Youth job drought deepens, fall largest in 5 years SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) -South Korea's youth employment fell for a 45th straight month in July and the youth jobless rate posted its sharpest rise in more than five years, as hiring droughts in manufacturing and professional services deepened despite booming exports, government data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people aged 15 to 29 fell by 191,000 from a year earlier to 3.44 million, while their employment rate dropped 1.6 percentage points to 44.2 percent, according August 12, 2026

MOFA sidesteps US congressional briefing demand SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not say Tuesday whether the government will hold a briefing that Republican members of the United States House Judiciary Committee have demanded by Aug. 20 on how a new law against false and manipulated information online will be enforced. Asked at a regular briefing whether the government was discussing the request internally, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesperson Park Doo-soon said Seoul was fie August 11, 2026

Outgoing BOK deputy argues for tightening bias SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea should retain tightening bias as a surge in export income feeds into domestic demand and intensifies inflation and housing pressures, its outgoing deputy said Tuesday. Senior Deputy Governor Ryoo Sang-dai said further rate lifting remained necessary, although the timing and pace of additional moves should be determined by incoming data. “We need to maintain the rate-hike stance, while deciding the timing and pace of further increas August 11, 2026

Chip surge drives Korea's record early-August exports SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - South Korea's exports jumped 45.3 percent from a year earlier to $21.29 billion in the first 10 days of August, the highest for any Aug. 1-10 period, customs data showed Tuesday. The figure surpassed the previous early-August record of $15.6 billion set in 2022. Both periods contained seven working days, with average daily exports also rising 45.3 percent to $3.04 billion. Semiconductor exports soared 155.4 percent to $9.95 billion, marking a recor August 11, 2026

No special pardon expected for Liberation Day next week SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - There appears to be no special amnesty for this year's Liberation Day, which falls on Aug. 15 next week. According to legal sources on Tuesday, the Justice Ministry held a meeting for parole assessments the previous day to screen eligible candidates based on their conduct in prison, remaining sentences and risk of reoffending. However, a special pardon which often involves high-profile figures and politicians, is unlikely to be possible this year, g August 11, 2026

Lee pushes to speed up chip cluster projects SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Monday urged officials to speed up large-scale artificial intelligence (AI)-related investment initiatives to build a massive semiconductor cluster and related infrastructure in regional areas including South Jeolla Province. Lee made the remarks at a meeting to assess progress on the mega projects unveiled in June, under which Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have pledged a combined 800 trillion won (US$570 billion) in investm August 10, 2026

Rival parties vie to woo younger voters SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Support for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) showed a sharp generational split among young voters, plunging among those in their 20s while gaining ground among voters in their 30s, according to a survey by pollster Realmeter released on Monday. The survey showed the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) leading the DP 53.8 percent to 22.7 percent among voters aged 18 to 29, while the DP led the PPP 38.4 percent to 33.3 percent among those in their 30s, hi August 10, 2026

Lee's approval rating slides further SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating slid further to hit a new low, according to a survey released by pollster Realmeter on Monday. In its survey of more than 2,500 adults nationwide conducted last week, 43.3 percent of respondents said Lee was doing a good job, down 2.6 percentage points from the previous week and marking the fourth straight week of decline. The disapproval rating rose 2.5 percentage points to 53 percent, the second consecutive August 10, 2026

US jobs test puts BOK August pause in focus SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - Seoul's capital markets have slipped into a summer lull, leaving Friday's U.S. employment report as the most immediate test of whether the Bank of Korea can pause this month after restarting its tightening cycle in July. A sharp slowdown in U.S. hiring would weaken the case for another Federal Reserve rate increase, take pressure off the dollar and give the BOK more room to stay put. Resilient employment and wages could do the opposite, reviving expe August 7, 2026

New U.S. envoy meets Seoul's national security adviser SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) -South Korean national security adviser Wi Sung-lac met United States Ambassador Michelle Steel on Aug. 4 in their first encounter since she took up the post in Seoul last month, the presidential office confirmed Friday. The two exchanged greetings and views on ways to advance the alliance, according to the office. Wi heads the National Security Office, the body inside the presidential compound that coordinates foreign policy, defense and intelligence for Pres August 7, 2026