Clock ticking for PPP as internal rift stalls progress on unified conservative candidate

SEOUL, May 8 (AJP) - Tensions are escalating within the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as internal wrangling continues over fielding a unified conservative candidate, with the snap presidential election less than a month away. The PPP’s presidential nominee, Kim Moon-soo, had expressed a willingness to team up with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who declared his presidential bid last week. However, Kim now appears to have changed his mind shortly after being chosen as th

May 8, 2025

Lee Jae-myung courts business leaders, pledging support for growth

SEOUL, May 8 (AJP) - Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, met Thursday with leaders of South Korea’s major business groups, stressing the central role of the private sector in reviving the nation’s faltering economy. “Companies are at the center of economic revival,” Lee told a gathering at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, which included the heads of five influential business federations. “The era wh

May 8, 2025

Han Duck-soo calls for unity and reform in presidential campaign

SEOUL, May 08 (AJP) - Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo made a strong case for constitutional reform and conservative unity during a press conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club on Wednesday, saying he would rather fix the country’s broken political system than chase long-term power. “I'm not here to be just another candidate. I'm here because our system is in crisis,” Han said, speaking with a mix of urgency and conviction. “Wh

May 8, 2025

TRAVEL: Across a narrow strait, Daemado reveals layers of history

SEOUL, May 08 (AJP) - Though barely 30 miles from Busan, South Korea, the island of Tsushima, known to Koreans as Daemado, felt like a world away on my recent inaugural visit. A mere hour and forty minutes by ferry from Busan International Passenger Terminal on a placid sea, this Japanese outpost holds a unique position, geographically close to its neighbor yet steeped in a distinct history marked by centuries of intricate exchange. The island’s past is deeply intertwined with the Ko

May 8, 2025

North Korea and Belarus step up economic cooperation with Pyongyang meetings

SEOUL, May 08 (AJP)—North Korea welcomed a senior Belarusian delegation to Pyongyang this week, signaling growing ties between the two countries through a series of working-level talks and a formal banquet held on Tuesday. The Belarusian delegation will remain in North Korea until May 9. The visit, led by Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko, comes ahead of the third North Korea–Belarus Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation session, marking the fi

May 8, 2025

North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles into East Sea

SEOUL, May 8 (AJP) - North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday, according to military authorities here. The missiles were launched from the North's eastern coastal city of Wonsan at around 8:10 a.m. "We detected signs of the launch and closely monitored the situation," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "We have also heightened surveillance in preparation for possible additional launches, maintaining close coordi

May 8, 2025

KEPCO, KHNP head to international arbitration over UAE nuclear project

SEOUL, May 08 (AJP) - Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has filed for international arbitration against its parent company, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), over a protracted dispute involving more than $1 billion in unsettled construction costs tied to South Korea’s landmark nuclear power project in the United Arab Emirates. According to the KHNP, it has brought the case to the London Court of International Arbitration, citing unresolved payments related to th

May 8, 2025

India justifies cross-border strikes as fallout from Kashmir attack

SEOUL, May 08 (AJP) - India explained Wednesday that its recent airstrikes on targets in Pakistan and the Pakistani-administered part of Kashmir were aimed at dismantling terrorist networks linked to last month’s deadly attack on civilians in the Kashmir valley. The strikes, carried out early on May 7 under what the government has dubbed “Operation Sindoor,” came in response to an attack on April 22 in the resort town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. G

May 8, 2025

In shift from oil, Saudi Aramco bets on clean energy

Editor's Note: This article is the 17th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, May 7 (AJP) - Saudi Aramco, the oil behemoth that has long fueled the Saudi economy, is increasingly steering its focus toward cleaner technologies, signaling a significant pivot in one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries. On April 21, Aramco, th

May 8, 2025

Kim Moon-soo and Han Duck-soo fail to reach agreement in unification talks

SEOUL, May 07 (AJP) - Conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and independent candidate Han Duck-soo held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss a possible unification of their candidacies, but the talks ended without any agreement. The two candidates met privately for about an hour and 15 minutes at a restaurant in Seoul’s Jongno District around 6 p.m., without aides or representatives present. Following the meeting, Han’s spokesperson L

May 7, 2025