'Prost!' Oktoberfest fills Seoul with beer, brass bands and crowds SEOUL, September 13 (AJP) - A vast white festival tent rose across the main plaza of Seoul's Oil Tank Culture Park on Saturday, surrounded by rows of blue parasols, beer and food stalls and crowds spilling beyond its entrance. A long line stretched along the park's main walkway toward the festival grounds. In the outdoor Beer Garden, visitors moved between tables, food stands, merchandise booths and a stall renting Bavarian-style clothing. Some of the longest lines were September 13, 2026

New LE SSERAFIM single charts in 24 markets before BlizzCon set SEOUL, September 13 (AJP) - Within a day of its release, the title track from LE SSERAFIM's second single album had climbed into the upper ranks of iTunes song charts in 24 countries and territories, building momentum for the South Korean group as it prepares to close one of the world's largest gaming conventions. "Made My Night," released Sept. 11, drew more than 1.03 million streams on Spotify in its first day and entered the platform's daily top songs char September 13, 2026

Korean chips reach US through ASEAN as China route shrinks SEOUL, September 13 (AJP) - More of South Korea's semiconductors and electronic components now reach American buyers through factories in Southeast Asia than through factories in China, according to a Bank of Korea report published Sept. 13 on how trade routes have been redrawn since the U.S.-China conflict began. In 2022, 18.6 percent of the South Korean computer, electronic and optical products that ended up in American consumption or investment had passed through Viet Nam, September 13, 2026

Lee Chang-dong takes Silver Lion 24 years after Oasis SEOUL, September 13 (AJP) - South Korea's entry for next year's Academy Awards, Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love," won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Saturday (local time), the first South Korean film to take a prize in the festival's competition section in 14 years. The award, second only to the Golden Lion, was announced at the closing ceremony at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido. Hours earlier, a sep September 13, 2026

Korean Gen Z takes to streets to protest U.S. call for Hormuz support SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - On most Saturdays, Gwanghwamun Square belongs to tourists, families, street performers and the assortment of political groups that regularly claim a patch of downtown Seoul for their causes. This Saturday brought another one: opposition to President Donald Trump’s repeated demands that South Korea help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the United States confronts Iran. Many in the crowd were not the veteran anti-American or progressive activists f September 12, 2026

Samsung finds a 'Tim Cook' who switched to Galaxy in latest Apple jab SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has found a Tim Cook who switched to Galaxy — just not the one running Apple. Samsung New Zealand said in a social media campaign that "Tim Cook has switched to Samsung," before clarifying that it was referring to a man from Palmerston North, New Zealand, rather than the former Apple chief executive. "A familiar name has made a new move," Samsung New Zealand said in a post, describing the Galaxy Z8 se September 12, 2026

AI boom breathes new life into mature chips as DB HiTek orders surge SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - South Korean foundry DB HiTek is emerging as a beneficiary of tightening supplies of mature semiconductors, as booming demand from China's artificial intelligence data centers and robotics industry strains global 8-inch chip production capacity. Customer demand for DB HiTek's foundry services has risen to roughly twice its available production capacity, according to DS Investment & Securities, adding to its order backlog and strengthening e September 12, 2026

Korean singles spend $83 per date, with men paying nearly twice as much SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - A typical date costs unmarried South Koreans 115,000 won ($83), with men spending nearly twice as much as women, a survey showed Saturday, highlighting persistent differences between the sexes over who should pick up the bill. Men aged 25 to 39 reported spending an average 145,800 won per date, compared with 84,000 won for women, according to a survey of 506 unmarried adults conducted by matchmaking agency Gayeon. The gap amounted to 61,800 won p September 12, 2026

Korea expands espionage law as chip technology theft concerns mount SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - South Korea will broaden the scope of its espionage law from Sunday to cover spying for foreign countries, closing a decades-old legal gap as concerns grow over overseas theft of strategically important technologies including semiconductors. The revised Criminal Act, which takes effect Sept. 13, introduces a new provision allowing authorities to prosecute people who obtain, collect, disclose, transfer or broker national secrets for a foreign country or September 12, 2026

North Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea early Saturday, South Korea's military said, a day after Seoul, Washington and Tokyo wrapped up a five-day joint military exercise. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the missiles being launched from the Wonsan area at around 5:20 a.m. The missiles flew about 250 kilometers before falling into the sea. South Korean and U.S. authorities are conducting a detai September 12, 2026