SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will skip South Korea during his first official tour of the Indo-Pacific region. Hegseth plans to visit Guam, Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines later this month, according to Pentagon officials on Friday. A potential stop in Seoul was considered but later excluded, reportedly due to political instability stemming from South Korea’s impeachment crisis. This trip is significant as it marks the first Asia-Pac

SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) - Mass protests both for and against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment swept across South Korea on Saturday, just days before the Constitutional Court delivers its final ruling on his botched martial law declaration last December. The largest anti-impeachment rally took place near Gwanghwamun in central Seoul in the afternoon, organized by a conservative supporters' group. Protesters waved national flags and chanted slogans opposing the impea

SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) - The U.S. government officially confirmed Friday that it added South Korea to its “Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List (SCL)” in early January. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said Friday that South Korea was placed in the lowest category on the list, labeled as an “Other Designated Country,” during the final days of the Biden administration. The list includes countries subject to additional oversight due to concerns re

SEOUL, March 14 (AJP) - Over half of South Koreans trust the Constitutional Court of Korea, a recent poll suggest. The survey results released on Friday could provide some insight amid an intense split over President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle last year, as the final verdict in his impeachment trial looms. Pollster Gallup Korea surveyed about 1,001 adults nationwide early this week and found that 53 percent of respondents expressed belief in the Constitutiona

SEOUL, March 14 (AJP) - Police will implement its highest emergency alert level on the day of the Constitutional Court’s ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, deploying 337 riot police units and about 20,000 officers nationwide. The court’s decision follows Yoon’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, a move that escalated political tensions across the country. While the exact date of the ruling has not yet been announced, legal experts pre

SEOUL, March 14 (AJP) - A fire that broke out aboard Air Busan flight BX391 at Gimhae International Airport on Jan 28 was likely triggered by a short circuit inside a portable battery pack, also known as a power bank, according to an investigation by the National Forensic Service (NFS). The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport said Friday that forensic analysis revealed multiple traces of melted materia

SEOUL, March 14 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed his intention to reengage with North Korea, referring to its leader as a "nuclear power" once again. Speaking at the White House during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump said, "I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un and we'll see what happens, but certainly, he's a nuclear power." Kim "has a lot of nuclear weapons, by the way, a lot, and others do

SEOUL, March 14 (AJP) - Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Friday vetoed a contentious opposition-backed bill that seeks to launch an independent investigation into alleged election-related irregularities and other illicit activities. The bill, passed by the Democratic Party-controlled parliament in late February, calls for a probe into allegations that Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed political broker, received a bribe from former ruling party lawmaker Kim Young-sun in exchange for

SEOUL, March 13 (AJP) - The number of dementia patients in South Korea will surpass one million, the health ministry reported Thursday, raising awareness of the need to prepare a comprehensive elderly care system to ease financial and manpower burdens on younger generations. South Korea is one of the world's most rapidly aging societies, with about 20 percent of its population aged 65 and older. Coupled with the country's total fertility rate of 0.75 and an average life