Ex-first lady's final ruling on multiple charges delayed until next week SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Former first lady Kim Keon Hee's final ruling on multiple allegations against her has been postponed until next week after the Supreme Court on Wednesday delayed its scheduled decision. Kim, who faces several charges including the acceptance of luxury handbags and jewelry in exchange for favors, involvement in stock manipulation, and interference in candidate nominations for the 2022 local by-elections, was supposed to receive the ruling later th July 15, 2026

A cartel ingredient behind Korea's sticky prices SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Even before the war in the Middle East reignited fears over higher food and fuel costs, South Koreans had grown accustomed to paying more at the checkout. Wars, supply-chain disruptions and inflation became familiar explanations every time prices climbed. Now, a wave of antitrust investigations suggests another force was also at work much closer to home. Regulators say some of the country's biggest food and fuel suppliers had been coordinating pric July 15, 2026

Seoul, one of Asia's richest cities, leaves one village behind SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - The journey takes barely two minutes. Yangjae-daero, a six-lane boulevard cutting through southern Seoul, is little more than another busy artery carrying commuters toward Gangnam's gleaming office towers and luxury apartment complexes. Thousands cross it every day without giving the road a second thought. Yet few roads in South Korea separate two different economic realities more starkly. On one side stand apartment towers wh July 15, 2026

A very Korean dream hatched in the country's most unlikely place SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Before Cheon Young-hwan tells visitors about Guryong Village, he tells them about his sons. Forty years ago, he walked down the hill from the cluster of shacks where his family had settled after being displaced by Seoul's redevelopment drive and knocked on the door of a stranger living across Yangjae-daero. He was not asking for money. Nor was he asking for food. He was asking to borrow an address. Without one, his two boys could not enroll i July 15, 2026

Seoul weighs Daejeon site for unified military academy SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - South Korea’s Defense Ministry is strongly considering establishing a new integrated military academy at Jaundae in Daejeon, where cadets from the Army, Navy and Air Force academies would receive four years of joint education, military sources said Wednesday. According to military officials, the ministry is reviewing a plan to create a new Armed Forces Academy at Jaundae, a major military education and training complex in Daejeon, as part of its broader July 15, 2026

Samsung unveils Flex Titanium technology after Fold 8 leak sparks buzz SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled a new foldable display technology designed to improve durability while significantly reducing screen creases, days after an online video purportedly showing its next-generation Galaxy Fold smartphone drew widespread attention for its nearly invisible fold line. The company said its new Flex Titanium technology combines advanced display engineering, new materials and precision mechanical design to produce its thinnest July 15, 2026

Unionized workers at GM Korea begin two-day partial strike over wage dispute SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Unionized workers at GM Korea on Wednesday began a two-day partial strike after wage talks broke down. The workers, who have been refusing overtime and weekend work since earlier this week, are staging the strike on Wednesday and Thursday, with the morning and afternoon shifts stopping work for four hours each. It comes after more than a dozen rounds of wage talks including one held the previous day collapsed as the automaker's labor and management fail July 15, 2026

Korea's National Museum sees 7 million annual visitors after record H1 SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) —South Korea's National Museum is on pace for another record year as domestic and foreign visitors flock to one of the country's fastest-rising cultural landmarks. The National Museum of Korea welcomed 3.8 million visitors in the first half of 2026, up nearly 40 percent from a year earlier and already exceeding its total attendance for all of 2024, according to data released Tuesday. Foreign visitors have been a major driver of the increase. Ne July 15, 2026

Seoul stocks soar as cooling U.S. inflation, chip optimism fuel broad rally SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) — South Korean stocks staged a powerful rebound Wednesday as softer-than-expected U.S. inflation and renewed optimism over the artificial intelligence semiconductor cycle triggered a broad-based buying spree led by SK hynix and Samsung Electronics. As of 9:57 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI surged 6.81 percent to 7,323.60, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ jumped 5.39 percent to 826.24, recovering sharply after recent market volatility. The rally tracked overnigh July 15, 2026

South Korean action-packed thriller stays atop Netflix's global non-English TV chart SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - SBS' latest drama series, "Agent Kim Reactivated," which is also available on Netflix, remained the global streaming giant's most-watched non-English TV show for the second consecutive week. According to the latest chart released by Netflix's rankings website Tudum on Wednesday, the action-packed revenge thriller garnered 9.1 million views for the week ending Sunday, staying at the top of the chart after its first episode aired late last July 15, 2026