PHOTOS: Nationwide Buddhist celebrations are underway

SEOUL, April 28 (AJP) - In anticipation of Buddha's Birthday on May 5, South Korea's Buddhist community is immersed in a series of festive observances. Temples throughout the nation are adorned with a profusion of lanterns, casting a luminous glow on the upcoming holiday. Adding to the spectacle, a vibrant lantern parade unfolded in central Seoul on April 26, drawing throngs of participants and onlookers. A glimpse at the nationwide lantern festivities reveals the rich cultural and

April 28, 2025

Korea's KHNP poised to sign final contract for Czech nuclear project

SEOUL, April 28 (AJP) - Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Czech utility EDU II are expected to finalize a contract next month for the construction of new reactors at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, after clearing the last major regulatory hurdle, industry sources said on Monday. The Czech Republic’s Office for the Protection of Competition ruled last week that there were no legal grounds to challenge KHNP’s selection as the preferred bidder, dismissing an ap

April 28, 2025

North Korea confirms deployment of troops to Russia's Kursk Region, hails soldiers as heroes

SEOUL, April 28 (AJP) - North Korea has publicly confirmed for the first time that its troops are operating in Russia’s Kursk Region, a front-line area in the ongoing war against Ukraine. In a statement issued Monday, Pyongyang hailed its deployed forces as “heroes,” ending more than a year of silence amid international speculation over its involvement. Intelligence agencies in the United States and South Korea reported last year that thousands of North Korean

April 28, 2025

SK Telecom begins SIM card replacement after cybersecurity breach

SEOUL, April 28 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom, began offering free SIM card replacements at its 2,600 stores nationwide on Monday, following a major cybersecurity breach that exposed sensitive customer information. The breach, detected on April 18, involved malicious code that compromised unique identification numbers tied to customer SIM cards, the company said. SK Telecom, which serves roughly 23 million subscribers and hosts an additional 1.87

April 28, 2025

DeepSeek updates privacy policy after Korean regulatory review

SEOUL, April 28 (AJP) - Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek published a Korean-language privacy policy on Monday, days after South Korean regulators raised concerns over the company’s handling of user data. Despite the update, DeepSeek’s services remain suspended in South Korea. The move follows a regulatory inspection by South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), which concluded last week that DeepSeek had failed to secure use

April 28, 2025

Lee Jae-myung wins Democratic Party nomination with record vote share

SEOUL, April 27 (AJP) - Lee Jae-myung has officially been named the Democratic Party (DP)’s presidential candidate after winning an overwhelming majority in the party’s primary, setting a new record for the highest vote share in its history. In the final primary vote held at Kintex Center in Goyang on Apr, 27, Lee secured 89.77 percent of the total ballots, decisively defeating his rivals Kim Dong-yeon and Kim Kyung-soo, who garnered 7 percent and 3 percent, respective

April 27, 2025

SeoulTech strengthens academic ties with Kazakhstan through high-level visit

SEOUL, April 27 (AJP) - To promote broader South Korea–Kazakhstan collaboration in education and research, a delegation from Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech), led by President Professor Kim Dong-Hwan, visited Kazakhstan’s Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University (KKU) from Apr. 16 to 18. One of the key highlights of the trip was a meeting between Professor Kim and Nurlybek Nalibayev, Governor of the Kyzylorda Region. Both sides discussed opportuni

April 27, 2025

Inje wildfire contained after 20 hours, 73 hectares of forest scorched

SEOUL, April 27 (AJP) - A wildfire that broke out in Inje, Gangwon Province, was brought under control after nearly 20 hours, authorities said Sunday. The Korea Forest Service and firefighting officials confirmed that the main flames were extinguished by around 9 a.m. Sunday. Crews remained on-site with six helicopters, 105 personnel, and 11 firefighting vehicles to tackle any remaining embers and monitor the area for flare-ups. The fire damaged an estimated 73 hectares (180 ac

April 27, 2025

S. Korean military notifies N. Korea about unintentional gun discharge at front-line guard post

SEOUL, April 27 (AJP) - South Korea’s military has notified its North Korean counterpart about an unintentional gun discharge at a front-line guard post last week. The military said it immediately used loudspeakers to notify North Korean soldiers that the discharge was accidental. The accidental machine gun discharge occurred at a front-line guard post (GP) along the central section of the border, military authorities confirmed on Sunday. According to the South Korean mil

April 27, 2025

Voice phishing scams cause over 300bln won damage in 1Q 2025

SEOUL, April 27 (AJP) - Voice phishing crimes in South Korea have surged in the first three months of this year, with damages more than doubling compared to the same period last year. The National Police Agency urged the public Sunday to be extra cautious. Between January and March this year, police recorded 5,878 cases of voice phishing, up 17 percent from the same period in 2024. Losses totaled 311.6 billion won ($216.5 million), about 2.2 times higher than a year earlier. The a

April 27, 2025