Nam Hyun Hee Alleges Affair by Ex-Husband Gong Hyo Seok, Cites Mistress in Divorce Former South Korean national fencing team member Nam Hyun Hee has accused her ex-husband, former national cyclist Gong Hyo Seok, of having an affair. Nam posted KakaoTalk messages to social media on Sunday, describing them as conversations that had continued since 2021 between a married man and a woman involved with him. "I divorced because of this woman. I let it go once, but after he had another affair, I couldn’t tolerate it anymore," she wrote. "Even so, they are saying they divorced because of me and are insulting me." She added that the woman "is still living well, teaching children at a school," and said she showed no remorse despite being caught twice. "It’s so unfair. I will release all the materials and reveal the truth. I have nothing more to lose," Nam wrote, signaling more allegations to come. Nam and Gong married in 2011 and divorced in 2023. They have one daughter. 2026-02-10 08:54:00

Korean Air, Asiana Hang Lucky Brooms for Lunar New Year at Major Sites Korean Air and Asiana Airlines hung traditional “lucky brooms” at major sites in South Korea ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, wishing health and happiness for passengers. The airlines said Monday they placed the decorations at eight locations, including each carrier’s check-in counters at Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 2, Korean Air’s headquarters in Seoul’s Gangseo District and Asiana’s headquarters. The brooms will remain on display through Feb. 23. Hanging a new broom on the first day of the lunar year is a traditional custom meant to gather good fortune, like collecting rice in a sieve. Korean Air has held the annual event since 2008 to mark the holiday and help preserve traditional customs. This year, Asiana employees joined the event, adding significance as the companies prepare for full integration. “Ahead of the integration of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, we hope our customers enjoy health and happiness and that this year will be one of powerful leaps, like a red horse,” a Korean Air official said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 08:48:00

Hyundai Wia Launches 'Dodam Sand' Cookies Made With South Gyeongsang Produce Hyundai Wia said it launched “Dodam Sand,” a sandwich cookie made with agricultural products from South Gyeongsang Province, on Monday. The company said it developed the product with the South Gyeongsang provincial government, the Rural and Fishing Village Mutual Growth Cooperation Fund, the Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and social enterprise Gonggonggonggan to support local farms and help build a sustainable community by growing it into a signature regional specialty. Hyundai Wia said the product was created using 300 million won it contributed to the mutual growth fund. Over about a year, the provincial government, local farms and residents worked together on planning, ingredient selection, final production and marketing. The packaging uses Hyundai Wia’s mascot “Dodami,” modeled after the endangered sable, to convey a friendly design and the message of ecosystem restoration. Dodam Sand comes in four flavors meant to reflect the province’s seasons: raspberries grown in Gimhae, mulberries from Sancheong, persimmons grown in Changwon and yuzu from Namhae. The cookies use gourmet butter and jam made from local fruit to highlight the fruit’s flavor and a soft texture. Hyundai Wia said all sales proceeds will be donated to a “green forest creation” project it is developing with the provincial government. The funds will be used to restore mountains heavily damaged by last year’s wildfires and to help create habitat for endangered animals in the region, including sables. The company said it plans to start funding through Naver Happybean on Monday. It also plans to expand sales through pop-up stores at Changwon Jungang Station and the Jinhae Gunhangje festival, and by entering online open markets. “A result of putting our heads together to grow with the region is Dodam Sand,” a Hyundai Wia official said. “We hope Dodam Sand becomes a snack that represents the region and a seed that helps local farms and forests grow.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 08:45:00

Chevrolet Opens New Haeundae Showroom in Busan Chevrolet said Tuesday it has opened a new showroom in Haeundae-gu, Busan. The Chevrolet Haeundae showroom covers 334.8 square meters and can display up to seven vehicles at once. Featured models include the Trax Crossover and Trailblazer. At an opening ceremony on Monday, Hector Villarreal, president of GM Korea, attended with employees, local Chevrolet dealership representatives and partner companies. About 25 people took part, the company said. Chevrolet said it provides service through a network of more than 380 partner service centers nationwide, using GM headquarters-certified technology and standardized procedures. The company said it is running a special promotion this month with enhanced financing and discount benefits across its lineup. It is also offering various prizes to mark the launch of the Trailblazer Midnight Black Edition. "The opening of the Haeundae-gu showroom is a meaningful step to strengthen customer touchpoints at a key hub in the Busan and South Gyeongsang region and to boost brand competitiveness in a strategic area with a high-income and global customer base," Villarreal said. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 08:39:00

