S. Korea unwilling to stop activist groups from sending propaganda leaflets to N. Korea

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - The Unification Ministry said on Friday that it has no plans to stop activist groups from sending propaganda leaflets to North Korea to guarantee their freedom of speech. The ministry cited a September 2023 ruling by the Constitutional Court of Korea, which struck down a 2020 law that defined sending such leaflets to the North as "criminal activity." Sending balloons over the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a decades-old practice. South Korean ac

July 19, 2024

NewJeans' latest song accused of plagiarism

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - K-pop sensation NewJeans' latest hit song has been accused of plagiarizing a track by the British long-running pop group Shakatak. Shakatak raised suspicions that NewJeans' song "Bubble Gum" plagiarized their 1981 song, "Easier Said Than Done," in a letter sent to the quintet's agency ADOR last month, according to multiple industry sources. The mixed-gender group reportedly claimed that the two songs are very similar in

July 19, 2024

Trump speaks on Kim Jong-un in acceptance speech

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the current White House's foreign policy on North Korea on Thursday, boasting about his ties with the isolated country's leader Kim Jong-un. In a lengthy, off-script speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin accepting his official GOP nomination for the upcoming presidential election in November, Trump said, "I get along with him, he'd like to see me back too. I thi

July 19, 2024

Annual Boryeong Mud Festival awaits summer revelers

SEOUL, July 18 (AJU PRESS) - One of Korea's most popular summer festivals kicked off in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province on Friday, which is famous for its beautiful beaches and skin-cleansing sludge. The annual Boryeong Mud Festival, now in its 27th year, runs its two-week-long mud-themed madness until Aug. 4, inviting tourists to a variety of fun activities like mud slides, mud wrestling, mud massages, and body painting with mud. Visitors can also unwind through a numb

July 19, 2024

PHOTOS: Koreans pay respects to Marine killed in flood rescue operation one year ago

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - Koreans paid their tributes on Friday to Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who died during flood relief operations one year ago. He was swept away by a torrent in a stream during a search operation for civilians missing amid heavy rains on July 19, 2023. Politicians, military personnel, and citizens paid their respects at his grave at the National Cemetery in Daejeon and other memorial places, including one set up by former marines in central Seoul. The military’

July 19, 2024

SK Ecoplant expects acquisition of two group subsidiaries will bolster competitiveness

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - SK Ecoplant, a Korean environmental and infrastructure company, said Friday its planned acquisition of two SK Group affiliates will enhance its core competitiveness and future growth engines. On Thursday, the company’s board approved a plan to take over Essencore, a semiconductor module manufacturer, and SK Materials AirPlus Co., an industrial gas producer, through share exchanges with parent company SK Inc. Essencore, headquartered in Hong Kong

July 19, 2024

Samsung Electronics dominates JD Power customer satisfaction rankings in U.S.

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - Samsung Electronics has secured the top position in 10 out of 11 appliance categories in JD Power's 2024 Kitchen and Laundry Appliance Satisfaction Study. This achievement surpasses their previous record of nine category wins in 2021, earning Samsung the title of "Most Awarded Brand for Kitchen and Laundry Appliances." The annual study, conducted by the U.S. market research firm, surveyed over 15,000 consumers who purchased appliances in th

July 19, 2024

JYP Entertainment to make foray into Latin America

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - JYP Entertainment is set to venture into Latin America, riding the waves of K-pop's growing popularity across the globe. "We plan to establish a subsidiary in Latin America in the third quarter of this year," it said Thursday. The exact location of the subsidiary was not revealed yet, but it apparently aims to make its presence in the Spanish-language market, starting with its global audition project called "L2K," which

July 19, 2024

KakaoTalk dominates Korean messaging market, study shows

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - KakaoTalk remained the most widely used messaging platform in Korea last year, with 93.5 percent of users naming it as their primary choice, a government survey showed Friday. The study conducted in 2023 by the Ministry of Science and ICT also found that Kakao T led the ride-hailing sector with an 86.6 percent market share, while Instagram topped social networking services at 36.3 percent. In e-commerce, the survey noted a high rate of "multi-hom

July 19, 2024

Opinion: Joe Biden has COVID. Here's what someone over 80 can expect

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - If U.S. politics leading up to the 2024 presidential election was a Hollywood thriller, it would be a movie full of plot twists and surprises. The latest twist is President Joe Biden has COVID and is isolating at home. Biden's doctor says his symptoms are mild and include a runny nose, cough and generally feeling unwell. His temperature, oxygen levels and respiratory rate are said to be normal. Biden, who has been diagnosed with COVID twice before

July 19, 2024