(Update) Lee reshuffles cabinet, names new finance and justice ministers SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung nominated a new finance minister and five other cabinet members on Sunday, in a second-year reshuffle that also replaced the ministers of justice and defense. Lee named Lee Hyoung-il, the first vice finance minister, to succeed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told a briefing. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won was tapped as justice minister. Th August 30, 2026

Retail investors flee sliding Seoul market for Wall Street SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korean retail investors' net buying of U.S. equities outpaced their purchases on the domestic main board in the first two months of the second half, as a slump in Seoul shares drove capital abroad. Net purchases of U.S. stocks by individual investors reached $7.05 billion between July 1 and Aug. 27, according to the Korea Securities Depository, exceeding the 8.75 trillion won ($6.35 billion) they bought on the benchmark KOSPI over roughly the same August 30, 2026

Korea's convenience stores sharpen food rivalry SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korea's three biggest convenience store chains are sharpening their food rivalry, rolling out products tuned to increasingly granular consumer tastes as shoppers weigh texture, drink preferences and health alongside the traditional draws of price and convenience. GS25, E-mart24 and 7-Eleven are each leaning on sales data to expand categories where demand has already proven itself, from chewy frozen treats to cafe-style tea drinks and seasonal rice August 30, 2026

BTS' 'Arirang' tour sets record as highest-grossing concert run SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - K-pop juggernaut BTS raked in US$120.5 million in ticket sales in July through their ongoing world tour "Arirang," making it the group's highest-grossing tour, Billboard said on Friday. BTS ranked second on Billboard's July tour chart, behind The Weeknd, who topped the chart with $124.4 million. The group earned nearly as much as The Weeknd despite performing half as many shows, with eight shows in Europe, compared with The Weeknd's 16. August 29, 2026

Trump traded Coupang shares again in June, reviving conflict-of-interest concerns SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump traded shares of South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang twice in June, according to his latest financial disclosure released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics on Friday. Trump made another 1,000-plus stock transactions including two involving common shares of Coupang, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Trump sold Coupang shares worth between US$1,001 and $15,000 on June 3, then bought shares worth between $1 August 29, 2026

Travel advisory for Nepal expanded amid risk of more floods SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - A special travel advisory has been issued for four provinces in flood-hit Nepal amid the risk of further flooding and landslides, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. The special advisory took effect at 9 p.m. the previous day for Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi and Lumbini provinces as a short-term emergency measure, while a lower-level advisory urging increased caution remains in place for the rest of Nepal, according to the ministry. The ministr August 29, 2026

Pump prices fall for 15th straight week as fuel caps remain SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - Pump prices fell slightly this week, extending their decline for a 15th consecutive week, while the government kept its fuel price ceilings unchanged in an effort to limit the impact of volatile global oil prices. According to the Korea National Oil Corporation's website Opinet on Saturday, the average retail price of gasoline at gas stations nationwide stood at 1,861.3 won (US$1.35) per liter in the fourth week of August, down 1.2 won from the previous August 29, 2026

South Korean rescuers struggle to reach flood site in Nepal SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - South Korean government officials and rescue workers are struggling to reach a hydropower plant construction site in northern Nepal after devastating floods and landslides left hundreds of people dead or missing including nine South Korean workers earlier this week. The missing workers include six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three from Korea South-East Power (KOEN). A government-led rescue team along with those from the two companies arrived in Kat August 29, 2026

Two in three South Koreans back nuclear armament, poll shows SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Nearly two-thirds of South Koreans support the country possessing its own nuclear weapons, while a majority oppose the government's push to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies, a Gallup Korea poll showed Friday. The survey of 1,001 adults conducted from Tuesday to Thursday found that 65 percent supported South Korea possessing nuclear weapons, compared with 30 percent who opposed the idea. Support reached 78 percent among supporters of the ma August 28, 2026

Kazakhstan feels familiar. Family duty runs in reverse SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Kazakhstan can feel unexpectedly familiar to a Korean visitor. Across Astana, there are faces that at first glance would not look out of place in Seoul. Dark hair, familiar facial contours and gestures of deference toward older people can create fleeting moments of recognition in a country separated from the Korean Peninsula by thousands of kilometers of mountains, desert and steppe. The sense of familiarity runs deeper around the family table. Younger August 28, 2026