Over 6,000 armed police to escort ballot boxes in Seoul for June 3 election

SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - More than 6,000 armed police officers will be deployed in Seoul to escort ballot boxes and maintain security during South Korea’s snap presidential election on Jun. 3, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Wednesday. The early election was triggered by the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol in April, following a Constitutional Court ruling. With the presidential term vacated, the country must elect a new leader within 60 days,

May 28, 2025

Seoul ranks 15th in Global Cities Index, second among Asian cities after Tokyo

SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - Seoul placed 15th overall in a global ranking of urban economies, according to a report released on Wednesday. Seoul climbed 26 spots from 41st last year to become the second-highest ranked Asian city after Tokyo which came in 9th, in an index by Oxford Economics that evaluated 1,000 of the world's largest cities across five categories - economy, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance - to compare each city's strengths and weaknesse

May 28, 2025

Lee Jae-myung maintains lead over Kim Moon-soo in final poll

SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - With just one week remaining before South Korea’s snap presidential election on Jun. 3, Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung continues to lead over People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo, according to the final public opinion survey released before the pre-election blackout period. The Realmeter poll, conducted on May 26 and 27, showed Lee with 49.2 percent support, extending his lead over Kim, who received 36.8 percent. Reform Party candida

May 28, 2025

Two former acting presidents slapped with travel ban

SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok have been slapped with a travel ban over their alleged involvement in former disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle late last year, policed said on Tuesday. It was revealed a day after investigators summoned them for questioning related to the debacle the previous day. The two briefly served as acting presidents after a motion to impeach Yoon

May 27, 2025

Former PM expresses support for PPP candidate in last-minute move ahead of presidential election

SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - With less than a week left until next month's presidential election, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Tuesday expressed his support for Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the ruling People Power Party (PPP). At a press conference in Seoul, Lee said he decided to join hands with Kim to prevent Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), from being elected, describing it as a "monster dictatorship.

May 27, 2025

Mt. Kumgang poised for UNESCO World Heritage listing

SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - Mt. Kumgang in North Korea is set to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which serve as advisory bodies to the World Heritage Committee, have jointly recommended the North's scenic mountain for inclusion on the list, according to UNESCO's tentative lists released on Tuesday. The recommendation comes after North Korea'

May 27, 2025

Korean War veteran and former congressman Charles Rangel dies on Memorial Day

SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - Charles Rangel, a Korean War veteran and former U.S. congressman, died at a hospital in New York on Monday, as the country observed Memorial Day. He was 94. Born in Harlem, Manhattan in 1930, Rangel was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1971. The 23-term lawmaker went on to serve in Congress for 46 years until his retirement in January 2017. During his time in Congress, the late Democrat, who consistently worked to support Washington's key

May 27, 2025

Busan offers free pet insurance to encourage dog adoptions

SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - The southern port city of Busan is offering a year of free pet insurance to people who adopt abandoned dogs, hoping the move will ease concerns over veterinary costs and boost adoption rates. The program, announced Monday, applies to anyone who has adopted a stray dog in Busan since Jan. 1. To qualify, the dog must be adopted through one of the city’s six animal protection centers or two adoption agencies and registered with an RFID chip. The insuran

May 26, 2025

Yoon Suk Yeol appears in court for fifth insurrection trial amid investigation into deleted phone records

SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - Former President Yoon Suk Yeol returned to the Seoul Central District Court on Monday for the fifth hearing in his trial on charges of insurrection and abuse of power. It was his third time entering through the main public entrance. As in previous appearances, he passed reporters in silence, offering no comment on the Dec. 3 martial law declaration or whether he intended to address the public ahead of the Jun. 3 presidential election. The May 26 hearing is th

May 26, 2025

Lee Jae-myung calls inter-Korean summit essential but says now is not the time

SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Monday that while holding a summit with North Korea is something that should happen, current conditions make it unlikely in the near future. “It is something that obviously should happen, but I don’t know whether it will be possible,” Lee told reporters during a visit to Ajou University in Suwon on May 26. “At the moment, it would be extremely difficult.” Lee ackn

May 26, 2025