Gwangju library construction site death toll in Korea confirmed at 4

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) -The final missing worker in a deadly construction accident at a public library site in Gwangju was found dead Saturday, bringing the total death toll to four, authorities said. The body of a 58-year-old worker, identified only by his surname Kim, was recovered at around 11:20 a.m., two days after part of the structure collapsed during construction. Earlier Saturday, another worker, surnamed Ko, was found dead at around 1:03 a.m. Two others were confirmed

December 14, 2025

Year-end office drinking binges quietly disappear in Korea

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - December used to mean one thing at Korean companies: mandatory year-end dinners, overflowing soju bottles and long nights that spilled into second and third rounds. This winter, that ritual is quietly fading. Rising dining costs and MZ workers' allergy to after-work obligations have thinned corporate calendars, leaving December unusually light — and restaurants unusually empty. At a fried chicken pub near Gwanghwamun, the year-end peak barely

December 12, 2025

Lee pushes for speedy construction of presidential office in Sejong

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung on Friday expressed hope for the speedy construction of a new presidential office in the administrative city of Sejong, scheduled for completion by 2030, saying he wants to "retire from there." Speaking at a briefing by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Lee expressed hope to expedite its timeline if possible, saying, "Otherwise, I would barely be able to use it." During his election campaig

December 12, 2025

Korea beats European powers to rank 7th most powerful country

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) -South Korea ranked as the world’s seventh-most powerful country in 2025, surpassing European heavyweights such as France and Italy, according to the latest CEOWORLD Magazine assessment — a result that highlights the country’s expanding influence, increasingly driven by soft power alongside industrial and strategic strength. The 2025 ranking underscores a central reality of global order: a small group of states continues to set the pace f

December 12, 2025

K-literature pipeline filled with next Han Kang candidates

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Han Kang's 2024 Nobel Prize has helped revive an almost-dead reading, literature and publishing community. Bookstores have regained life, and this year’s pipeline is rich with hopes of sustaining the Han Kang momentum. AJP introduces three potential post-Han candidates whose translated works have drawn overseas attention after publication and gained critical acclaim through major awards. Chung Bora “My grandfather used to say, ‘

December 12, 2025

Two workers still missing after construction site collapse in Gwangju

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Rescue workers have been searching for missing workers on Friday after a steel structure collapsed at a construction site in the southwestern city of Gwangju the previous day. The collapse occurred at the site for a library, leaving four workers trapped under the debris. Two of them were found dead and two others remain missing. Authorities believe the collapse started while concrete was being poured on the second-floor roof, burying the workers under

December 12, 2025

USFK chief warns against rushing wartime control transfer

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), on Friday stressed the importance of meeting conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control to Seoul from Washington rather than rushing to it. Speaking at an online seminar hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and the Korea Defense Veterans Association, Brunson said, "We cannot say we're going to slide away from the conditions just so that we can get this done i

December 12, 2025

Over 100 South Koreans brought home from Cambodia over online scams

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - The government has brought back some 107 South Korean suspects allegedly involved in online scam crimes in Cambodia, the presidential office said on Friday. During a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said a sweeping crackdown has been conducted in cooperation with the Southeast Asian country since October, making it possible to bring them back. The efforts were made following revelations of a series of kidnappings, detentions and bru

December 12, 2025

Newlyweds fall below 1 million for second straight year

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - The number of newlyweds has remained below one million for the second year in a row, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said on Friday. About 952,000 couples married last year, down 2.3 from a year earlier. First-time newlyweds with children accounted for 51.2 percent, down 1.3 percentage points from the previous year, with an average of 0.61 children per couple. Only 49.1 percent of dual-income couples had children, compared with 55.2 percent of sin

December 12, 2025

Hotel Shilla president's son admitted to Seoul National University

SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Hotel Shilla president Lee Boo-jin's eldest son has been accepted to Seoul National University. According to a list released by the prestigious university on Friday, his name, identified by his last name Im, appeared among the successful early-admission applicants to the university's Department of Economics for next year's academic year. Those admitted must register by next week. If he enrolls, he will follow in the footsteps of his uncle

December 12, 2025