• 
  Korea and US agree to work on a separate pact on nuclear-power submarine project SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) -South Korea and the United States will start working-level talks early next to write out a separate bilateral agreement on cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines, said Seoul’s national security adviser said Wednesday. In a televised briefing on his back-to-back visits to the United States, Canada, and Japan, Wi Sung-lac specified the reasons for the need for a separate pact on the submarine program, which is linked to broader security commitmen December 24, 2025
• 
  A Christmas story from Seoul: in many shapes – and beyond SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - In Seoul, Christmas does not arrive in a single shape. It appears instead in layers — some rooted in history, others carried forward by habit, and still others projected in light. The city’s winter traditions do not replace one another. They accumulate. The season often begins, quietly, with a tree. Few people realize that the Christmas tree itself, as celebrated across Western societies, traces its botanical origin to Korea. December 24, 2025
• 
  Fire at apartment complex in Seoul leaves two in critical condition, dozens evacuated SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - A fire broke out at an apartment complex in Songpa, southern Seoul, early Wednesday morning, leaving two people in cardiac arrest and dozens evacuated. According to fire authorities, the blaze started at around 5:36 a.m. on the fifth floor of the Olympic Athletes' Village, which was built just ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics to house athletes and journalists and was later converted into a residential complex. Rescue officials said a man and a wom December 24, 2025
• 
  Millennials in Korea: No longer young, but unable to step into adulthood SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - In South Korea, millennials are no longer young — yet many remain unable to move into what society defines as adulthood. Grouped together with Gen Z under the shorthand "MZ generation," millennials are aging out of youth by any demographic measure. The youngest, born in 1996, will turn 30 next year; the oldest will be 45. But for a large share of this cohort, milestones traditionally associated with adulthood — stable employment, marr December 23, 2025
• 
  South Korea celebrates record 18.5 million tourists SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) -Sharmaine Lee from Singapore became the 18.5 millionth foreign visitor to South Korea this year on Tuesday, greeted with fanfare at Incheon International Airport as the country’s inbound arrivals surpassed the pre-pandemic peak of 17.5 million recorded in 2019. Buoyed by the milestone, the government has moved up its long-term tourism ambition, setting a target of attracting 30 million foreign visitors by 2030. According to the Korea Tourism Orga December 23, 2025
• 
  Romanian envoy named chief negotiator for nuclear talks with Washington SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - South Korea's ambassador to Romania Rim Kap-soo has been named as the country's chief negotiator for nuclear energy-related talks with the U.S. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that Rim, appointed the previous day, will lead a task force to revise a decades-old agreement with Washington that bans South Korea from reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and enriching uranium. Rim, who worked at the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2 December 23, 2025
• 
  Infielder Song Sung-mun signs deal with San Diego Padres SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - Infielder Song Sung-mun will play in Major League Baseball after signing a deal with the San Diego Padres. In a post on X, formerly Twitter on Monday, the Padres said Monday they signed the 29-year-old to a "four-year contract through the 2029 season." Details of the deal have not been disclosed, but it is reportedly worth $15 million, including a $1 million signing bonus in two installments along with a gradual increase in salaries. Raisin December 23, 2025
• 
  Retrial of SK chief's divorce case set for early next month SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - The first hearing for a retrial of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's divorce lawsuit will be held next month, after the Supreme Court of Korea sent back the high-profile case to a lower court in October. The hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9 at the Seoul High Court, where it will recalculate the marital assets of Chey and his estranged wife Roh Soh-yeong, to assess the amount of property to be divided. The top court earlier found flaws in the lower cou December 23, 2025
• 
  Korea's first private rocket crashes after liftoff, Innospace shares nosedive SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) -South Korean space startup Innospace said Tuesday that its Hanbit-Nano rocket lifted off normally from Brazil but crashed about 30 seconds later after an in-flight anomaly, ending the country’s first attempt by a private firm to place customer satellites into orbit. The two-stage Hanbit-Nano vehicle launched at 10:13 p.m. Monday local time (10:13 a.m. Tuesday in Korea) from Alcantara Space Center, the company said. The first-stage engine ignited a December 23, 2025
• 
  US nuclear-powered submarine docks in Busan to replenish supplies SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - The USS Greenville arrived on Tuesday in South Korea's southern port city of Busan to replenish supplies and provide rest for crew members. The Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine Greeneville, named after Greeneville, Tennessee, will engage in activities to strengthen cooperation between the two allies, according to the South Korean Navy. The submarine, which is 110 meters long and 10 meters wide, is equipped with Tomahawk cruise mi December 23, 2025