PHOTOS: Seoul Summer Beach transforms Gwanghwamun into urban water park

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - The 2024 Seoul Summer Beach, a temporary water park, opens at Gwanghwamun Square Friday, providing a cooling retreat for residents and tourists during the peak of summer. Running through August 11, this year's event has doubled in size following last year's success, which drew 680,000 visitors. The expanded attractions include a 7.5-meter water slide and a 70-meter-long pool with a depth of 1 meter. Organizers have divided the space into two main areas:

July 26, 2024

PHOTOS: Incheon Airport gears up for summer travel boom

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - Incheon International Airport is bracing for a surge in summer travel, implementing a special peak season traffic plan from July 25 to August 11. Airport officials expect about 3.85 million passengers during this period, with a daily average of 213,782 travelers. This represents a 19.4 percent increase compared to the same timeframe last year. To manage the influx, the airport is promoting streamlined immigration services such as SmartPass, a facial recognition

July 26, 2024

From lovebugs to nutrias: Korea grapples with growing threat of alien species

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) – On a sweltering summer afternoon, residents of Seoul’s Eupyeong district sought refuge in the shade of a tree. Unbeknownst to them, their respite was shared by an unwanted nuisance: tiny, buzzing critters called lovebugs. The 12-legged insects fly around in pairs while mating. Known to prefer white over black, they latch onto brightly colored clothing. Attracted to exhaust fumes, they often dive into vehicles, causing car corrosion. &ldquo

July 26, 2024

Dark web drug ring with 4,000 buyers busted

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - Prosecutors have indicted drug dealers and distributors after uncovering a dark web store with about 4,000 buyers, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (SPO) said Friday. The dark web is a clandestine part of the internet, consisting of websites inaccessible through common browsers or search engines. Due to its anonymity, it is often used for the illegal trade of goods and services including firearms, drugs, stolen items, and even human t

July 26, 2024

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Tokyo next week

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - The defense chiefs of South Korea, U.S. and Japan will gather for talks in Tokyo next week to bolster trilateral cooperation and tighten security on the Korean Peninsula. They last met on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last month where they agreed to rotate hosting their talks. In the trilateral meeting, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik will sit for talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Japan's

July 26, 2024

Actor Yu Ah-in booked on allegations of sexually assaulting man in his 30s

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - Police have booked disgraced actor Yu Ah-in on allegations that he sexually molested a man at a studio apartment in central Seoul earlier this month, it was revealed on Friday. Under Korea's criminal law, sexual violence against individuals of the same sex is classified as "quasi-rape." According to police in Yongsan, the alleged man claims he was sexually assaulted while sleeping at the studio. He said he became aware of what had happen

July 26, 2024

Amid e-commerce settlement dispute, Tmon begins refunds after customers occupy office

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - Tmon, an e-commerce platform caught in a settlement delay controversy, began processing refunds early Friday morning, following protests by hundreds of disgruntled customers who had occupied its headquarters in southern Seoul. Tmon and sister company WeMakePrice have been delaying payments to sellers since early July, prompting businesses to withdraw from the sites. Customers are requesting cash refunds since payment gateway agencies began to suspend

July 26, 2024

Peruvian Embassy in Seoul celebrates Independence Day

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - Envoys and special guests gathered at a hotel in central Seoul on Thursday to celebrate the 203rd anniversary of Peru's Independence Day, hosted by the Peruvian Embassy in Seoul. During the opening ceremony, Peruvian Ambassador to Korea Paul Duclos highlighted the 60th anniversary of the South American country's diplomatic relationship with Korea, which was commemorated in 2023. Peru celebrates its independence from Spain, achieved by Jos&ea

July 26, 2024

Korea Eximbank, IDB sign $300 million co-financing deal for Latin America infrastructure projects

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to provide co-financing for infrastructure projects in Latin America, the bank announced on Friday. Under the agreement, Eximbank will extend up to some 414.5 billion won ($300 million) in co-financing over the next three years through its Economic Development Promotion Facility (EDPF). The bank aims to identify and joi

July 26, 2024

Opinion: 83 bottles of wine per person: how experts are calculating Paris Olympics' carbon footprint

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - The 2024 Paris Olympics aim to be the greenest edition on record, and the first compatible with the Paris climate agreement. Talk of "green games" goes back to April 2021. At the time, the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) had even aspired to carbon neutrality by removing more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than those generated by the games. However, the reference to net zero was quietly dropped in subsequent communications.

July 26, 2024