18-year-old wins S. Korea's first female snowboard Olympic bronze SEOUL, February 10 (AJP) - High school student Yu Seung-eun has made history on Monday (local time) as the first South Korean woman to stand on an Olympic snowboarding podium, capturing a bronze medal in the big air event during her debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The 18-year-old recorded a combined score of 171.00 points at Livigno Snow Park, finishing behind gold medalist Japan's Murase Kokomo and silver medalist Zoi Sadowski-Synnott from New Zealand. Her performance secured South Korea's second snowboarding medal of these Games, following a silver by Kim Sang-kyum in the men's parallel giant slalom on Sunday. South Korea is a relative newcomer to the international snowboarding scene compared to traditional winter sports powers in North America and Europe. While snowboarding made its Olympic debut in 1998, South Korea did not win its first medal in the sport until Lee Sang-ho took silver in the parallel giant slalom at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. Yu's bronze represents the nation's first-ever Olympic medal in a freestyle snowboarding discipline. During the February 10 final, which aggregates the two highest scores from three attempts, Yu executed a backside triple cork 1440 mute grab on her opening run for 87.75 points. She moved into a temporary lead during the second round by landing a frontside triple cork 1440 Indy grab, which earned 83.25 points. Despite a fall on her final attempt that resulted in a score of 20.75 points, the strength of her first two runs kept her in third place. "My coach told me not to worry about the other athletes and just focus on my own performance, so I didn't even know I was in medal contention," Yu said. "It's an honor just to compete under the South Korean flag." Seongbok High School student Yu Seung-eun arrived in Italy as a medal prospect after becoming the first South Korean to earn a silver medal at a Big Air World Cup in Colorado last December. The women's big air final featured 12 athletes, with Yu's technical consistency marking a milestone for South Korea's winter sports program. 2026-02-10 08:28:14

Singer Bae Ki Sung Says He Met His Wife During Day Drinking, Married After 3 Years Singer Bae Ki Sung introduced his wife on television. Bae and his wife, Lee Eun Bi, appeared on TV Chosun’s “Joseon’s Lovebirds” in an episode that aired Monday. Bae recalled their first meeting, saying he had been day drinking with friends for the first time in a while. “We’d gone to about six or seven places, and she came into the restaurant after work to eat,” he said. “Even though I was drunk and we were supposed to be hanging out among ourselves, I kept noticing her.” Lee said she had liked Bae’s songs as a teenager. “He was sitting behind me, and I kept going back and forth to the bathroom to see his face,” she said. They later ended up sitting together and said they married after dating for three years. Bae said his wife’s life has been very different from his. “She reads a paper newspaper,” he said, adding that he now reads about 60 books a year because of her. “I’d never met anyone like her,” he said. “I thought if I married her, my life would get a little smarter, so I decided to get married.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 08:09:00

Stray Kids Concert Film ‘The Dominate Experience’ Tops Global Box Office Stray Kids’ concert film “Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience,” which captures the group’s largest-ever world tour, has topped the global box office. According to U.S. outlet Deadline, the film, which opened on Feb. 6 (local time), grossed a total of US$19.1 million across 61 markets during the first weekend of February, ranking No. 1 worldwide. In North America, it earned about $5.6 million from 1,724 theaters in its opening weekend. In Mexico, it took in about $2.1 million to rank No. 1. In Germany, it grossed about $1.6 million, marking the biggest opening for a K-pop film in that market. In the U.K. and Ireland, it earned about $1.4 million, becoming the top-grossing K-pop film there. The film also posted solid results in Italy, Spain, Brazil, France, Peru, Chile and Australia. “Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience” documents Stray Kids’ “Stray Kids World Tour ‘Dominate,’” held from August 2024 through October the following year, spanning 56 shows in 35 regions. The film also includes the group’s concert at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium — billed as a first for a fourth-generation K-pop group — along with behind-the-scenes footage. Stray Kids are set to continue activities in 2026 and are scheduled to appear as headliners at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York on June 6 and Rock in Rio in Brazil on Sept. 11. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-10 08:06:00

