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

Seoul reorganizes military counterintelligence command SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) - Seoul has launched three new military intelligence and security bodies to replace the Defense Counterintelligence Command, a powerful military unit dismantled over its alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law attempt in 2024. The Ministry of National Defense said Monday it held a launch ceremony for the new Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, under the supervision of Defense Minister Ahn G August 3, 2026

Luxury apartments in Seoul rising second-fast among 46 citie SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) -Luxury apartment prices in Seoul are rising faster than almost anywhere else in the world, deepening South Korea's wealth inequality as homeownership increasingly determines who accumulates assets, a legislative research institute said Monday. A recent report by the National Assembly Futures Institute argues that South Korea's inequality is becoming less about income and increasingly about ownership of residential property, particularly prime homes August 3, 2026

New US envoy Steel tours Seoul landmarks after taking up post SEOUL, August 02 (AJP) - Michelle Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, has visited a string of Seoul's most recognizable sites in the days since taking up her post, in an early effort to underscore her personal ties to the country as its first Korean American woman to hold the role. Steel marked the start of her tenure by raising the American flag alongside the embassy's Marine Security Guards, calling it "a symbolic and meaningful start" to her time as August 2, 2026

S.Korea swelters as Yangsan hits record 42.5 degrees Celsius SEOUL, August 02 (AJP) - South Korea buckled under its most brutal heat in more than a century on Sunday, as the southeastern city of Yangsan reached 42.5 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature ever recorded since modern observation began in 1904. The reading, logged at 1:26 p.m., pushed the country past 42 degrees for the first time in 122 years and marked the third straight day that a national record had fallen. Yangsan has now topped 40 degrees for five consecutive days. Oth August 2, 2026

Average South Korean conscript gains 4 kg in a decade SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - South Korea's average military conscript is now nearly 4 kilograms heavier than a decade ago, underscoring a decade-long expansion of the nation's waistline that has pushed obesity to nearly one in three 19-year-old men, government data showed Friday. The Military Manpower Administration said that the data is based on military service examinations conducted on Korean men at age 19. The indicators cover 24 categories, including body mass index, blood pr July 31, 2026

South Korea braces for prolonged heat as Yangsan nears 40 C SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - South Korea's record-breaking heat wave is expected to persist through the first week of August, with the southeastern city of Yangsan forecast to approach 40 degrees Celsius again on Friday after two consecutive days above the mark. The Korea Meteorological Administration on Friday forecast daytime highs of 32-37 C nationwide, with mostly sunny skies across the southern regions and Jeju Island and partly cloudy conditions over central areas. Most o July 31, 2026

With probe into local elections extended, ballots set to be recounted next month SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - Ballots from the June 3 local elections kept in southern Seoul are expected to be opened and recounted next month as part of a parliamentary investigation into a shortage of ballot papers that disrupted the elections. A parliamentary committee consisting of ruling and opposition lawmakers agreed Thursday to extend its probe into alleged irregularities during the elections by about a month until the end of August, with its initial 45-day period set to expire July 30, 2026

Han Kang's old neighborhood turns Nobel victory into cultural landmark SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - A northern Seoul district has given an honorary name to a stretch of road near the childhood home of Nobel laureate Han Kang, seeking to turn growing international interest in Korean literature into a local cultural asset. Gangbuk-gu said Thursday that the 463-meter section in Ui-dong has been designated “Nobel Literature Road.” The route comprises 307 meters of Samyang-ro 165-gil and a 156-meter section of Samyang-ro 169-gil. The streets surr July 30, 2026