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  PHOTOS: Christmas scenes across Seoul SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - With Christmas now only a month away, early holiday scenes are appearing throughout central Seoul. Large trees have been set up in major plazas and along busy streets, and rows of ginkgo and pine are wrapped in bright seasonal lights. Visitors pause to take photos against the glowing decorations, enjoying the quiet excitement that settles over the city at the end of the year. November 24, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Gangwon's ski season officially opens SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - With the early cold settling in this year, two major resorts in Gangwon Province — Yongpyong Ski Resort and Phoenix Park in Pyeongchang — opened their slopes on November 21 to mark the start of the 2025–2026 winter season. During the first weekend after opening, November 22–23, the two resorts drew an estimated 5,500 visitors at Yongpyong and about 4,100 at Phoenix Park. Skiers and snowboarders who had been waiting for winter cr November 24, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Annual expo showcases thousands of coffee and beverage brands SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) -The Seoul International Café Show kicked off its four-day run at COEX in southern Seoul on Wednesday. Held every November, the annual event provides a key business platform for coffee and beverage makers, as well as related companies in the booming industry. The show features a wide range of products beyond coffee including tea, bakeries, desserts, alcoholic beverages, and café equipment. November 21, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Tattoos step into the light with inaugural expo SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - An inaugural expo covering everything about tattoos kicked off its three-day run in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province earlier this week. Long gone are the days when tattoos were synonymous with heavyset gangsters, as relevant regulations legalizing the practice were passed at the National Assembly last September. Under the new regulations, tattoos and cosmetic procedures like ombré shading and microblading are now permitted, and not only tattooists but a November 21, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Seoul's Namdaemun Market bustles with early holiday shoppers SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - As the year's most festive season approaches, Namdaemun Market in central Seoul is bustling with steady streams of visitors and shoppers eager to snap up Christmas decorations and other pre-holiday items. The thrill of the year-end is already sweeping through the streets and shops, with Christmas decorations and their glowing lights illuminating every narrow alley of the market. Christmas carols and cheerful melodies are also filling the air, welcom November 20, 2025
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  TRAVEL: Tracing Korea's ancient roots in Boeun BOEUN, November 20 (AJP) - While relatively small, the county of Boeun in North Chungcheong Province has long served as a critical transport hub, imbuing it with significant strategic and cultural importance since ancient times. This rich past is preserved in a remarkable concentration of historic cultural assets, including the revered Beopjusa Temple on Songnisan Mountain, the formidable Sannyeonsanseong Fortress, and the grand Udang traditional house. Beopjusa Temple, a seren November 20, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Cold snap delivers early winter in South Korea SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - South Korea experienced an abrupt onset of winter conditions this week, as temperatures across the nation plunged sharply, bringing unseasonably early snowfall to major mountain ranges. Jeju Island's Mt. Halla and the mainland's Mt. Jiri were blanketed in white, creating picturesque, albeit premature, winter landscapes. Despite only being mid-November, the intense cold snap evoked scenes typical of deep winter. Citizens on city streets were ob November 19, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Kimchi — symbol of communal love, sharing SEOUL, November 17 (AJP) - As the cold grip of winter descends, kimchi transcends its role as a staple food in South Korea to become a powerful symbol of communal love and sharing. This spirit was vividly on display in Seoul on Nov. 17, where a massive kimchi-making event took place at Garak Market in Songpa-gu. It was to prepare thousands of heads of kimchi destined for low-income families and elderly residents living alone. Enduring the biting wind, volunteers worked tireless November 18, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Exam season SEOUL, November 17 (AJP) - For South Korean families, November is the month of the national university entrance exams. Far from being a mere academic hurdle, it is a period that consumes the nation, climaxing in the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), or Suneung, and the subsequent, high-stakes essay examinations. While the students bear the immediate, exhausting burden of preparation, the weight of the moment extends deeply into the lives of their parents. They, too, are thru November 17, 2025
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  TRAVEL: Gyeongju's historic sites draw visitors amid autumn foliage GYEONGJU, November 14 (AJP) - South Korea's southeastern city of Gyeongju used to be the most popular field trip destination for students. Once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla that thrived for over 1,000 years, the city, home to numerous national treasures, still attracts hordes of visitors and tourists. Among its many landmarks, the most iconic are Bulguksa temple and Cheomseongdae observatory. The temple, one of the country& November 14, 2025