired task force and a pan-government consultative body will serve as the main pillars, with the Local Era Committee and the party’s special committee working together in a ruling party-government-presidential office framework to carry out balanced-growth policy tasks. Kim also outlined a timetable for follow-up talks. He said the three sides plan to hold another consultative meeting by the end of June, with the special committee and the presidential office meeting together, and then use those discussions to shape legislative and budget strategies to be addressed by the end of August. Kim said the meeting focused in particular on a special law for “mega special zones.” He described it as legislation that would consolidate various sandbox-based pilot projects and support their designation and operation at a broader regional level, including tax, fiscal and financial support systems, with provisions aimed at backing corporate activity and industrial ecosystems. He said the goal is to pursue legislation within the regular session of the National Assembly, with relevant ministries and standing committees moving quickly on deliberations. Kim added that participants also discussed other local-related campaign pledges as key bills, including legislation to establish an investment corporation for the southeastern region, a special law to create an Arctic shipping route committee, and a bill to establish a public medical school.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:18:19 -
South Korea projects 2040 peak power demand at 131.8 GW, factoring in electrification of advanced industries The government projected South Korea’s 2040 target peak electricity demand at 131.8 gigawatts, reflecting expected growth from electrification and advanced industries. That is 2.5 GW higher than the target demand through 2038 in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, despite only a two-year extension in the horizon. The Climate, Energy and Environment Ministry presented the outlook on Tuesday at a public forum in Seoul on demand projections for the 12th power supply-and-demand plan. The ministry said it separately forecast minimum demand during spring and fall shoulder seasons to improve year-round accuracy. On the demand-management side, it said it reviewed load-shifting resources to encourage optimal electricity use in response to renewable-energy variability. For 2040 electricity consumption, the ministry put baseline-scenario “base demand” at 780.8 terawatt-hours and “target demand” at 657.6 TWh. Under an upside scenario, it projected 819.6 TWh for base demand and 694.1 TWh for target demand. For annual peak demand in 2040, the baseline scenario projected 149.9 GW for base demand and 131.8 GW for target demand. Under the upside scenario, it projected 156.8 GW for base demand and 138.2 GW for target demand. The ministry said the forecast combines “modeled demand” with “additional demand” tied to electrification, including new investment in advanced industries, data centers, and the spread of electric vehicles and heat pumps. It said rising data-center demand linked to the development of artificial intelligence was reflected in the outlook. For 2040, it projected data-center electricity consumption at 26.5 TWh and peak demand at 4.0 GW. Compared with the 11th plan’s 2038 projection of 15.5 TWh and 4.4 GW, consumption rose while peak demand edged down. The outlook for advanced industries was also sharply revised. The ministry estimated 2040 electricity consumption at 27.4 to 29.3 TWh and peak demand at 3.7 to 4.0 GW. That compares with the 11th plan’s 2038 projection of 1.1 TWh and 1.4 GW. Still, some participants said the ministry should have prepared a downside scenario, such as slower economic growth or a case in which the 2035 nationally determined contribution, or NDC, is not met. At the forum, Yu Seung-hoon, a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, said Japan’s 7th Strategic Energy Plan, finalized in February, included a scenario in which NDCs are not implemented. “If there is an upside scenario, there should also be a downside scenario as an emergency plan,” he said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:16:27 -
Japan’s Weak Yen May Face a Second Wave as Energy Costs Spur Real-Trade Selling With the Bank of Japan’s rate hike effectively pushed back to June, market participants are warning that Iran-related energy price swings could drive the yen’s weakness into a new phase. Analysts say yen selling led by corporate demand — rather than speculative money — is harder for policymakers to counter, raising the risk of a prolonged weak-yen cycle. Nikkei reported on April 22 that more investors are now talking about a “second wave” of yen weakness in the second half of this year. It said the yen has recently traded in a narrow band of 158 to 160 per dollar largely because hedge funds and other speculative players are making short-term trades while watching for possible Japanese government intervention, limiting day-to-day volatility. Nikkei said the bigger risk lies in what comes next. If oil prices that surged amid the Iran situation settle and crude imports normalize, demand for dollars to pay for energy imports could rise again, intensifying yen selling. It noted that military clashes have damaged parts of oil refining facilities in the Middle East and that tensions around the Strait of Hormuz persist, meaning a risk premium could remain embedded in shipping costs for some time. Takahide Kiuchi, an economist at Nomura Research Institute, said it could take several months to half a year for oil prices to stabilize. That shift could change the nature of the yen’s decline. Speculative yen selling is often followed by yen buying to lock in profits, but yen selling tied to real demand — such as import payments — is less likely to be reversed later. Nikkei said if real-demand selling expands, there may be few forces to pull the exchange rate back, increasing the odds of a long-lasting weak yen. Policy options are also limited. Authorities can more easily seek understanding from the United States and others for intervention against speculative moves, but it is difficult to suppress exchange-rate shifts driven by corporate activity. Koji Fukaya, head of Market Risk Advisory, said, “It is hard to predict where the Iran situation is headed, but a scenario in which the yen-dollar rate breaks above 160 yen is entirely possible.” Nikkei said real-demand selling could also deepen pressure through the trade balance. Many foreign-exchange market sources expect a large trade deficit this year, it reported. More than half projected a deficit of 5 trillion to 15 trillion yen (about 46 trillion to 139 trillion won), and not a few forecast it could reach 20 trillion yen. In 2022, when the trade deficit swelled to 20 trillion yen amid a surge in resource prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the yen weakened from the 115-per-dollar range early in the year to 150. Concerns about a prolonged weak yen also matter for South Korea. A cheaper yen can boost the price competitiveness of Japanese exporters, increasing pressure on South Korean firms in sectors where they compete directly in global markets, including semiconductors, automobiles and steel. It could also lift demand for travel to Japan while shifting some domestic spending overseas. South Korea, which relies heavily on energy and raw-material imports, is also directly exposed to higher global oil prices.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:15:20 -
Prosecutors seek 15-year prison sentence for ex-interior minister in appeals case SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Prosecutors on Wednesday again sought a 15-year prison term for former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min in his appeals trial over allegations related to disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle in December 2024. Lee was sentenced to seven years in prison in his first trial in February this year. During a hearing at the Seoul High Court, prosecutors said Lee played a key role in carrying out Yoon's botched declaration of martial law by instructing police and fire agencies to cut off power and water to major institutions and news outlets on Yoon's orders with the aim of "completely paralyzing" media critical of the abrupt overnight fiasco. "The case is tantamount to terrorism against democracy," they criticized, adding that insurrection or its attempt is a serious crime that would make heavy punishment unavoidable even if it is merely planned. They argued that the absence of casualties and the fact that the debacle failed should not be grounds for a reduced sentence, and called for strict punishment to prevent a recurrence. They also pointed to his uncooperative behavior in investigations and perjury during hearings, saying these should be considered in sentencing. Prosecutors also suspected that he was aware of Yoon's plan in advance, citing evidence that he had spoken with key officials such as former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. The appellate court is expected to deliver a sentence sometime next month as it must be concluded within three months of the first trial verdict, meaning the ruling would be made before May 12. 2026-04-22 17:14:27 -
Panel urges overhaul of Korea broadcasting development fund to include platforms Calls are growing to overhaul South Korea’s Broadcasting and Communications Development Fund beyond temporary fee reductions, as media consumption shifts toward platform-based services. Speakers said the current system, built largely around traditional broadcasters, needs a redesign to remain sustainable. Lee Sang-geun, a non-standing member of the Broadcast Media and Communications Commission, said at an April 22 seminar at the National Assembly that “the fund can be addressed in the short term through reductions, but it is difficult for that to be a fundamental solution.” He added that a broader reset is needed, “including revisions to the Broadcasting Act.” The fund supports the development of the broadcasting and telecommunications industry and efforts to strengthen public interest programming. Under the Framework Act on the Development of Broadcasting and Communications, it is collected from terrestrial broadcasters, general programming channels and mobile carriers, among others, and is currently structured around legacy broadcasting operators such as cable TV system operators. Lee said the approach of placing the burden mainly on existing operators has clear limits as the overall market shrinks. He said platform operators that do not pay into the fund are expanding their influence, deepening imbalances across the system. That has fueled arguments for expanding the fund’s scope to include new media operators such as over-the-top streaming services. Lee said, however, that the current legal framework makes that difficult and that legal groundwork, including changes to the Broadcasting Act, would need to come first. The commission also signaled support for structural changes. Seong Jae-sik, the planning and coordination officer and head of the finance team in the innovation planning office, said collection rates have been adjusted by sector to reflect crises, but “the overall market has now reached a critical point,” making it time to reexamine the system broadly. As a key task, Seong pointed to integrating currently separate fund notices and unifying the collection framework. “Applying different standards even among similar operators raises fairness issues,” he