South Korea sees surge in online drug trafficking cases, most found on X

SEOUL, October 05 (AJP) - The number of online drug trafficking cases referred to police by South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has risen to its highest level in five years, with most illegal activity detected on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to data released by Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Mi-hwa on October 5, the MFDS reported 85 cases of online narcotics trafficking to investigative agencies between January and August this year. That figure

October 5, 2025

Government restores 132 systems after Daejeon data center fire, mobile ID service back online

SEOUL, October 05 (AJP) - Ten days after a massive fire crippled South Korea's main government data network, 132 of the 647 affected information systems have been restored, including 22 top-priority platforms, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on October 5, 2025. As of 6 a.m. Sunday, the overall recovery rate stood at 20.4 percent, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous day. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said that the parti

October 5, 2025

Breakfast habits change in South Korea as more young adults skip morning meals

SEOUL, October 05 (AJP) - Breakfast is falling out of favor in South Korea, especially among young adults, according to new government data showing a steady rise in people skipping their morning meal. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Sunday in its 2024 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey released on October 5, 2025, that 35.3 percent of Koreans aged one and older did not eat breakfast regularly last year. That means more than one in three

October 5, 2025

President Lee urges humanitarian progress on divided families

SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung said on October 3 that communication among divided families must move forward and pledged to ask North Korea to treat the matter on humanitarian grounds. Lee invited eight displaced people to the Peace Observatory in Ganghwa, Incheon, on the first day of the Chuseok holiday. He told them decades of separation between relatives were the result of political failures and vowed to work toward improving inter-Korean relations. "

October 3, 2025

Survey shows 80% of South Koreans reject U.S. upfront demand in tariff talks

SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - A strong majority of South Koreans believe Washington's demand for a $350 billion upfront investment in the ongoing tariff negotiations is unfair, according to a survey of 1,008 people aged 18 and older, conducted by pollster Realmeter. The poll found that 80.1 percent of respondents said the demand was unreasonable. Within that group, 61.4 percent called it "very unreasonable" and 18.7 percent said it was "somewhat unreasonable."

October 3, 2025

Concerns rise over safety of 'mega batteries' after fire at government data center

SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - A fire at the National Information Resources Service in the central city of Daejeon on September 26 brought down South Korea's main government data network, halting 647 public services and internal systems and leaving the government's cloud system unusable. The blaze started in a server room lined with lithium-ion batteries and was only declared fully extinguished 22 hours later. The impact was severe. Ninety-six systems in the fifth-floor data ha

October 3, 2025

How Seoul blends K-pop, tech and diplomacy at APEC

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - This year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit arrives at a tense moment of tariff wars between allies and rivals, but host South Korea is showcasing a deft blend of diplomacy, technology and cultural soft power. The two-day leaders’ summit, beginning Oct. 31, will cover supply chain security, digital trade rules and climate cooperation. Alongside the traditional agenda, Seoul is infusing the stage with high technology and K-pop, hi

October 2, 2025

Re-living Korea's past and enjoying today dictate foreign visits to Korea

SEOUL, October 2 (AJP) - "Gat," the black wide-brimmed hat once essential for Korean men stepping into public, may become this year's hottest Halloween costume in Western societies. The iconic headgear – spotlighted in Saja Boys' "Your Idol" stage performance that won global fans and in Netflix's blockbuster "KPop Demon Hunters" – is now a must-try at Everland, Korea's largest theme park in Yongin, just south of Seou

October 2, 2025

South Korea emerges as new hub in Asian drug trade after first joint bust with US DEA

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - South Korea's first joint drug operation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has exposed a shift that officials had long warned about. The country is no longer just a market for narcotics but is being used as an exporter and transit hub in the regional drug trade. Police in South Gyeonggi Province said Wednesday that they arrested a 35-year-old woman who ran a beauty supply export company in Uiwang and a man in his 20s who helped with

October 2, 2025

Military postpones annual field training to mid-November

SEOUL, October 2 (AJP) - The military has postponed its large-scale field training to mid-November. The annual "Hoguk Exercise," involving the Army, Navy, and Air Force, initially scheduled for the fourth week of October, will now be held from Nov. 17 to 21, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday. The postponement comes as South Korea prepares for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the historic city of Gyeongju from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, to ensure sa

October 2, 2025