PHOTOS: Get early taste of Lunar New Year holiday at COEX SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Festive Gift Fair opened on December 10 at COEX in Seoul, running through December 13. Organized by Messe E&D and Korea Food Service News, the fair features diverse gift sets including health products, agricultural and marine products, household goods, and food and beverages. Visitors can purchase items directly at the event, and various sampling opportunities make the experience particularly engaging for attendees. This year's fair emphasizes value-for-money products in response to prolonged inflation. NH Nonghyup Hanaro Mart participated with premium fruit, Korean beef, seafood, and food gift sets, with many exhibitors offering special discounts up to 67% off. Admission is 10,000 won, with free entry for advance registration. Operating hours are 11:00-18:00 daily, closing at 17:00 on the final day. 2025-12-12 17:27:58

Seoul Metro Union No. 1 reaches agreement, strike averted SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Seoul Metro Union No. 1 and management of Seoul Transportation Corporation, which operates Seoul Subway Lines 1-8, reached a wage and collective bargaining agreement on Friday just before a general strike. This led to the cancellation of the union's planned general strike for that day. The Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) also reached a settlement with the Korean Railway Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), leading the railway union to suspend its strike. All subway lines are currently operating normally. 2025-12-12 13:19:17

PHOTOS: Experience the Beauty of Contemporary Crafts at COEX SEOUL, December 11 (AJP) - The 2025 Craft Trend Fair opened December 11 at COEX Hall A in Seoul, marking the event's 20th anniversary since its launch as the International Craft Fair in 2006. The four-day fair, running through December 14, is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation. It features individual craft artists, small studios, companies, domestic and international institutions, and galleries. Visitors can explore diverse craft items including tableware, kitchenware, furniture, lighting, decorative objects, vases, bags, clothing, and accessories. The fair aims to promote the popularization and industrialization of craft culture while presenting the expandability of crafts and proposing the future of craft culture. Admission is 10,000 won, with operating hours from 10:00-19:00 on December 11-13 and 10:00-18:00 on December 14. 2025-12-11 17:36:17

COMEUP 2025 COMEUP 2025, South Korea's largest annual startup festival, opened Dec. 10 for a three-day run at COEX in Seoul, drawing hundreds of founders, investors, and corporate leaders from around the world for three days of conferences, exhibitions, and business matching sessions. The event features startups from 46 countries and more than 270 companies presenting products and technologies across deep tech, AI, climate technology, gaming, mobile services and other sectors. Seven countries, including Saudi Arabia and India, have set up national pavilions to highlight their startup ecosystems. (AJP/Han Jun-gu) 2025-12-10 16:51:59

PHOTOS: South Korean Navy launches new high-speed patrol vessels SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) -The Republic of Korea Navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held an integrated launching ceremony on December 8, 2025, for four new high-speed patrol vessels (Patrol Killer Medium, Rocket – PKMR Batch-II). These vessels, named Chamsuri-231, 232, 233, and 235, represent a significant upgrade to South Korea's naval capabilities, designed to bolster coastal defense and rapidly respond to maritime threats. 2025-12-09 13:41:38

PHOTOS: Yeongjong tidal flats busy with oyster harvesting SEOUL, December 08 (AJP) - 2025-12-08 17:28:18

PHOTOS: Strolling through Jeju's Yakcheonsa temple SEOUL, December 08 (AJP) - Yakcheonsa Temple gets its name from a spring that flows from spring to fall and a pond with medicinal water that runs year-round. The temple boasts the largest dharma hall in East Asia. Currently, it is beloved for its extensive temple grounds walks and temple stay programs. 2025-12-08 17:27:48

PHOTOS: Seoul turns white after the season's first snow SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Seoul woke up white after an overnight snowfall that began during the evening commute. The city saw its first snow of 2025 last night — two weeks later than average and eight days later than last year. Streets whitened quickly as cars crawled through Gwanghwamun and people walked with their shoulders tucked in against the cold. Snowfall reached 1 to 3 centimeters per hour, with bursts of more than 5 centimeters, coating palace roofs and drifting through the lights of the city. In just a short time, the first snow carried Seoul fully into winter. A heavy-snow alert was issued, and emergency warnings were sent across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Some areas saw more than 5 centimeters an hour, leading to traffic delays and icy roads. Many people slipped on frozen sidewalks, and cars slowed through streets where snow removal could not keep up. Morning temperatures fell to minus 6 degrees Celsius, turning much of the snow into packed ice. Even so, many stepped outside to enjoy the white scenery, choosing to face the cold to take in the first snow of the season. 2025-12-05 15:30:59

PHOTOS: A walk shaped by trains (Gwangju) -1- SEOUL, December 3 (AJP) - The flavors from lunch still linger, but now it is time to walk through Songjeong itself. Even without leaving the station area, small scenes reveal how long people have lived and moved through this neighborhood. The pace is slower here, and the traces of time sit close to the surface. Songjeong Kobrang Fairy Village — stories tucked between homes Past the 1913 market and deeper into the residential lanes, bright murals begin to appear along the walls. This is Kobrang Fairy Village, a compact cluster of alleys lined with scenes from children’s books — Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Jack and the Beanstalk. Walking through feels a little like stepping into a paper page. What stood out most was that the village is not a staged attraction. People actually live behind the painted walls; children ran past while the murals watched quietly. The art is woven into everyday life, not placed on top of it.. Songjeong Small Art Museum — a brief, quiet stop A few steps beyond the village sits the Songjeong Small Art Museum, a compact space that operates free of charge. It is small enough to enter without hesitation and calm enough to make even a short visit meaningful. The current exhibition, “Revisiting Home,” features a local artist whose works bring back scenes familiar to older generations but almost foreign to younger ones. The scale is modest, but the care inside the space is unmistakable. Songjeong Maeil Market — a market still rooted in daily life​​​​​​​ Walking about ten minutes from the station leads to Songjeong Maeil Market. Even before arriving, the sound of vendors and customers reaches the street outside. Unlike the renovated 1913 market, this place has the unmistakable feel of a traditional, lived-in market. Most striking here were the people — far more locals than visitors. Grandparents carried shopping baskets, bargaining over vegetables and dried fish. Vendors called out to customers with easy familiarity. Nothing is polished or staged, and that is exactly why the market feels genuine. Back to the station — a short but full walk Leaving the market and returning to the station closed out nearly six hours of wandering. The fairy-tale alleys, the quiet museum, the crowded market — all small pieces of a neighborhood that moves at its own pace. Songjeong does not change quickly. Time moves more slowly here, but that slowness reveals the place more clearly. A trip connected by a single station. No long transfers, no complicated plans — just a neighborhood that shows its depth when walked slowly. 2025-12-04 15:59:54

PHOTOS: One year after martial law, citizens return to the streets SEOUL, December 03 (AJP) - On December 3, marking one year since the declaration of martial law, groups from both the progressive and conservative blocs held separate rallies in Yeouido, Seoul. Progressive groups, including the Emergency Action for Ending Insurrection and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, gathered around National Assembly Station, calling for the dismantling of martial law. Participants held light sticks and candles, recalling the night the declaration was issued. The KCTU held an additional rally starting at 4 p.m. At the same time, conservative groups organized by Liberty University and Youth for Liberal Democracy assembled in front of the People Power Party headquarters and at Exit 2 of National Assembly Station, arguing that the declaration had been justified. Participants waved Korean flags and said they planned a separate performance at 10:27 p.m., the exact time martial law was declared last year. Later this evening, President Lee Jae-myung has joined a civic march — an unusual move for a sitting president. 2025-12-04 08:01:36