Zombie-themed comedy tops summer box office with 4.5 million viewers SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - Actor Jo Jung-suk's latest film has attracted over 4.5 million moviegoers as of Monday, less than three weeks after its release late last month, becoming this year's first South Korean film to achieve the milestone. According to the Korean Film Council, "My Daughter is a Zombie" drew about 762,000 moviegoers over the long holiday weekend marking the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day which began last Friday, dominating the box office here f August 18, 2025

Lee's approval rating falls to lowest since taking office SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has slid further to the lowest since he took office in early June. According to a survey of over 2,000 voters conducted by pollster Realmeter last week and released on Monday, some 51.1 percent of respondents said Lee was doing well in his job while 44.5 percent said he wasn't. His approval rating fell 5.4 percentage points from the previous week and 12.2 points compared with two weeks earlier, when it sto August 18, 2025

Annual joint military exercise with US kicks off SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - South Korea's annual joint military exercise with the U.S. began on Monday, involving some 18,000 South Korean troops and a similar number of U.S. personnel. Dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield, the exercise runs until Aug. 28 and includes computer-simulated drills as well as field training to strengthen the two allies' combined defense posture against North Korean threats and other security challenges. Although the overall scale of the exercise remains u August 18, 2025

S. Korea, India to seek ways to deepen economic partnership SEOUL, August 17 (AJP) - South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, and his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, held talks in New Delhi, Saturday (local time) as the two countries marked the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership and pledged to expand cooperation in security, technology and defense. Cho's visit come amid a flurry of high-level exchanges between the two governments, including a summit meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and Prime Mini August 17, 2025

Scorching heat to persist next week after torrential rains SEOUL, August 16 (AJP) - Scorching heat gripped most of South Korea on Saturday, with advisories in effect nationwide and feels-like temperatures climbing to as high as 37 degrees Celsius. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), daytime highs ranged from 31 to 36 degrees Celsius in the southeastern city of Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang Province, while the southwestern province of Jeonbuk recorded 33 degrees. After heavy rains across the country last we August 16, 2025

Washington signals Asian allies to 'pull their weight' on defense ahead of summit with Seoul SEOUL, August 16 (AJP) - A senior U.S. defense official on Friday urged Asian allies to increase defense spending and take on greater responsibilities for collective defense, echoing Washington’s push for fairer burden-sharing ahead of a summit with Seoul. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, "It’s common sense that all allies, especially in Asia, need to pull their weight. That’s how we get peace thro August 16, 2025

Special envoys from Seoul meet Prabowo, vow closer bilateral ties SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - Special envoys sent to Jakarta this week pledged their readiness to enhance ties with Indonesia after talks with President Prabowo Subianto and senior officials, the foreign ministry said on Friday. Led by Cho Jeong-sik of the ruling Democratic Party, a handful group of lawmakers arrived in Jakarta on Monday for a four-day trip as part of President Lee Jae-myung’s broader diplomatic outreach to key Asian partners since taking office in early June. August 15, 2025

Ex-justice minister Cho Kuk freed in Lee's Liberation Day pardon SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - Former justice minister and ex-leader of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party Cho Kuk was freed early Friday under President Lee Jae-myung’s first pardon. Lee's first amnesty, marking the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, pardoned some 836,687 individuals, including around 2,000 minor offenders convicted of livelihood-related crimes and about 20 business moguls, in a move aimed at "promoting unity in the country." Cho was par August 15, 2025

Lee calls for peace and unity at 80th Liberation Day celebration SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung on Friday set out his vision in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation at a ceremony in central Seoul. Lee said the country had "overcome various difficulties, achieving rapid industrialization and democratization" since its liberation in 1945, saying it is now a time for more "dialogue and cooperation" and that the country should move beyond various conflicts. Lee also stressed th August 15, 2025

Heat wave to return on Liberation Day after torrential rains lash central regions SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - A sweltering heat wave is expected to return on Friday, when the country marks the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, after torrential rain swept through Seoul and other central regions earlier this week. With sporadic showers lingering in some parts of the country until early Friday morning, daytime highs are forecast to soar to 34 degrees Celsius, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Many parts of the capital area and cent August 14, 2025