AJU PRESS ASIA FIRST NEWS AGENCY

Journalist

Yoo Na-hyun
Yoo Na-hyun유나현
PhotographerGeopolitics, Culture, History, People & Photo Journalist
Photojournalist, AJU PRESS (AJP) Covering news, culture and society in South Korea through an Asian perspective. "Every moment is worth documenting."
Latest by Yoo Na-hyun
  • Jang Wonyoung shines at Dr. Althea event
    Jang Wonyoung shines at Dr. Althea event SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - JANG WONYOUNG of K-pop girl group IVE poses during a press day event at the flagship store of premium derma skincare brand Dr. Althea in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on June 30, 2026. 2026-06-30 11:35:27
  • Jang Wonyoung shines at Dr. Althea event
    Jang Wonyoung shines at Dr. Althea event SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - JANG WONYOUNG of K-pop girl group IVE poses during a press day event at the flagship store of premium derma skincare brand Dr. Althea in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on June 30, 2026. 2026-06-30 11:33:35
  • IVEs Jang Wonyoung graces Seoul skincare event
    IVE's Jang Wonyoung graces Seoul skincare event SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - JANG WONYOUNG of K-pop girl group IVE poses during a press day event at the flagship store of premium derma skincare brand Dr. Althea in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on June 30, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun 2026-06-30 11:31:12
  • IVEs Jang Wonyoung shines Seoul skincare event
    IVE's Jang Wonyoung shines Seoul skincare event SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - JANG WONYOUNG of K-pop girl group IVE poses during a press day event at the flagship store of premium derma skincare brand Dr. Althea in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on June 30, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun 2026-06-30 11:28:18
  • Jang Wonyoung shines at Dr. Althea event
    Jang Wonyoung shines at Dr. Althea event SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - JANG WONYOUNG of K-pop girl group IVE arrives for a press day event at the flagship store of premium derma skincare brand Dr. Althea in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on June 30, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun 2026-06-30 11:26:03
  • The undying love of yellow milk
    The undying love of yellow milk SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - Milk may have arrived from the West, but banana milk is unmistakably Korean. It is also a favorite of the Huang family. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and his daughter Madison are known to hand out bottles of the iconic yellow drink whenever they visit South Korea, introducing friends and colleagues to one of the country's simplest—and perhaps most enduring—culinary souvenirs. Half a century after its debut, the squat yellow bottle has become something of a rite of passage for foreign visitors. On a hot Monday afternoon in Seoul's Myeong-dong shopping district, tourists streamed in and out of convenience stores with shopping bags in one hand and the distinctive bottle in the other. Some twisted open the cap before leaving the store. Others tucked several bottles into baskets already filled with seaweed snacks, instant ramen and sheet masks. The drink was almost impossible to miss. Convenience stores stacked banana milk beside their entrances, refrigerators and checkout counters, turning the familiar yellow bottle into one of the neighborhood's unofficial mascots. A group of German tourists said tasting banana milk was on their Korea checklist. "We heard Korean banana milk is famous, so we wanted to try it," one traveler said after emerging from the refrigerator aisle. "We even made the banana milk latte we saw on social media." First introduced in 1974, banana-flavored milk has long occupied a special place in Korean daily life. For generations it was inseparable from visits to neighborhood bathhouses, where the chilled drink became the traditional reward after a soak. Today its audience is far broader. Travel videos, TikTok clips and Instagram reels have transformed the once-local favorite into a global curiosity, with countless visitors arriving in Seoul already knowing exactly what the bottle looks like—and where to find it. The numbers suggest they are finding much more than banana milk. South Korea welcomed a record 4.74 million foreign visitors during the first quarter of 2026, the highest January-to-March total on record, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Foreign visitors spent 2.12 trillion won ($1.5 billion) on Korean-issued credit cards in May, surpassing the 2 trillion-won mark for the first time. In tourist districts such as Myeong-dong, that spending often begins with something surprisingly small. One yellow bottle. For many visitors, banana milk has become less of a beverage than a travel ritual—a first taste of Korea, a social media photo, a souvenir and, for some, the beginning of a search for other convenience-store favorites. Half a century after it first appeared on store shelves, Korea's yellow milk continues to prove that sometimes the country's biggest cultural ambassadors come not from concert stages or television screens, but from the refrigerated aisle of a neighborhood convenience store. 2026-06-29 16:51:06
  • Young Koreans take their revote campaign to university district
    Young Koreans take their revote campaign to university district SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) -Young South Koreans demanding an investigation into the June 3 presidential election over ballot shortages have shifted their protest to Seoul's university district as the movement's original rally site in Jamsil has increasingly come to be dominated by hard-line conservative activists. The steady beat of drums drew curious glances from pedestrians in Hongdae on Saturday as hundreds of young demonstrators marched through one of Seoul's busiest commercial neighborhoods carrying South Korean flags and banners calling for a presidential election rerun. The demonstration marked a visible evolution of a movement that has continued for more than three weeks since controversy emerged over ballot shortages at polling stations during the presidential election. Organized by conservative youth group BOSS Hongdae, the rally began near Exits 8 and 9 of Hongik University Station before winding through streets packed with weekend shoppers, foreign tourists and university students. Unlike the larger demonstrations previously centered near the Olympic Park counting center in Jamsil, participants in Hongdae kept their message simple. Instead of lengthy speeches or broader political slogans, marchers repeatedly chanted only one phrase: "Rerun election." The contrast extended beyond slogans. While the Jamsil rallies have increasingly attracted older conservatives and vocal right-wing activists, the Hongdae gathering was overwhelmingly made up of people in their teens and twenties. Organizers appeared to deliberately choose one of Seoul's best-known university and youth districts to broaden the movement's appeal among younger Koreans. The march cut through Hongdae's cafés, fashion boutiques and street performance venues. Some pedestrians stopped to watch. Others raised smartphones to record the procession, while several foreign visitors asked nearby onlookers what the demonstration was about. Around the march, everyday life continued uninterrupted. Buskers performed only meters away, restaurant terraces remained full, and shoppers flowed around the protesters as the two worlds briefly intersected. The relocation reflects more than a change of venue. It signals an attempt by younger participants to establish a distinct identity within a movement that has evolved considerably since the first protests over ballot shortages began earlier this month. Whether the strategy succeeds remains uncertain. But in Hongdae, the campaign presented a markedly different face from the encampments in Jamsil—less defined by confrontation than by visibility, youth participation and engagement with the broader public. 2026-06-29 11:16:56
  • Ambassador Mkhize speaks at World Cup event
    Ambassador Mkhize speaks at World Cup event SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South African Ambassador to South Korea Cindy Mkhize delivers remarks ahead of the Group A match between South Korea and South Africa at a public viewing event for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on June 25, 2026. 2026-06-25 20:05:36
  • Gwanghwamun square erupts with World Cup cheers
    Gwanghwamun square erupts with World Cup cheers SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Fans fill Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul as they cheer for South Korea during its Group A match against South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 25, 2026. 2026-06-25 20:01:26
  • Red devils rally at Gwanghwamun square
    Red devils rally at Gwanghwamun square SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Supporters, including members of the Red Devils, South Korea's official football supporters' group, watch the second half of the Group A match between South Korea and South Africa during a public viewing event for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on June 25, 2026. 2026-06-25 19:56:08