Presidential candidates embrace cryptocurrency as major campaign issue

SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Cryptocurrency has emerged as a central campaign issue, with major presidential candidates pledging sweeping regulatory reforms — including the approval of spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — ahead of the June 3 election. Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party and Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party have each unveiled ambitious digital asset agendas aimed at expanding access to crypto markets and integrating the

May 14, 2025

SK hynix tops Korea's corporate rankings, surpassing Samsung, Hyundai

SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - SK hynix has emerged as South Korea’s top-performing company, overtaking Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor in a prominent annual corporate management evaluation. The memory chip manufacturer claimed the No. 1 position for the first time in six years, earning 622.9 out of a possible 800 points in the latest assessment by CEO Score, a firm that tracks corporate performance. The results were released on Wednesday. Samsung Electronics held steady in

May 14, 2025

N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects special military drill

SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a special military drill on Tuesday that included a joint firepower demonstration featuring armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, and drones, according to state media. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday that Kim visited a training camp under the capital city defense force, where he observed a demonstration involving various military systems and training officers. During the visit, Kim reportedl

May 14, 2025

INTERVIEW: SNU professor explains why Pansori resonates beyond words

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - When Anna Yates-Lu first sat down for a live Pansori performance, she barely understood a word. At the time, she had studied Korean for just six months and couldn’t keep up with the subtitles and the stage at the same time. But that didn’t matter. “The sound alone completely captivated me,” she said in an interview with Aju Press on May 9. “I didn’t need to understand the words. The voice, the gestures, the rhythm. All of i

May 13, 2025

SK Earthon expands resource development in Southeast Asia

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - SK Earthon, the energy resource development unit of SK Innovation, is ramping up its presence in Southeast Asia, with Vietnam emerging as a focal point in the company’s ambition to become a global player in oil and gas exploration. The company is pursuing a “clustering strategy” in Vietnam, a country estimated to hold 4.4 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves. The approach echoes SK Earthon’s long-running operations in Peru, where it

May 13, 2025

DP's presidential candidate maintains lead in polls after campaign kicks off

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - With less than a month remaining until next month's presidential election, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), maintained a big lead in the latest poll released Tuesday. Pollster Hangil Research conducted a survey of over 1,500 voters nationwide shortly after last Sunday's deadline for candidate registration and found that Lee led the race with 49.5 percent of support, more than 10 percentage points ahea

May 13, 2025

Kang Ha-neul's crime thriller draws over 3 million viewers

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - Filmmaker Hwang Byeong-guk's latest crime thriller has attracted over 3 million moviegoers in about a month since its release in mid-April, according to its distributor, Plus M Entertainment. "YADANG: The Snitch," starring Kang Ha-neul and Yoo Hae-jin, became the first R-rated South Korean film to reach the milestone in about six years, following the 2019 action thriller "The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil," which was released shortly befo

May 13, 2025

PHOTOS: Candidates court TK voters in crucial campaign stop

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - As the presidential race intensifies ahead of the June 3 election, candidates from major parties took their campaigns to the conservative heartland of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province (known as the TK area), Tuesday, the second day of official campaigning. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, began a series of rallies in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, before proceeding to Daegu, Pohang, and Ulsan. Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party camp

May 13, 2025

Kim Sae-ron's posthumous film set for release later this month

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - The late actress Kim Sae-ron's posthumous film is set for release later this month. Directed by Lee Seong-jong, "Guitar Man" deals with the story of a once-promising but now aimless guitarist struggling to navigate a rapidly changing world. Isolated and cynical, he begins to rediscover hope after joining a live-club band where he meets a female keyboardist. Currently serving as the CEO of dental-care provider Sungwon Pharmaceutical, the versati

May 13, 2025

PHOTOS: Rice transplanting season brings life to countryside

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - By mid-May, the South Korean countryside awakens to the intensive rhythm of "monaegi," the season of rice transplanting. This labor-intensive process, where young rice seedlings are carefully transferred to prepared paddies, unfolds across the rural landscape from mid-May through mid-June. These transplanted shoots, nurtured in the flooded fields, will eventually yield the autumn harvest, beginning in October.

May 13, 2025