Son of ex-president assumes post as new envoy to China SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - Roh Jae-heon, the son of the late former President Roh Tae-woo, is set to assume his post ass South Korea's ambassador to China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. For his first assignment, Roh, 60, is expected to coordinate Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which is scheduled to be held in the historic city of Gyeongju later this month. Roh's October 16, 2025

Korea, US racing toward a trade deal before APEC summit SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - South Korean and U.S. officials signaled that a settlement may be near in their three-month-long trade negotiations linked to Seoul’s $350 billion investment pledge and a potential tariff cut, with an agreement possibly coming before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju later this month. “We are about to finish up with Korea,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters on Wednesday, referring to the October 16, 2025

Weight-loss injections turn diet fad in Korea, raising abuse concerns SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - Easier access and a wider range of options are fueling misuse of foreign-made weight-loss injections in diet-obsessed Korea amid lax regulations and aggressive marketing by clinics and drugstores. Originally designed strictly for obesity treatment, the costly injections have become easier and cheaper to obtain since Eli Lilly's Mounjaro entered the Korean market in August as a lower-priced alternative to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. Interest in Wegov October 15, 2025

South Korean first responders fight trauma without aid or support SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - "When I broke the window and stepped inside, I realized I had stepped on a dead body." Lee Chang-seok, a 19-year veteran firefighter, still remembers one of the first fires he responded to in his first year on the job. The fire had already spread through the building—a restaurant below and a home above—and the windows were sealed shut by signboards. "They tried to escape through the window," he recalled. "But the si October 15, 2025

80 South Korean detainees refuse to return home, Cambodia says SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - Around 80 South Koreans are being held in Phnom Penh but are refusing to return home, Cambodian authorities said on Wednesday. Touch Sokhak, a spokesperson for Cambodia's Ministry of Interior, told China's state-run Xinhua News the previous day that South Korean officials have contacted these individuals, but they refuse to return to Seoul. But he added that he was unsure whether they are the same as the 80 missing people the South Korean Minis October 15, 2025

Excavation of Korean War remains near DMZ resumes SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - A project to excavate the remains of South Korean soldiers killed during the 1950–53 Korean War has resumed near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Gangwon Province, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. The project aims to "return the remains of war victims to their families and transform the DMZ into a zone of peace," the ministry explained. As part of a series of conciliatory efforts to ease military tensions between the two October 15, 2025

Gov't unveils stricter measures to rein in housing market SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - Stricter real estate and loan regulations have been expanded to cover all of Seoul and about a dozen areas in Gyeonggi Province. According to a set of government measures announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and related ministries, the so-called speculative zones, previously limited to several districts in Gangnam and Yongsan, now cover all 25 districts of Seoul as well as parts of Gyeonggi Province such as Anyang, Gwacheon, G October 15, 2025

Team Seoul back in Washington to settle a trade deal SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) -Senior South Korean government officials are back in Washington amid hints of progress in talks over a long-stalled trade deal that could reshape tariff policies and foreign exchange safeguards tied to a pledged $350 billion investment package. Presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan will join Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo in the U.S. capital this week to seek a breakthrough, as delays in negotiations have begun weigh October 15, 2025

Gov't task force heads to Cambodia amid rising crimes targeting South Koreans SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - The government sent a task force to Cambodia on Wednesday to investigate the rising number of crimes targeting South Koreans there. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the team, led by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jin-ah, headed to Phnom Penh along with officials from the National Police Agency and other investigators. The dispatch comes after recent revelations of a series of kidnappings, detentions and brutal tortures involving South Koreans, October 15, 2025

From traditional to street, the K-food lineup rich for APEC summit SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - It remains unclear whether the APEC summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, will stage a face-to-face meeting between the U.S. and Chinese leaders later this month, but organizers have ensured a rich and diverse lineup of Korean food and cuisine. Food industry leaders Nongshim, CJ Cheiljedang, and Kyochon F&B have joined household names like Samsung Electronics as official corporate sponsors of the event. They are joined by younger franchises such as Okdongs October 14, 2025