U.S. extends ban on travel to N. Korea for its citizens

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - The U.S. has extended its travel ban on North Korea for another year, the State Department said on Wednesday. The ban prohibits U.S. citizens from using their passports to visit North Korea unless they obtain "special validations on a limited basis." The travel restriction has been extended annually since 2017 and will now remain in effect until August next year. "U.S. passports are not valid for travel to, in, or through North Korea,&

August 8, 2024

Seoul Metro to offer free short films for commuters

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Commuters can catch films during their subway ride, whether on their way to work or home, as Seoul Metro's annual film festival featuring shorts films returns late this month. The Seoul Metro International Subway Film Festival (SMIFF), now in its 15th year, is set to begin its month-long run on Aug. 29. SMIFF offers about 50 short films, selected from 1,669 entries across around 59 countries. They are mostly micro-short films with a running time of

August 8, 2024

Korea claims first taekwondo gold in Paris

SEOUL, August 08 (AJU PRESS) - Park Tae-joon delivered South Korea its first gold medal in taekwondo at the Paris Olympics, Thursday, capturing the men’s -58-kilogram division. The victory marked a triumphant return to the top of the podium for Korea which had endured a three-Olympics gold medal drought. Park’s path to gold was marked by dramatic turns. He ousted world No. 1 Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi of Tunisia in the semifinals to set up a clash with Gashim Magomedo

August 8, 2024

An Se-young says she didn't intend to cause conflict

SEOUL, August 07 (AJU PRESS) - Olympic gold medalist An Se-young returned to South Korea on Wednesday, dialing back criticism of the badminton association while the embattled sports body denied any rift with the star athlete. An, who captured the women’s singles title at the Paris Olympics, had publicly accused the association of mismanagement, particularly regarding a knee injury she sustained last year. She claimed the injury was misdiagnosed and poorly treated, forcing h

August 7, 2024

Netflix unveils Korean survival show featuring influencers

SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - Netflix's much-hyped Korean survival show "The Influencer" was unveiled on Tuesday, with the release of its first four episodes out of seven. The remaining three episodes are set for release next week, according to the U.S. video-streaming site. The show features some 77 influencers on social media who collectively boast over 120 million followers. They carry out separate missions to compete for a prize money of 300 million won, awarded to

August 7, 2024

South Korea sizzles under prolonged heatwave

SEOUL, August 07 (AJU PRESS) - A blistering heatwave continued to torment South Korea on Wednesday, with temperatures soaring across most of the country. Heatwave warnings remained in effect for all regions except for Jeju Island, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The agency blamed the extreme weather on a persistent high-pressure system trapping hot air over the peninsula. Daily highs of 31 to 36 degrees Celsius combined with high humidity have made

August 7, 2024

Trial ferry service along Han River available for commuters this fall

SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - Seoulites will be able to use a ferry service connecting key locations along the Han River this fall. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that the service will be available on a trial basis in October with full operations slated for March next year. The new transportation service, which was delayed from the city's previous plan to improve safety, aims to ease traffic congestion during busy rush hours and also attract tourists by offeri

August 7, 2024

Korea sees surge in new COVID variant cases

SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - Infections with a new variant of coronavirus has been surged recently, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA) said Wednesday. According to the agency, some 465 patients were hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the fourth week of July doubling the previous week's tally of 226 cases. KCDA has identified a variant called KP.3, known for its immune evasion capabilities. COVID-related hospitalizations had been declining since peaking in

August 7, 2024

Korea logs largest current account surplus in nearly 7 years, driven by chip exports

SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - South Korea posted the largest current account surplus in six years and nine months in June, driven by strong semiconductor exports, the Bank of Korea said Wednesday. The current account balance recorded a surplus of $12.26 billion in the month, the largest since the $12.34 billion surplus in September 2017. The cumulative surplus for the first half of 2024 was $37.73 billion, up from $1.15 billion in the same period last year. Exports totaled $

August 7, 2024

Gov't promises financial assistance, shorter settlement periods to address e-commerce crisis

SEOUL, August 6 (AJU PRESS) - The Korean government on Tuesday promised massive financial support to ensure that refunds are completed this week for consumers affected by the ongoing e-commerce payment crisis. Officials from related ministries and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) held a high-level policy consultation to address the financial troubles surrounding Tmon and WeMakePrice, e-commerce platforms owned by Singapore-based Qoo10. “The ruling party and the governm

August 6, 2024