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

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