South Korea’s Lim Hae Na-Kwon Ye miss free dance at Milan-Cortina Olympics after rhythm dance South Korea’s only ice dance entry at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Lim Hae Na and Kwon Ye, failed to advance past the rhythm dance, ending their first Olympic schedule. Lim and Kwon scored 64.69 points in the rhythm dance — 34.28 in technical elements and 30.41 in program components — in competition held Feb. 10 South Korea time. Well below their personal best of 76.02, they placed 22nd among 23 teams. Only the top 20 advanced to the free dance. It was their lowest score since debuting on the senior circuit in the 2022-23 season. They missed the cutoff by 0.29 points behind Sofia Val and Asaf Kazimov of Spain, who finished 20th. A mistake in the sequential twizzles proved costly when Kwon’s steps tangled and the rotation was not completed, leading to deductions. In the kiss-and-cry, Kwon bowed his head in visible disappointment after the score posted. Afterward in the mixed zone, Lim said, “It’s disappointing because there was a mistake, but overall I was happy,” adding, “Today the energy came through well, and our timing in the choreography was good, so I’m satisfied.” Describing the moments after the error, Lim said they made eye contact and told each other, “We can do it — let’s do the next elements better,” adding that he wanted to tell Kwon it was OK. “Our goal was to qualify for the Olympics, and I’m grateful just to have been on this stage,” Lim said. “Just the fact that we performed at the Olympics is overwhelming.” Kwon, who had cold symptoms ahead of the Games, said nerves also may have played a role. “The movements got out of sync. Honestly, I’m really disappointed,” he said, adding, “After the mistake, I did my best in the remaining sections.” Though they did not reach the free dance, both skaters said the experience mattered. “It was meaningful to perform in front of so many spectators,” Lim said. “I hope our emotions reached the fans.” Kwon said, “I was nervous, but the atmosphere was very impressive, and I tried to enjoy the moments I had left.” 2026-02-10 07:48:00

SK and Nvidia chiefs hold AI talks over chicken and beer in Santa Clara SEOUL, February 10 (AJP) - Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group missing from the famous chicken-beer meeting in Seoul among key Korean tycoons during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's visit to South Korea last October, had a separate chimaek moment with Huang in Silicon Valley as SK hynix vies with Samsung Electronics for next-generation memory packages to Nvidia's AI accelerators. According to industry officials on Monday, Chey met Huang on Feb. 5 (local time) at a Korean-style fried chicken restaurant in Santa Clara, California. The venue is known as a favorite of Huang. Chey’s younger daughter, Choi Min-jung, CEO of Integral Health, and Huang’s daughter, Madison Huang, a senior director at Nvidia, accompanied them to underscore the depth of their personal relationship. The talks were reported to have focused on cooperation centered on supplies of next-generation high-bandwidth memory, or HBM. With Nvidia preparing to launch its next AI accelerator, “Vera Rubin,” in the second half of this year, a stable supply of SK hynix’s sixth-generation HBM, known as HBM4, is seen as a key issue. SK hynix currently is responsible for about 70 percent of Nvidia’s HBM3E volume for Blackwell and is said to be assigned with more than 60 percent of the initial HBM4 volume for Vera Rubin. The two companies also likely shared mid- to long-term cooperation plans across next-generation memory, including HBM4E, custom HBM (cHBM), LPCAMM, a low-power DRAM module for servers, and NAND flash. Industry officials said Solidigm’s AI business strategy was also likely on the agenda. SK Group recently changed the name of its U.S. NAND subsidiary and plans to invest about US$10 billion as it pushes to transform Solidigm into an AI solutions company. Some in the industry say cooperation with Nvidia, which has AI solutions spanning autonomous driving and robotics, could expand beyond semiconductors to areas such as building next-generation AI data centers. Chey has been staying in the United States since early this month to personally manage global AI-related networking, the report said. SK Supex Council Chairman Chey Chang-won attended an early-month meeting of the heads of 10 major conglomerates hosted by the president in his place, a move some interpreted as reflecting Chey Tae-won’s focus on major global issues in Silicon Valley, including strengthening ties with Nvidia. 2026-02-10 07:45:18

