• 
  TRAVEL: Historic private academy in Nonsan NONSAN, December 04 (AJP) - Nine Confucian academies, known as seowon, from Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), were officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, cementing their status as crucial institutions in East Asian history and education. The seowon were private, residential academies established by respected Confucian scholars. They served two primary functions: as a place for scholarly worship of revered sages and as an educational institution t December 4, 2025
• 
  Korea's income gap widens by largest rate in 3 years SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - South Korea’s income gap between the top and bottom 20 percent of households widened to 5.78 times last year, snapping a three-year trend of improvement as income growth slowed and gains increasingly concentrated among high-income earners and older asset-holding households. According to the 2025 Household Finance and Welfare Survey released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Thursday, average household income rose 3.4 percent to 74.27 December 4, 2025
• 
  Yonsei University embroiled in another cheating scandal SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - Another cheating incident has surfaced at Yonsei University, which was previously embroiled in a similar large-scale scandal. About 200 students took an online quiz for an education-related course early this month. Some allegedly shared questions and answers via anonymous chat rooms, while others collaborated using Google Docs, according to multiple university sources on Thursday. The online course had already faced cheating allegations during midterms December 4, 2025
• 
  Shinhan Financial Chairman Jin Ok-dong poised for extended term SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong is set to secure a second three-year term after delivering consecutive record earnings since taking office in March 2023. On Thursday, the group’s chairman nomination committee named Jin as its final candidate for the next chairman, following interviews with him and other shortlisted contenders, including Shinhan Bank President Jeong Sang-hyeok and Shinhan Investment Corp. CEO Lee Sun-hoon. The comm December 4, 2025
• 
  Driver sentenced to five years in prison for fatal crash in central Seoul SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - A driver involved in a fatal crash in central Seoul last year was sentenced to five years in prison, as the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the lower court's ruling. The man in his late 60s, identified by his last name Cha, was charged with violating traffic laws after crashing into pedestrians near City Hall in July 2024, killing nine people and injuring five others. Investigations revealed that he had mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead o December 4, 2025
• 
  OpenAI Korea targets enterprise market as ChatGPT usage soars SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - OpenAI Korea CEO Kim Kyung-hoon said the company aims to become the best partner for South Korean businesses transitioning to artificial intelligence, highlighting the rapid expansion of ChatGPT’s global footprint. Kim made the remarks Thursday at his first press conference since taking office in September. Kim said that daily message volume has jumped from 450 million in June last year to 2.63 billion this June, making AI “a part of everyd December 4, 2025
• 
  Lee to discuss AI, semiconductor cooperation with SoftBank chairman SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung is set to meet with SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son to discuss cooperation in advanced high-technology sectors including artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors. According to the presidential office on Thursday, their meeting is scheduled for Friday morning, with a focus on collaboration and infrastructure investment in these sectors. The meeting will also be attended by key officials including chief of staff Kang Hoon-si December 4, 2025
• 
  Samsung teases new flagship chip for Galaxy S26 series SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Thursday unveiled its upcoming mobile application processor, Exynos 2600, with a 30-second teaser video posted on its official YouTube channel. The Exynos 2600 is slated to power the next-generation Galaxy S26 series. The chip is reportedly the company’s first to be built with a cutting-edge 2-nanometer process. The teaser opens with the words, “In silence, we listened,” followed by promises that the new ch December 4, 2025
• 
  K-beauty brand O'ngredients gains traction at home and abroad on strong skin-barrier lineup SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - South Korean skincare brand O’ngredients is gaining momentum both domestically and overseas, backed by strong sales of its skin-barrier products and rising visibility on global e-commerce platforms. According to industry data, O’ngredients’ Skin Barrier Calming Lotion has surpassed cumulative sales of 3 million units in South Korea as of July 2025 and ranked first overall on CJ Olive Young’s online store in December 2024. The prod December 4, 2025
• 
  Asian market mostly flat early Thursday, KOSDAQ stands out SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - Asian equities were mostly flat in early Thursday trading as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of next week’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting in the United States. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI slipped 0.5 percent to 4,017.89, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ surged 9.2 percent to 934.21 as of 9:01 a.m. The secondary market’s total capitalization topped the 500-trillion-won level for the first time, buoyed by reports that the government December 4, 2025