Presidential office to raise its phoenix flag at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) - The presidential office said it will raise its phoenix flag at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday, returning to the site after three years and seven months. It said the flag, featuring South Korea's national flower mugunghwa at the center and two phoenixes facing each other, will be lowered at the Yongsan presidential office at midnight on Dec. 29 and simultaneously raised at Cheong Wa Dae. "The official name of the presidential office will be changed to Cheong Wa Dae starting on Dec. 29," the office said. The flag is flown at the location where the president is working or residing to indicate the seat of executive authority. President Lee Jae Myung is expected to begin duties at Cheong Wa Dae, marking the reopening of the "Cheong Wa Dae era" about 44 months after former president Yoon Suk Yeol relocated the presidential office in May 2022. The site ceased to function as the presidential office after Yoon moved operations to Yongsan, citing a desire to break away from what it described as the image of a secluded power center. However, following Yoon's impeachment after his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, the Lee administration moved forward with restoring Cheong Wa Dae, fulfilling one of Lee's campaign pledges. The decision was also based on concerns that the Yongsan office was structurally vulnerable to surveillance and security risks. While the presidential office will return to Cheong Wa Dae, the official residence there is scheduled to undergo repairs through the first half of next year, as it is still severely damaged. Lee is expected to commute from the existing Hannam-dong residence to Cheong Wa Dae for the time being. The history of Cheong Wa Dae dates back to the Japanese colonial period. Built in 1927 as the residence of the Japanese Governor-General of Korea, it later served as the residence of Lt. Gen. John R. Hodge, head of the U.S. Army Military Government in Korea, following the country's liberation in 1945. With the founding of the First Republic in 1948, the site became President Rhee Syngman's office and residence under the name "Gyeongmudae." In 1960, then-president Yun Posun renamed it Cheong Wa Dae, inspired by the blue tiles of the main building, as "cheong" means blue in Korean. Cheong Wa Dae served as the office and residence of South Korean presidents from Park Chung-hee through Moon Jae-in until 2022. 2025-12-25 15:17:18

Android malware 'Wonderland' steals OTPs, enables real-time financial fraud SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) - A new Android malware dubbed "Wonderland" is being actively distributed, enabling attackers to steal one-time passwords (OTPs) and remotely control infected devices to carry out real-time financial fraud, according to cybersecurity researchers. An analysis released on Thursday by Group-IB said Wonderland initially infiltrates devices through a "dropper" disguised as a legitimate application, which then installs malicious components. Unlike typical trojanized APK files that begin malicious activity immediately upon installation, Wonderland masquerades as a normal app before executing its malicious payload within the user's environment. This technique allows the malware to be installed without a network connection and helps it evade initial security checks and static analysis. It also enables two-way communication, allowing attackers to issue commands in real time. Once activated, Wonderland can intercept text messages (SMS) and OTPs, trigger USSD codes, steal contacts and phone numbers, hide notifications, and send additional SMS messages, the research said. As a result, attackers are able to bypass financial authentication procedures to steal funds and use infected devices as secondary launch points for further attacks. Researchers also found that Wonderland operators rely heavily on Telegram as a core part of their infrastructure. When users grant permissions, attackers can hijack Telegram accounts using the victim's phone number and then use the compromised accounts to spread malicious apps to chat histories and contact lists. Stolen Telegram accounts are currently being traded on the dark web and reused in subsequent attacks, the research added. Wonderland is not the only threat targeting Android users. Other malware strains, including Nexus Root and Frogblight, have also been detected recently, often disguising themselves as legitimate apps, prompting heightened caution among users. 2025-12-25 13:43:57

