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  South Korea appoints new envoy to Tokyo ahead of outgoing Japanese PM's visit next week SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - Former envoy to Viet Nam Lee Hyuk has been appointed as South Korea's new ambassador to Tokyo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. Born in 1958, Lee graduated from Korea University with a degree in economics before joining the ministry along with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac. The seasoned diplomat with deep expertise in Japanese affairs also served in ambassadorial posts in the Philippines and Vi September 26, 2025
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  Impeached ex-president makes first public appearance after refusing dozen previous hearings SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - Disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday attended a hearing for his trial over last year's botched martial law debacle. After skipping about a dozen hearings citing poor health, he made his first public appearance in nearly three months. The trial at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul began at 10:15 a.m., with charges including abuse of power and obstruction of official duties related to the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. September 26, 2025
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  Trump presses for 'upfront' investment pledges from South Korea amid stalled tariff talks SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ramped up his demand that South Korea fulfill its $350 billion investment pledge to Washington in full and upfront. After signing an executive order related to TikTok at the White House, Trump mentioned that the U.S. would receive $550 billion from Japan and $350 billion from South Korea, adding that the payments should be made "upfront." He then went on to boast that his sweeping tariff policy is bri September 26, 2025
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  Korea's birth growth streak hits 13 mos, gains skewed to capital and better-off SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - Korea's birth tally has grown for 13 consecutive months, offering a rare silver lining in the country's demographic crisis as more young people show willingness to marry and have children. But experts warn the rebound is heavily concentrated in Seoul and the capital region — and largely confined to better-off couples. According to Statistics Korea, 21,803 babies were born in July, up 1,223 or 5.9 percent from a year earlier and the larges September 25, 2025
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  Seoul claims progress in wartime command transfer talk with US SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - Seoul claims it has made substantial strides in latest round of negotiation with Washington on the transfer of U.S. wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea. The 27th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), a regular consultative meeting between the two defense ministries, was held in Seoul on Sept. 23-24, in which, the ministry said that the two have made "significant progress" toward meeting the conditions for the transfer, September 25, 2025
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  Suicide Becomes Leading Cause of Death for Koreans from Teens to 40s SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) -Suicide has become the leading cause of death among South Koreans from their teens through their 40s, with self-inflicted deaths overtaking cancer among people in their 40s for the first time since records began in 1983, according to a government report released Wednesday. The Statistics Korea data showed suicides accounted for 26.0 percent of deaths among those in their 40s in 2024, surpassing cancer at 24.5 percent. The total number of suicide deaths re September 25, 2025
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  Korea Legacy Committee marks 10 years of tackling elderly poverty with anniversary gala SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - The Korea Legacy Committee (KLC) will mark its 10th anniversary with a gala at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on October 25. The event will reflect on the group’s work over the past decade while pointing to the continuing problem of elderly poverty in South Korea. Founded in 2015, KLC is a nonprofit set up to confront the country’s high elderly poverty rate through direct services, community programs, and youth engagement. Based in Seoul and o September 25, 2025
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  US command ship docks in Busan SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - The USS Blue Ridge, the command ship of the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet, arrived on Thursday in South Korea's southern port city of Busan to replenish supplies and provide rest for crew members. According to the Navy, the ship will carry out activities aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two allies. "The arrival of the Blue Ridge will strengthen exchange and cooperation between the U.S. and South Korean navies," said a Navy officer September 25, 2025
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  Busan Museum to showcase Shakespeare First Folio and Harry Potter first edition in special exhibition SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - The Busan Museum, located in South Korea's second-largest city, will open a major international exchange exhibition, "Writers Revealed: From Shakespeare to 500 Years of Literature and Art," on September 30, bringing together rare treasures from the canon of English literature. The show will run until January 18, 2026. The exhibition features 140 works spanning five centuries, including portraits of 78 celebrated authors, handwritten manusc September 25, 2025
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  Lee meets US top tariff negotiator, pushes for progress in trade talks SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in New York and expressed hopes for progress in tariff negotiations which should be "commercially rational." Their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly came about a month after the two met during Lee's visit to Washington for his first bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. Lee emphasized that trade talks should be "in line with the inte September 25, 2025