UNESCO expands Korean tidal flats World Heritage listing SEOUL, July 25 (AJP) - The mudflats where the world's rarest sandpiper refuels twice a year got bigger on the map that matters most. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee on Saturday approved a major expansion of Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats, adding four coastal wetlands and bringing South Korea's only natural World Heritage property on the mainland to six components stretching along the country's southwestern and southern coasts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Th July 25, 2026

AI boom rewrites "Happy Forever" in Korea's biggest divorce battle SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) — A handmade birthday poster once wished SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Roh Soh-yeong "Happy Forever." Nearly four decades later, their marriage has ended in a 944 billion won ($642 million) property settlement shaped not only by family history and corporate succession, but also by an artificial intelligence boom that transformed the value of Chey's fortune. The Seoul High Court on Friday largely upheld its earlier landmark ruling in w July 24, 2026

Court largely upholds landmark SK divorce ruling, cuts payout to 944 billion won SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) — A South Korean appeals court on Friday largely reaffirmed its landmark ruling in the country's "divorce of the century," ordering SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay 944 billion won ($642 million) to his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, after the Supreme Court sent the property division case back for retrial. The Seoul High Court's Family Division 1 reduced the property settlement from its previous 1.38 trillion won ruling but maintained t July 24, 2026

Top court refers ex-first lady's case to full bench amid conflicting rulings SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Former first lady Kim Keon Hee's appeal case was referred to the Supreme Court's full bench on Thursday, delaying a scheduled ruling amid conflicting lower court decisions over allegations involving election-related polls. The top court said it had decided to refer Kim's case to the full bench and postpone its ruling, just a day before the scheduled verdict was set to be delivered at 2 p.m. on Friday. No new date has been set. The move is widely July 23, 2026

Seoul mayor fined 10 million won for accepting illegal political funds SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was fined 10 million South Korean won (US$7,200) on Wednesday after being found guilty of accepting illegal political support by having opinion polls conducted ahead of the 2021 mayoral by-election. The ruling by the Seoul Central District Court came after Oh was indicted in December last year on charges of receiving about a dozen opinion polls from self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the April 7, 2021 election and h July 22, 2026

Busan fever sweeps Asia as Taiwanese lead new tourism boom SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Busan has emerged as one of Asia’s hottest urban escapes, drawing travelers with its beaches, seafood, cinematic coastal scenery and the hometown appeal of BTS members Jimin and Jungkook. Chinese can now be heard across the southern port city, but increasingly it is not the Mandarin typically associated with mainland visitors. Taiwanese travelers have become one of Busan’s largest and fastest-growing visitor groups, helping transform the city fro July 22, 2026

Borderline Koreans: too able to qualify, too slow to fit SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - It is 2 p.m., and the lunch rush has cleared at Youth Mungan, a kimchi stew shop in Seoul's southwestern neighborhood of Nakseongdae. A young man moves from table to table, spraying sanitizer and wiping every corner with meticulous care. "Customers sit here," Kim Ji-woo, 27, said sheepishly. "Wiping it perfectly clean puts my mind at ease." He clears plates, relays orders to the kitchen and folds used aprons neatly onto a rack. Cl July 22, 2026

Lee revives Korea's unfinished abortion debate SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - For seven years, South Korea's abortion debate has remained trapped between a Constitutional Court ruling that struck down the country's abortion ban and a legal vacuum that has left women navigating an unregulated market for medication. President Lee Jae Myung has now thrust the issue back onto the government's agenda by questioning why women seeking to terminate pregnancies are still being driven toward illicit online sellers for a medicine tha July 21, 2026

Midfielder Hwang In-beom joins Portuguese club FC Porto SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Midfielder Hwang In-beom has transferred to Portugal's FC Porto, the club announced on Tuesday. FC Porto said they paid 4.5 million euros (US$5.14 million) to sign the midfielder on a three-year deal, with an option to extend the contract for another season. Hwang will wear the No. 16 jersey at FC Porto. Hwang's transfer from Dutch club Feyenoord marks another step in his international football career, which has taken him to several different co July 21, 2026

Lee orders review of leveraged chip ETFs after retail investor losses SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) — President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered financial authorities to draw up "swift and thorough" stabilization measures for controversial single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs), saying the government must address mounting losses suffered by retail investors who piled into the products after regulators approved their launch. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Lee pointed to the divided views over leveraged ETFs linked to Samsung Electro July 21, 2026