​​Pyongyang ups naval and air saber-rattling over Seoul's nuclear-submarine plan SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) -North Korea on Thursday warned that U.S. and South Korean moves involving nuclear-powered submarines would destabilize the Korean Peninsula, as Pyongyang combined sharp rhetoric with fresh disclosures of naval and air-defense weapons development. North's leader Kim Jong-un condemned South Korea’s plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines during what appeared to be a deliberately choreographed visit to a submarine construction site, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim made the remarks while inspecting the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided-missile submarine, calling Seoul’s submarine plan—agreed with Washington at South Korea’s request—an “aggressive act” that would worsen instability on the Korean Peninsula and violate North Korea’s security and maritime sovereignty. He said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) - North Korea - would not alter its national security policy or principles for countering what it calls hostile forces, warning that any attempt to infringe on the country’s “strategic sovereign security” would be met with “merciless retaliatory attacks.” Kim also reaffirmed Pyongyang’s commitment to strengthening its nuclear deterrent, describing the submarine project as an “epoch-making” upgrade that would significantly raise the level of war deterrence. He said North Korea would continue pushing the “nuclear armament of the navy,” signaling a drive to build a sea-based nuclear strike capability. KCNA’s repeated references to a “nuclear-powered strategic guided-missile submarine” underscore Pyongyang’s claim that it is developing a nuclear-fueled submarine equipped with strategic missiles, a project first disclosed in March following a decision at the 8th Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party. Kim said newly built attack destroyers and nuclear-powered submarines would sharply boost the combat capabilities of North Korea’s fleet. During the inspection, he also reviewed research on new underwater weapons and outlined plans to reorganize naval forces and establish new units, KCNA said. The escalation in rhetoric coincided with a separate statement from North Korea’s defense ministry condemning the recent entry of the USS Greeneville, a U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine, into a naval base in Busan earlier this week. The visit was aimed at replenishing supplies and providing rest for crew members, according to the Republic of Korea Navy. In a statement dated Wednesday, the North’s defense ministry accused Washington of embedding a “grave nuclear instability element” into the region’s security environment. It said the repeated deployment of U.S. strategic assets was escalating military tensions and pushing the U.S.–South Korea alliance toward what it described as a “nuclear confrontation bloc.” The ministry also criticized Washington’s reaffirmation of extended deterrence for Seoul and its support for South Korea’s nuclear-submarine ambitions, saying the moves confirmed U.S. intentions to pursue a “nuclear-to-nuclear collision structure” with the DPRK. It warned of unspecified countermeasures in response to what it called U.S. “nuclear muscle-flexing.” Adding to the display of military capability, North Korea disclosed on Thursday that it had conducted a test launch of a new high-altitude, long-range surface-to-air missile over the East Sea on Christmas Eve, with Kim observing. KCNA said the test, carried out by the Missile General Bureau, was the first launch intended to assess the tactical and technical performance of the air-defense system under development. The missiles struck and destroyed a simulated high-altitude target at a range of 200 kilometers, the report said, describing the test as part of routine efforts to upgrade national air-defense capabilities. Kim was quoted as congratulating those involved. South Korea’s military said it had detected the launch. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had been monitoring signs of a missile launch in advance and tracked what appeared to be multiple surface-to-air missiles fired from the Seondeok area in South Hamgyong Province toward the East Sea at around 5 p.m. Wednesday. The JCS said detailed specifications were under joint analysis by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities, adding that the allies remain on high alert and maintain the capability to respond decisively to any provocation under a robust combined defense posture. 2025-12-25 10:24:18

President Lee pledges warmth and hope for all in first Christmas message SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday expressed hope that the coming year would bring warmth and hope to the daily lives of all people in his first Christmas message since taking office. In a Christmas Day post on Facebook, Lee said, "This is a day that comes around every year, but I hope it brings you a little more happiness, and that you can spend joyful moments smiling with your loved ones." Reflecting on the meaning of Christmas, the president said he was reminded of Jesus Christ, "who was born in the lowest and darkest place and spent his life alongside those who were suffering and in pain." "His life, I believe, represents the true meaning of Christmas that we should remember," Lee wrote. He ended by expressing hope that the holiday would offer comfort to some, rest to others, and the courage to face tomorrow to those in need, adding that he was praying earnestly for such a Christmas. 2025-12-25 10:14:48

