US caps foreign student visas at four years in sweeping overhaul SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - The United States will limit foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists to fixed periods of stay under a sweeping rule finalized by the Department of Homeland Security, ending a decades-old system that let them remain as long as they kept up their studies or work. Under the rule, students on F visas and exchange visitors on J visas will be admitted for the length of their program, up to a maximum of four years, after which they must apply to U.S. Citi July 17, 2026

Ex-first lady's final ruling on multiple charges delayed until next week SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Former first lady Kim Keon Hee's final ruling on multiple allegations against her has been postponed until next week after the Supreme Court on Wednesday delayed its scheduled decision. Kim, who faces several charges including the acceptance of luxury handbags and jewelry in exchange for favors, involvement in stock manipulation, and interference in candidate nominations for the 2022 local by-elections, was supposed to receive the ruling later th July 15, 2026

Seoul, one of Asia's richest cities, leaves one village behind SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - The journey takes barely two minutes. Yangjae-daero, a six-lane boulevard cutting through southern Seoul, is little more than another busy artery carrying commuters toward Gangnam's gleaming office towers and luxury apartment complexes. Thousands cross it every day without giving the road a second thought. Yet few roads in South Korea separate two different economic realities more starkly. On one side stand apartment towers wh July 15, 2026

A very Korean dream hatched in the country's most unlikely place SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Before Cheon Young-hwan tells visitors about Guryong Village, he tells them about his sons. Forty years ago, he walked down the hill from the cluster of shacks where his family had settled after being displaced by Seoul's redevelopment drive and knocked on the door of a stranger living across Yangjae-daero. He was not asking for money. Nor was he asking for food. He was asking to borrow an address. Without one, his two boys could not enroll i July 15, 2026

Korea's National Museum sees 7 million annual visitors after record H1 SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) —South Korea's National Museum is on pace for another record year as domestic and foreign visitors flock to one of the country's fastest-rising cultural landmarks. The National Museum of Korea welcomed 3.8 million visitors in the first half of 2026, up nearly 40 percent from a year earlier and already exceeding its total attendance for all of 2024, according to data released Tuesday. Foreign visitors have been a major driver of the increase. Ne July 15, 2026

Minimum wage set at 10,700 won for next year SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Next year's minimum wage in South Korea has been set at 10,700 South Korean won (about US$7) per hour after monthlong negotiations between workers and employers. A 27-member committee, with nine representatives each from workers, employers and government-appointed independent members, held a meeting in the administrative city of Sejong on Tuesday and decided to raise the minimum hourly wage by 3.7 percent from the current 10,320 won to 10,700 won next year July 15, 2026

Lee's longtime home sold after months up for sale SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - An apartment owned by President Lee Jae Myung in the outskirts of Seoul, has reportedly been sold, several months after he put it up for sale last spring. According to a Cheong Wa Dae official on Tuesday, the real estate deal is expected to be finalized soon, with all legal procedures already completed. Lee put his 164-square-meter apartment in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, up for sale in February as part of efforts to push ahead with his real est July 14, 2026

New rooftop garden to open in Gwanghwamun by year's end SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - The rooftop of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will open to the public by the end of this year, offering panoramic views of Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Tuesday. The city government said it has obtained building permits for the center's rooftop garden and an exterior elevator, with construction set to begin in September. It said the rooftop garden will be open to everyone, featuring rest area July 14, 2026

Seoul court suspends FTC order naming Coupang founder as controlling head SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) -A South Korean appeals court on Monday suspended the antitrust regulator's decision designating Coupang founder and Chairman Bom Kim as the controlling individual of the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant, handing the company an early legal victory in a closely watched dispute over Korea's conglomerate rules. The Seoul High Court granted part of Coupang's request for an injunction, temporarily halting the Korea Fair Trade Commission's May 1 decision July 14, 2026

South Korea braces for heavy rain as weakening Typhoon Bavi moves inland SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - Heavy rain and strong winds are expected nationwide as Typhoon Bavi, which made landfall in China last week, moves toward the Korean Peninsula, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Tuesday. This year's ninth typhoon Bavi, named after a mountain range in Viet Nam, continues to carry large amounts of moisture despite weakening into a tropical cyclone after making landfall in China's Zhejiang province over the weekend, according the KMA. July 14, 2026