Budget minister nominee likely to face confirmation hearing later this week SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - A confirmation hearing for Lee Hye-hoon, a nominee to head the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget, is likely to be held later this week. The hearing, which was supposed to be held earlier this week, could not take place as the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) boycotted it, citing her failure to submit all requested documents. Once she submits them, the hearing could take place on Friday as the ruling and opposition parties tent January 22, 2026

EXCLUSIVE: Korea–India summit under discussion - India's envoy to Seoul SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - India may be the next state-visit destination for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, as Seoul looks to build on its back-to-back trips to China and Japan in 2026 by turning a "Special Strategic Partnership" — long cited but not fully realized for more than a decade — into a concrete industrial alliance with the world's most populous country, growing at a pace of more than 7 percent, across shipbuilding, semiconductors, artificial January 22, 2026

South Korea's 2025 growth slows to 1% as GDP contracts in 4Q SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s economy expanded 1 percent last year, slowing sharply from the previous year as weak domestic demand, particularly in construction and investment, weighed on growth, according to central bank data released on Wednesday. The pace was about half of the 2 percent growth recorded a year earlier and fell well below the country’s estimated potential growth rate of 1.8 percent. Preliminary data from the Bank of Korea showed rea January 22, 2026

OPINION: Disorder from US-China rivalry demands Korea strategic policy The era of disorder The global order is shaking. Disorder has become the new normal. Free trade is retreating before protectionism, conflict is no longer exceptional, and international law and institutions are increasingly ineffective. Globalization is fragmenting, geopolitical instability is weighing on growth, and global liquidity is flowing toward safe-haven assets such as gold. Multilateralism is fading as unilateralism rises. Multilateralism rests on shared rules and col January 22, 2026

Editorial: When a mature democracy judges itself The sentencing of former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison marks more than the end of an individual career. It represents a moment of moral reckoning for a democracy confident enough to judge its own power at its peak. The court’s ruling did not merely describe the December 3 emergency decree as unconstitutional. It called it what it was: a “coup from above,” a form of insurrection carried out not by rebels on the margins but by those January 21, 2026

Black Eagles to participate in air show in Saudi Arabia next month SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - South Korea's aerobatics team will participate in an air show in Saudi Arabia next month after a refueling stopover in Japan, the Air Force said Wednesday. The team will depart Wonju next Wednesday for the International Defense Industry Exhibition, stopping in Okinawa, Japan, to refuel and hold an exchange event with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's aerobatics team Blue Impulse. Japan had abruptly refused to provide refueling support for the Bl January 21, 2026

'I-CON City an experiment in creativity and growth — not urban development': Kessler SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - The ambitious experiment of blending high technology, research, entertainment and community life — while mixing American and Korean cultural elements — is made possible by one decisive factor: location. Cheongna, a 10-minute drive from South Korea’s main gateway at Incheon International Airport, provides the foundation for the $1.4 billion I-CON City project, according to the American developer behind the plan. “This is not just a January 21, 2026

Koreanness, the answer BTS found for its return SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - As BTS prepares to return as a full group after nearly four years, the question surrounding the comeback has never really been whether it would make an impact, but how the group would choose to reappear. The answer, it seems, is rooted in something familiar — and distinctly Korean. BTS will release its fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG,” on March 20, marking its first full reunion in three years and nine months. Around the album, January 21, 2026

KOSPI closes higher as won strengthens amid mixed Asian markets SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - Asian stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday as U.S. tariff threats rattled investors, with signs of a broader "sell America" trend adding to volatility across the region. In Seoul, the KOSPI swung more than 100 points before finishing at 4,909.93, up 0.49 percent from the previous session, while the KOSDAQ dropped 2.57 percent to 951.29. Individuals offloaded a net 996.5 billion won ($675 million), while foreign investors and institutions p January 21, 2026

Japanese bond yields trigger global tantrum, South Korea most sensitive SEOUL, Jan 21 (AJP) - Major sovereign bond yields, including South Korean treasuries, jumped on Tuesday after a sharp surge in Japanese government bond yields — bringing the elephant in the room back into focus: the massive yen carry trade. The benchmark 10-year JGB yield closed up 7 basis points at 2.34 percent, its highest level in nearly three decades. The move quickly spilled over abroad, pushing the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield up 7.5 basis points to 4.295 percent and Au January 21, 2026