Korean mukbang gets Ingenious — and a little unhinged — to keep its crown SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and nowhere is that crown greasier, spicier or more relentlessly filmed than in South Korea's food universe. Once again this year, the surprise breakout star from Korea's global content pipeline is not a pop idol or a prestige drama, but food — turbocharged by its cameo-laden role in Netflix's most-watched-ever series, "KPOP Demon Hunters," and freshly canonized as culture by the Wall Street Journal, which named Korean cup noodles among its "objects that defined 2025." K-food, having conquered the world, now faces the more perilous task: staying interesting. Korea, after all, invented mukbang — the performance art of eating too much, too loudly, and preferably on camera. The country learned early that food no longer just needs to taste good. It needs to perform. Today, food companies don't merely test recipes; they beta-test reactions, scroll-stopping potential and how a dish behaves under a ring light. Across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, mukbang creators have become food directors, staging meals less for flavor than for visual payoff: the slurp, the stretch, the snap, the slow reveal. The most successful dishes don't whisper comfort. They demand attention. Take one of this year's most improbable hits: buldak ramen meets seaweed soup. On paper, it sounds like culinary couples therapy — the volcanic heat of buldak sauce softened by miyeokguk, a mild, briny soup traditionally eaten by postpartum mothers. On screen, it works because contrast always does. Fire meets calm. Chaos meets nurture. Add the choreography — noodles lifted high, slurped whole, never cut — and suddenly the dish feels less like dinner and more like a suspense sequence. Desserts, too, have been recruited into performance duty. Enter the towel cake: a crepe cake folded and rolled to resemble a freshly laundered towel. The dessert, which originated in China, went viral not because of taste — cream and crepes rarely shock — but because of the reveal. The unfolding. The moment of disbelief when fabric turns edible. In Korea, convenience stores like CU and GS25 democratized the trend, while home bakers turned the cake into social-media origami. Then there is honey rice-cake cereal — tteok, the chewy backbone of Korean tradition, dropped into cold milk as it belongs there. The concept startled foreign viewers, who compared it to bubble tea for breakfast and marveled that the rice cakes didn't harden on contact with cold dairy. It's traditional food wearing a Halloween costume of Western breakfast culture, and it works precisely because it shouldn't. Some dishes lean even harder into the uncanny. Salmon kkakdugi swaps fermented radish for raw, cubed salmon, tossed in spicy, creamy dressing and often wrapped in gim. It is kimchi's cousin who studied abroad and came back wearing athleisure. Lemon boneless chicken feet take a bar-snack staple and splash it with citrus, earning reviews like "tteokbokki with a lemon highball" — a phrase that could only exist in 2025. Global trends are absorbed, then exaggerated. Dubai chocolate — the pistachio-filled confection that took over the internet with its dramatic cross-sections — was swiftly localized in Korea: sweeter, richer, more obscene in its abundance. Optimized not for eating, but for the slow-motion bite shot. This visual arms race coincides with a broader explosion of food-centered storytelling. Competitive cooking shows like "Culinary Class Wars," now in its second season, frame technique and plating as a gladiatorial sport. Scripted dramas such as" Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" deploy food as a narrative device, lingering lovingly on close-ups that echo mukbang's sensory appeal. "It relates to what is often described as autonomous sensory meridian response," said Lee Seul-ki, a director at the Tourism Industry Data Analytics Lab. Watching someone eat, he explained, taps into something primal. Comfort by proxy. Pleasure without calories. In 2025, many of Korea's most talked-about foods were consumed more through screens than at tables. The question is no longer whether a dish is delicious, authentic or even sensible. The question is simpler — and stranger: Does it stop the scroll? And if it makes you slightly uncomfortable while doing so, all the better. 2025-12-24 17:01:45

