BTS' Jin shares Lunar New Year's greetings and new OST release

SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - BTS member Jin extended heartfelt Lunar New Year's greetings to fans on Saturday through the online fan community platform Weverse. The 32-year-old singer also announced the release of "Close to You," an original soundtrack (OST) for the tvN drama "When the Stars Gossip," starring Gong Hyo-jin and Lee Min-ho, set to drop on Sunday. In his Weverse post released Saturday, Jin wrote, "Hello everyone, this is Jin. How have you all

January 26, 2025

N. Korea test fires sea-to-land cruise missile

SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles on Jan. 25 under the guidance of leader Kim Jong-un, marking a significant development in its military deterrence capabilities, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement released at about 6 a.m. Sunday that North Korea fired multiple missiles from a land-based launch site into the West Sea, also known as the Yellow Sea,

January 26, 2025

Occult thriller 'Dark Nuns' tops local box office on debut

SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - "Dark Nuns," a Korean occult movie, took the top spot at the box office on its opening day, Friday, attracting over 163,000 viewers and accounting for 51.3 percent of daily ticket sales, according to the Korean Film Council. As of Saturday morning, the film had a reservation rate of 37.3 percent, with over 201,000 advance tickets sold, signaling its potential to dominate weekend box office rankings. The movie depicts nuns performing a f

January 25, 2025

Holiday rush in S. Korea with over 35 million travelers expected

SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - The annual mass migration began on Saturday as South Koreans travel to their hometowns to celebrate Lunar New Year, known as Seollal. Seollal, a traditional Korean holiday celebrating the first day of the lunisolar calendar, falls on Wednesday this year. With additional public holidays surrounding Seollal, an estimated 35 million people are expected to travel during the six-day holiday from Saturday to Thursday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastruct

January 25, 2025

Court rejects second bid to extend Yoon's detention

SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - A Seoul court on Saturday rejected prosecutors' second request to extend the detention of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law declaration last month. On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the prosecution's initial request for a 10-day extension, citing a lack of reasonable grounds for the prosecution to continue the investigation. Prosecutors filed their second request on Saturday, only to be denied on similar grounds.

January 25, 2025

Court rejects extension of Yoon's detention

SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - A court on Friday rejected prosecutors' request to extend the detention of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Earlier in the day, they filed for an extension with the Seoul Central District Court, as his detention period is set to expire early next week, amid his constant refusal to cooperate with questioning over his botched martial law debacle last month. But the court refused the request, citing a lack of proper grounds for prosecutors to proceed with the i

January 24, 2025

INTERVIEW: Vietnamese envoy highlights dialogue as key to enhancing partnership with S. Korea

SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - Vietnamese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Vu Ho emphasized the importance of sustained dialogue and communication between Viet Nam and South Korea to further strengthen their relationship and adapt to the challenges of a rapidly changing global market. In an exclusive interview with AJP on Wednesday, Vu underscored the significance of deepening bilateral cooperation to solidify the comprehensive strategic partnership forged in 2024. Vu, who assume

January 24, 2025

Main opposition party takes lead over ruling party again in latest poll

SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has slightly overtaken the ruling People Power Party (PPP) in support ratings, according to a poll released on Friday. Pollster Gallup Korea surveyed over 1,000 adults earlier this week and found that about 40 percent of respondents supported the DP, while some 38 percent preferred the PPP. The slightest reversal came amid a tight race between the two parties within the margin of error for several weeks, with the

January 24, 2025

Trump to 'reach out' to North Korean leader

SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would "reach out" to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. His comments come just a few days into his non-consecutive second term earlier this week, suggesting that he intends to re-engage in talks with Pyongyang. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said, "I'll reach out to him again," but gave no specific details. "I got along with him. He is not a religious zealot. He happens

January 24, 2025

Kia defies 'EV chasm' to report record annual revenue, operating profit

SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - Kia Corp. achieved its highest-ever annual revenue and operating profit in 2024, surpassing 100 trillion won ($69.8 billion) in sales for the first time in its history, the company announced Friday. The automaker posted an operating profit of 12.67 trillion won, a 9.1 percent increase from the previous year, while revenue climbed 7.7 percent to 107.45 trillion won. Net profit surged 11.5 percent to 9.79 trillion won, driven by robust demand in North America

January 24, 2025