South Korea posts record $123 billion current account surplus in 2025 SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - South Korea’s current account surplus reached a record high last year, supported by robust semiconductor exports and rising dividend income from overseas investments, according to central bank data released on Friday. Preliminary balance-of-payments figures from the Bank of Korea showed the country recorded a $18.7 billion current account surplus in December, the largest monthly surplus on record. The surplus marked the 32nd consecutive February 6, 2026

White House has no specific timeline on hiking tariffs on Korean exports SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) -The White House said Thursday that there is no clear timeline for U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened tariff hike on South Korean goods, underscoring continued uncertainty over the future of the bilateral talks despite a flurry of visits by senior Seoul officials. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a press briefing on Thursday said that she could not specify when Washington would raise “reciprocal” and sector-specific t February 6, 2026

Canada's head of defense procurement to visit presidential office on submarine talks SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) -Canada's minister for state for defense procurement Stephen Fuhr will visit the presidential office to hear last-minute pitch from Seoul on the government-sponsored Korea's bid for Canada's multibillion-dollar submarine contract ahead of the final tender submission next month. Fuhr will meet with presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik whom he last met on Jan. 28, when Kang visited Canada as a special envoy of President Lee Jae Myung for February 6, 2026

PHOTOS: Little Europe in northeastern Seoul, Nowon Train Village SEOUL, February 04 (AJP) - “Wow, the train is moving!” Children visiting the exhibition during winter break gasp as they watch a miniature train pass through an exotic landscape. Visitors of all ages, from families to adult attendees, pause in front of the meticulously crafted cityscape and lifelike moving models, momentarily immersed in a pocket-sized version of Europe. Opened in 2022, the Nowon Train Village is a railway-themed exhibition space that recr February 5, 2026

More breach revelation, regulation, rivals exacerbate Coupang woes SEOUL, February 05 (AJP) -South Korea’s leading e-commerce platform Coupang said Thursday that the personal data of an additional 165,000 users had been leaked, deepening fallout from a massive breach disclosed last November and intensifying regulatory and political scrutiny. The company said the newly identified cases were part of the original breach, which exposed the personal information of more than 33 million users, and did not involve payment details, login credentials February 5, 2026

Defense officials from Seoul and Beijing meet for first working-level talks in four years SEOUL, February 5 (AJP) - Defense officials from South Korea and China held working-level talks in Beijing on Thursday, their first such meeting in about four years. According to the Ministry of Defense, the South Korean delegation led by Lee Gwang-seok, in charge of the ministry's international policy met with his Chinese counterpart Guo Hongtao. First launched in 1995, the meeting was held for the first time since the last one, which was via Zoom in June 2022. The two si February 5, 2026

Freefall may be looming in Seoul as short selling mounts SEOUL, Feb. 05 (AJP) - “What goes up must come down,” the saying goes — and after a prolonged roller-coaster ride, Korean stocks plunged Thursday as heavy institutional selling triggered a sharp reversal. The immediate cue came from a retreat in U.S. technology shares. But the pullback was hardly unexpected, given the rapid buildup in short-selling positions and growing signs of speculative excess. Both the KOSPI and the secondary KOSDAQ tumbled nearly 4 perce February 5, 2026

Asian stocks mostly down on US losses, Korean markets take a header SEOUL, February 05 (AJP) -Korean stocks rode a volatile roller coaster downward Thursday on heavy foreign selling on global tech shares. The benchmark KOSPI tumbled 3.9 percent to close at 5,163.6, marking a steep pullback from recent record highs. The KOSPI 200 slid 4.2 percent to 757, reflecting broad-based losses among large-cap stocks, particularly in semiconductors and export-oriented names. Selling pressure was led by overseas and institutional investors. On the main boa February 5, 2026

BTS comeback D-44: More than a show when Seoul pours its heart into the king's return SEOUL, February 05 (AJP) - A royal comeback. A literal red carpet for the monarchs of K-pop. A “concert of the century.” These are some of the phrases circulating ahead of BTS’s long-awaited return in March — a national-scale production that brings together state support, cultural symbolism, and the global reach of Netflix. The show, already being hailed as the cultural event of the year, is shaping up as a culmination of South Korea’s most powerfu February 5, 2026

Snow-themed festival underway in Taebaek SEOUL, February 05 (AJP) - A snow-themed festival is currently underway in Taebaek in the mountainous region of Gangwon Province. The annual festival, now in its 33rd year, kicked off on Jan. 31 and will run through this weekend. Against the stunning backdrop of snow-blanketed Mt. Taebaeksan, visitors can marvel at large-scale snow sculptures and engage in a variety of interactive winter programs. It would the perfect destination for anyone not quite ready to say goodbye to winte February 5, 2026