Korea takes more active approach to find missing persons through AI and viral media

SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - Kim Tae-hee had a habit of staring at things a little longer than others, narrowing his eyes to make sense of a world blurred by poor sight. His speech was halting, shaped by a lifelong mental disability, but he could say his name and home phone number. None of it helped on April 23, 1988, when he disappeared in Seoul's Gangnam District at age 14. Thirty-seven years have passed since. Today, at 51, this is what he might look like. What once required fo

December 10, 2025

PPP lawmaker of American descent resigns to return to medical practice

SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - Ihn Yo-han, a lawmaker from the main opposition People Power Party, announced his resignation at a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, urging "national unity." His abrupt resignation comes amid the struggling party's internal division and conflicts in the wake of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched Dec. 3 martial law debacle last year. The great-grandson of American missionary Eugene Bell, who was born in the liber

December 10, 2025

South Korea lodges protests against China, Russia over aircraft incursions

SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday lodged a strong protest with China and Russia after their military aircraft buzzed South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) the previous day. The ministry said it protested through a phone call to the defense attachés of China and Russia and vowed, "We will actively respond to any flybys in KADIZ in line with international law." The protest comes just a day after two Chine

December 10, 2025

Chinese, Russian military jets briefly buzz South Korean airspace

SEOUL, December 9 (AJP) - Around nine Chinese and Russian military aircraft buzzed South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) on Tuesday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) here. According to the JCS, two Chinese and seven Russian aircraft entered the KADIZ at around 10 a.m., before leaving shortly after. This prompted South Korean military fighter jets to scramble in response to any incidents. They were bombers and fighter jets involved in the two big

December 9, 2025

SRT bullet train clocks up over 205 million passengers in nearly a decade

SEOUL, December 9 (AJP) - Tuesday marks the 9th anniversary of high-speed rail service Super Rapid Train (SRT). Operator SR Corporation said its high-speed trains, with a maximum speed of 305 km/h, have carried a total of 205 million passengers over the past nine years. Passenger numbers grew sharply from 1 million in 2016 to 26.69 million last year. As of early this week, approximately 24.33 million passengers have used the service this year. The number of daily commuters a

December 9, 2025

KTX-SRT integration after 10 years enabling easier rail access from southern Seoul

SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) - Korea will merge its two high-speed rail operators — KTX, run by the state-owned Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), and SRT, operated by SR Corporation — by the end of next year, which can enable easier rail travel from southern part of Seoul and reduce overlapping costs. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Monday that the two services will begin cross-operating their trains in March. Under the plan, SRT trains,

December 9, 2025

Golfer Kim Si-woo climbs in world rankings, eyes Masters return

SEOUL, December 9 (AJP) - Golfer Kim Si-woo has improved his chances of qualifying for next year's Masters by moving up to 47th in the world golf rankings. In the latest rankings for professional male golfers released by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) earlier this week, Kim moved up from 54th to 47th, marking his return to the top 50 for the first time since August of last year. The rise in the rankings comes after Kim earned a spot in the Open Championship, the old

December 9, 2025

Lee to visit Japanese PM's hometown next month

SEOUL, December 9 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is planning a visit to Japan's historic city of Nara next month for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Nara, the ancient capital during the island country's early imperial era, is Takaichi's hometown. As part of shuttle diplomacy to strengthen bilateral ties, Lee previously said he had expressed his desire to visit Nara during a meeting with her in late October on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific

December 9, 2025

For South Korean stars, fame comes with a lasting moral burden

SEOUL, December 08 (AJP) - Comedian Park Na-rae has become the latest South Korean celebrity to disappear from public view after failing to withstand the country’s notoriously unforgiving ethical expectations for public figures. After a monthlong barrage of online criticism and allegations of workplace mistreatment from former managers, Park announced Monday she would “step away” from entertainment until the controversy is fully resolved. Her departure leaves a sla

December 8, 2025

Rise in vaping keeps smoking rate from declining further, survey finds

SEOUL, December 8 (AJP) - Although conventional cigarette smoking has decreasing, the rising use of e-cigarettes means that overall tobacco consumption is not declining as much as it could be, a new survey suggests. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency surveyed 230,000 adults between May and July and released its findings on Monday. According to the survey, the smoking rate for traditional cigarettes dropped to 17.9 percent, down 1 percentage point from the previous

December 8, 2025