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  South Korea's foreign arrivals seen topping 21 million in 2026 on China-Japan tensions SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea could see the number of foreign visitors rise to more than 21 million in 2026, driven by a continued recovery in inbound travel and potential spillover demand from escalating tensions between China and Japan, industry researchers said. Yanolja Research, a data-driven tourism research institute, projected that foreign arrivals to South Korea would reach a baseline of 20.36 million next year, up 8.7 percent from an estimated 18.5 million in 2025. December 30, 2025
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  DP floor leader resigns amid snowballing bribery allegations SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - Kim Byung-ki, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), resigned from his post on Tuesday amid various bribery allegations and other misconduct. "Being at the center of snowballing allegations every day, I have become an obstacle to the party and the Lee Jae-myung administration, so I have decided to step down," he said. "I'm deeply sorry and apologize to the people," he said, adding, "My actions fell far short o December 30, 2025
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  DP, PPP at odds over probe into Unification Church-related allegations SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) remain at odds over the scope of a proposed probe by independent prosecutors into bribery allegations involving the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. Their talks were further bogged down by the DP's demand to include suspicions involving another dubious religious sect Shincheonji, despite the party's initial opposition to the probe. DP leader Jung December 30, 2025
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  Memories linger as truth remains elusive a year after Muan airport crash SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - An 18-year-old boy left a note for his mother, promising that he had finally grown up in his final year of high school — and apologizing that he could not tell her in person. His message is one of hundreds now posted along a hallway at Muan International Airport, where families continue to mourn those lost in South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster. Nearly a year has passed since Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800 arriving from Bangkok, s December 29, 2025
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  Independent prosecutors wrap up probe into wife of impeached former president SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - Independent prosecutors have concluded their investigation into a slew of allegations involving Kim Keon Hee, the wife of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol. In a press briefing in Seoul on Monday, Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, who led the six-month investigation, said that around 76 suspects were indicted over dozens of alleged offenses. He said the investigation, which began in early July, has uncovered multiple allegations involving Kim, who is accu December 29, 2025
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  South Korea races toward a cashless society, leaving many elderly behind SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - In South Korea, wallets are fast becoming relics, as most people now pay with a swipe of their phones. Cash use has fallen sharply over the past decade, reflecting the country's rapid embrace of digital payments — a shift that is transforming daily life but also exposing a growing divide between the digitally fluent and those being left behind. This year, individuals spent an average of 324,000 won ($226) a month in cash, less than half the 808,0 December 29, 2025
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  South Korea, US complete all joint drills postponed from last summer SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - The military has carried out all 22 joint field training with the U.S. that were rescheduled after being postponed in August, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Monday. Those drills were among about 40 exercises that are part of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, aimed at maintaining a combined defense posture, including combined tactical airborne training, rescue operations, equipment maintenance, and live-fire drills. According to December 29, 2025
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  Lee begins work at Cheong Wa Dae as presidential office moves back SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung worked his first day at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday as the presidential office moved back to the sprawling presidential compound in central Seoul. The relocation comes about 1,330 days after the office moved to Yongsan in May 2022 with the inauguration of his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law last year. Lee arrived there at about 9 a.m., greeted by supporters who gathered outsid December 29, 2025
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  Seoul's bold choice: an opposition woman to police the purse strings SEOUL, December 28 (AJP) -President Lee Jae Myung’s decision announced on Sunday to appoint Lee Hye-hoon — a former opposition lawmaker — as the first minister of the newly created Ministry of Planning and Budget marks a double departure from precedent in South Korean governance. It places both a woman and a political outsider in charge of the state’s most powerful fiscal authority, a domain long dominated by male technocrats drawn from within the governin December 28, 2025
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  President Lee taps conservative veteran Lee Hye-hoon as first budget minister SEOUL, December 28 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has nominated Lee Hye-hoon, a prominent three-term lawmaker from the rival conservative bloc, to lead the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget, the presidential office announced Sunday. The surprise appointment is a rare instance of cross-party recruitment in South Korean politics, signaling a shift toward bipartisan economic governance as the administration prepares to launch a major government reorganizati December 28, 2025