S. Korea's new regional carrier SUM Air to take off next year SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - SUM Air, South Korea's new regional air mobility (RAM) carrier, is set to take off from France to Seoul on the last day of this year. Founded in 2022, the carrier plans to operate domestic routes as well as short-haul international routes to nearby destinations such as Japan and China within two hours of flight time. SUM means "island" in Korean, and the carrier plans to connect cities and islands, including Ulleung, Heuksan, and Baengnyeong, once their airports open. "SUM Air aims to address mobility challenges in regions with limited air connectivity and grow into a core regional carrier linking communities across Korea by revitalizing regional airports," said Choi Yong-duck, CEO of SUM Air. The company said its first aircraft completed livery painting at an aircraft facility in Toulouse, France, last week and will undergo safety and airworthiness verification before departing Toulouse on Dec. 31. The aircraft is scheduled to arrive at Gimpo International Airport on Jan. 2 via a ferry flight, which is operated without passengers or cargo, with stops at Ankara Esenboga International Airport in Türkiye, Tashkent International Airport in Uzbekistan, and Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport in China. The ATR 72-600, the latest model from ATR, is being introduced by SUM Air for the first time in Korea. Equipped with turboprop engines, it is designed to operate safely under challenging runway conditions, especially at regional airports around the world. Since its launch, the aircraft has recorded no cases of engine damage or shutdown caused by bird strikes. Its high-wing design also allows passengers to enjoy expansive ground views and is expected to enhance safety and punctuality in a domestic aviation market where the average aircraft age exceeds 10 years. 2025-12-24 12:28:55

Millennials in Korea: No longer young, but unable to step into adulthood SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - In South Korea, millennials are no longer young — yet many remain unable to move into what society defines as adulthood. Grouped together with Gen Z under the shorthand "MZ generation," millennials are aging out of youth by any demographic measure. The youngest, born in 1996, will turn 30 next year; the oldest will be 45. But for a large share of this cohort, milestones traditionally associated with adulthood — stable employment, marriage, homeownership and child-rearing — remain delayed, constrained or out of reach, often against their will. Their misfortune began early. As teenagers, older millennials lived through the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis, when the country that had embodied the "Miracle on the Han River" was forced into an IMF bailout. Just as the eldest entered the job market, the global financial crisis of 2008 struck, shrinking opportunities and resetting career ladders. Since then, the expected rewards of aging — dating, marriage, childbirth and owning a home — have been steadily pushed further down the timeline. What millennials learned instead was that salaried income alone would not be enough. They self-taught, speculated and became the driving force behind Korea's asset boom, often fueled by leverage. The term "youngkkeul" — roughly meaning "maxing out loans to the soul" — was coined to describe their panic-driven borrowing, taken on in fear of being permanently shut out of homeownership and asset accumulation. The numbers reflect that anxiety. According to borrower-level household loan data released by the Bank of Korea, the average amount per new mortgage loan in the third quarter of 2025 reached 220 to 230 million won, the highest level since the statistics were first compiled. By age group, mortgage growth was most pronounced among those in their 30s, with borrowing heavily concentrated in Seoul and the wider metropolitan area. Borrowers in their 30s and 40s now account for more than half of all new household loans. Yet ownership remains elusive. Only one in four households headed by people in their 30s lives in a home they own. The number of households without homes reached 527,729 last year in Seoul, an increase of 17,215 from the previous year and the highest figure since statistics began in 2015. "Korea has traditionally had a middle-class myth," said Kim Yong-jin, a professor at Sogang University School of Business. "The core requirement of being middle-class is owning a home. Even if you can live comfortably without one, in Korea, homeownership is treated as a measure of success. That creates fundamental demand." Behind the youngkkeul phenomenon lies a powerful fear of missing out. The belief that "if I don't buy now, I'll never own a home in Seoul" has hardened, pushing loan demand among people in their 30s toward high-priced areas with expensive housing and rents. But not everyone can play this game. "Youngkkeul is only possible for those in their early 30s with stable, well-paying jobs," said Lee Chang-min, a professor at Hanyang University School of Business. "It's creditworthy professionals who can secure loans. Those who enter the workforce late, even in their 30s, often can't." Despite high debt burdens, millennials remain deeply asset-oriented. In a real estate perception survey conducted last year by Woori Financial Group, 44.6 percent of Gen M respondents said real estate investment is essential to building wealth — the highest among generations. Gen Z recorded the lowest share at 36.8 percent. Unlike their younger counterparts, millennials favor asset and career stability over a carefree lifestyle. That