Seoul sees lowest population outflow last year as fewer move to outskirts SEOUL, February 4 (AJP) - Fewer people moved to the outskirts of Seoul last year, with the capital seeing the lowest outflow in about 35 years. According to data released by the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) on Wednesday, some 27,000 residents left Seoul last year, down from 35,000 in 2022, 31,000 in 2023, and 45,000 in 2024. The figure was the lowest since 1990, when Seoul first recorded a decline in relevant statistics. KOSIS attributed the drop to an increa February 4, 2026

Seoul, Washington reaffirm alliance including cooperation on nuclear subs, shipbuilding SEOUL, February 4 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. agreed to continue close cooperation to strengthen the bilateral alliance, the U.S. Department of State said on Tuesday. In a press release, the department's principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Washington, D.C., where they "discussed ways to advance" the bilateral alliance. Pigott added that the two "agreed to cont February 4, 2026

Constitution Day to be national holiday again SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - Constitution Day on July 17 will become a national holiday again this year, Cheong Wa Dae said on Tuesday. The Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung decided to restore Constitution Day as a national holiday to raise public awareness of the spirit of the Constitution. The day, which commemorates July 17, 1948, when the Constitution was promulgated, had been observed as one of major national holidays along with March 1 Independence Movement February 3, 2026

Presidential SNS politics: excess or essential? SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump is notorious for overnight social-media barrages — posting more than 160 times in a single day as recently as Dec. 1 — and for spending hours on Truth Social. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is a relative newcomer to such digital excess, but he appears to be embracing the medium with equal enthusiasm. On Sunday, Lee posted a reflective yet firm message on X, formerly Twitter, calling for a national debate on a p February 3, 2026

Fire breaks out at confectionery factory in Siheung SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - A fire broke out at confectionery company SPC Samlip's factory in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday. According to fire authorities, the blaze broke out at around 3 p.m., prompting over 500 workers to evacuate immediately. About 70 firefighters, along with approximately 50 vehicles including pump trucks and other equipment were deployed to extinguish the fire. Three workers including a woman in her 40s were treated for minor symptoms after inhalin February 3, 2026

China removes one of dubious structures in West Sea SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - China has completed the removal of a structure installed along the West Sea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said on Tuesday. The completion comes about a week after Beijing began removing it last Tuesday, as a follow-up measure after President Lee Jae Myung discussed the matter during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing early last month. But it was just one of a couple of steel structures on the submerged shelf of Ieodo in the February 3, 2026

Vietnam to accept Korean language test for university admissions SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) - Vietnam will begin accepting scores from the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) for university admissions starting this year, becoming the latest nation to formally recognize the language amid surging worldwide interest driven by employment opportunities and cultural exports. The Southeast Asian nation becomes the second country to adopt TOPIK results for higher education enrollment after Hong Kong in 2025, South Korea's Ministry of Education said February 3, 2026

South Korea, Poland agree to bolster security-related cooperation SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - South Korea and Poland have agreed to deepen security-related cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said on Tuesday. The inaugural dialogue between the two countries was held in Warsaw on Monday, as senior foreign ministry official Jeong Yeon-doo met with Robert Kupiecki, undersecretary of state at the Polish foreign ministry. According to the ministry, the two exchanged views on both bilateral matters and global security issues, while agre February 3, 2026

FM heads to Washington for talks after Trump's tariff threat SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - South Korean and U.S. foreign ministers are set to sit down for talks in the U.S. this week after President Donald Trump abruptly threatened last week to raise tariffs. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is visiting Washington, D.C. to attend a U.S.-led ministerial meeting on critical minerals scheduled for Wednesday. The meeting will bring together G7 countries and other mineral-rich nations to discuss ways to stabilize and diversify supply chains, as the U.S. r February 3, 2026

The president has not been joking — and Korea is now part of the global sugar tax debate SEOUL, February 02 (AJP) -The president has not been joking. What first sounded like a provocative aside has evolved into a serious public health proposition, as President Lee Jae Myung pushes South Korea into a widening global debate over whether taxation should be used to curb excessive sugar consumption and its long-term health costs. South Koreans are hardly restrained when it comes to dessert. The recent craze for dujjonku — a sugar-drenched, crunchy cookie inspired by February 2, 2026