news highlight

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  Korea's data breaches get personal as latest exposes cosmetic choices SEOUL, September 8 (AJP) - South Korea has grown accustomed to large-scale data breaches. The latest one is also unusually personal. Nearly 220,000 users of Gangnam Unni, a platform for comparing cosmetic procedures and clinics, were affected by unauthorized access discovered last week. The affected users included about 160,000 in South Korea and roughly 48,000 in Japan. Exposed information could include names, phone numbers, email addresses, clinics and doctors users contacted, September 8, 2026
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  Seoul beats back fine dust, and the next test: ozone SEOUL, September 8 (AJP) - Ozone has become a bigger pollution headache than fine dust for South Korea. Its capital has sharply reduced particulate air pollution over the past decade, but ground-level ozone concentrations have risen nearly 50 percent, exposing a new challenge after years of policy focused heavily on fine dust. The annual average ozone concentration in Seoul rose from 0.022 parts per million in 2015 to 0.0326 ppm in 2025, an increase of more than 48 percent, accor September 8, 2026
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  Repeat takers of Korea's CSAT likely highest in 23 years SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) -Nearly 200,000 repeat and non-school test-takers are expected to join South Korea's once-a-year college entrance exam on Nov. 19, the largest number in 23 years and a development likely to intensify competition for a shrinking pool of current high-school seniors. A total of 551,864 people applied to sit the College Scholastic Ability Test, or CSAT, for 2027 admissions, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation said Tuesday. The total was dow September 8, 2026
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  PM Han vows to turn peace on Korean Peninsula into regional stability SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Tuesday that South Korea will work to turn peace on the Korean Peninsula into broader stability in Northeast Asia and contribute to global peace and shared prosperity. “The peace we seek to build on the Korean Peninsula will not remain confined to the peninsula,” Han said in a keynote speech at the Seoul Defense Dialogue in Seoul. “We will build a foundation that connects peace on the Korean Peninsul September 8, 2026
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  Sejong, Hanoi sign pact to deepen ties SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - South Korea's administrative city and Vietnam's Hanoi agreed Tuesday to deepen ties in trade, talent and urban innovation, building on recent gains in business and digital cooperation. Sejong Mayor Cho Sang-ho and Vu Dai Thang, chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee signed a letter of intent (LOI) at Sejong City Hall. The document sets out a broader partnership between South Korea's administrative city and the Vietnamese capital. &ldq September 8, 2026
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  Jeju petition to end visa-free entry for Chinese tops 20,000 SEOUL, September 8 (AJP) - A petition calling for an end to visa-free entry for Chinese nationals and stronger immigration screening for foreign travelers has gained more than 20,000 signatures amid growing public concern over recent crimes and bizarre cases on Jeju Island. The petition, posted on the National Assembly's website late last month, has garnered some 24,794 signatures in about a week as of Tuesday. Supporters urged the government to scrap visa-free entry for Ch September 8, 2026
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  Prosecutors seek 27-year prison term for octogenarian JMS cult leader SEOUL, September 7 (AJP) - Prosecutors on Monday sought a 27-year prison sentence for cult leader Jung Myung-seok on charges of raping and sexually assaulting female followers. During a final hearing at a court in Daejeon, prosecutors also requested that Jung Myung-seok, the 81-year-old founder of the Christian Gospel Mission, better known as JMS, be ordered to undergo rehabilitation for sexual offenses, be barred from working with children, teenagers or people with disabilities f September 7, 2026
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  Hanwha foots full bill for Seoul fireworks festival SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) - South Korea's Hanwha Group has footed the entire 13 billion won ($9.7 million) bill for this year's Seoul International Fireworks Festival, keeping alive a tradition spanning more than two decades as the explosives-rooted conglomerate rises as one of the world's fastest-growing defense suppliers. About 1 million spectators packed Yeouido Hangang Park and surrounding stretches of the Han River on Saturday for the 22nd festival, according to H September 7, 2026
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  'Busan sickness' fuels Taiwan travel boom to Busan SEOUL, September 06 (AJP) - Flights between Busan and Taiwan have surged this year as a growing number of Taiwanese travelers visit South Korea’s southern port city, fueled by expanding direct routes and strong demand. A total of 6,609 flights operated between Busan and Taiwan through July, already matching the full-year total for 2024 and reaching 82.9 percent of the 7,976 flights recorded in all of 2025, according to aviation statistics from Korea Airports Corp. Passenger September 6, 2026