ASIA DEEP INSIGHT:  Could soccer match mend divide between two Koreas? As Pyongyang rewrites its constitution to erase the prospect of reunification, a women's soccer tournament in Suwon serves as the final point of contact between two hostile states. At 2:20 p.m. on Sunday, 27 players and 12 staff members wearing matching tracksuits disembarked an Air China flight at Incheon International Airport. They collected their luggage, cleared customs, and boarded buses bound for the Gyeonggi provincial capital. The arrival of a visiting club for the May 18, 2026

NOWZ wins ASEA Hot Trend award for second straight year SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - K-pop boy band NOWZ won the Hot Trend award for the second consecutive year at the 2026 Asia Star Entertainer Awards (ASEN) held Saturday in Japan, the group's agency Cube Entertainment said Monday. The five-member act — Hyunbin, Yoon, Yeonwoo, Jinhyuk and Siyun — received the award during the ceremony at Belluna Dome in Saitama. Formerly known as NOWADAYS, NOWZ debuted in April 2024 as Cube Entertainment's first new boy group in e May 18, 2026

aespa to release second full-length album 'LEMONADE' on May 29 SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - K-pop girl band aespa will release its second full-length album "LEMONADE" on May 29, SM Entertainment said Monday. The 11-track album, which includes the title track "LEMONADE," the prerelease single "WDA (Whole Different Animal) (Feat. G-DRAGON)" and a featured version of "LEMONADE," will be released at 1 p.m. (0400 GMT) through major streaming platforms and as a physical copy. aespa — consisting of Karina, G May 18, 2026

DAY6 to hold three KSPO Dome concerts for 10th anniversary tour finale SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - K-pop band DAY6 will hold three concerts at KSPO Dome in July as the finale of its 10th anniversary tour, JYP Entertainment said Monday. The four-member group — Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon — will stage "DAY6 10th Anniversary Tour FINALE in SEOUL" from July 3 to 5 at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park in Seoul's Songpa District. The concerts will close out the group's 10th anniversary tour, which launched at Goyang Stadium in G May 18, 2026

Samsung braces for 'make-or-break' labor talks as strike deadline looms SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - While the catastrophic risk of a full-scale chip strike looms larger than ever over South Korea's tech industry, Samsung Electronics' management and its largest labor union locked horns in a critical, last-ditch round of government-mediated talks on Monday to avert a historic shutdown. The high-stakes showdown comes just three days before a planned 18-day walkout by up to 50,000 workers, a disruption that industry insiders warn could inflict a staggerin May 18, 2026

ASIA DEEP INSIGHT: May 18 Democratization Movement must move toward forgiveness Forty-six years have passed since the tragic uprising in Gwangju transformed the moral landscape of modern South Korea. Time has altered governments, generations, economies, and technologies. Yet the memory of 5·18 민주화운동 (May 18 Democratization Movement) continues to live with unusual intensity in the Korean conscience, because the events of that spring were never merely political. They were profoundly human. The 5·18 movement is no longer a regional grievance, May 18, 2026

T'way Air gains license to change name to Trinity Air SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - South Korean low-cost carrier T'way Air is moving ahead with its transition to Trinity Air after receiving approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for its new corporate name. T'way Air said Monday that it received a revised license from the ministry on May 15 to change its name to Trinity Air. The new name, Trinity, comes from the Latin word “Trinitas,” meaning the unity of three. The company said the name reflect May 18, 2026

Seoul bans brakeless fixie bicycles in public roads after fatal accidents surge SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - Seoul has formally banned brakeless fixed-gear bicycles, or so-called fixie bicycles, from public roads, bike lanes and parks across the city, following a fatal accident last summer and a 50.4 percent jump in youth bicycle crashes that police have linked to a viral fixie trend among middle and high school students. The Seoul Metropolitan Government accnounced the enactement of the ordinance on Monday after passing it at the city's 6th Ordinances and Rules R May 18, 2026

KOSPI sinks as U.S. tech selloff and Samsung strike fears dampen sentiment SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - South Korean stocks opened sharply lower on Monday, with the benchmark KOSPI falling below 7,300, after weeks of an unprecedented rally. The drop, the lowest since May 4, came as investors reacted to a global technology selloff and rising U.S. bond yields, while uncertainty over Samsung Electronics' ongoing labor dispute added further pressure. The index opened down 0.67 percent at 7,443.29 points before extending losses and falling as low as 7,142.71 in May 18, 2026

North Korean leader orders 'strengthening of front-line units along border with South Korea' SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the strengthening of front-line units along the border with South Korea and called for turning the area into an "impregnable fortress," state media reported on Monday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim convened a meeting with military and defense officials the previous day to outline plans for "remodeling the military organizational structure and strengthening the first May 18, 2026