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  PHOTOS: A walk shaped by trains (Gwangju) -1- SEOUL, December 3 (AJP) - The flavors from lunch still linger, but now it is time to walk through Songjeong itself. Even without leaving the station area, small scenes reveal how long people have lived and moved through this neighborhood. The pace is slower here, and the traces of time sit close to the surface. Songjeong Kobrang Fairy Village — stories tucked between homes Past the 1913 market and deeper into the residential lanes, bright murals begin to appe December 4, 2025
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  Thailand marks National Day in Seoul with tribute to late Queen SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - Thailand's ambassador to South Korea emphasized Bangkok's commitment to a more active global role and deeper cooperation with Seoul during a National Day reception held at Lotte Hotel Seoul on December 3. The event, hosted in the Crystal Ballroom, brought together about 300 diplomats, scholars, media members and business leaders, according to organizers. Before the formal program began, guests observed a one-minute moment of silence in memory of December 4, 2025
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  Fewer top scorers as last month's university exam proves tougher SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - This year's university entrance exam was tougher than last year's, with only five students achieving perfect scores, down from 11 the previous year. According to test results released by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) on Thursday, five students including one retaker who took the test last month, scored perfectly across all sections. With English being the most challenging section, the number of perfect scorers in math December 4, 2025
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  Travel guidebook event highlights Kazakhstan as 'blue ocean' for Korean tourists SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - Kazakhstan's ambassador in Seoul said tourism is emerging as a new bridge between his country and South Korea, speaking at a book launch held at Lotte Hotel Seoul on December 3 for the travel guide "Travel Kazakhstan" by author Seo Byung-yong. "It's a delight for me to be in front of such a wonderful audience, the true friends of Kazakhstan and the wonderful partners who are always here to support us," Ambassador Nurgali Arys December 4, 2025
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  TRAVEL: Historic private academy in Nonsan NONSAN, December 04 (AJP) - Nine Confucian academies, known as seowon, from Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), were officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, cementing their status as crucial institutions in East Asian history and education. The seowon were private, residential academies established by respected Confucian scholars. They served two primary functions: as a place for scholarly worship of revered sages and as an educational institution t December 4, 2025
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  Korea's income gap widens by largest rate in 3 years SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - South Korea’s income gap between the top and bottom 20 percent of households widened to 5.78 times last year, snapping a three-year trend of improvement as income growth slowed and gains increasingly concentrated among high-income earners and older asset-holding households. According to the 2025 Household Finance and Welfare Survey released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Thursday, average household income rose 3.4 percent to 74.27 December 4, 2025
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  Yonsei University embroiled in another cheating scandal SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - Another cheating incident has surfaced at Yonsei University, which was previously embroiled in a similar large-scale scandal. About 200 students took an online quiz for an education-related course early this month. Some allegedly shared questions and answers via anonymous chat rooms, while others collaborated using Google Docs, according to multiple university sources on Thursday. The online course had already faced cheating allegations during midterms December 4, 2025
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  Shinhan Financial Chairman Jin Ok-dong poised for extended term SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong is set to secure a second three-year term after delivering consecutive record earnings since taking office in March 2023. On Thursday, the group’s chairman nomination committee named Jin as its final candidate for the next chairman, following interviews with him and other shortlisted contenders, including Shinhan Bank President Jeong Sang-hyeok and Shinhan Investment Corp. CEO Lee Sun-hoon. The comm December 4, 2025
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  Driver sentenced to five years in prison for fatal crash in central Seoul SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - A driver involved in a fatal crash in central Seoul last year was sentenced to five years in prison, as the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the lower court's ruling. The man in his late 60s, identified by his last name Cha, was charged with violating traffic laws after crashing into pedestrians near City Hall in July 2024, killing nine people and injuring five others. Investigations revealed that he had mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead o December 4, 2025
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  OpenAI Korea targets enterprise market as ChatGPT usage soars SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - OpenAI Korea CEO Kim Kyung-hoon said the company aims to become the best partner for South Korean businesses transitioning to artificial intelligence, highlighting the rapid expansion of ChatGPT’s global footprint. Kim made the remarks Thursday at his first press conference since taking office in September. Kim said that daily message volume has jumped from 450 million in June last year to 2.63 billion this June, making AI “a part of everyd December 4, 2025