• 
  South Korea says financial markets stable despite Venezuela risks SEOUL, January 05 (AJP) - South Korea said on Monday that spillover effects on its financial markets and broader economy from recent U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela and North Korea’s ballistic missile launch have so far been limited. The assessment came after an emergency joint economic meeting convened to evaluate the potential impact of heightened geopolitical risks. The meeting was chaired by Kang Gi-ryong, assistant vice minister at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, January 5, 2026
• 
  OPINION:  Higher long-term rates in Japan, what it means for the economy Japan’s long-term interest rates have returned to levels unseen in decades, marking a structural shift for an economy long defined by near-zero borrowing costs. Yields on newly issued 10-year Japanese government bonds (JGBs) climbed into the 2% range in December 2025, the highest level in 26 years and 10 months, extending a steady rise that began in 2023. The move has been broad-based. Two-year yields reached 1.12%, the highest since 1996; five-year yields hit 1.52%, th January 5, 2026
• 
  Fatal taxi crash reignites debate over elderly drivers SEOUL, January 4 (AJP) - A deadly traffic accident in central Seoul last Friday has reignited debates about elderly taxi drivers after a man in his late 70s rammed his taxi into two vehicles near Jonggak subway station during the evening rush hour, killing one pedestrian and injuring about a dozen others. According to police, the man showed no signs of drunk driving but tested positive for morphine in an initial test. Authorities said morphine can also be found after taking certain January 4, 2026
• 
  Lee begins four-day trip to China SEOUL, January 4 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. His four-day trip marks Lee's first visit to China since taking office in June last year. It is also the first visit to China by a South Korean president since former President Moon Jae-in traveled there in December 2019, and the first state visit in about nine years. Lee is set to start his itinerary with a dinner with South Korean expats there. After January 4, 2026
• 
  Hyundai's luxury Genesis brand reaches 1.5 million sales milestone SEOUL, January 4 (AJP) - Automaker Hyundai's premium brand Genesis has sold over 1.5 million vehicles in cumulative global sales a decade after its launch. According to industry sources on Sunday, the automaker reached the milestone in November last year, about 10 years after it rolled out its luxury G90 sedan in 2015. Genesis was especially popular among customers in Europe and the U.S. It sold over 500,000 units globally by May 2021 and surpassed 1 million in August 2023. January 4, 2026
• 
  Hyundai Motor and Chung family diplomacy under focus ahead of Lee's Shanghai visit SEOUL, January 04 (AJP) -As Lee Jae Myung embarked on the first state visit by a South Korean president to China in nine years, attention is turning to a little-known episode of corporate diplomacy that helped preserve one of Korea’s most important overseas historical sites — the former headquarters of the Republic of Korea Provisional Government in Shanghai. At the center of that effort was the late Hyundai Motor Group chair Chung Mong-koo, whose direct en January 4, 2026
• 
  Foreign stock ownership in Korean stocks highest in nearly 6 years SEOUL, January 04 (AJP) -Foreign ownership of South Korean stocks climbed to its highest level in nearly six years by the end of December 2025, as global investors doubled down on an AI-driven memory-chip boom led by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, while bond inflows accelerated ahead of South Korea’s inclusion in a major global sovereign bond index. According to the Korea Center for International Finance (KCIF) on Sunday, foreign ownership accounted for 32.9 percent of Korea’ January 4, 2026
• 
  Seoul assesses fallout after US capture of Venezuelan president SEOUL, January 4 (AJP) - The government is assessing any fallout after the U.S. captured Venezuela's authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in a lightning military operation the previous day, while monitoring further developments. In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged, "All relevant parties should exercise maximum restraint to ease tensions in the region" and expressed hope that democracy will be restored as soon as possible through dial January 4, 2026
• 
  North Korea fires multiple ballistic missile into East Sea SEOUL, January 4 (AJP) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Sunday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected several projectiles, believed to be ballistic missiles, launched around 7:50 a.m. from a site near Pyongyang, but provided no further details as it analyzes the launch site and missile type. It was North Korea's first ballistic missile launch this year and came about two months after it fired a short-range bal January 4, 2026
• 
  Doctors' associations urge halt to government-backed Korean medicine infertility programs SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - Doctors' associations in Korea have called on the government and local authorities to immediately suspend public support for Korean medicine–based infertility treatment, citing a lack of scientific evidence and safety verification. At a press conference on Saturday, the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and related groups said such programs pose potential risks to maternal health and fetal safety. January 3, 2026