said, adding that consolidation is needed to set consistent criteria. Still, changes to collection rates are unlikely to move quickly. Seong said that even if reforms are pursued within the year, time is tight. He said the commission plans first to commission research covering the overall collection system, including pay TV and terrestrial broadcasters and general programming program providers. Seong said a central issue is how to fill any funding gap if burdens are reduced. He said imposing the fund on platform operators such as OTT services and portals should be reviewed over the long term. He also said spending may need adjustment, but noted that fund projects are decided through consultations with fiscal authorities, making unilateral changes by the commission difficult. Any spending restructuring, he said, would need to be pursued step by step through interagency talks. Because interests are deeply intertwined, Seong said, reforms require sufficient deliberation. He said the commission will push mid- to long-term changes based on research and discussion. 2026-04-22 17:09:21 -
China’s ‘Streetlight Escape Challenge’ Sends Woman to Police for Rescue A woman trying a viral “streetlight escape challenge” in China became stuck around a streetlight pole and had to be rescued by police. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported on April 22 that the woman, identified by her surname Song, lives in Jiangsu province in eastern China. She attempted the challenge while out for a walk after dinner, after seeing it online. The stunt involves sitting with a streetlight pole between the legs, crossing the legs around it, then trying to untangle and free oneself. While it can look easy on video, participants can end up tightly locked in place and unable to get out. Song initially tried it casually, but the more she struggled, the more firmly her legs caught on the pole. Unable to free herself, she called police. Officers who responded calmed her and guided her to adjust her posture, then helped her unwind her legs. She suffered only temporary numbness in her legs and was not seriously injured, the report said. Videos of successful attempts have circulated on mainland Chinese social media, with participants slowly rotating around the pole to find an angle to pull one leg free. Failures, however, have led to commotions involving passersby, family members, food delivery workers and, in some cases, police. Police involved in Song’s rescue warned that the challenge carries hidden safety risks. They said people without sufficient knee flexibility, or who cannot support their body weight, could suffer joint injuries. Prolonged pressure on leg blood vessels can also cause tingling and swelling and, in severe cases, damage to lower-limb tissue. “Just because it’s popular online doesn’t mean you should try it blindly,” police said, urging people to avoid actions that put themselves in danger. The incident sparked debate on Chinese social media. One user wrote that most viral challenges are simply meant to attract attention and questioned why people follow them without thinking. Others said they wanted to try it. Another user said the belief that one can do better than the people in videos appears to encourage such attempts. China has repeatedly seen waves of unusual online challenges. Past trends have included tying ankles with cable ties and trying to escape, climbing into deep buckets, and wrapping the body in multiple layers of winter blankets.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:06:24 -
Vietnamese Media Expert Breaks Down How Korea Built Global Soft Power Through Hallyu As President Lee Jae-myung visited Vietnam, a Vietnamese media expert said South Korea’s soft power is creating a virtuous cycle in which global interest leads to sustained consumption of Korean cultural products. The expert said the Korean Wave is not a passing trend but the result of a strategic alignment among the state, companies and cultural workers. Vietnamese online outlet Vietnamnet on 21 (local time) published an opinion piece by media expert Nguyen Dinh Thanh analyzing how Korea built its soft power and why it has succeeded. “There is no magic wand behind Hallyu,” the piece said, calling it the product of a systematic national strategy. ◆ Reaching the top tier across cultural fields Nguyen wrote that South Korea “today is achieving world-class success in every area of the cultural industry.” He cited the K-pop film <K-pop Demon Hunters> being nominated at the 2026 Academy Awards for best animated feature and best original song, and pointed to works including Parasite, Snowpiercer and Squid Game. He said Korea has become a major film power “in just 30 years.” In music, he wrote, BTS and Blackpink — the girl group with the most YouTube subscribers worldwide — have shown global reach. In webtoons, he said, Naver and Kakao dominate the global digital comics market and serve as a major source of film scripts. In esports, he said Faker of T1 — dubbed the “Michael Jordan of gaming” — helped make Korea a hub for competitive gaming. In literature, he noted Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, showing Korea can export culture through books as well as film and pop music. ◆ Twelve factors behind Hallyu’s success The piece listed 12 drivers behind those results: artist training; audience development; training for creators and production staff; changes in thinking and systems for arts education; infrastructure investment; financial investment; systematic cultural promotion; training cultural-industry professionals; investment in supporting industries and logistics; optimized intellectual property management; strong copyright protection; and innovation through digital transformation and the use of AI. It highlighted artist-development programs such as the Korean Academy of Film Arts, run by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), saying talent training is the first and most essential element of Hallyu’s success. Nguyen concluded that professional workforce development, investment by government and business, stronger institutions, and arts and cultural education together laid the groundwork for Korea’s rise as a “cultural powerhouse.” The piece said Korea’s cultural-industry success stems from building a complete, closed value chain, adding that the experience can inspire discussion, cooperation and exchanges to learn from Korea’s specific approach. It said the view of Hallyu as a national strategy — not merely a cultural phenomenon — is spreading in Southeast Asia’s media circles.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:03:19 -
