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  South Korea avoids tougher contenders ahead of World Cup draw in Washington SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, has avoided strong contenders like Croatia and Uruguay in the upcoming group draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be take place in Washington, D.C. next week. The quadrennial global extravaganza, which will be the first to feature 48 teams and three host countries -Canada, Mexico, and the United States - will be held next summer. According to the football governing body, 42 teams have been assigned to f November 26, 2025
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  Lee returns home after 10-day multi-nation tour SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung returned home after his 10-day overseas trip to the Middle East and Africa. He arrived at a military airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province at 8:20 a.m., where he was greeted by key officials including Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik. Starting with a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, Lee traveled to Egypt before attending the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Johannesbu November 26, 2025
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  Mourners flock to memorial altar to pay respects to tireless actor SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - A steady stream of mourners from all walks of life are paying their last respects to actor Lee Soon-jae at a memorial altar in Seoul on Wednesday. Lee, widely regarded as one of South Korea's most distinguished and prolific actors, died at the age of 91 at his home in the traditional wealthy district of Seongbuk-dong in northern Seoul the previous day, with his family by his side in his final moments. His memorial altar set up at Asan Medical November 26, 2025
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  Unionized Seoul subway workers threaten strike after failed wage talks SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - Unionized subway workers in Seoul threatened a full-scale strike at a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall on Tuesday. Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines 1 through 8, warned that they would strike unless their demands for higher wages, the hiring of more staff, and a halt to large-scale layoffs and pay cuts are met. The union added that an all-out strike would begin in the coming weeks if these demands are not addressed. They warned, &qu November 25, 2025
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  Kim Sei-young climbs back into top 10 of women's golf rankings SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - Golfer Kim Sei-young has climbed into the top 10 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, released on Tuesday. It marks her first time among the top-ranked players in three years and five months, as she moved up one spot from 11th last week. Kim's last appearance in the top 10 was in June 2022. Her resurgence came after an impressive LPGA Tour season, winning the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea last month, her first victory in five yea November 25, 2025
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  Kangaroo tribes thrive as Seoul's 30s hit record-low homeownership SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - Only one in four Seoul residents in their 30s owns a home — the lowest rate on record — fueling the rise of "kangaroo tribes" who cannot afford to move out of their parents' home, let alone imagine starting their own family in a city where apartment prices are nearly three times higher than in other regions. New data released Tuesday by the National Data Portal shows 527,729 households in their 30s in Seoul lived in rental hous November 25, 2025
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  Ultra-fine dust advisory issued for Seoul SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - An ultra-fine dust advisory has been issued for the Seoul metropolitan area overnight, the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment said on Tuesday. Such advisories are issued when the hourly average concentration of PM2.5 exceeds 75 µg/m³ for more than two consecutive hours. PM 2.5, which is about 1/30th the size of a human hair, can pass through the filters of the human respiratory system, causing greater harm to the body th November 25, 2025
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  Seoul, Ankara agree to strengthen cooperation in defense, nuclear energy SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Monday, where the two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation across various sectors. In a joint press conference after their talks, Lee began his remarks by saying that this year marks the 75th anniversary of Turkey's participation in the Korean War (1950–1953), referring to the country as a "brother nation." He added, "Bilateral relations have st November 25, 2025
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  Foreign students spike in Korea, but not helping rural and high-skilled talent shortage SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Non-Chinese students now make up the majority of foreign enrollment at Korean universities, as the number of international degree-seekers has tripled over the past decade. Foreign students also fill one in every six postgraduate seats — a striking figure for a country facing a shrinking workforce and rising demand for highly skilled talent. According to the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI), 179,190 international students were enrolled November 24, 2025
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  Fried chicken beats kimchi as Korea's global signature dish SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Fried chicken – not kimchi – is the foreign favorite Korean food, which explains Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s choice of dining out with his Korean tycoon friends – Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics and Chung Euisun of Hyundai Motor – last month. Nearly three out of 10 foreigners, or 28.3 percent, named Korean fried chicken as the most Korean menu they had eaten over the past year, according to a poll of 11,000 respondents acr November 24, 2025