South Korea sees 'no immediate oil supply disruptions' SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korea has enough crude oil supplies to last through September and expects no immediate disruption even if shipping through the Red Sea is halted, the government said on Tuesday, as lingering tensions in the Middle East put another major energy shipping route at risk. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said refiners had secured crude for July and August equivalent to more than 110 percent of last year's average import volume. Bookings for S July 21, 2026

Yeon Sang-ho's upcoming thriller invited to film fest in Toronto this fall SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Director Yeon Sang-ho's upcoming mystery thriller "Paradise Lost" has been invited to this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film's distributor CJ ENM said on Tuesday. The 101-minute film will have its world premiere in the "Special Presentations" section of the 51st edition of TIFF, which will run from Sept. 10-20. It will mark Yeon's second consecutive appearance at TIFF after his mystery thriller & July 21, 2026

KakaoBank to go on full-day strike after wage talks collapse SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) -After mild hours-long log-off protests by workers across South Korea's top mobile platform Kakao group over the last month, the union at KakaoBank will go on a full-day strike on July 31 after wage negotiations collapsed. The KakaoBank union said Tuesday it decided to stage a one-day strike after mediation by the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission ended without agreement, clearing the way for industrial action. "Our company did not engag July 21, 2026

Homeplus earns final three-month chance to avoid liquidation SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) -Homeplus, South Korea's bankrupt supermarket chain, gained a three-month reprieve in what could be its final chance to stay afloat after a Seoul bankruptcy court on Tuesday overturned its earlier decision to terminate the retailer's rehabilitation process. The Seoul Bankruptcy Court canceled its July 3 order ending Homeplus' court-led rehabilitation and extended the deadline for creditors to approve a restructuring plan until Sept. 4. The deci July 21, 2026

New AI rules take effect in South Korea SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Stricter regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) took effect across industries on Tuesday, requiring businesses to disclose the use of generative AI and label AI-generated content. Under the regulations as part of the so-called "AI Basic Act," the country's first legal framework for artificial intelligence, companies developing or operating AI services must notify users when generative AI is used and label AI-generated content. July 21, 2026

Korean titles make Netflix's most-watched in H1 SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korean productions remained among Netflix's biggest global draws in the first half of 2026, with two Korean series breaking into the platform's worldwide top 10 and multiple other titles attracting tens of millions of viewers, according to Netflix's latest engagement report. Legal drama "Teach You a Lesson" followed at No. 6 with 48 million views, making South Korea the only non-English market to place two July 21, 2026

KMU hosts global ICT security symposium, signs 10 partnerships SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Kookmin University wrapped up a three-day international symposium on information security and e-business in Seoul earlier this month, walking away with 10 cooperation agreements signed with universities and a company abroad, the university said in a statement on Tuesday. The event, called EBISION 2026, was the second symposium held under Working Group 8.4 of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), a nonprofit that coordinates ICT re July 21, 2026

Seoul braces for more monsoon rain after heavy downpours overnight SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - All major streams across Seoul were closed on Tuesday after heavy overnight downpours prompted the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) to issue a heavy rain advisory for parts of the capital. Such an advisory is issued when rainfall of 60 millimeters or more is expected within three hours, or 110 millimeters or more within 12 hours. Eunpyeong district in northwestern Seoul recorded the highest rainfall so far this season, with accumulated precipit July 21, 2026

HYBE to roll out new K-pop girl group Tuide under new label ABD SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - HYBE's newly established girl group label ABD has introduced its first artist, unveiling the seven-member act TUIDE ahead of the group's debut expected in the second half of 2026. The launch marks the first project for ABD, short for A Bold Dream, a label dedicated exclusively to developing girl groups within HYBE's multi-label system. According to the company, the label aims to pursue new creative directions while expanding the boundaries of K-p July 21, 2026

KOSPI tests newly formed floor around 6,500 with retail return SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI tested a newly formed floor around the 6,500 mark Tuesday as retail investors returned, helping stabilize the market after Monday's rout. The benchmark index traded around 6,530 after the opening bell, swinging between gains and losses after tumbling 4.5 percent on Monday to close at 6,516.30, its steepest one-day decline this year. Early optimism that the selloff was easing faded as foreign buying quickly lost momentu July 21, 2026