news highlight

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  Seoul bus strike averted with 3.2% wage deal SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) -The union and employers of Seoul city bus workers agreed to raise wages by 3.2 percent early Wednesday after nearly 12 hours of marathon talks, averting a major disruption to the morning rush hour ahead of the Chuseok holiday. The Seoul City Bus Labor Union called off a strike scheduled to begin with the first buses at 4 a.m., allowing all routes across the capital to operate normally. The union and the Seoul Bus Transportation Association, representing September 16, 2026
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  Seoul braces for strike as bus drivers in last-ditch talks over wages SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Bus drivers in Seoul are in last-ditch wage talks on Tuesday to avert a planned strike that could halt all bus services in the capital starting with the first buses on Wednesday. Their union, affiliated with the Korean Automobile Workers' Federation, met with the city's bus operators for another round of talks at 2 p.m. and again threatened to strike if no agreement is reached by 9 p.m. If the two sides fail to reach a breakthrough in their tal September 15, 2026
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  Ulsan to host global horticulture meeting in 2028 SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Ulsan, South Korea’s leading industrial city, will host the 2028 Spring Meeting of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), bringing global horticulture leaders to the city as it prepares for a major international garden expo. The southeastern city said Tuesday that the decision was finalized during the AIPH Annual Congress being held in Bari, Italy. Ulsan plans to hold the spring meeting in April 2028 in conjunction with t September 15, 2026
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  One in nine Koreans in 50s never married SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - More than one in 10 people in South Korea in their 50s have never married, with the number more than tripling over the past decade as marriage becomes increasingly less universal among middle-aged adults. Data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics showed that 934,000 people in their 50s, or 10.9 percent of the age group’s 8.54 million population, had never married as of August. A decade earlier, the figure stood at 281,000, or 3.4 percent. Amon September 15, 2026
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  Netflix hit meets reality as Korea seeks protection for teachers SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) -The Netflix series Teach You a Lesson, in which a fictional government agency steps into troubled schools to restore teachers’ authority when students and parents cross the line, created a splash this summer and raised a sober question that brought teachers and judges together Monday to seek real-world solutions for restoring dignity in the classroom. The show, which topped Netflix’s non-English TV chart after its June release, struck a nerve September 14, 2026
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  Free flu shots available from next week amid rising cases SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - Free flu shots will be available starting next week, as influenza cases rise sharply nearly a month earlier than usual, along with a resurgence of coronavirus infections, which have become a seasonal illness. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday, the first round of flu shots will be available to children and pregnant women starting from Sept. 21. Children aged 6 months to under 9 who are receiving their flu shot for the first time mu September 14, 2026
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  Korean Gen Z takes to streets to protest U.S. call for Hormuz support SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - On most Saturdays, Gwanghwamun Square belongs to tourists, families, street performers and the assortment of political groups that regularly claim a patch of downtown Seoul for their causes. This Saturday brought another one: opposition to President Donald Trump’s repeated demands that South Korea help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the United States confronts Iran. Many in the crowd were not the veteran anti-American or progressive activists f September 12, 2026
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  Recent missing-person cases cast shadow over Jeju tourism SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Jeju was long celebrated as the "island of three absences," or Sammu in Korean, a traditional expression meaning there were no thieves, no beggars and no front gates because residents had little reason to fear one another. That image of trust and safety is now being shaken as a botched missing-person investigation, revelations of falsified police case records and a wave of crime fears raise concern that the resort island's reputation could b September 11, 2026
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  Seoul issues new dress code for govt job interviews: come casual SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - South Korea's government agency in charge of managing the civil service has drawn attention after announcing that applicants who show up for government job interviews wearing neckties will be told to take them off. The Ministry of Personnel Management said Thursday that it will begin strongly discouraging suits at national civil service interviews from October, instead urging applicants to come in casual clothing including jackets, shirts, knitwear, September 11, 2026