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  South Korean coach leads Viet Nam to victory in men's football at SEA Games SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Viet Nam's under-23 national team, led by South Korean coach Kim Sang-sik, won the men's football tournament at this year's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. At the biennial multi-sport event featuring 11 Southeast Asian countries, Viet Nam came from behind in a dramatic fashion to beat host Thailand 3-2 in extra time in the final match in Bangkok on Wednesday, reclaiming the victory for the first time since 2021. The latest triumph comes after V December 19, 2025
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  Seoul, Washington agree to 'speed up' implementation of bilateral agreements SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Some progress appeared to have been made in follow-up talks on the comprehensive joint fact sheet signed between Seoul and Washington last month, which outlines agreements on bilateral trade and security. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lak, who met with key U.S. officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Energy Secretary Chris Wright earlier this week, reportedly said the two countries agreed to speed up the implementation of the bilateral a December 19, 2025
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  As South Korea shrinks, Seoul keeps growing - at the nation's expense SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) -South Korea’s growth potential has slipped below a critical threshold. According to the OECD, the country’s potential growth rate has fallen to 1.9% this year and is projected to drop further to 1.7% next year—less than half the pace recorded in the early 2000s. Among 41 OECD economies, South Korea is expected to rank only 24th next year, trailing not only the United States but also smaller, slower-growing peers such as Australia and December 19, 2025
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  Tax watchdog launches audit of trendy bakery café SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - The National Tax Service on Thursday launched a special tax audit of trendy bakery café London Bagel Museum, which has come under scrutiny following the death of a young employee in his 20s allegedly due to overwork. According to industry sources, tax authorities raided the café's operator LBM in central Seoul and seized tax-related documents. Specific reasons for the audit were not immediately disclosed, with the tax watchdog saying i December 18, 2025
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  Imported cars win over more South Korean motorists, survey reveals SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - More motorists are showing increased interest in imported cars, according to a survey by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) released on Thursday. The association surveyed about 1,500 motorists and found that the majority of respondents or 66.3 percent held a favorable view of imported cars, while only 4.9 percent gave a negative response. The rest were neutral. The main reasons cited were the growing presence of impo December 18, 2025
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  Construction site collapse leaves one in cardiac arrest, several injured SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - A steel bar collapsed at a subway construction site near Yeouido in Seoul, trapping several workers, police authorities said on Thursday. According to rescue officials, the collapse occurred at around 1:20 p.m., and all seven workers were rescued shortly afterward. Among them, one man in his 50s was found in cardiac arrest and was taken to a nearby hospital, while another man in his 50s suffered a minor ankle injury. A foreign worker in his 30s escaped December 18, 2025
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  Constitutional Court upholds impeachment of police chief over martial law involvement SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea on Thursday unanimously upheld the impeachment of police chief Cho Ji-ho over his involvement in disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law martial law debacle last year. With the verdict, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency was immediately stripped of his post. The decision comes nearly a year after the National Assembly voted to impeach him for allegedly blocking lawmakers from enteri December 18, 2025
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  Pro-Pyongyang paper slams Washington for omitting North Korea from US security policy SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - What is most "notable" in the U.S.' National Security Strategy (NSS) released early this month is that it does not mention North Korea at all, said a pro-North Korea newspaper in Japan. In a column published on Thursday, Choson Sinbo, a mouthpiece for Pyongyang run by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon said failing to mention North Korea would amount to the U.S. admitting the "complete failure" of it December 18, 2025
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  Louis Vuitton trademark case goes public at Korea's Supreme Court SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) -South Korea’s Supreme Court will hold a public hearing later this month to decide whether remodeling luxury handbags into entirely new products constitutes trademark infringement, a case expected to set the court’s first clear benchmark on the legal limits of the so-called “reform” or upcycling business. According to the Supreme Court on Thursday, its Second Division, presided over by Justice Kwon Young-joon, will hear public December 18, 2025
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  Seoul ranked 6th among world's most competitive cities SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Seoul was ranked as the sixth most competitive city in the world, according to a recent survey by Japanese think tank Mori Memorial Foundation released on Thursday. Seoul maintained its ranking in the foundation's annual Global Power City Index (GPCI) from the previous year, but its overall score rose sharply, narrowing the gap with fifth-ranked Singapore. The index, based on six functions such as "economy, research and development, cultural in December 18, 2025