news highlight

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  Four out of 10 Korean travelers head to Japan this year SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) -Nearly four out of 10 South Korean overseas travelers chose Japan in the first half of this year, underscoring the appeal of shopping and short flights as higher airfares and fuel costs made distant destinations harder on the wallet. Japan accounted for 38.7 percent of overseas travelers in BC Card’s customer data, up 8.9 percentage points from the first half of 2024. The analysis released Monday compared overseas travel and spending patterns during t November 2, 2026
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  Online shopping rises in September as auto-related purchases surge SEOUL, November 2 (AJP) - South Koreans spent more money on online shopping in September, driven by a sharp increase in purchases of automobiles and related products, while spending on travel and food services declined from the previous month. The total amount of online shopping transactions stood at 24.97 trillion won in September, up 2.7 percent from August and 4.1 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Monday. Online November 2, 2026
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  Korea moves to overhaul culture law for AI era SEOUL, October 27 (AJP) - South Korea is moving to overhaul its decades-old cultural arts law to reflect the rise of artificial intelligence and broader changes in the country's creative industry. The Culture Ministry will hold a policy forum Wednesday on revisions to the Culture and Arts Promotion Act, enacted in 1972 and long regarded as the country's basic law for the sector. The law has undergone full revisions in 1995 and 2007 as well as a series of partial amendme October 27, 2026
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  Divide in priorities among imported-car buyers, survey finds SEOUL, October 27 (AJP) - First-time buyers of imported cars tend to prioritize price and safety while repeat buyers care more about brand and driving performance, a survey showed. The findings are based on the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA)'s survey of 2,200 customers aged 25 to 59 who had either bought an imported car within the past three years or were considering buying one. When choosing an imported car, some 41.5 percent of first-time October 27, 2026
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  Waiting becomes second nature for young 'pali pali' Koreans SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Koreans are famously impatient, with a national ethos summed up by "pali pali," or "hurry, hurry." Yet younger generations seem curiously unhurried when it comes to queuing for hours for a meal or something they love. The queue for Justin Bieber's SKYLRK pop-up in Seoul began forming a day in advance. So did the line for Friday's pickup of Apple's new foldable phone. Seasoned October 23, 2026
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  Seoul youth art show asks what to remember in AI era SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - As artificial intelligence can produce a finished painting in seconds, a youth art exhibition in Seoul has asked young artists what they want the future to remember, and why they still make art by hand. The question reaches students who already use AI widely. In a Korea Press Foundation survey of 2,674 students from fourth grade through high school, released in January, 67.6 percent said they use conversational or generative AI. Most of them, 74.2 percent October 23, 2026
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  Korea woos 145 Taiwanese tourists with K-snack festival SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - South Korea has attracted 145 Taiwanese tourists with a travel package built around regional festivals celebrating tteokbokki and gimbap, the Korea Tourism Organization said Wednesday. The visitors will attend the Daegu Tteokbokki Festival and the Gimcheon Gimbap Festival on Oct. 23 and 24 as part of a campaign to turn local food festivals in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province into tourism draws for overseas visitors. The KTO's Taipei office devel October 21, 2026
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  National Museum chief You offers resignation SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - National Museum of Korea Director You Hong June offered to resign Wednesday over controversy surrounding a misidentified calligraphy work from his private collection. The museum displayed the work in its special exhibition "Our Tables" as calligraphy by independence activist Park Won-geun. It was later identified as the work of Park Jung-yang, who was designated by the government as a pro-Japanese collaborator. Criticism intensif October 21, 2026
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  Hanbok Culture Week opens across 410 venues in Korea SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) - South Korea kicked off its annual Hanbok Culture Week on Monday, with exhibitions, performances and hands-on programs planned across more than 410 venues in the country and overseas, the Culture Ministry said. The weeklong event runs through Sunday and marks the ninth edition of the campaign, which promotes hanbok, Korea's traditional clothing, and encourages people to wear it in everyday life. Programs will be held at sites including the National Mus October 19, 2026