preference extends to work. When data consulting firm PMI surveyed 1,000 office workers nationwide via GS&Panel, 45.9 percent said they would remain office workers until retirement unless something unexpected happened. The figure was especially high among respondents in their 30s and 40s. While those in their 20s most often defined success by "high income," respondents in their 30s, 40s and 50s overwhelmingly chose "work-life balance" as the top priority. Millennials also face an identity crisis unique to Korea's legal framework. Employment-related laws define youth as ages 15 to 29, while small business and employment insurance laws extend youth status to 34. In startups and agriculture, the cutoff stretches to 39 or even 40. As a result, many millennials remain administratively classified as "youth" long after society expects them to behave like adults. That contradiction is becoming more visible in the labor market. According to employment trends released last month by Ministry of Data and Statistics, the employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 fell to 44.3 percent in November, down 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier — the lowest November reading in five years. At the same time, unemployment among people in their 30s surged nearly 30 percent year-on-year, underscoring mounting pressure on the broader "2030 generation." Despite being labeled "youth," millions of millennials are not economically prepared to exit that category. No longer young, yet unable to arrive at adulthood, they occupy a prolonged in-between — carrying debt, delaying life decisions and redefining what growing up means in modern Korea. 2025-12-23 18:03:30

As won hovers at crisis-era levels, Seoul feels like the world's most expensive city SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Headline inflation in South Korea remains anchored around the mid-2 percent range, but many households say daily life feels increasingly unaffordable, as a weak won erodes purchasing power and amplifies price pressures across imported goods. Seoul now "feels like the most expensive city in the world," ahead of Tokyo and London, according to a recent British Time Out survey that asked residents in 100 global cities to assess their cost of living. Only 30 percent of respondents in Seoul said they could afford dining out, while just 43 percent said they could comfortably buy a cup of coffee. The ranking places Seoul above Istanbul, Türkiye, where annual inflation stood at 31 percent in November. Korea's consumer price index rose a far more modest 2.4 percent in the same month. The disconnect reflects currency effects rather than headline inflation. Prices feel higher when converted into won, which remains stuck near levels last seen during periods of crisis. The won ended last year at 1,472 per U.S. dollar, sharply weaker than 1,288 at the close of 2023 and 1,264.5 in 2022, amid political turmoil and capital outflows after a disgraceful martial-law stunt. Despite strong exports and a record current-account surplus, the currency still hovers around 1,480 per dollar and is set to average at its weakest ever for this year. Korea's real effective exchange rate (REER) — which measures currency strength against a basket of trading partners, adjusted for inflation — fell to 87.05 in November, approaching 85.47 in the wake of the global financial crisis and 86.63 recorded during the 1998 IMF bailout. The weak currency is feeding through to import costs. The import price index rose 2.6 percent in November, the fastest increase in 19 months, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). While import prices fell 2.3 percent year on year in U.S. dollar terms, they rose 2.2 percent in won terms. This divergence is particularly visible in food and beverage items that Korea relies on imports for. Coffee import prices fell 1 percent in dollar terms from a year earlier, but rose 3.6 percent in won. Wine prices declined 0.2 percent in dollars but climbed 4.4 percent in won. Nut import prices rose 17.7 percent in dollars and an even steeper 23.1 percent in won. Such price pressures are weighing on already-fragile domestic demand. A survey by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry of 300 retail companies nationwide projected retail sales growth of just 0.6 percent next year, which would mark the weakest performance in five years. The chamber cited shrinking consumer sentiment, high inflation, intensifying competition, and heavy household debt as the main drags. Nearly 68 percent of respondents pointed to weak consumer confidence, while 46.5 percent cited inflation. Spending data show early signs of strain. Family expenditure on education fell 0.7 percent in the third quarter, the first quarterly decline in five years. Education is typically one of the last areas that Korean households cut back on. "The foreign exchange market is still dominated by concerns about further depreciation rather than a reversal," said Park Sang-hyun, an analyst at iM Securities. The BOK last month raised its inflation forecast for next year from 2.0 percent to 2.1 percent, warning that if the exchange rate remains around 1,470 per dollar, inflation could reach 2.3 percent. 2025-12-22 16:54:37

