Korean military eyes leniency to fight gambling addiction in conscripts SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) -South Korea's Defense Ministry is considering offering reduced penalties to service members who voluntarily report illegal online gambling, marking a shift toward treating gambling addiction as a military readiness and welfare issue rather than solely a criminal offense. In a written reply to Rep. Cheon Ha-ram, a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, the ministry said it is reviewing a self-reporting program under which troops who come August 6, 2026

Heat-related illness cases surpass 500 in Gyeonggi Province SEOUL, August 6 (AJP) - With a heatwave advisory in place across Gyeonggi Province for about two weeks, more than 60 people have been treated for heat-related illnesses per day, bringing the cumulative total above 500. The provincial government said on Wednesday that figures compiled from some 93 medical institutions and emergency rooms in the province showed that 537 people suffered from heat-related illnesses including two deaths between May 15 and last Tuesday. The sharp incre August 6, 2026

Excavators return as Guryong Village redevelopment moves forward SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - Even in the early morning, temperatures hovered well above 30 degrees Celsius in tropical humidity — conditions ill-suited to bulldozing work, let alone human protest. Still, an excavator moved methodically through piles of soil, pipes, twisted metal and torn blue tarpaulins inside Guryong Village, the last surviving shantytown in affluent Gangnam, southern Seoul, on Tuesday. Behind corrugated metal fencing, workers in hard hats continued dismantlin August 5, 2026

More South Koreans in their 50s to 70s want to remain in workforce SEOUL, August 5 (AJP) - The number of South Koreans in their mid-50s to late 70s surpassed 17 million as of May, with nearly seven in 10 saying they want to continue working, according to a report released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Wednesday. The report found that the number of people aged 55-79 reached 17.02 million in May, up 570,000 from a year earlier, making up 37 percent of the population aged 15 and older, which totaled 45.98 million. About 60.9 percent o August 5, 2026

Korean scam ring shifts to Central Asia on SE Asia crackdown SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) -South Korean fraud rings are spreading from Southeast Asia into Central Asia to stay ahead of law enforcement, with authorities dismantling their first known Korean-run scam operation in Kazakhstan and bringing home 14 suspects. The arrests underscore what South Korean police called a "secondary balloon effect," in which criminal organizations relocate to increasingly distant countries as crackdowns close traditional operating bases across Southeast August 5, 2026

Police raid Starbucks Korea, questioning internal audit on Tank Day SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - Nearly three months after Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" promotion ignited a national backlash, the controversy continues to haunt the coffee chain and its owner Shinsegae Group, as South Korean police on Wednesday raided the company's headquarters in an escalating criminal investigation. The search, at the Centerfield building in Seoul's Gangnam District, is the first compulsory investigative step since the Seoul Metropolitan Police August 5, 2026

Government diet report gives South Koreans a C SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) -If South Koreans were graded on their eating habits, they would earn a C, with young adults dragging down the national score as they skipped breakfast and fell short on fruit and whole grains, government data showed Tuesday. South Korean adults scored an average 58.6 out of 100 on the Korean Healthy Eating Index for 2022–2024, little changed from the 58.9 recorded in 2019–2021, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Th August 4, 2026

South Korea moves to protect 3 century-old temple toilets SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Three wooden outhouses still in daily use at South Korean Buddhist temples are in line to become national heritage, a decision that pushes state protection past the golden halls and stone pagodas of temple life and into the buildings where monks actually lived. The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) issued advance notice Tuesday of the designation of three temple latrines as national folklore cultural heritage. They are the Cheukgan at Seonamsa in Suncheon, Sout August 4, 2026

Samsung chief receives highest stock dividends in South Korea in 1st half SEOUL, August 4 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong received the largest dividends in the first half of this year, according to data released by corporate tracker Leaders Index on Tuesday. Lee topped the list with 72.8 billion South Korean won (about US$50 million), followed by Hyundai Motor Group's honorary chairman Chung Mong-koo with 67.1 billion won and tycoon-turned-former politician Chung Mong-joon, the current chairman of the Asan Foundation, with 54.6 billi August 4, 2026

Seoul moves to emergency response as extreme heat spell hits capital region SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) -Seoul authorities on Monday plans to tap emergency disaster funds if necessary for an expanded heat-wave response as the country's hottest and longest spell migrated to the capital region after scorching southern provinces for weeks, with temperatures forecast nearing 40 degrees in daytime in the capital region. The city administration convened an emergency heat-wave meeting to ensure relief measures were working on the ground rather than remaining on August 3, 2026