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  PHOTOS: Junior college admission fair opens in Seoul SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - A major fair on rolling admission for junior colleges opened Friday at COEX in Seoul. Over 50 vocational colleges from across Korea are participating in the event, which will run until Saturday. The fair, the largest of its kind, provides information on rolling admissions for the 2025 academic year and offers one-on-one counseling sessions with admission officers. September 20, 2024
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  Koreans' views toward Japanese improve, survey finds SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Four in 10 Koreans see Japan favorably, a recent survey reveals. According to a survey of over 1,000 Koreans conducted by the East Asia Institute (EAI) last month, some 41.7 percent of respondents hold a favorable view of Japan, up 12.8 percentage point from a year ago and the highest level since the annual survey first began in 2013. An almost similar proportion, or 42.7 percent, had the opposite view, but that was a significant decrease from 53.3 per September 20, 2024
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  Czech Republic optimistic about Korean consortium's bid for nuclear power plant project SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Czech President Petr Pavel has shown optimism about a Korean consortium's chances of winning a bid for the construction of two new nuclear power plants in Dukovany. This positive prospect was shared during a summit with Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of Korea's National Security Office, on Friday. At the summit held at Prague Castle, Pavel expressed his high expectations for Korea's participatio September 20, 2024
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  INTERVIEW: Female business leader urges women entrepreneurs to tap global markets SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - The chief of the Korean Women Entrepreneurs Association (KWEA) called for greater efforts to encourage women-owned businesses to venture into international markets, emphasizing overseas expansion is crucial for their long-term growth and survival. Lee Jeong-han, president of the nation's leading female business lobby, observed many women entrepreneurs remain focused on domestic markets, with only a small fraction expanding abroad. "As of 2022, September 20, 2024
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  Opinion: A wake-up call for Scholz and the European Union KARACHI, September 20 (AJP) - The political landscape in Germany is undergoing a seismic shift, as evidenced by the recent state election in Thuringia. For the first time since World War II, a far-right party has emerged victorious in a German state election, marking a significant moment in the nation’s post-war history. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured a staggering 32.8% of the vote, outpacing the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which managed only 23.6% September 20, 2024
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  Opinion: Prime Minister's Visit underscores vital Britain ties KENOSHA, September 20 (AJP) - The polite, low-key visit of Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain to President Joe Biden has generated relatively little media attention. That is unfortunate, because our alliance remains vital. “Someone to talk to” is how McGeorge Bundy, President John F. Kennedy’s national security adviser, summed up the partnership with Britain. In those years, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan provided unfailing support, encouragement and friends September 20, 2024
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  INTERVIEW: Seoul City will boost walkability with new initiative SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Seoul is expected to become a more walkable and livelier city with neighborhoods offering a variety of amenities within a short walking distance, according to plans envisioned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. This will allow Seoulites to easily walk to work, dine, shop, and enjoy leisure activities within a 30-minute radius of their homes. The key aspects of the plans in the offing focus on enhancing accessibility and connectivity within the city to September 20, 2024
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  Korean gov't debt-to-GDP ratio hits record high SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) – Korea's government debt-to-GDP ratio reached a record high in the first quarter of this year, according to data from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) updated on Monday. The ratio stood at 45.4 percent at the end of March, marking the first time it has exceeded 45 percent since the BIS began tracking the data in the fourth quarter of 1990. This figure represents a notable increase from 44 percent at the end of 2023. The BIS estimat September 20, 2024
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  Most foreign students opt for job opportunities in Korea instead of returning home SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Most of foreign students in Korea hope to find a job here after graduation rather than returning to their home countries, a recent straw poll suggests. JobKorea, Korea's largest employment portal, conducted a survey of some 155 international students here and found that about eight out of ten were either searching for a job here or planning to do so. About 10 percent of them have already landed a job, while only a fraction had no interest at all i September 20, 2024
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  LIG Nex1 signs 3.7 trillion won missile deal with Iraq SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) – Korean defense firm LIG Nex1 has secured a contract worth about 3.7 trillion won ($2.78 billion) to supply medium-range surface-to-air missiles to Iraq, the company announced on Friday. The deal, signed in Baghdad, on Thursday, involves the export of the domestically developed Cheongung II missile system, capable of intercepting both ballistic missiles and aircraft. Iraq is the third Middle Eastern country to adopt the Korean air defense system, September 20, 2024