PHOTOS: Art exhibitions held in Gangnam

SEOUL, June 20 (AJU PRESS) - Art Festa Seoul 2024 opened at the SETEC convention center in Gangnam, Seoul on Thursday for a four-day run, featuring around 2,000 artworks from 50 domestic galleries. Visitors can purchase works by emerging artists selected through an open call at affordable prices. The 6th Korea Minhwa Art Fair also opened at SETEC that day. The fair showcases Korean folk paintings and various cultural products. A special booth introduces Indian folk paintings. It will also run u

June 21, 2024

Weak yen draws more Korean travelers to Japan

SEOUL, June 21 (AJU PRESS) - The weak Japanese yen has attracted over 10 million Korean travelers to Japan during the first five months of this year, up about 46 percent compared to the same period last year. According to data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Friday, some 10.26 million people traveled to the island country between January and May, up 46.2 percent from last year's 6.95 million. The figure is the highest ever recorded since the m

June 21, 2024

Putin warns S. Korea providing weapons to Ukraine would be 'very big mistake'

SEOUL, June 21 (AJU PRESS) - Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that South Korea would be making a "very big mistake" if it opted to supply weapons to Ukraine. The warning came after South Korea said it is reviewing its options regarding providing weaponry to Kyiv, hinting a potential shift in its stance on the ongoing war in Ukraine. After Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a defense pact during their summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday, South Kor

June 21, 2024

Game developer vows action against NewJeans character harassment

SEOUL, June 21 (AJU PRESS) - ADOR, the agency behind the K-pop girl group NewJeans, and Krafton, the developer of the video game "PUBG: Battlegrounds," have warned of stern actions in response to incidents of sexual harassment targeting in-game characters based on the band members. Krafton, in collaboration with ADOR, released an update to the popular battle royale game on June 12, featuring NewJeans-themed content and items. While playing the game, some users rece

June 21, 2024

Yeon Sang-ho teams up with acclaimed Mexican director for upcoming Netflix film

SEOUL, June 21 (AJU PRESS) - Filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho is set to team up with Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón for his upcoming project, Netflix said Thursday. The collaboration is already garnering much attention among their fans. Based on Yeon's popular webtoon series, "Revelations" follows the story of a pastor who believes it is God's revelation to punish the perpetrator of a missing case and a detective haunted by visions of his deceased sibling while inves

June 21, 2024

VISUALS: War Memorial opens exhibition hall for Korean War POWs

SEOUL, June 21 (AJU PRESS) - A new exhibition space dedicated to Korean War prisoners of war (POWs) opened Thursday at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul's Yongsan district. The POW zone, spanning 210 square meters, aims to preserve the memories and experiences of POWs from the 1950-53 conflict. The permanent exhibition hall features various artifacts and video interviews with soldiers who returned from captivity. "We hope this exhibition hall will encourage Koreans and people ar

June 21, 2024

PHOTOS: Everland opens panda family pop-up store

SEOUL, June 21 (AJU PRESS) - Everland is operating the second season of its popular panda family pop-up store at The Hyundai Seoul department store in Yeouido, Seoul. The event, running from June 18 to 30, offers over 150 types of merchandise, ranging from toys and accessories to household items, showcasing the daily lives of the family of beloved Fu Bao. The first giant panda born in Korea was returned to China in April. The animal had lived in Everland, Korea's largest theme park, lo

June 21, 2024

Opinion: Amid scorching heat, 900 people died this week in Saudi Arabia. Climate change has made Hajj pilgrimage more risky

SEOUL, June 21 (AJU PRESS) - Each year, millions of Muslims from across the world embark on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The mass migration is unparalleled in scale, and pilgrims face numerous health hazards. Mecca is considered the holiest city for Muslims. And Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, making it a mandatory religious duty for Muslims to perform at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially capable. The 2024 Hajj pilgrima

June 21, 2024

Crooner Crush to take break due to back surgery

SEOUL, June 20 (AJU PRESS) - Singer Crush has been forced to halt all activities after being diagnosed with a herniated disk, the singer-songwriter's agency said Thursday. Entertainment agency Pnation, run by rapper Psy who earned global fame thanks to his viral song "Gangnam Style," said that Crush underwent medical checkups due to his worsening back pain, and he is going under the knife soon. "Crush will temporarily suspend all scheduled activities

June 20, 2024

Samsung refrigerator boosts energy efficiency with AI, chip technologies

SEOUL, June 20 (AJU PRESS) - Samsung Electronics said Thursday its new Bespoke AI Hybrid Refrigerator increases energy efficiency by up to 30 percent compared to conventional models, thanks to the adoption of artificial intelligence and semiconductor technologies. The refrigerator, released in March, adopts a hybrid cooling system that integrates a semiconductor device called Peltier with the conventional compressor. Both operate together to improve cooling energy efficiency. T

June 20, 2024