Na Hong-jin's 'Hope' enters Cannes Competition after 4-year silence for Korea SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Na Hong-jin breaks a four-year silence for South Korean titles at Cannes with Hope, a big-budget thriller that puts him back in the Palme d’Or race. The South Korean director’s fourth feature was named to the 21-film Competition lineup unveiled Thursday (local time), marking the first time since Decision to Leave in 2022 that a Korean film has entered the festival’s top-tier section. The return carries weight beyond selection. Hope is N April 10, 2026

Low-cost carrier Air Premia tops 3 million int'l passengers SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Air Premia has surpassed 3 million in the cumulative number of international passengers, the low-cost carrier said on Friday. The milestone comes about three years and nine months after launching its first international routes in July 2022. Of its total of 11,458 international flights, which flew about 62.74 million kilometers, about 45.40 million kilometers or 72.3 percent of the accumulated flight distance, came from routes to North America. The averag April 10, 2026

Lee to meet Polish PM in Seoul next week SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung will hold a meeting with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk next week, Cheong Wa Dae said on Friday. In a written press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Tusk is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Sunday for talks with Lee. It will be the first visit by a Polish leader in 27 years and Tusk's first trip to a non-European country since taking office in December 2023. Lee and Tusk will sit down for talks o April 10, 2026

North Korean, Chinese FMs agree to strengthen ties during talks in Pyongyang SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - The foreign ministers of North Korea and China agreed to strengthen bilateral ties during their meeting in Pyongyang, state media reported on Friday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in Pyongyang the previous day, held talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui. North Korea rolled out a red carpet for Wang upon his arrival, as he was "warmly met by Choe" a April 10, 2026

FSS puts brake on Hanwha Solutions' rights offering despite owner backing SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - The rights offering plan by Hanwha Solutions to raise 2.4 trillion won to lessen its debt load drew a correction order from authorities despite the owner family offering to share the burden. The Financial Supervisory Service said it had requested the company to submit a revised securities filing, citing incomplete formal requirements and insufficient or unclear disclosure of key information that could hinder investors' decision-making. The filing has April 10, 2026

BOK holds rate at 2.5% as inflation risks clash with slowing growth SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) — The Bank of Korea on Friday kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.5 percent as widely expected, caught between rising import-driven inflation and a slowing economy amid prolonged disruptions from Middle East conflicts. The policy decision reflects a growing dilemma for the central bank, as energy supply constraints tied to the Gulf tensions continue to feed price pressures while weighing on growth. Consumer prices rose 2.2 percent in M April 10, 2026

K9 howitzers expand in Europe with additional orders from Finland SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) -South Korea will export an additional 112 K9 self-propelled howitzers to Finland under a government-to-government (G2G) deal valued at 546 million euros ($634 million), marking a follow-up order from the Nordic country after its initial purchase in 2017. The agreement was signed in Helsinki between the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, representing the Korean government, and Finland’s defense ministry, according to the Defense Acquisition Progra April 10, 2026

OPINION: A fragile truce, a stubborn strait — and a long test ahead Thirty-nine days after the United States launched its operation against Iran, dubbed “Epic Fury,” Washington and Tehran agreed to halt attacks for 14 days and begin talks on ending the war. The deal clears an immediate hurdle — but little more. The two sides have remained adversaries for nearly 50 years. Expecting a sweeping agreement within two weeks is unrealistic. The agenda alone is daunting: reopening the Strait of Hormuz, trading limits on April 10, 2026

BTS draws global fans to rain-soaked Goyang as world tour kicks off GOYANG, South Korea, April 09 (AJP) — Neither unseasonable spring rain nor distance kept fans from gathering for BTS’ first full-member stadium concert in seven years, as the group kicked off its three-night home run in Goyang, just west of Seoul, on Thursday night. Thousands filled the 41,311-seat Goyang Stadium, where a 360-degree in-the-round stage allowed all seven members to face every section of the crowd. Police estimated that roughly half of those arriving from April 9, 2026

On-site inspections underway at universities with lapses in admitting foreign students SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - The government is inspecting universities across the country to root out any irregularities in recruiting and admitting foreign students, the Ministry of Education said on Thursday. The ministry's comprehensive on-site inspections, to be carried out over two months until May in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, will target schools suspected of improper screenings or admitting too many students without adequate checks. These inspections April 9, 2026