Occupation Jamsil turns into political battleground SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - South Korean and American flags fluttered in the scorching summer heat, handmade signs covered the sidewalks and hundreds of protesters occupied entrances to Seoul's Olympic Park on Tuesday as the Jamsil demonstrations entered their 12th day, turning a dispute over ballot shortages into a broader political confrontation over democratic legitimacy. What began as a protest over ballot shortages reported during the June 3 local elections has June 16, 2026

Won, bonds stay calm despite BOJ hike; credit spread widens slightly SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - South Korea’s foreign exchange and bond markets remained largely steady Tuesday despite the Bank of Japan’s first rate hike to 1 percent in 31 years, while corporate credit showed mild signs of caution following default concerns at JoongAng Group affiliates. The won closed at 1,513.5 per dollar, little changed from the previous session. Korean government bond yields fell. The three-year yield dropped 2.7 basis points to 3.717 percent, while the June 16, 2026

K-pop sells out the world. Seoul can't always host the show SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - BTS returned to Busan on June 12 for the homecoming stretch of its "Arirang" tour, but the concert began about 75 minutes later than scheduled. HYBE later apologized, citing confusion in on-site guidance, bottlenecks in fan gift distribution lines and delays in merchandise pickup. Two months earlier, the same tour had opened on April 9 at Goyang Stadium, an open-air athletic stadium in Goyang, north of Seoul, where fans watched the show in the rain June 16, 2026

Impending peace deal with Iran lifts KOSPI as Nikkei briefly tops 70,000 SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - South Korean stocks extended their rally on Tuesday as hopes for an impending peace deal between the U.S. and Iran later this week, along with SpaceX’s blockbuster Nasdaq debut, boosted investors’ appetite. Despite missing out on the record-breaking initial public offering (IPO), South Korean investors continued betting on artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace, and other growth sectors. Japan’s main index, meanwhile, briefly crossed the 70, June 16, 2026

Seoul wants to merge officer corps. The military disagrees SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) -South Korea remains a peninsula technically still at war, its troops facing a nuclear-armed North Korea across one of the world's most heavily fortified borders. That reality has long shaped how the country trains its military officers — which is why the liberal government's push to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies is drawing fierce resistance from alumni associations, retired generals and the parents of current cadets. The backla June 16, 2026

K-pop boy band RIIZE release new album SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - A new album by K-pop boy band RIIZE is now available on major music streaming platforms following its release earlier this week, according to their agency SM Entertainment. "II" is their second EP, following "RIIZING" released in June 2024, and features six songs, including the title track "Do Your Dance," a dance song with the theme of moving with confidence and following one's instincts. The song's music video, direct June 16, 2026

Rival parties agree to launch parliamentary investigation into disruptions in local elections SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Major rival parties agreed on Tuesday to launch a parliamentary investigation into disruptions caused by a shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections earlier this month. Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) met in Seoul to discuss the matter, as a growing number of protesters have been holding rallies in southern Seoul for nearly two weeks since election day, chanting that their votin June 16, 2026

Samsung upgrades Galaxy security to combat surging voice phishing in South Korea SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is upgrading the security framework of its Galaxy mobile devices to combat a surge in voice phishing and financial fraud in South Korea, introducing pre-emptive blocking measures against malicious applications and messages. Voice phishing remains a severe socio-economic issue in the country. According to data from the National Police Agency, South Korea recorded 23,360 voice phishing cases in 2025, resulting in financial damages totaling June 16, 2026

Samsung foundry gains major traction amid AI bottlenecks SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has reportedly secured a string of AI-related chip projects from Alphabet's Google and Elon Musk's Neuralink by exploiting manufacturing bottlenecks at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), giving fresh momentum to a foundry business that has long struggled to close the gap with its Taiwanese rival. According to sources familiar with the matter, the South Korean tech giant has won several high-profile silicon design proje June 16, 2026

Krafton unveils 'PUBG Ally' AI mode in two-week beta SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Krafton announced it will launch a beta of "Ally Duo," a new game mode built on its PUBG Ally artificial intelligence technology, opening a two-week test that lets players team up with an AI partner in the flagship battle royale title PUBG: Battlegrounds. Starting Wednesday and running through July 1, the beta pairs each player with an AI character named Ella for two-person matches on the Sanhok map, where users issue voice commands to move, gather i June 16, 2026