• 
  Opinion: AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine withdrawn – right to the end it was the victim of misinformation SEOUL, May 10 (AJU PRESS) - The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was a critical part of the COVID-19 pandemic response. However, on May 7, 2024, the European Commission announced the vaccine is no longer authorized for use. This EU announcement was preceded by an application from AstraZeneca on March 27, 2024 to withdraw the EU marketing authorization. This development has been covered in various media outlets as primarily related to the known "adverse events," namely a very s May 10, 2024
• 
  VISUALS: See how to make 10-meter-long gimbap SEOUL, May 9 (AJU PRESS) - The 39th Seoul International Travel Fair kicked off on Friday for a four-day run at COEX in southern Seoul, showcasing travel attractions and cultures from countries around the world. The festival opened with an event to promote gimbap, a Korean seaweed rice roll filled with a variety of ingredients. Hundreds of people, including foreign dignitaries, tourism officials, chefs, and gourmets, participated in the event to create a 10-meter-long gimbap, blended with l May 9, 2024
• 
  Taihan Cable showcases power grid replacement solution at U.S. industry fair SEOUL, May 09 (AJU PRESS) - Korea's Taihan Cable & Solution is showcasing around 30 technologies and products, including an innovative solution to replace outdated power grids, at a U.S. industry show. The Korean power cable maker is among about 660 companies from 60 countries participating in the biennial IEEE PES T&D Conference and Exposition, the largest exhibition for the power and energy industry in the U.S., currently underway in Anaheim, California, from May 6 to May 9, 2024
• 
  President Yoon apologizes over Dior bag scandal involving wife SEOUL, May 9 (AJU PRESS) - President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized Thursday over a luxury handbag scandal involving his wife that has plagued his administration into the second year in office. “I apologize for causing concerns to the people with the unwise conduct of my wife,” Yoon said during a news conference. But he refused to accept a special counsel investigation, pushed by opposition parties, into the case. "I have consistently expressed my opinion that a May 9, 2024
• 
  'Supersized' gimbap delights visitors at tourism expo SEOUL, May 09 (AJU PRESS) - An event to promote gimbap, one of Korea's most popular on-the-go meals, was held at COEX in southern Seoul on Thursday. The event was held as part of the Seoul International Travel Fair (SITF), which runs until Sunday. The expo offers various tourism information at home and overseas. Hundreds of people including foreign dignitaries, tourism officials, chefs and gourmets gathered for the occasion. Renowned chef Kim Rock-hoon, who has been promoting May 9, 2024
• 
  VISUALS: Preparing for Buddha's Birthday celebrations SEOUL, May 08 (AJU PRESS) - With a week to go until Buddha's Birthday, Jogyesa in Jongno hosts preparatory events and bazaar ahead of the main celebration. Especially 'Mirae-seum Bazaar', The three-day bazaar, running from May 8 to 10, aims to raise funds for university student support programs. Buddha's Birthday preparations including lotus lantern and various events are underway until the main celebration. May 9, 2024
• 
  Some uncomfortable with Yoon's 'The BUCK STOPS here' plaque SEOUL, May 09 (AJU PRESS) - A detail that captured particular attention during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s nationally televised address to the nation on Thursday was a plaque displayed on his desk. Yoon, dressed in a black suit and red tie, spoke from behind a desk adorned with a plaque inscribed with the words "The BUCK STOPS here." The well-known motto was used by Harry S. Truman, who served as the U.S. president from 1945 to 1953. Truman famously kept a plaque wi May 9, 2024
• 
  Gwanghwamun Square voted Seoul's top landmark by foreigners SEOUL, May 09 (AJU PRESS) - Foreigners chose Gwanghwamun Square as Seoul's most symbolic place, while Seoul citizens considered the Han River as the city's top landmark, a survey reveals. According to the annual survey released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday, nearly half of foreign respondents or 45.9 percent picked Gwanghwamun Square as the capital's main landmark, followed by nearby royal palaces (41.4 percent), Dongdaemun Design Plaza, a multi-p May 9, 2024
• 
  SK E&S constructs world's largest liquified hydrogen plant SEOUL, May 09 (AJU PRESS) - SK E&S, the green energy arm of Korea's SK Group, has constructed the world's largest hydrogen liquefaction plant in the western port city of Incheon. The company held the dedication ceremony Wednesday for the plant with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons of liquid hydrogen, enough to fuel 5,000 hydrogen buses for a year. SK E&S said it has invested about 700 billion won ($511.7 million) in the construction between 2021 and 2023. Liquefi May 9, 2024
• 
  Opinion: Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections – but is it playing into the far right's hands? SEOUL, May 09 (AJU PRESS) - Ahead of the European parliament elections in June, Germany has lowered the age limit on participation to 16. This makes it the largest of just a handful of states in the EU to allow people under the age of 18 to vote. Austria, Belgium and Malta have already enfranchised 16 and 17-year-olds, and Greece is to allow anyone turning 17 in 2024 to participate in the June vote. Around 4.8 million young Germans – plus about 300,000 young people from othe May 9, 2024