Experts urge platform accountability as youth social media time limits fall short Calls are growing for national-level rules and technical safeguards to regulate teenagers’ use of social media, with experts warning that simple screen-time limits cannot solve overdependence. At a National Assembly seminar on April 22 titled “Seeking responses to trends in regulating children and adolescents’ social media,” participants debated both the direction and limits of youth-protection policies. Yoon Hye-kyung, a researcher at Korea University’s law school, said childhood and adolescence require a “function of forgetting” that allows young people to learn from mistakes and recover emotionally, but the digital environment can block those opportunities. She said regulation should be phased to match developmental stages rather than imposed as a blanket ban. Yoon cited overseas cases to highlight limits of current approaches. In Australia, she said, measures introduced in the name of protecting youth have drawn criticism for potentially restricting freedom of expression and opportunities for creative activity. She also pointed to risks of personal data leaks during age verification and said tech-savvy teens can often bypass controls, undermining effectiveness. She said legislation in some U.S. states has also faced setbacks. In Ohio, which enacted a parental-consent law for social media controls, the requirement was viewed as an excessive restriction because it could block access to beneficial information as well, violating the principle against overbroad limits. California, which introduced an “age-appropriate design code” requiring child protections at the platform-design stage, also received a ruling finding it unconstitutional, she said. Issues included insufficient proof that protections would work and concerns that age checks could drive the collection of even more personal data. Yoon listed key tasks as introducing tailored, age-based phased regulation; making digital safety education a legal requirement; and building a cooperative governance framework between platforms and the government. “Rather than simply blocking teens from using social media, we need detailed regulatory design, education and a social consultative body,” she said. In a subsequent discussion, speakers also urged stronger platform responsibility. Jin Min-jung, a researcher at the Korea Press Foundation, said smartphones are “teenagers’ life itself,” where friendships, information searches and leisure all take place. “Kids are already skilled at finding ways around restrictions, so simple time limits have clear limits,” she said. Jin said the approach should focus on changing structures that encourage addiction, emphasizing improvements in platform design, including technical measures that limit functions based on age and developmental stage. The Korea Communications Commission’s Broadcasting Media and Communications Committee also voiced agreement with that view. Choi Seon-kyung, director of the committee’s User Policy Division, said the root cause of social media overdependence is “intentional design” by platform operators seeking to increase time spent for profit. She said the committee is closely watching court precedents in California and New Mexico. Choi added that the committee will actively support seven bills currently pending in the National Assembly. 2026-04-22 17:01:02 -
Singer Kim Ho-joong’s stake in agency valued at about 5 billion won while he serves prison term Singer Kim Ho-joong, who is serving a prison sentence after being convicted in a drunk hit-and-run case, still holds a sizable equity stake in his affiliated company, according to entertainment industry reports. On 22, industry sources said Kim owns 7.43% of ArtMNC. The stake is estimated to be worth about 5 billion won. Kim’s agency, formerly known as Saenggak Entertainment, changed its name to ArtMNC after the 2024 Kim case and has pursued a diversification strategy beyond its artist-management focus, the reports said. The company has expanded into areas such as health care and media content based on intellectual property. It acquired the diet health supplement brand “Deepte 3 Days” and brought in the K-culture platform company “StudioMNC,” moving toward a broader entertainment group spanning manufacturing, distribution and media. The industry has noted that the company’s value has risen compared with before Kim’s crash, suggesting it has moved beyond “artist risk,” the reports said. Kim was arrested and indicted after a May 2024 crash on a road in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul’s Gangnam district, in which he hit a taxi coming from the opposite direction and fled, according to the reports. He was convicted of charges including dangerous driving causing injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and is serving a 2 1/2-year prison term.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:00:17