PHOTOS: Ipdong signals onset of winter

SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Thursday marked Ipdong, or the onset of winter, according to the traditional farming calendar. This day, the 19th of the 24 seasonal divisions in the traditional lunar calendar, traditionally signals the beginning of "gimjang" season—the annual tradition of making kimchi.

November 7, 2024

PHOTOS: Seoul to lift greenbelt restrictions for new housing project

SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - The Korean government plans to lift greenbelt restrictions in certain areas of Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province as part of efforts to build 50,000 new homes by 2031. The plan, announced Tuesday, includes about 2.2 million square meters in Seoul's Seoripul area, where 20,000 housing units will be created. It will mark the first time in 12 years that greenbelt protection has been removed in Seoul.

November 7, 2024

Conference highlights deepening Korea-ASEAN ties

SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - South Korea's relationships with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were highlighted at a conference in Seoul on Thursday, focusing on enhanced collaboration and partnership across various sectors. Hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Secretariat, the conference, under the slogan of "Towards a Sustainable and Resilient Future," brought together hundreds of government officials, diplomats and other participant

November 7, 2024

One in 10 marriages in Korea involved international couples last year

SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - One in 10 marriages in South Korea last year involved international couples, according to government data released Thursday. Statistics Korea reported multicultural marriages increased by 17.2 percent to 20,431 cases in 2023, compared to the previous year. International marriages accounted for 10.6 percent of all marriages in the country, up 1.5 percentage points year-on-year. The proportion recovered from the pandemic-era low of 7.2 percent in 2021.

November 7, 2024

Yoon congratulates Trump on election win

SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - President Yoon Suk Yeol phoned U.S. president-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election win, the presidential office said on Thursday. During a telephone conversation that lasted about 10 minutes, Yoon congratulated Trump on his sweeping victory in Wednesday's election and discussed various issues including North Korea's recent troop deployment to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-h

November 7, 2024

President Yoon defends his wife, rejects calls for probe

SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized for a mounting scandal involving his wife Kim Keon Hee and other related allegations in a televised press conference on Thursday. The apology came as he appeared to realize that it could no longer be delayed and that public concerns needed to be addressed, with his approval ratings continuing to plummet. Yoon offered explanations about Kim's alleged involvement in candidate nominations ahead of the general electio

November 7, 2024

South Korea posts $11.1 billion current account surplus in September

SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - South Korea's current account surplus reached 15.58 trillion won (US$11.1 billion) in September, marking its fifth consecutive month in the black, driven by robust exports, the Bank of Korea said on Thursday. The surplus was nearly double the $6.52 billion recorded in August and stands as the third-largest September figure on record. Outbound shipments rose 9.9 percent from a year earlier to $61.67 billion, extending gains for the 12th straight month

November 7, 2024

OPINION: South Korea's data center industry: growth and challenges amid power supply and regulatory pressures

SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - The data center market influencers of technological advancements, such as implementation of cloud computing, deployment of 5G networks, government digitalization initiatives and increasing mobile and internet penetration, have significantly accelerated the demand for data centers. Asia is slower to experience the growth of AI adoption alongside generative AI when compared to the US, but the impending demand for increased data center capacities continues to exi

November 7, 2024

OPINION: How Trump's presidency might change global economy

SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election – and his threat to impose tariffs on all imports to the United States – highlights an important problem for the global economy. The U.S. is a technological powerhouse, spending more than any other country on research and development and winning more Nobel prizes in the last five years than every other country combined. Its inventions and economic successes are the envy of the globe. But the rest o

November 7, 2024

South Korea braces for trade headwinds as Trump returns to power

SEOUL, November 6 (AJP) - With his strong protectionist and America-first policies, Donald Trump’s likely return to the U.S. presidency is expected to exert mounting pressure on South Korea's export-driven economy. The former president has floated the idea of universal tariffs of 10 to 20 percent on goods from all other countries, and a 60 percent punitive tariff on Chinese imports. Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has recently warned his policies could be “cata

November 6, 2024