Two in three South Koreans back nuclear armament, poll shows SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Nearly two-thirds of South Koreans support the country possessing its own nuclear weapons, while a majority oppose the government's push to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies, a Gallup Korea poll showed Friday. The survey of 1,001 adults conducted from Tuesday to Thursday found that 65 percent supported South Korea possessing nuclear weapons, compared with 30 percent who opposed the idea. Support reached 78 percent among supporters of the ma August 28, 2026

Paint factory fire in Cheonan leaves at least 3 dead SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - A fire broke out at a paint ingredient factory in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province on Friday, leaving three people dead, according to fire authorities. The fire started at around 11:40 a.m., prompting firefighters to rush to the scene. They discovered three people dead inside the facility and were still working to contain the blaze while searching for anyone missing. An emergency alert was also issued around noon, urging nearby residents to stay safe a August 28, 2026

CU convenience stores to offer quick respite for delivery riders in Seoul SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Delivery riders in Seoul will be able to use nearby CU convenience stores as places to take short breaks, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Friday. The city government said it will designate about 3,000 CU stores across the city as temporary shelters for delivery riders under a program starting next month, allowing them to rest without having to make extra trips away from their delivery routes. About 3,000 delivery riders working in Seoul will be August 28, 2026

South Korea to dispatch multipurpose aircraft for rescue efforts in flood-hit Nepal SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - South Korea will dispatch a KC-330 Cygnus multipurpose aerial refueling aircraft to Nepal to support search and rescue operations following devastating floods and landslides that have left hundreds of people missing including nine South Korean workers. The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement late Thursday that it was discussing details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for deploying the KC-330 to transport rescue personnel, relief equipment a August 28, 2026

Court rules foreign children have right to register births in South Korea SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea ruled on Thursday that the lack of legal provisions for foreign nationals born in South Korea to register their births is unconstitutional. The ruling came in a case filed by a Vietnamese man, his spouse and their child, in which the court unanimously found the government's failure to establish a system for registering the births of foreign children born in here unconstitutional. The man entered South Korea in 2008 on August 27, 2026

S. Korea finds no formaldehyde in Chinese cabbage kimchi SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korea's food safety regulator found no formaldehyde in any of 82 cabbage kimchi and cabbage samples pulled from the market, easing concerns that Chinese farms had used the carcinogen on their crops. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday it tested 50 samples of cabbage kimchi, 29 of napa cabbage and three of salted cabbage after reports that formaldehyde, a Group 1 carcinogen, had been applied to cabbage cultivation in China. The min August 27, 2026

Military brass rebel against academy merger at hearing SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back remain committed to merging South Korea's Army, Navy and Air Force academies into a single institution, but a raucous public hearing Wednesday exposed the depth of resistance among academy alumni, retired officers and military experts. What was supposed to be a forum for public debate quickly descended into angry shouting, profanity and heckling at the Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, central August 26, 2026

South Korean firms support Uzbek schools with 35 smartboards SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - Eleven South Korean companies have funded 35 smartboards for schools and vocational institutions across Uzbekistan, as part of an initiative marking the 35th anniversary of the country’s independence. The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Republic of Korea held an appreciation ceremony Wednesday afternoon for 11 Korean companies that helped finance the project, organized ahead of the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence on Sept. August 26, 2026

Jeju deaths cast shadow over Korea police power shift SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - Jeju, long known as South Korea's favorite resort island, has lately been making headlines for grimmer reasons: missing-person cases ending in death, abandoned searches and allegations of police misconduct. The string of cases has turned a local policing scandal into a broader reckoning over whether South Korea's already powerful police force is ready to take on even greater investigative authority. With the country set to abolish its current p August 26, 2026

Migrant-background students rise as Korea's classrooms empty SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) -South Korea's school-age population is shrinking at its fastest pace in years even as the number of students from immigrant backgrounds continues to rise, government data showed Wednesday. Students from immigrant backgrounds — a category covering children born in South Korea to one Korean and one foreign-born parent, as well as children of two foreign-born parents — reached 210,838 in elementary, middle and high schools as of April 1. The August 26, 2026