BTS Comeback D-46: world tour map affirming global reach SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) - Nearly four years after stepping away as a full group for mandatory military service, BTS is returning with a touring footprint that underlines just how much ground it covered — and how much leverage it still holds — in the global live music economy. A yearlong world tour spanning 80-plus stadium shows in roughly 30 cities across five continents is taking shape, positioning BTS’s comeback as one of the largest live music und February 3, 2026

Winter Olympics to kick off in Milan this week SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - This year's Winter Olympics will kick off in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Milan later this week, bringing together around 3,500 athletes from over 90 countries to compete for 116 medals across 16 disciplines. The opening ceremony of the quadrennial sporting event is slated for Friday in Milan, marking a return to the European country for the first time in about two decades since the 2006 Turin Games. Italy has opted to use existing venues rather than February 3, 2026

Korean investors keep record holdings of US stocks despite domestic market rally SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) - Demand for U.S. equities among South Korean investors remains strong despite a sharp rally in domestic markets, with holdings of American shares staying at record levels, according to data released Tuesday by the Korea Securities Depository. The benchmark KOSPI has climbed above 5,000 this year and the tech-heavy KOSDAQ has risen past 1,000. Yet South Korean investors’ holdings of U.S. stocks continued to grow. The data showed domestic investo February 3, 2026

Fire breaks out at confectionery factory in Siheung SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - A fire broke out at confectionery company SPC Samlip's factory in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday. According to fire authorities, the blaze broke out at around 3 p.m., prompting over 500 workers to evacuate immediately. About 70 firefighters, along with approximately 50 vehicles including pump trucks and other equipment were deployed to extinguish the fire. Three workers including a woman in her 40s were treated for minor symptoms after inhalin February 3, 2026

Korea Midland Power teams up with US firm for gas combined-cycle projects SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) - Korea Midland Power Co. (KOMIPO) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a U.S.-based power plant operations and maintenance (O&M) specialist to cooperate on gas combined-cycle power projects in the United States. The agreement, signed on Jan. 29 local time, aims to combine KOMIPO’s plant operating experience with the U.S. partner’s workforce management and engineering capabilities, KOMIPO said Tuesday. The companies plan broad February 3, 2026

Memory price surge spreads from DRAM to NAND, analysts say SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) - Memory chip prices are expected to continue rising in the first quarter, with momentum that began in DRAM now spreading to the NAND flash market as supply struggles to keep pace with demand, according to industry analyses. Counterpoint Research forecasts NAND flash prices will rise more than 40 percent quarter-on-quarter in the January–March period, following sharp gains already seen in DRAM during the fourth quarter amid tight supply conditions. February 3, 2026

China removes one of dubious structures in West Sea SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - China has completed the removal of a structure installed along the West Sea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said on Tuesday. The completion comes about a week after Beijing began removing it last Tuesday, as a follow-up measure after President Lee Jae Myung discussed the matter during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing early last month. But it was just one of a couple of steel structures on the submerged shelf of Ieodo in the February 3, 2026

Vietnam to accept Korean language test for university admissions SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) - Vietnam will begin accepting scores from the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) for university admissions starting this year, becoming the latest nation to formally recognize the language amid surging worldwide interest driven by employment opportunities and cultural exports. The Southeast Asian nation becomes the second country to adopt TOPIK results for higher education enrollment after Hong Kong in 2025, South Korea's Ministry of Education said February 3, 2026

Satellite images suggest North Korean troops rehearse military parade SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - Hundreds of North Korean soldiers were seen "practicing marching formations" in Pyongyang, in what appeared to be preparations for a military parade, according to 38 North, a website formerly run by Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Based on an analysis of Planet Labs' commercial satellite images showing "formations of the hammer, sickle, and brush symbol" of the isolated country's Wo February 3, 2026

Korean millionaire exodus doubles on mounting tax burden SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) -South Korea saw the number of millionaires leaving the country double to 2,400 in 2025 from a year earlier, making it the world’s fourth-largest source of wealthy outflows, claimed a business lobby group to reiterate call for an overhaul of the notoriously-high inheritance tax payment system. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) released a study Tuesday projecting that inheritance tax revenue would surge from 9.6 trillion won ($6.63 bill February 3, 2026