Foreign visitors' card spending in Korea tops $1.4 billion SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - Foreign visitors spent a record 2.12 trillion won ($1.4 billion) on credit cards in South Korea in May as cumulative arrivals surpassed 10 million nearly a month earlier than last year, government data showed Wednesday. The May figure, which includes online purchases, marked the first time monthly card spending by foreign visitors exceeded 2 trillion won since data collection began in 2018. Card spending from January through May reached 7.98 trillion wo June 24, 2026

KMU captures 80-year history in free custom fonts SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - Digital typography acts as the unspoken visual voice of an institution, meaning the subtle shape of a written letter projects an organization's deeper philosophy to anyone reading it. To ensure its eighty-year heritage serves as a living tool for everyday human communication rather than a static monument, a Seoul institution has translated its core identity into two custom digital fonts to be shared with the world, Kookmin University said Wednesday. Conv June 24, 2026

Sorry isn't enough: When corporate apologies fail to save a brand SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - "It is a management error, but the entire staff has to pay the price. It's like the whole family being forced to attend an alcohol awareness class after the father gets caught drinking and driving," one Starbucks Korea employee grumbled. More than 2,000 Starbucks Korea stores closed early at 3 p.m. Monday for a crash course in democracy history to make amends for last month's "Tank Day" blunder. The self-imposed remedial measur June 22, 2026

Starbucks Korea closes early for a crash course in democracy history SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) -Contemporary South Korean history spanning the country's democracy movements from the 1960s to the 1980s has become mandatory study material across Starbucks Korea's more than 2,000 outlets, as well as for the C-suite of retail giant Shinsegae, including Chairman Chung Yong-jin, following last month's "Tank Day" controversy. Chung and executives from companies under Shinsegae's E-Mart division will watch a two-hour recorded lecture June 22, 2026

CJ Olive Young sees 11-fold jump in repeat foreign shoppers SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - CJ Olive Young, South Korea's largest beauty retail chain, said on Monday the number of foreign tourists who returned to South Korea to shop during its seasonal sale events has risen 11-fold over the past three years. The company said the figure was based on an analysis of foreign customer data conducted with Global Tax Free, which it described as the country's largest tax refund operator. The analysis compared foreign tourists who visited South Kore June 22, 2026

Drawing the hairline: Korea debates insuring hair loss  SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) -Going bald is personal matter, except in South Korea. It is quickly turning into a political and social hot potato. The South Korean government is weighing whether to extend National Health Insurance coverage to androgenetic alopecia, the common hereditary form of hair loss often associated locally with M-shaped hairlines. What had been thought as one of the most extreme populist campaign promises from liberal candidate Lee Jae Myung in his first preside June 19, 2026

Shinsegae Duty Free launches K-Beauty exhibition in online upgrade SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) - Shinsegae Duty Free announced that it is continuing its K-beauty ingredient-focused curation exhibition in collaboration with the beauty platform Hwahae. The two companies have been co-hosting exhibitions that link Hwahae's beauty data with duty-free shopping demand since last year. The latest event, themed "What's in my pouch," focuses on ingredients and brands that are currently drawing high customer interest. Under the themes of trave June 19, 2026

Inside KF-21, a test pilot pushes Korea's indigenous fighter to its limits SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) - The moment can come low above the ground, when the aircraft is turning hard and the pilot's vision begins to fade. For Maj. Song Min-seok, a test pilot for South Korea's KF-21 Boramae fighter jet, one of the most demanding parts of the job is not flying fast. It is holding the aircraft at the edge of its limits long enough to finish the test — even as his body tells him to stop. "When you keep turning under G-force, blood moves down towar June 19, 2026

Eight out of 10 Korean workers fear of falling behind in AI race SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Reflecting the rapid transformation trend that is sweeping across various kinds of workplaces globally, eight out of ten workers in South Korea fear being left behind in the era of artificial intelligence, a report by the global software and technology company Microsoft showed on Monday, The report, Microsoft's 2026 Work Trend Index, based on a survey of 20,000 workers from 10 countries, highlights what Microsoft describes as a "transformation parad June 16, 2026

South Korea faces scorching early summer heat amid alerts for sudden showers SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - An early summer heatwave has gripped South Korea, driving weekend temperatures to near-record highs for the season, with forecasters warning of continued hot weather and sudden showers across the country. On Saturday, daytime temperatures in Seoul hit 31.6 degrees Celsius, marking the first time in ten days the capital has surpassed the 30-degree mark. In Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, the mercury soared to 32 degrees Celsius, about 4 degrees higher than t June 13, 2026