Ukraine War in 5th Year: Trump's long-delayed '24-Hour' promise *Editor’s Note: As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears its fifth year, AJP reviews how the war began, how it has evolved, and where it is heading — and asks the most urgent question of all: will it end? This second installment examines the delayed peace negotiations. SEOUL, Feb. — (AJP)-“I will end that war within 24 hours.” Since his campaign days, US President Donald Trump repeatedly portrayed himself as a “peacemaker,” confidently claiming he could bring the Russia-Ukraine war to a swift end. Emphasizing his personal ties with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump insisted that his unique relationships would allow him to broker peace where others had failed. While the international community remained skeptical of the “24-hour” timetable, some observers expressed cautious hope that a strongman-style leader like Trump might succeed in forcing a settlement. Shortly after taking office in January last year, Trump appointed a special envoy and began preliminary efforts toward a ceasefire, raising expectations of rapid progress. More than a year later, however, the war remains unresolved. Stalled Diplomacy Despite mobilizing sanctions, pressure tactics, and diplomatic persuasion — particularly toward Russia, which has shown limited enthusiasm for a ceasefire — Trump has struggled to produce results. Critics argue that he has been drawn into Putin’s delaying tactics and “false hopes,” rather than shaping the process himself. Meanwhile, the conflict, which Russia initially described as a “special military operation” that would end within weeks, is approaching its fourth anniversary — longer than the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany during World War II. Limited Gains Trump’s mediation has not been entirely fruitless. Under U.S. auspices, Russia and Ukraine returned to the negotiating table, achieving temporary local ceasefires and limited prisoner exchanges. Zelensky also signaled flexibility on Ukraine’s long-held demand to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization, briefly raising hopes for momentum. Yet fundamental disagreements remain. Russia continues to demand permanent control over occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk and Luhansk, while insisting that Western forces be barred from the country. Ukraine, for its part, refuses to compromise on sovereignty. Kyiv also fears that without firm Western security guarantees, any pause in fighting would allow Moscow to regroup and attack again. A Military and Political Deadlock Russia has steadily expanded its control in occupied areas, signaling its intent to force Ukraine into submission through military pressure. At the same time, Western support — particularly from Europe and the United States — continues to sustain Ukraine’s defense. Russia itself has suffered heavy material and human losses. As a result, neither side appears capable of imposing a decisive outcome. “None of the conditions for ending the war have been met,” said Ruth Deyermond, a professor at King’s College London, in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “Neither side is in a position to secure a decisive victory, and while both face pressure, neither looks close to collapse,” she said. Economic Pressure Builds Some analysts believe economic factors could eventually accelerate negotiations. Russia’s economy, heavily dependent on oil and gas exports, has been hit by sanctions and weak prices. According to a report by The Washington Post, Russian officials have warned Putin that financial stress could intensify by summer. Oleg Ignatov, a Russia expert at the International Crisis Group, said both sides may prefer to seek the best possible terms now rather than prolong the war for years. “Under growing internal and external pressure, Russia and Ukraine are likely to explore ways to end the war on favorable terms,” he said. Missed Deadlines Trump’s credibility as a mediator has been weakened by repeated deadline failures. During his 2023 campaign, he vowed to end the war “within 24 hours.” After taking office, he extended the timeframe to six months, then two weeks, then 50 days, and later just 10 to 12 days. Each deadline passed without a breakthrough. Zelensky recently revealed that Trump is now targeting a summer resolution, but many Ukrainians view the pledge with skepticism. Recent US-led peace talks ended without agreement, while Russian strikes on major Ukrainian cities have continued. Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the attacks showed that “Putin’s place is not at the table of peace, but at the dock of a tribunal.” Despite renewed diplomatic efforts and plans for further negotiations, analysts say a swift end remains unlikely without a major shift in military or political conditions. Trump’s central campaign narrative — that personal relationships and political will could quickly resolve the conflict — has collided with the realities of geopolitics. For now, slogans and timetables have proved no match for one of Europe’s most entrenched wars. 2026-02-10 07:33:08