South Korea falls to 32nd in FIFA rankings after early World Cup exit SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korea dropped seven places to 32nd in FIFA's latest men's world rankings, released on Tuesday, after this year's World Cup in North America wrapped up over the weekend. South Korea, ranked 25th just before the quadrennial football tournament kicked off last month, slipped to 32nd after its early World Cup exit. In its group-stage matches, South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 in its opening match and appeared to be off to a strong start, but suffer July 21, 2026

High-school baseball team gets reduced ban over chants mocking Gwangju uprising SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Paichai High School's baseball team can now return to competition after South Korea's top sports disciplinary body cut its ban from six months to one month over chants mocking the 1980 Gwangju democratic uprising. The Sports Fairness Committee of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) made the decision after a meeting in southern Seoul on Monday, reversing most of the punishment issued by the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) early th July 21, 2026

South Korea sees 'no immediate oil supply disruptions' SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korea has enough crude oil supplies to last through September and expects no immediate disruption even if shipping through the Red Sea is halted, the government said on Tuesday, as lingering tensions in the Middle East put another major energy shipping route at risk. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said refiners had secured crude for July and August equivalent to more than 110 percent of last year's average import volume. Bookings for S July 21, 2026

Homeplus earns final three-month chance to avoid liquidation SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) -Homeplus, South Korea's bankrupt supermarket chain, gained a three-month reprieve in what could be its final chance to stay afloat after a Seoul bankruptcy court on Tuesday overturned its earlier decision to terminate the retailer's rehabilitation process. The Seoul Bankruptcy Court canceled its July 3 order ending Homeplus' court-led rehabilitation and extended the deadline for creditors to approve a restructuring plan until Sept. 4. The deci July 21, 2026

New AI rules take effect in South Korea SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Stricter regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) took effect across industries on Tuesday, requiring businesses to disclose the use of generative AI and label AI-generated content. Under the regulations as part of the so-called "AI Basic Act," the country's first legal framework for artificial intelligence, companies developing or operating AI services must notify users when generative AI is used and label AI-generated content. July 21, 2026

Seoul braces for more monsoon rain after heavy downpours overnight SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - All major streams across Seoul were closed on Tuesday after heavy overnight downpours prompted the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) to issue a heavy rain advisory for parts of the capital. Such an advisory is issued when rainfall of 60 millimeters or more is expected within three hours, or 110 millimeters or more within 12 hours. Eunpyeong district in northwestern Seoul recorded the highest rainfall so far this season, with accumulated precipit July 21, 2026

Coupang warehouse fire in Incheon contained after three-day battle SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - A massive fire at e-commerce giant Coupang's logistics center in Incheon was brought under control on Monday night after burning for about 61 hours, with firefighters continuing efforts to extinguish the remaining flames. According to fire authorities and emergency officials in Incheon, the fire, which broke out at around 6:50 a.m. last Saturday on the sixth floor of the eight-story logistics center in Seoknam-dong, was largely contained at around 8 p.m. July 21, 2026

Gov't to provide additional disaster relief for flood-hit regions SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - An additional 1.6 billion won (US$1.07 million) in emergency disaster relief funds will be provided to regions hit by last weekend's torrential rains, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Monday. The affected areas include Gyeonggi, Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces, where heavy downpours between last Friday and Sunday washed out roads, triggered mudslides and flooded homes, forcing some residents to evacuate. The funds will be used fo July 20, 2026

Seoul's top-tier apartments remain far more expensive than elsewhere in South Korea SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Buying a top-tier apartment in Seoul now requires at least 4.65 billion won, according to an analysis by real estate platform Zigbang. The minimum price needed to rank among Seoul's top 1 percent most expensive apartments reached 4.65 billion won (US$3.10 million) in the first half of this year, while the average transaction price for those homes stood at 6.36 billion won. But both the minimum and average prices slightly eased after reaching record July 20, 2026

Motorists in their 50s and older own half of all registered vehicles SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Half of all registered vehicles in South Korea, excluding those owned by corporations and other entities, are now held by people aged 50 and older, according to data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday. The number of motorists in their 50s and older stood at 13.40 million, accounting for 50.2 percent of the 26.68 million privately registered vehicles as of the end of June. More specifically, those in their 50s owned th July 20, 2026