Inside the Vatican conclave: The secret process of electing a pope

SEOUL, April 26 (AJP) - Pope Francis, the 266th and first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. Following Saturday's funeral, the Catholic Church now faces the solemn task of selecting a new leader through its unique electoral system: the conclave. The word "conclave" stems from Latin, combining "com" (together) and "clavis" (key) - an apt description for a process where card

April 26, 2025

North Chungcheong Province vies for manufacturing AI center with four municipalities

SEOUL, April 26 (AJP) - North Chungcheong Province has launched a bid to establish a manufacturing AI center in collaboration with four local municipalities, officials announced on Saturday. The province is participating in a regional specialized revitalization project for manufacturing data competition organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, alongside Cheongju City, Chungju City, Jincheon County, and Eumseong County. The initiative, which comes with about 6 billion won (

April 26, 2025

Four PPP presidential candidates prepare for crucial primary debate

SEOUL, April 26 (AJP) - South Korea's ruling People Power Party (PPP) will host a high-stakes debate on Saturday featuring the four remaining candidates in its presidential primary: Ahn Cheol-soo, Han Dong-hoon, Hong Joon-pyo, and Kim Moon-soo. The debate is expected to revolve around the contentious issue of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment, with Hong and Kim, who opposed the measure, facing off against Ahn and Han, who supported it. Analysts anticipate fierce e

April 26, 2025

Over 1,200 people evacuated as fire engulfs COEX in southern Seoul

SEOUL, April 25 (AJP) - A fire broke out at COEX in southern Seoul on Friday, prompting the evacuation of about 1,200 people including visitors and workers there. No casualties were reported, and the blaze was extinguished in about two hours. According to firefighters, the fire started around 11 a.m. at a restaurant on the second floor of the multi-purpose complex. A score of fire trucks with over 100 firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene, and the fi

April 25, 2025

Lantern festival to light up downtown Seoul this weekend ahead of Buddha's Birthday

SEOUL, April 25 (AJP) - Colorful lanterns will illuminate the streets of Seoul over the weekend as the two-day festival kicks off ahead of Buddha's Birthday, which falls on May 5 this year. About 20,000 Buddhist devotees and other revelers are expected to turn up for this year's festivities featuring lotus-shaped lanterns, including parades, various activities, and performances in downtown Seoul. As lantern-bearing participants will gather for parades on Saturday and Sund

April 25, 2025

Acting President urges swift passage of extra budget

SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - Acting President Han Duck-soo on Thursday called for bipartisan support for a supplementary budget aimed at boosting economic recovery. In his speech at the National Assembly, the first of its kind by an acting president in about 46 years, Han urged lawmakers to swiftly pass the 12.2 trillion won (US$8.8 billion) supplementary budget. He stressed the fast approval of the budget is "important" to weather through a crisis as the country "faces

April 24, 2025

Ex-President Moon Jae-in indicted over bribery charges

SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - Former President Moon Jae-in has been indicted on charges of taking bribes over allegations that he influenced the hiring of his former son-in-law at a low-cost carrier, prosecutors said Thursday. They have been investigating a case involving his daughter's ex-husband surnamed Seo, who, despite having no work experience in the aviation industry, was hired as an executive at budget carrier Eastar Jet's Thai branch in 2018, allegedly owned by former law

April 24, 2025

World-OKTA to hold Andong expo as planned, hoping to spark recovery after wildfires

SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - Despite recent wildfire damage in North Gyeongsang Province, the World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations (World-OKTA) has decided to move forward with its annual global convention and business expo in Andong later this month. The 26th World-OKTA Leaders Convention and 2025 Korea Business Expo Andong (2025 KBEA) will run from Apr. 28 to May 1, drawing over 2,000 participants from Korea and abroad. The decision to proceed was made after careful

April 24, 2025

US urges allies to increase defense commitments ahead of tariff talks with Seoul

SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - The U.S. called on its allies for "stronger commitments to shared defense" on Wednesday, just a day ahead of its working-level talks with South Korea in Washington. "If the United States continues offering security guarantees and open markets, then our allies must step up with stronger commitments to shared defense," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a forum hosted by the Institute of International Finance later in the day.

April 24, 2025

Cardinal You Heung-sik named among contenders for next pope

SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) - Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, the prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Clergy, has been named one of the top candidates to become the next pope after the death of Pope Francis earlier this week. Italy's largest daily Corriere della Sera on Tuesday listed him 11th among its "12 likely successors to Pope Francis." He was one of two Asians, along with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, among a dozen contenders that included

April 23, 2025