OPINION: April remains the cruelest month T.S. Eliot once called April the cruelest month, for it forces life out of dead land. There is something unsettling about renewal. Beauty, when it returns too quickly, exposes what has been lost. This April, the world stands once again before that line. War is no longer a distant headline. In Iran and across the Middle East, conflict spills beyond borders, touching countries that once stood at the periphery. In Ukraine, now in the fourth year of war, cities, power grids, April 4, 2026

S. Korea to offer incentives for off-peak public transport use amid energy crunch SEOUL, April 04 (AJP) - South Korea’s presidential office said on Friday it will provide incentives for citizens who use public transportation during off-peak hours, part of a strategy to manage a surge in demand and energy supply uncertainties triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. The measure aims to encourage a voluntary shift in commuting patterns as rising oil prices drive more people toward public transit, Blue House spokesperson Jun Eun-su said during a briefin April 4, 2026

S.Korea to announce major US investment project within weeks, US official says SEOUL, April 04 (AJP) - South Korea is finalizing a major investment plan for the United States, a senior Trump administration official said, as Washington rolls out a new wave of tariffs on metals and pharmaceuticals. During a telephone briefing on Thursday, the senior U.S. official stated that Seoul is expected to unveil a significant investment project in the U.S. within the coming weeks. The official's remarks came after highlighting recent investment commitments from J April 4, 2026

Flutist Jihee Han's musical journey: A culmination of heritage and artistry SEOUL, April 04 (AJP) - In the world of classical music, a debut album often serves as an introduction to a young artist's potential. However, flutist Jihee Han’s recently released album under the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label feels more like a profound culmination of a lifelong dedication to her craft. Han’s artistic foundation was deeply influenced by her family environment. Her late father, Sang-bum Han, a respected senior executive at Korean Air, was kn April 4, 2026

S.Korea's diversified LNG supply chain mitigates risks amid Australia's potential export limits SEOUL, April 04 (AJP) - South Korea is facing potential supply chain disruptions for liquefied natural gas (LNG) as Australia, its largest LNG supplier, considers prioritizing domestic demand amid growing global uncertainties driven by the Middle East conflict. While the government expects limited near-term impacts, broader concerns over global energy supply stability remain. In response, proactive measures by South Korean private energy firms, such as SK Innovation E&S and April 4, 2026

Korean stocks rebound as Hormuz risks recede, foreign inflows return SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) - Asian markets swung mostly higher Friday as governments from the Middle East to Europe scramble to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The benchmark KOSPI led gains, closing up 2.7 percent at 5,377.3, as foreign and institutional investors returned to net buying. The won strengthened to 1,507.9 per dollar. The move followed reports that Iran is working with Oman on a maritime protocol to manage transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handles roughly April 3, 2026

BTS '2.0' MV channels Oldboy noir as cinematic callbacks spark global buzz SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) - A few Korean films have left a deeper imprint on global cinema than Oldboy (2003), the brutal, operatic noir that propelled director Park Chan-wook onto the world stage — with a Cannes Grand Prix and admiration from filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino. Its side-scrolling corridor fight, shot in a single take, has since become one of the most imitated sequences in modern cinema. Now, that visual language has found an unlikely new interpreter: BTS. April 3, 2026

Korea's credit market shows crunch signs as demand dries up SEOUL, April 3 (AJP) — Spring has arrived, but South Korea’s debt market remains stuck in a winter chill, especially for sub-investment-grade issuers, as surging bond yields, weak demand and a cheapened won erode the appeal of Korean assets. Government bond yields have climbed back to levels last seen in November 2023, when the benchmark rate stood at 3.50 percent during the post-pandemic tightening cycle — even as the current policy rate has been held at 2.50 pe April 3, 2026

Learning to plant green on Arbor Day SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) -Arbor Day may have faded from public attention, but in pockets of Seoul it still lives on — especially for children discovering the simple joy of planting a tree. In Gangnam, that spirit took root along Yangjaecheon on Friday. To mark the 81st Arbor Day on April 5, Gangnam-gu hosted the “Our Neighborhood Green Donation Challenge – Garden Forest of Participation” at Gaepo-dong Neighborhood Park, drawing some 500 participants — April 3, 2026

Remembering Jeju April 3 for the 78th time SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) -The Jeju April 3 Incident refers to a period of armed uprising and state suppression on Jeju Island between 1948 and 1954, during which tens of thousands of civilians were killed. The violence began with an uprising on April 3, 1948, rooted in unrest that had been building since March 1, 1947, and continued for years amid a broader ideological conflict in the early Cold War period. Voices of remembrance echoed across the nation on Thursday as South Korea April 3, 2026