Koreans don't fight summer. They accessorize it SEOUL, July 9 (AJP) — When Europe melts, people flock to rivers, lakes and public fountains. When South Korea swelters, shoppers head to Olive Young and Daiso. To withstand increasingly early, longer and more punishing summers, Europeans seek out whatever water they can find. Koreans, long accustomed to humid East Asian heat, have developed another survival strategy: buying a growing arsenal of cooling products that seems to evolve every summer. July 9, 2026

Vietnamese arrivals in Korea surpass Chinese for first time SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Viet Nam overtook China as the largest source of foreign arrivals in South Korea last year as Vietnamese workers continued to enter the country while more Chinese nationals left, government data showed Thursday. Figures released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics showed 98,000 Vietnamese nationals arrived in South Korea in 2025, edging past 94,000 arrivals from China. A year earlier, China still led by a wide margin, with 112,000 arrivals compared with V July 9, 2026

Starbucks Korea resumes promotions after 'Tank Day' backlash SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Starbucks Korea is relaunching customer promotions after a marketing controversy over the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising forced the company to close every store in the country simultaneously for staff training, something it had never done in its 27 years in Korea. The coffee chain said Tuesday it will give free drink coupons and food discount coupons to all Starbucks Rewards members through Aug. 14. Existing members received the coupo July 9, 2026

Musinsa establishes Taiwan unit to expand direct presence overseas SEOUL, July 08 (AJP) - Musinsa has established a Taiwan subsidiary to spearhead its expansion in the local market, marking the company's latest overseas growth initiative, the company said Tuesday. The Taiwan unit was established on July 7 and will oversee the company's local operations and market expansion efforts. Musinsa said it plans to build a dedicated local team and expand its offline presence with a focus on its private-label casual apparel brand, Musinsa Standard. July 8, 2026

Samsung rebate festival nets $1.3 billion in sales SEOUL, July 05 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' monthlong "Gratitude Festival" promotion generated an estimated 2 trillion won, about $1.3 billion, in device sales before the event ended July 5, according to industry estimates, a haul that is expected to lift the company's consumer electronics division in its upcoming second-quarter earnings. The estimate is based on the value of digital Onnuri gift certificates Samsung issued during the campaign, which industry sour July 5, 2026

Korea Tourism Organization taps influencers to promote regional food tourism SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - The Korea Tourism Organization has launched a regional food tourism campaign with 33 overseas influencers as South Korea seeks to turn growing interest in Korean food into travel beyond Seoul. The state tourism agency, led by President Park Sung-hyuk, held a launch event for "K-Local Food Hunters 33" at Samcheonggak in Seoul on Monday. Through Thursday, the program will send participants to different regions to taste, film and share local dishes wi June 30, 2026

Korea unveils five-year plan to promote crafts as K-culture industry SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - South Korea will seek to make traditional crafts a larger part of its cultural exports and tourism industry under a new five-year government plan announced Tuesday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released its second basic plan for promoting the craft culture industry, covering 2026 to 2030. The plan is built around four areas: production, distribution, public access and policy infrastructure, with the government aiming to raise the industry's June 30, 2026

Months-long beauty festival kicks off in Seoul in bid to attract foreign tourists SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - Seeking to turn growing global interest in South Korean beauty products into tourism, the country's annual beauty festival kicked off its months-long run on Wednesday, offering foreign visitors hands-on experiences ranging from skincare consultations to K-pop-inspired makeup sessions. Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization, the festival will run through Sept. 30, with major pop-up event June 24, 2026

AI touts in Korean teens' hands are a growing worry for parents SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - Gambling used to be a taboo word in South Korea. Real-money betting is prohibited in online games, as are casinos, bingo and lotteries for most citizens. But illegally, online gambling is proliferating — and increasingly invading classrooms. The episode in Netflix's hit drama "Teach You a Lesson," in which an ordinary high school student becomes addicted to gambling, destroys his family life and is eventually pulled into a criminal ri June 24, 2026

Nearly 1 in 5 preschoolers in Seoul are obese, survey finds SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - About one in five preschoolers in Seoul are overweight or obese, according to a recent survey released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday. The city government teamed up with the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity to survey around 6,850 children aged 3 to 5 and assess their overall physical condition through height and weight measurements, along with physical tests to check flexibility and agility. Their average height was 99.10 centimete June 24, 2026