South Koreans to have slightly more days off next year SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - South Koreans with a five-day workweek will get 72 holidays next year, two more days than this year. According to next year's calendar released by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute on Monday, there will be 52 Sundays and 24 annual public holidays including substitute days off in 2027. If additional Saturdays off are counted, there will be 124 days off work. But several holidays including Labor Day (May 1), Constitution Day (July 17), June 29, 2026

Nexon Games to bring 'Blue Archive' to Korean craft art SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - Nexon Games announced it will support the creation of craft artworks based on its popular subculture mobile game "Blue Archive," joining a social contribution project run by the Nexon Foundation. The studio signed a memorandum of understanding on June 26 with the Nexon Foundation and the Korea Ceramic Foundation to launch the initiative, dubbed "Borderless: Craft Archive." The three parties will oversee artwork production, exhibitions an June 29, 2026

LG AI Research secures ISO 27001 certification for entire AI lifecycle SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - LG AI Research has obtained the ISO 27001 certification for its entire artificial intelligence operations, seeking to accelerate its push into highly regulated sectors, the company said on Monday. The ISO 27001 is a leading international standard for information security management systems. The newly acquired certification covers the research center's full AI lifecycle, ranging from planning large language models and processing training data to deploying June 29, 2026

Ryu Hae-ran captures maiden LPGA major title in breakthrough victory SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - Golfer Ryu Han-ran on Sunday won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship to claim the first LPGA major title of her career. In the fourth and final round at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, the 25-year-old carded a 2-under 70 to finish at 13-under 275, securing her long-awaited maiden major championship. She also became the first South Korean to win the tournament since Amy Yang claimed the title two years ago. The win came after an imp June 29, 2026

CJ CheilJedang launches gim snacks in push for premium health-food market SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - CJ CheilJedang, South Korea's largest food maker, announced Monday it has rolled out three new bibigo gim bugak snacks, betting on rising appetite for traditional seaweed treats at home and abroad. The crispy snacks, made from dried laver coated in glutinous rice paste and fried, revive a labor-intensive handcrafting method the company said captures the deep aroma and richness of the seaweed. The lineup comes in original, spicy and shrimp flavors. Th June 29, 2026

Kakao union holds this month's second "log-out" day SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) -Messaging at Kakao, whose chat platform is used by most South Koreans, is expected to remain unaffected by a one-day collective union action to log off from work on Monday. Kakao said it has activated a real-time response system to ensure stable operation of KakaoTalk and other key services and minimize inconvenience to users as unionized workers stage what they call a "Logout Day." The action comes after labor and management failed to narrow June 29, 2026

Seoul with Samsung and SK to unveil 10-year chip expansion roadmap SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) -South Korea on Monday is unveiling a 10-year roadmap to cement its chipmaking supremacy through the AI transition, spending that could cost household conglomerates Samsung and SK well above $650 billion. The map redrawing will be announced at 2 p.m. at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, where President Lee Jae Myung will be joined by Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and ministers overseeing industry, science, energy, climate June 29, 2026

South Korean footballers to return home quietly after early World Cup exit SEOUL, June 28 (AJP) - South Korea's national football squad will return home later this week after being eliminated from this year's World Cup, having spent the past few days waiting in vain as the country's slim hopes of advancing to the next round faded. According to the Korea Football Association, head coach Hong Myung-bo is set to arrive at Incheon International Airport on Tuesday with several players and coaching staff, including striker Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint- June 28, 2026

Samsung Biologics workers vote to leave group-wide union as bonus divide deepens SEOUL, June 28 (AJP) - Unionized workers at Samsung Biologics have voted to leave a group-wide labor union consisting of employees across Samsung affiliates, in a move reflecting growing divisions within the conglomerate's broader union structure. According to the biopharmaceutical company, its workers decided on Sunday to withdraw from the wider union grouping all Samsung employees to form their own independent union, following a five-day vote that began last Wednesday. Of t June 28, 2026

Lee to unveil mega chip cluster plan amid already heated debate SEOUL, June 28 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is set to unveil a mega plan this week to build a new semiconductor cluster, an initiative involving massive investment that could reshape the country's chip industry. Lee is expected to outline details of the plan during a press briefing scheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday, with Samsung Group chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won also in attendance, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung on Sunday. June 28, 2026