N. Korean envoy arrives in Viet Nam amid Pyongyang's move to resume diplomacy

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea's new ambassador to Viet Nam arrived in Hanoi earlier this week, becoming the isolated country's first envoy abroad since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Ri Sung-kuk replaces his predecessor Kim Myong-gil, who returned to Pyongyang in April 2019. The post had remained vacant since then. His appointment and arrival at the overseas mission came after Ri Ryong-nam was appointed as ambassador to China in 2021. Vietnam'

August 8, 2024

Monks make debut as K-pop group to spread Buddhism

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Some 10 monks and nuns have teamed up to promote Buddhism, starting their activities with a debut stage in the southern port city of Busan on Thursday, according to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The Korea's largest Buddhist organization said BTENS will help people find peace and solace through the religious method of meditation. "Korea topped the suicide rate among OECD countries. We pondered what we can do about this as religious peo

August 8, 2024

Badminton legend critiques rising star

SEOUL, August 08 (AJU PRESS) - Bang Soo-hyun, the gold medalist in women’s singles in badminton at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and now a prominent TV commentator, has expressed disappointment in badminton star An Se-young's recent public criticism of the Badminton Korea Association. In a radio interview, Wednesday, Bang said An’s decision to publicly air grievances about the association immediately after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics was “regret

August 8, 2024

Kakao reports record Q2 revenue, profit surge, driven by platform businesses

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Kakao Corp., Korea's leading tech company, reported record revenue and double-digit profit growth for the second quarter on Thursday, driven by its advertisement, e-commerce and other platform-based businesses. The company, which operates Korea’s largest mobile messaging app, KakaoTalk, said in a regulatory filing that revenue increased by 4 percent year-on-year to a record 2 trillion won ($1.4 billion) for the April-June period. Net incom

August 8, 2024

U.S. extends ban on travel to N. Korea for its citizens

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - The U.S. has extended its travel ban on North Korea for another year, the State Department said on Wednesday. The ban prohibits U.S. citizens from using their passports to visit North Korea unless they obtain "special validations on a limited basis." The travel restriction has been extended annually since 2017 and will now remain in effect until August next year. "U.S. passports are not valid for travel to, in, or through North Korea,&

August 8, 2024

PHOTOS: Seoul library offers cool retreat with award-winning design

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - In a city grappling with intense summer heat, the Odong Forest Library in Seoul offers a free, cool retreat where books meet innovative architecture. The library is the seventh installment in the "Park Book Rest Area," a collaborative project between the city and local districts. Located in Seongbuk District's Odong Neighborhood Park, the single-story, 430-square-meter building mirrors the park's winding paths in its design. It recently wo

August 8, 2024

'Buldak' maker Samyang establishes Dutch subsidiary for European expansion

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Samyang Food Co., known for its "Buldak" spicy chicken-flavored instant noodles, has established a subsidiary in the Netherlands to spearhead its business expansion in European markets, industry sources said Thursday. The Korean food maker chose the Netherlands for its well-developed infrastructure for trade, investment, information and services, which will help enhance logistics efficiency across Europe, they said. It is Samyang's fift

August 8, 2024

Seoul Metro to offer free short films for commuters

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Commuters can catch films during their subway ride, whether on their way to work or home, as Seoul Metro's annual film festival featuring shorts films returns late this month. The Seoul Metro International Subway Film Festival (SMIFF), now in its 15th year, is set to begin its month-long run on Aug. 29. SMIFF offers about 50 short films, selected from 1,669 entries across around 59 countries. They are mostly micro-short films with a running time of

August 8, 2024

Opinion: Imane Khelif controversy at Paris Olympics shows how sex testing in women's sports puts regulators in impossible bind

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - In their preliminary 2024 Olympic women's boxing match, Algeria's Imane Khelif delivered a painful blow to the face of Italy's Angela Carini, who abandoned the fight after 46 seconds. "I've never been hit with such a powerful punch," Carini told reporters after the match. The incident might have been relatively uncontroversial were it not for what had happened during the 2023 International Boxing Association (IBA) Women's W

August 8, 2024

Korea claims first taekwondo gold in Paris

SEOUL, August 08 (AJU PRESS) - Park Tae-joon delivered South Korea its first gold medal in taekwondo at the Paris Olympics, Thursday, capturing the men’s -58-kilogram division. The victory marked a triumphant return to the top of the podium for Korea which had endured a three-Olympics gold medal drought. Park’s path to gold was marked by dramatic turns. He ousted world No. 1 Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi of Tunisia in the semifinals to set up a clash with Gashim Magomedo

August 8, 2024