Ultra-fine dust advisory issued for Seoul

SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - An ultra-fine dust advisory has been issued for the Seoul metropolitan area overnight, the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment said on Tuesday. Such advisories are issued when the hourly average concentration of PM2.5 exceeds 75 µg/m³ for more than two consecutive hours. PM 2.5, which is about 1/30th the size of a human hair, can pass through the filters of the human respiratory system, causing greater harm to the body th

November 25, 2025

Seoul, Ankara agree to strengthen cooperation in defense, nuclear energy

SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Monday, where the two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation across various sectors. In a joint press conference after their talks, Lee began his remarks by saying that this year marks the 75th anniversary of Turkey's participation in the Korean War (1950–1953), referring to the country as a "brother nation." He added, "Bilateral relations have st

November 25, 2025

Foreign students spike in Korea, but not helping rural and high-skilled talent shortage

SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Non-Chinese students now make up the majority of foreign enrollment at Korean universities, as the number of international degree-seekers has tripled over the past decade. Foreign students also fill one in every six postgraduate seats — a striking figure for a country facing a shrinking workforce and rising demand for highly skilled talent. According to the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI), 179,190 international students were enrolled

November 24, 2025

Fried chicken beats kimchi as Korea's global signature dish

SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Fried chicken – not kimchi – is the foreign favorite Korean food, which explains Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s choice of dining out with his Korean tycoon friends – Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics and Chung Euisun of Hyundai Motor – last month. Nearly three out of 10 foreigners, or 28.3 percent, named Korean fried chicken as the most Korean menu they had eaten over the past year, according to a poll of 11,000 respondents acr

November 24, 2025

Hollywood star Charlize Theron spotted in Seoul's trendy neighborhood

SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Hollywood actress Charlize Theron was recently spotted in Seoul's trendy areas near Hongik University, crating a buzz among fans here. A video clip posted on social media on Sunday showed Theron dressed in a brown trench-style coat and sunglasses, walking with her daughter without any security guards. The clip went viral immediately. When one fan approached her and asked to take a photo together, Theron smiled and warmly posed with her arm around

November 24, 2025

Gov't unveils plans to attract global talent, top scientists by 2030

SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - South Korea unveiled its plans to attract 2,000 foreign experts and recruit 100 top-tier global scientists by 2030 at a meeting held at the government complex in central Seoul on Monday. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Bae Kyung-hoon, the Minister of Science and ICT and other officials from relevant ministries. The ambitious plans aim to address the declining school-age population amid the country's ultra-low birthrate, as

November 24, 2025

South Korean man found dead in bag in Viet Nam

SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - The body of a man believed to be South Korean was discovered inside a large bag in Viet Nam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. According to the South Korean Consulate General there, the body was found inside a large blue bag near a residential area in Ho Chi Minh City the previous day. "We are in close communication with local authorities and will provide necessary consular support," said a ministry official, declining to give

November 24, 2025

South Korea boasts fastest mobile download speeds in world

SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - South Korea's three major telecom companies have been found to offer download speeds more than three times faster than those in major countries worldwide. According to a report released by the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) on Monday, their average download speed last year was 1,025.52 megabits per second (Mbps), about 3.8 times higher than the 268.01 Mbps recorded across seven surveyed countries including Japan, Germany, and the

November 24, 2025

Lee's approval rating edges up to 55.9%

SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has inched up to 55.9 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous week, pollster Realmeter said on Monday. According to the nationwide poll of over 2,500 people aged 18 and older conducted from Nov. 17 to 21, some 40.5 percent of respondents disapproved of Lee's performance, down 0.7 percentage points. The uptick in approval was attributed to his recent diplomatic achievements including a US$15

November 24, 2025

Lee heads to Turkey for final leg of overseas trip

SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday headed to Turkey, the final stop of his 10-day overseas trip after wrapping up his attendance at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa. While attending a series of sessions at the G20 in Johannesburg over the weekend after visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt earlier in the week, Lee proposed easing debt burdens for developing countries and normalizing multilateral trade systems. He also emphasized inte

November 24, 2025