PM to head to New York this week to bid for UN AI hub SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is reportedly arranging to visit New York later this week, according to multiple government sources on Tuesday. Kim is expected to visit U.N. headquarters as early as Thursday to propose that South Korea host a U.N. artificial intelligence (AI) hub, which would be linked to several AI projects currently being pursued by the organization. He is likely to meet with senior U.S. officials including Vice President JD Vance, w March 10, 2026

OPINION: Investors remain jittery as mixed signals rattle markets SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is rattling global financial markets. Yet the main driver of daily volatility has been the mixed signals about it, rather than the conflict itself. Even a single remark from U.S. President Donald Trump has triggered rapid market swings, sending oil prices and stock indexes soaring or tumbling. In just a few days, crude prices have taken a roller-coaster ride. Brent crude surged to as high as $119 a barrel in Asian March 10, 2026

Seoul establishes committee to honor resistance against martial law decree SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - The government finalized plans on Tuesday to establish a presidential committee dedicated to honoring the citizens who defended the constitutional order during the emergency martial law of December 3, 2024. During a cabinet meeting on March 10, 2026, the administration approved the Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of the Light Committee. This new body will oversee the issuance of Light Certificates to individuals recognized for their contribut March 10, 2026

A film, a fallen monarch, and a nation looking back SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) -Thirty-one days after its release, The King’s Warden crossed the ten-million admissions mark, becoming the 34th South Korean film to reach that milestone — and still counting as the crowds kept on growing. The numbers came quickly. One million in five days. Two million by day twelve. Three million on Lunar New Year. Four million the next day. By March 10, cumulative admissions reached approximately 11.7 million. But March 10, 2026

Seoul mulling supplementary budget, fuel price cap and tax cut amid oil concerns SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered a string of emergency actions — including a cap on gasoline prices, fuel tax cuts and direct consumer support — through a supplementary budget if deemed necessary to relieve household burdens from import inflation triggered by widening Middle East conflicts. “National capabilities must concentrate on minimizing the impact of external shocks on household and corporate economies,&rd March 10, 2026

Dancing the morning away in Seoul — alcohol-free SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) — On a quiet Saturday morning in Seoul’s Bukchon hanok village, house music pulses through the narrow alleys long before most cafés open their doors. Instead of the thump of late-night clubbing, the crowd gathers just after sunrise. Some arrive fresh from a weekend run. Others come with coffee in hand. Within minutes, strangers begin dancing together in the crisp morning air. Welcome to Seoul’s newest social ritual: the morning rav March 10, 2026

SM executives make Billboard's 2026 Global Power Players list SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - Three executives from SM Entertainment have been named to "Billboard’s 2026 Global Power Players list," which recognizes influential leaders in the global music industry outside the United States, the company said Tuesday. Included on the list were SM Co-CEOs Jang Cheol-hyuk and Tak Young-jun, along with Choi Jung-min, the company’s chief global officer. Billboard’s Global Power Players list highlights executives who have driven March 10, 2026

KOSPI recovers to 5,500 as Asian stocks rebound on easing oil fears SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - Asian stock markets rebounded on Tuesday as oil prices retreated after U.S. President Donald Trump said the conflict in the Middle East is "going to be ended soon," while G7 ministers hinted at a possible release of strategic oil reserves to ease surging prices. South Korea's benchmark KOSPI rebounded to the 5,500 level just a day after a sharp selloff, as investor sentiment improved following Trump's remarks as well as a drop in global oil March 10, 2026

North Korea threatens 'super-offensive' response to US-South Korea military maneuvers SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - Pyongyang’s second most powerful official, Kim Yo-jong, issued a stern warning on March 10, characterizing the ongoing joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea as a "provocative and aggressive war rehearsal." The statement, released via the state-run Korean Central News Agency, asserted that the maneuvers currently underway on the Korean peninsula are "intensively revealing once again their inveterate repugnancy t March 10, 2026

Oil shock a sober reckoning to diversify away from Middle East crude: Rep. Lee Un-ju SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - The turbulence triggered by the Middle East conflict raises a sober reckoning over South Korea’s energy vulnerabilities and the urgency to correct its energy sourcing structure, which is heavily dependent on imports of Middle Eastern fossil fuels, a three-term ruling party lawmaker said. “The spike in oil prices since the war reminds us how important energy security is and how poor South Korea stands in energy sufficiency,” Rep. Lee Un-ju, a March 10, 2026