K-beauty festival draws crowds to Seoul's Nodeul Island

SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest celebration of K-beauty opened Wednesday at Nodeul Island in Seoul, as CJ Olive Young launched its annual Olive Young Festa, showcasing 108 brands across 84 booths in a sprawling five-day outdoor festival. Now in its latest iteration, the 2025 Olive Young Festa represents a significant expansion of the event, which has traditionally been held indoors. "This is more than a beauty exhibition — it’s a space for con

May 21, 2025

PHOTOS: Exhibition traces Joseon envoys' cultural legacy in Japan

SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan, the Seoul Museum of History is presenting a special exhibition on Joseon Tongsinsa, which will continue until June 29. The Joseon Tongsinsa, or diplomatic envoys, trace their origins to the 15th century, but their role dramatically expanded after Japan’s invasion of Korea in 1592. Seeking to mend ties, the Edo Shogunate in Japan initiated d

May 21, 2025

Can conservative candidates unite to end stalemate in voter support?

SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - With just less than two weeks left until next month's presidential election, urgency is rising among conservatives to unite behind a single candidate. While Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) maintains his huge lead in recent polls, with around 50-percent support, Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) who has been struggling to catch up with him is hoping to join hands with Lee Jun-seok of th

May 21, 2025

CJ CheilJedang showcases Korean cuisine at National Restaurant Association Show

SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - CJ CheilJedang, one of South Korea’s leading food manufacturers, showcased its signature Korean culinary products at the 2025 National Restaurant Association Show, held May 17–20. The 106th iteration of the world’s largest foodservice exhibition drew approximately 50,000 attendees and featured 2,225 companies across 900 product categories, serving as a global stage for emerging trends and innovations in the food industry. CJ CheilJedang ope

May 21, 2025

FDA conducts inspection of Samsung Biologics production facilities

SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - Inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have begun a formal inspection of Samsung Biologics’ production facilities in Songdo, Incheon, according to industry sources, Wednesday. The inspection, which commenced on Monday and is scheduled to run through May 27, is focused on evaluating the company’s manufacturing processes. FDA officials visited Plants 3 and 4 on Tuesday, conducting what sources described as an "unusually detailed

May 21, 2025

Massive fire at Kumho Tire factory fully contained at last

SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - A massive fire at a tire-manufacturing plant in southwestern South Korea was fully extinguished on Tuesday, nearly three days after it first broke out over the weekend. According to fire authorities, the blaze started early Saturday morning at Kumho Tire's factory in Gwangju, forcing about 400 workers to evacuate and leaving three people injured including two firefighters. Some 1,236 cases of damage have been reported so far by residents near the factory

May 20, 2025

Amorepacific's Hera expands custom makeup service as international demand soars

SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Hera, a contemporary beauty brand under South Korea’s Amorepacific, is expanding its personalized cosmetics offering as international demand for bespoke makeup continues to surge. The brand’s popular Custom Match program will now include its flagship Black Cushion foundation, offering hundreds of shade variations tailored to individual skin tones. Launched as a reservation-based service for custom lipsticks and foundation, Custom Match has seen a

May 20, 2025

Nvidia pledges AI supercomputer for Taiwan as Computex 2025 opens

SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Asia’s largest information technology trade show, Computex 2025, opened Tuesday with more than 1,400 companies from around the world unveiling their latest innovations, underscoring the central role of artificial intelligence in the industry’s future. The exhibition kicked off with momentum following a keynote speech on Monday by Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, who announced plans to build Taiwan’s first large-scale artificial intelli

May 20, 2025

Musinsa sees sharp rise in foreign sales at stores after enhancing tourist services

SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Korean fashion brand Musinsa Standard reported a sharp rise in sales from foreign customers at its Seoul stores, following the rollout of services tailored to international tourists. According to the company, Tuesday, the Hannam branch saw foreign customer sales increase more than threefold in April compared to February, when the new services were introduced. Across five major locations — Gangnam, Myeongdong, Seongsu, Hannam, and Hongdae — sale

May 20, 2025

Lotte Department Store to host global retail forum next month

SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Lotte Department Store will co-host the World Department Store Summit (WDSS) in Seoul next month, marking the first time the global retail conference is held in South Korea, the company announced on Tuesday. The two-day event, set for June 11 and 12 at the Lotte Hotel Seoul, will bring together senior executives from more than 20 department store groups across 10 countries. This year’s theme, “How to Best Captivate Customers,” will explore str

May 20, 2025