N. Korea's ballistic missile explodes shortly after launch

SEOUL, June 26 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea early Wednesday morning, but the missile exploded in mid-air shortly after liftoff, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The JCS said the missile was launched at around 5:30 a.m. from an area near Pyongyang, but it is "believed to have failed." The South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are conducting further analysis. The missile launch follows Pyongyang'

June 26, 2024

Seoul mayor unveils controversial plan for towering patriotic flagpole

SEOUL, June 26 (AJU PRESS) - Seoul plans to erect a 100-meter flagpole in Gwanghwamun Square by 2026 to hoist a giant national flag, serving as a new national symbol to inspire patriotism. Conservative Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveiled the plan on Tuesday during a meeting with Korean War (1950-53) veterans at City Hall, commemorating the 74th anniversary of the conflict's outbreak. City officials said the envisioned pole will display the country's largest national flag, or Taege

June 26, 2024

Opinion: Julian Assange will be freed after striking plea deal with US authorities

SEOUL, June 26 (AJU PRESS) - Julian Assange has reached a deal with the United States Department of Justice to allow him to return to Australia after pleading guilty to violating American espionage law. Assange, 52, was released from London's Belmarsh Prison, where he has spent more than five years and later was seen at a London airport boarding a private plane. He left around 5 p.m. on Monday London time. Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith, i

June 26, 2024

VISUALS: How to Remember Korean War

SEOUL, June 25 (AJU PRESS) - South Korea marked the 74th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War with solemn ceremonies across the country. The war began when the North made a surprise invasion at dawn on June 25, 1950, and escalated into an international conflict involving U.S.-led U.N. forces supporting the South, and the Soviet Union and China backing the North. The two Koreas are still technically at war, as the war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

June 25, 2024

PHOTOS: Small business owners rally demanding freeze on minimum wage

SEOUL, June 25 (AJU PRESS) - Around 2,000 small business owners gathered in front of the National Assembly in Seoul's Yeouido to demand a freeze on the minimum wage for 2025 and the implementation of industry-specific rates. The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise (KFME), the organizer of the rally, argued wage hikes would further worsen conditions for small businesses in food, accommodation and other sectors already suffering from declining sales amid an economic slowdown and increased

June 25, 2024

Korea's first transgender soldier laid to rest at national cemetery amid controversy

SEOUL, June 25 (AJU PRESS) - Korea's first-ever transgender soldier was buried at the National Cemetery in Daejeon on Monday. Some 60 activists gathered to protest her burial there, arguing her service did not qualify her to be laid to rest in the cemetery. Byun Hee-soo, who killed herself in 2021 after being forcibly discharged from the military, made headlines in Korea, a country known for its conservative stance on controversial LGBT issues. Born male in 1998, Byun enliste

June 25, 2024

PHOTOS: Rival regions seek harmony through cultural fest

SEOUL, June 25 (AJU PRESS) - North Gyeongsang Province and South Jeolla Province are holding a joint festival in Seoul to promote exchanges between the two regions, which have been politically at odds throughout history. The third annual event is underway at Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, from Monday to Wednesday. The festival features a dance contest, music concerts, an art exhibition, a tourism fair, media shows and an agricultural market.

June 25, 2024

Death toll in battery factory fire rises to 23 as another body found

SEOUL, June 25 (AJU PRESS) - One more body was found on Tuesday after a fire at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, south of Seoul the previous day. The retrieved body, believed to be a worker who had remained missing, raises the death toll to 23 from the massive fire that erupted at battery maker Aricell's three-story building in Gyeonggi Province at around 10:30 a.m. on Monday. The cause of the fire remains unknown, but witnesses said that battery cells exploded on the sec

June 25, 2024

Event honors veterans on Korean War anniversary in Daegu

SEOUL, June 25 (AJU PRESS) - An event commemorating the 74th anniversary of the Korean War was held in Daegu on Tuesday. About 1,300 participants including President Yoon Suk Yeol, military brass, government officials and distinguished foreign guests gathered in the southeastern city to honor the sacrifices of war veterans and their families. Hosted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the annual event to remember the 1950-53 Korean War took place outside of Seoul for t

June 25, 2024

KAI signs deal for mass production of Korea's homegrown jet fighters

SEOUL, June 25 (AJU PRESS) - Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed an agreement with the government to commence mass production of South Korea's homemade fighter jet, the KF-21, the nation's sole aircraft maker said Tuesday. The contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), valued at 1.96 trillion won ($1.41 billion), calls for the production of 20 KF-21 units to be delivered starting in 2026. "The KF-21 will serve as a true symbol of self-re

June 25, 2024