• 
  Contrary to long-held belief, kimchi and traditional Korean diets may not be as healthy as assumed SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Kimchi, South Korea's fermented staple, has been included in U.S. government dietary guidelines for its potential benefits to gut health. Yet a new Korean study suggests that high salt intake from kimchi and other traditional foods may contribute to cancer risk — challenging the widely held view that the Korean diet is inherently healthy. The study, led by researchers from Seoul National University and published in the government-funded journal Ep January 14, 2026
• 
  EXO, BTS, BIGBANG and BLACKPINK set to reclaim the real K-pop stage in 2026 SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) -After a year when a Netflix-born fictional idol group soaked up global buzz, K-pop’s original hitmakers are ready to retake the spotlight in 2026 — not through novelty, but through craft, catalog and command. EXO, BTS, BIGBANG and BLACKPINK — each more than a decade into their careers — are lining up comebacks or group activities that point back to what made K-pop a global force in the first place: precision rhythm, unmistakable stage January 14, 2026
• 
  Boot camp becomes winter break SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) -What was once synonymous with hardship is increasingly being reimagined as a winter challenge experience. The 1st Marine Division on Jan. 12 opened the “2026 Winter Marine Corps Camp” at its training center in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, drawing participants eager to sample life inside Korea’s elite fighting force. About 230 people — including middle and high school students, university students and adults from across the January 14, 2026
• 
  South Korea's finance chief links pension strategy, digital assets to currency stability SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Despite a record current-account surplus, South Korea’s currency market has become more volatile, driven by imbalances in capital flows rather than trade, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol said Wednesday. Koo made the remarks Tuesday in a video address to a symposium hosted at the Korea Federation of Banks building in Seoul, while on a visit to the U.S. The event focused on changes in the foreign-exchange market January 14, 2026
• 
  Ice rink in Seoul attracts over 100,000 visitors in less than a month SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Over 100,000 people have visited an ice rink in front of Seoul Plaza since its opening for this winter in mid-December, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Wednesday. The ice rink, which runs until Feb. 8 after opening on Dec. 13 last year, has proven popular among citizens looking to enjoy winter activities at affordable prices, drawing an average of about 4,000 visitors a day, up from last winter's daily average of 3,269. Visitors can skate January 14, 2026
• 
  KEPCO eyes US market with Columbia grid project SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said Wednesday it has signed a technology cooperation agreement with the city of Columbia, S.C., as it looks to expand its business in the U.S., the world’s largest electricity market. KEPCO said it signed a memorandum of understanding on power distribution grid technology cooperation on Jan. 13, local time, at Columbia City Hall. The agreement was signed by Jung Chi-kyo, KEPCO’s executive vice president, January 14, 2026
• 
  Korean payroll growth stagnates in 2025 amid weak domestic demand, youth job scarcity SEOUL, Jan. 14 (AJP) — South Korea’s labor market held up on the surface in 2025, with employment and participation rates reaching record highs, but stagnant payroll growth, manufacturing job losses and the highest youth unemployment in three years underscored lingering fragility, government data showed Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of employed people aged 15 and older reached 28.769 million in 2025, up 193,000, or 0.7 percen January 14, 2026
• 
  Korea's indigenous AI model project faces debate over use of open-source components SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - South Korea's government-backed initiative to develop an indigenous artificial intelligence foundation model is facing scrutiny over whether the use of open-source components from Chinese firms aligns with the project's definition of "sovereign AI." The Ministry of Science and ICT is set to announce Thursday the results of the first evaluation round for bidders in the national AI foundation model project. Of the five contenders — Nav January 14, 2026
• 
  PPP's internal ethics committee decides to expel former leader Han Dong-hoon SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - The main opposition People Power Party's ethics committee on Wednesday decided to expel former party leader Han Dong-hoon from the party. The belated move came after the PPP's internal investigation into hundreds of defamatory comments about disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee on the party-run online bulletin board, allegedly posted by Han and his family members in November 2024. Han's expulsion immediately prom January 14, 2026
• 
  OPINION: The weight of a death sentence, the lightness of martial law The prosecution’s request for the death penalty against former President Yoon Suk Yeol is not merely about the punishment of one individual. It is a question the Republic of Korea is asking of itself: What kind of country are we? How far have we come? And what lines must never be crossed? That a state of martial law could even be contemplated for political reasons in a mature democratic republic with per-capita income exceeding $30,000 already signals a breach of basic January 14, 2026