Korea sees consumer prices slow to 11-month low in June

SEOUL, July 2 (AJU PRESS) - Korea's consumer price index, a key indicator of consumer sentiment, stood at 113.83 in June, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. But the figure was the lowest over the past 11 months. The pace of increase has remained below three percent for the third consecutive month. The rise in consumer prices in June was driven primarily by higher prices for fresh agricultural produce. Seasonal fruits were particularly sharp i

July 2, 2024

Nine dead as car crashes into pedestrians in central Seoul

SEOUL, July 2 (AJU PRESS) - Nine people were killed and six others were injured when a car crashed into a pedestrian road in central Seoul on Monday night. According to police authorities, the accident occurred at an intersection near City Hall in the capital at around 9:27 p.m. Witnesses said the vehicle was driving in the wrong direction on a one-way, four-lane street, and lost control and suddenly started accelerating after colliding with two oncoming vehicles and plowed into ped

July 2, 2024

Korea, Viet Nam agree to expand bilateral trade volume

SEOUL, July 01 (AJU PRESS) - Korea and Viet Nam will expand mutual exchanges in various economic sectors to reach a bilateral trade volume of more than $150 billion by 2030, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said during a business forum held in central Seoul on Monday. Organized by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the forum was attended by Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and KCCI Chief Cho Hyun-sang. About 450 attend

July 1, 2024

Seoul ranked fifth among most livable Asian cities

SEOUL, July 1 (AJU PRESS) - Seoul has been ranked the fifth most livable Asian city, according to a survey released last week. The survey of 173 countries, by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a think tank affiliated with business magazine The Economist, evaluated them based on five key categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Vienna came first with 98.4 points out of 100, followed by Copenhagen (98), Zurich (97.1), Melbourne

July 1, 2024

Fresh report reveals grave human rights abuses in N. Korea

SEOUL, June 28 (AJU PRESS) - The Ministry of Unification Thursday released an extensive report detailing North Korea's human rights abuses. The 482-page-long report, the second of its kind, aims to raise awareness about the egregious human rights violations in North Korea, similar to U.S. State Department's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. This year's edition, compiled from over 150 new testimonies from North Korean defectors, provides a detailed a

June 28, 2024

Annual celebrations to spotlight women entrepreneurs next week

SEOUL, June 28 (AJU PRESS) - The government and business organizations will celebrate Women Entrepreneurship Week next week with various events highlighting the achievements and challenges of women business owners. The third annual festival will take place in Seoul and 18 other regions across the country from Monday to Friday, under the theme "K-Women Entrepreneurs: Opening New Opportunities on the World Stage." The government has designated the first week of July as W

June 28, 2024

Chilean Embassy honors Pablo Neruda's literary legacy on 100th anniversary

SEOUL, June 28 (AJU PRESS) - An event marking the centennial of the publication of Pablo Neruda's poetry collection was held in Seodaemun, western Seoul on Thursday. Hosted by the Embassy of Chile to Korea, the event honored the renowned Chilean poet and reflected on his famous literary works, "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair," which comprises 20 love poems. Ambassador of Chile to Korea Mathias Franke highlighted Neruda's literary achievements, saying, &

June 28, 2024

Firefighters conduct drill in Seoul to prepare for electric bus fires

SEOUL, June 28 (AJU PRESS) - The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that it conducted a fire drill involving 10 fire trucks and seven electric buses at a public bus depot in southern Seoul the previous day. Organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters in collaboration with other administrative bodies including Songpa District Fire Station, Seoul Facilities Corporation, and Seoul Public Garage, the drill was promoted by a recent deadly fire at a lithi

June 28, 2024

Dubai's chocolate bar craze reaches Korea

SEOUL, June 28 (AJU PRESS) - Dubai's thick chocolate bar has suddenly become a sough-after dessert in Korea. Young Koreans, who have developed a taste for foreign desserts, are now turning to this Middle Eastern snack. Until May, there were no searches for keywords like "Dubai chocolate" on Google Trends, but they have instantly become one of the most searched keywords since early June. The latest craze comes after the whirlwind frenzy for tanghulu, a Chinese candie

June 28, 2024

Korea to assume chairmanship of Minerals Security Partnership next month

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - Korea will assume the chairmanship of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), with Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun as the chairperson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday. MSP is an international initiative aimed at ensuring a stable and diversified global supply chain for critical minerals essential for sectors such as semiconductors, batteries, and clean energy. Securing stable global supply networks is a crucial task for Korea, a

June 27, 2024