S. Korea's consumer watchdog orders compensation for SK Telecom data breach victims SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) - The Korea Consumer Agency has ordered SK Telecom to compensate victims of a data breach earlier this year with 100,000 won ($67.5) per person, a move that could result in total payouts of up to 2.3 trillion won if applied to all affected users. The Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission under the Korea Consumer Agency said Sunday that it reached the decision at a dispute meeting held on Dec. 18. "Based on the findings of a joint public-private investigation released in July and the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC)'s actions in August, it has been confirmed that the SK Telecom hacking incident resulted in the leakage of personal data and consumer harm," the committee said, adding that it had also confirmed the company's responsibility to compensate affected consumers. Under the decision, each applicant is to receive a 50,000-won discount on phone bills and 50,000 T-Plus points, which can be used like cash at affiliated stores. The decision followed a request filed in May by 58 consumers, who said their personal information had been exposed in a data breach involving SK Telecom's Home Subscriber Server and sought compensation and measures to prevent a recurrence. If SK Telecom accepts it, the committee plans to require the company to extend compensation to victims who did not participate in the mediation process. The total number of affected users is estimated at about 23 million, which would bring the overall compensation amount to approximately 2.3 trillion won if all victims receive the same payment. SK Telecom must inform the panel within 15 days of receipt whether it accepts the ruling. The commission's chairman said the compensation plan was designed to ensure swift recovery for a large number of consumers while taking into account the company's efforts to restore trust through voluntary compensation. He added that recent data breaches underscore the need for stronger technical and institutional safeguards to prevent similar incidents. SK Telecom said it will "carefully review the details and make a prudent decision" regarding the mediation proposal. The company declined a separate PIPC proposal last month that called for 300,000 won per person, citing its voluntary compensation and information security spending totaling more than 1 trillion won. 2025-12-21 17:11:00

Shinsegae Chairman Chung steps up US outreach, meets Trump Jr., AI and media leaders SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) - Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, has met with a series of high-profile political and business figures in the U.S. as part of efforts to strengthen the group's overseas network and explore new growth opportunities. According to Shinsegae Group on Sunday, Chung attended a Christmas dinner hosted by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and went on to meet key figures in Florida and Los Angeles from Dec. 16 to 18, including Donald Trump Jr., Misha Laskin, and David Ellison. Chung met Trump Jr. at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, along with 1789 Capital co-founders Omeed Malik and Christopher Buskirk, and discussed the possibility of Shinsegae Group participating in the development of Palm Beach led by 1789 Capital. Shinsegae said it plans to begin a feasibility review of the project. He also met Misha Laskin, founder of Reflection AI, a company established by former core researchers at Google DeepMind. Reflection AI has recently drawn attention after securing about $2 billion in investment from backers including NVIDIA. Reflection AI is developing autonomous AI agents, and the two sides discussed potential applications of the technology across Shinsegae's core businesses, including retail operations and supply chain management. After his Florida meetings, Chung traveled to Los Angeles on Dec. 18 to meet David Ellison, founder of Skydance Media and son of Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison. Ellison became chief executive of the merged company after Skydance acquired Paramount Global last year and has recently been linked to a bid for Warner Bros. Chung and Ellison discussed ways to enhance synergies between Shinsegae Group and Skydance, reviewed the status of investment cooperation for the construction of Asia's largest international theme park in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and explored opportunities to develop products using Paramount's intellectual property. Shinsegae Group selected Paramount last year as a global brand partner for the theme park development. "Chung's recent U.S. trip reflects his focus on strengthening global networks and identifying future growth engines through a wide range of business partnerships," a Shingsegae Group official said. 2025-12-21 15:00:02