Travel advisory for Nepal expanded amid risk of more floods SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - A special travel advisory has been issued for four provinces in flood-hit Nepal amid the risk of further flooding and landslides, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. The special advisory took effect at 9 p.m. the previous day for Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi and Lumbini provinces as a short-term emergency measure, while a lower-level advisory urging increased caution remains in place for the rest of Nepal, according to the ministry. The ministr August 29, 2026

Pump prices fall for 15th straight week as fuel caps remain SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - Pump prices fell slightly this week, extending their decline for a 15th consecutive week, while the government kept its fuel price ceilings unchanged in an effort to limit the impact of volatile global oil prices. According to the Korea National Oil Corporation's website Opinet on Saturday, the average retail price of gasoline at gas stations nationwide stood at 1,861.3 won (US$1.35) per liter in the fourth week of August, down 1.2 won from the previous August 29, 2026

South Korean rescuers struggle to reach flood site in Nepal SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - South Korean government officials and rescue workers are struggling to reach a hydropower plant construction site in northern Nepal after devastating floods and landslides left hundreds of people dead or missing including nine South Korean workers earlier this week. The missing workers include six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three from Korea South-East Power (KOEN). A government-led rescue team along with those from the two companies arrived in Kat August 29, 2026

Two in three South Koreans back nuclear armament, poll shows SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Nearly two-thirds of South Koreans support the country possessing its own nuclear weapons, while a majority oppose the government's push to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies, a Gallup Korea poll showed Friday. The survey of 1,001 adults conducted from Tuesday to Thursday found that 65 percent supported South Korea possessing nuclear weapons, compared with 30 percent who opposed the idea. Support reached 78 percent among supporters of the ma August 28, 2026

Kazakhstan feels familiar. Family duty runs in reverse SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Kazakhstan can feel unexpectedly familiar to a Korean visitor. Across Astana, there are faces that at first glance would not look out of place in Seoul. Dark hair, familiar facial contours and gestures of deference toward older people can create fleeting moments of recognition in a country separated from the Korean Peninsula by thousands of kilometers of mountains, desert and steppe. The sense of familiarity runs deeper around the family table. Younger August 28, 2026

PARU extends rally after share consolidation SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - South Korean renewable energy company PARU surged for a second straight session Friday after trading resumed following a two-for-one share consolidation. Shares of PARU closed 10.82 percent higher at 1,475 won ($1.08) on the KOSDAQ on Friday, after rising as high as 1,630 won in early trading. The gains followed a 29.98 percent surge Thursday, when the stock hit its daily upper limit on the first session after trading resumed. According to a regulatory fi August 28, 2026

Marado drone flop exposes Korea's unmanned warfare gap SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Unmanned ground vehicles rolled down Kyiv's main boulevard, drone boats moved along the Dnipro River and bomber and interceptor drones filled the sky as Ukraine marked 35 years of independence from the Soviet Union this week, putting on public display its power behind sustaining its resistance against Russia into a fourth year. The unconventional military parade underscored how drones — rather than foot soldiers, spectacular warships or tanks &mdas August 28, 2026

Is KOSPI party over, or moving to Wall Street? SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) — South Korea's stock-market party is thinning fast. Average daily trading across the country's two equity platforms has nearly halved from June's 99.39 trillion won ($72.2 billion), cash parked in brokerage accounts has retreated sharply from its peak and the KOSPI's share turnover has sunk to the lowest level this year. Yet the missing activity does not look like a wholesale flight from Korean equities. Foreign investors still own ne August 28, 2026

Lee's approval rating keeps plunging SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating slid further, according to a survey released on Friday. Pollster Gallup Korea surveyed about 1,000 adults nationwide earlier this week and found that 42 percent said Lee was doing a good job, down 3 percentage points from the previous week. The figure was the lowest since Lee took office in June last year, continuing a downward trend in recent weeks. It was also below the previous low of 44 percent seen in the August 28, 2026

Chip stocks drag KOSPI down despite Wall Street, Tokyo gains SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Memory chip heavyweights dragged South Korea's main stock index down 1.8 percent on Friday, despite gains on Wall Street overnight and in Tokyo. Seoul's benchmark KOSPI fell 123.49 points or 1.8 percent to close at 6,788.88. The losses were concentrated among large-cap stocks. The KOSPI 200 fell 2.1 percent, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ edged up 0.1 percent to close at 838.41. SK hynix took the heavier hit. The chipmaker fell 4.5 percent to 1,65 August 28, 2026