North Korea reaffirms to treat South as enemy state upon Korea-EU summit SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -North Korea blasted South Korea and the European Union's recent summit statement condemning Pyongyang's military cooperation with Russia, accusing President Lee Jae Myung of abandoning his peace rhetoric and insisting it will continue to regard Seoul as a permanent hostile state. In a statement carried Saturday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry said South Korea remains "an invariable June 14, 2026

South Korea faces scorching early summer heat amid alerts for sudden showers SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - An early summer heatwave has gripped South Korea, driving weekend temperatures to near-record highs for the season, with forecasters warning of continued hot weather and sudden showers across the country. On Saturday, daytime temperatures in Seoul hit 31.6 degrees Celsius, marking the first time in ten days the capital has surpassed the 30-degree mark. In Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, the mercury soared to 32 degrees Celsius, about 4 degrees higher than t June 13, 2026

From the stands as BTS kicks off 'ARIRANG' tour in Busan SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - K-pop sensation BTS performed during the opening night of their "ARIRANG" world tour at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, South Korea, on Friday. The highly anticipated concert was held to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the group's debut. June 13, 2026

HYBE apologizes after BTS Busan concert delayed by 75 minutes SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - The agency behind K-pop sensation BTS issued an official apology after the first day of the group's concert in Busan was delayed by more than an hour due to severe operational disruptions affecting nearly 50,000 attendees. The "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN BUSAN" was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday but did not start until 8:15 p.m.. Fans faced long waiting times in early summer temperatures reaching up to 28 degrees Celsius, as ad June 13, 2026

LGBTQ pride festival underway in Seoul amid looming Christian counter-protests SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - Tens of thousands of LGBTQ rights advocates and conservative Christians are gathering in downtown Seoul on Saturday for rival rallies, marking the city's largest annual face-off over sexual minority rights. The Seoul Queer Culture Festival kicked off at 11 a.m., with organizers operating stages and booths along Namdaemun-ro and Ujeongguk-ro in central Seoul. The festival’s main event, the Queer Parade, is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Participant June 13, 2026

SCIENCE and MEDICINE: A centenarian is not created by a single secret GOCHANG, South Korea, June 13 (AJP) -Three scientists who have spent careers studying people who live to 100 gather in South Korea — and find, to their surprise, that their very different methods have led them to the same place. They arrived in Gochang, a rural county on Korea's southwestern coast three very different arguments about why some people live to 100. By the time their conversation ended, the geneticist, the epidemiologist, and the social gerontologist had r June 13, 2026

Uzbekistan hosts Tashkent International Investment Forum SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - Uzbekistan will host the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum from June 16 to 19 as the country establishes itself as the primary economic and investment hub for Central Asia, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the Republic of Korea said Friday. The four-day event serves as a sustainable mechanism to transition high-level political dialogue into concrete commercial solutions and cross-border cooperation. The upcoming gathering aims to expand upon the fr June 12, 2026

OpenAI CEO calls off planned trip to Seoul this weekend SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman abruptly canceled his scheduled visit to South Korea, according to industry sources on Friday. Altman, who ushered in a revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI)-driven era, was initially scheduled to arrive in Seoul over the weekend for a two-day trip to give a lecture at the country's chip giant Samsung Electronics and other engagements including meetings with major IT companies including Naver and Kakao to discuss AI-related June 12, 2026

UAE sends aircraft for early Cheongung-II delivery SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - The United Arab Emirates has sent military transport aircraft to South Korea to secure early delivery of Korean-made Cheongung-II missile defense systems, as the Middle East war disrupts key maritime routes, defense sources said Friday. According to military and defense industry sources, the UAE has been dispatching several C-17 transport aircraft to an air base in Daegu since earlier this week to carry Cheongung-II batteries and interceptor missiles. One C June 12, 2026

Won, bonds rally on U.S.-Iran peace hopes SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - The South Korean won and government bonds strengthened sharply Friday as hopes for an end to the U.S.-Iran conflict eased pressure from oil prices, the dollar and foreign equity outflows. The won-dollar exchange rate closed at 1,519.8 won, down 9.1 won from the previous session, in Seoul’s foreign exchange market. The rate opened 10.9 won lower at 1,518.0 won before trimming part of its decline, but still ended in the 1,510-won range. The move came June 12, 2026