AJU PRESS ASIA FIRST NEWS AGENCY

Journalist

Han Jun-gu
Han Jun-gu한준구
PhotographerGeopolitics, Culture, History, People & Photo Journalist
Photojournalist, AJU PRESS (AJP)
Covering Asia's defining stories — from pressing issues and politics to culture and society — through a distinctly Asian lens. "I point the camera at what's there. That's the job."
Latest by Han Jun-gu
  • Incheon airport braces for summer rush with nearly 4 million travelers
    Incheon airport braces for summer rush with nearly 4 million travelers SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) -South Korea's main gateway is preparing for one of its busiest summer holiday periods on record, with nearly 3.8 million passengers expected to pass through Incheon International Airport over just 17 days as inbound tourism continues to rebound. Incheon International Airport Corp. said Monday it expects about 3.77 million passengers to use the airport between July 25 and Aug. 10, averaging 222,000 travelers a day, up 1.9 percent from 3.70 million during the same period last year. The busiest day is forecast to be Aug. 2, when a combined 234,273 arriving and departing passengers are expected to pass through the airport. Arrivals are projected to peak that day at 121,812 travelers, while departures reached their highest level on July 25 with 120,951 passengers. The airport operator said travel patterns have shifted in recent years, with South Koreans increasingly concentrating overseas trips around the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, while the July-August peak season is being driven more by a rise in international visitors to South Korea, increasing congestion at arrival facilities. To cope with the surge, the operator has rolled out a special summer transport and operations plan covering passenger services, terminal management, transportation and safety. At Terminal 2, quarantine inspection facilities in the arrivals hall have been relocated to create additional waiting space and ease congestion for inbound international travelers. The airport has also installed 99 new multilingual wayfinding signs to help arriving and transit passengers navigate the terminals more efficiently. Language services have been expanded, including pilot operation of four information kiosks at Terminal 1 supporting voice guidance in four languages and text guidance in 12 languages. Autonomous guide robots are also being deployed in departure halls at both terminals. To speed departures, major security checkpoints will open 30 minutes earlier than usual, while up to 44 CT X-ray security screening units — 19 at Terminal 1 and 25 at Terminal 2 — will be operated during peak periods. The airport is also expanding dedicated Smart Pass departure lanes from four to five and assigning more than 120 additional staff to manage passenger flows and assist travelers using automated check-in and security procedures. 2026-07-27 14:21:48
  • Gwanghwamuns Hangul signboard to be discussed
    Gwanghwamun's Hangul signboard to be discussed SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - The government will bring 200 citizens together this weekend to debate whether a Hangeul signboard should hang at Gwanghwamun Gate alongside the existing Chinese character one. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the first "Forum for Everyone" on the question from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 26 at Yonsei University's Baekyang-nuri hall in Seoul, the ministries said Thursday. Forum for Everyone is a new cross-ministerial format designed to feed citizens' views directly into policymaking. The 200 participants, selected through advance recruitment, will weigh the signboard question from historical, cultural, and other angles and work toward practical policy directions. The day will move through expert presentations, small-group discussions, and a plenary session where participants exchange views and draw up a collective final position. The forum will be livestreamed on KTV's YouTube channel, with on-site participants voting in real time by mobile phone. 2026-07-24 17:14:08
  • Seoul to offer free month of bike-sharing after data breach
    Seoul to offer free month of bike-sharing after data breach SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - The Seoul Facilities Corporation, which suffered a data breach affecting 4.62 million citizens after its Ddareungi bike-sharing system was hacked by two middle school students, announced it will provide affected users with a one-month Ddareungi pass worth 5,000 won. The operator of bike-sharing service Ddareungi, sent text messages to users on July 21 informing them of the details of the hacking incident and the categories of personal information exposed. According to the company, leaked data included user IDs and birth dates, as well as phone numbers, gender, email addresses, home addresses, and weight. It added no evidence has been found so far indicating that the leaked personal information was distributed to third parties. The hacking occurred in June 2024. The hackers exploited a security vulnerability in the Ddareungi system to steal the personal information of 4.62 million citizens. The operator was ignorant of the breach until Seoul city discovered it during an internal investigation in January. Seoul city subsequently requested the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency investigate the system management team at the corporation's Public Bicycle Operations Department, and the hacking was confirmed during a cybercrime investigation by the Seoul police in February. 2026-07-24 17:07:56
  • Heat cant dim palace charm
    Heat can't dim palace charm SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - Foreign tourists watch the royal guard changing ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul despite the sweltering heat. 2026-07-24 16:39:17
  • Heat cant dim palace charm
    Heat can't dim palace charm SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - Foreign tourists watch the royal guard changing ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul despite the sweltering heat. 2026-07-24 16:38:09
  • Heat cant dim palace charm
    Heat can't dim palace charm SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - Foreign tourists watch the royal guard changing ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul despite the sweltering heat. 2026-07-24 16:37:06
  • Heat cant dim palace charm
    Heat can't dim palace charm SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - Foreign tourists watch the royal guard changing ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul despite the sweltering heat. 2026-07-24 16:35:57
  • Heat cant dim palace charm
    Heat can't dim palace charm SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - Foreign tourists watch the royal guard changing ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul despite the sweltering heat. 2026-07-24 16:34:57
  • AMCHAM Chair speaks on tariff
    AMCHAM Chair speaks on tariff SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - James Kim, chairman and CEO of AMCHAM Korea, speaks with AJP at the AMCHAM office in Seoul on how South Korea and the United States can forge a mutually beneficial tariff agreement after Washington's latest Section 301 action effectively set a 12.5 percent tariff floor on Korean exports while exempting Seoul from the blanket tariff category under the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. 2026-07-24 16:33:06
  • AMCHAM Chair speaks on tariff
    AMCHAM Chair speaks on tariff SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - James Kim, chairman and CEO of AMCHAM Korea, speaks with AJP at the AMCHAM office in Seoul on how South Korea and the United States can forge a mutually beneficial tariff agreement after Washington's latest Section 301 action effectively set a 12.5 percent tariff floor on Korean exports while exempting Seoul from the blanket tariff category under the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. 2026-07-24 16:32:04