• 
  Age is just numbers - especially in learning SEOUL, January 29 (AJP) -Laughter, careful steps and handwritten diplomas filled the annex building of Yeongdeungpo District Office on Jan. 28, as graduates of Neulpureum School gathered for a ceremony years — sometimes decades — in the making. Neulpureum School is an adult literacy institution that grants officially recognized elementary and middle school diplomas. Its classrooms are filled with senior citizens who missed the chance for formal schooling earlier in lif January 29, 2026
• 
  Seoul metropolitan dance theater's 'One Dance' wins Bessie award in New York SEOUL, January 29 (AJP) - The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater's "One Dance" won the Outstanding Choreographer/Creator award at the New York Dance & Performance Awards, known as the Bessie Awards, in New York on Jan. 20 (local time). This marks the first time a Korean public arts organization has received a Bessie Award. The Bessie Awards selection committee described "One Dance" as "a visually captivating contemporary January 29, 2026
• 
  Bling One CN holds photo shoot in World K-pop center SEOUL, January 29 (AJP) - Bling One CN held a photo shoot and interview at the World K-pop Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 28th. Bling One CN is a five-member group consisting of leader Cassie, Katrina, Ranee, Allie, and Chloe, selected from China as part of the Click the Star project spanning 32 countries worldwide. The group continues its idol activities in Korea and China with a focus on K-pop. January 29, 2026
• 
  Remembrance as an obligation: Nussbaum exhibit in Seoul SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) -Silence settled over the Democracy Movement Memorial Hall in Seoul on Jan. 27, as the Israeli and German embassies came together to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Beneath the vaulted stillness of the space, remembrance took shape not through speeches alone, but through the collective pause of those gathered. Around 150 people — diplomats, scholars and ordinary citizens — stood in quiet attention, their faces composed, their gazes d January 28, 2026
• 
  KOSPI defies Trumpian tantrums to scale record high SEOUL, January 27 (AJP)-Korean Exchange staff beam before an electronic board at the main bourse in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Monday, as the benchmark KOSPI flashes past the 5,000 mark on a closing basis for the first time. The index ended the session at a historic 5,084.85, jumping 135.26 points, or 2.73 percent, from the previous trading day, shrugging off renewed tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ also advanced, gaining 18.18 points, or 1.71 p January 27, 2026
• 
  South Korean athletes in final tune-up for next month's Winter Olympics in Italy SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - With this year's Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Milan just weeks away, South Korean athletes are gearing up for the quadrennial sporting event on ice and snow with final preparations. South Korea will field 71 athletes in snowboarding, bobsleigh, speed skating, short-track skating, and figure skating. The upcoming Olympics will kick off on Feb. 6 and run until Feb. 22, bringing together around 3,500 athletes from over 90 countries to co January 27, 2026
• 
  Lunar New Year's preparation slightly eases from last year SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - The cost of preparing an ancestral table at traditional markets ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday has been surveyed at 296,500 won(about 205 dollars), slightly lower than last year. According to a survey conducted by Korea Price Information (KPI), a specialized price research agency, on Jan. 25, the cost for a four-person family declined 1.98% year-on-year at traditional markets. Large discount stores also saw a 0.64% drop to 406,880 won(about 282 dolla January 26, 2026
• 
  Hongcheon ice fishing festival ends with a splash SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) -The arctic cold snap did not spoil the fun at the 2026 Hongcheon Kkongkkong Ice Fishing Festival, which drew about 270,000 visitors to the Hongcheon River area and injected fresh vitality into the local economy. Despite the severe weather, food stalls and sales of local agricultural products reached record highs. The festival earned positive reviews for enhancing its quality as Hongcheon’s signature winter tourism attraction by combining a wide range January 26, 2026
• 
  In icy Seoul, the Han River slows to a hush SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) -Under the grip of Arctic air, sections of Seoul’s great waterway have begun to harden — ice floes drifting in silence, icicles clinging to embankments where the river meets the city. What is usually a moving ribbon of steel-gray water now carries the weight of winter, visible and unmistakable. A severe cold wave continues to blanket South Korea as northerly winds sweep down the peninsula, driving temperatures sharply lower and pushing wind January 26, 2026
• 
  Jeju beckons spring with Ipchun festival SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) -Ipchun — the first of the 24 solar terms and the quiet and unseeming threshold of spring — is nearing. Before buds appear or fields turn green, the change arrives as ritual, rhythm and light. From Feb. 2 through Ipchun Day on Feb. 4, Jeju will host the Tamna Kingdom Ipchun Gut, a ceremonial opening of spring rooted in the island’s ancient agricultural memory. The event will unfold at Gwandukjeong Pavilion and the Jeju Mok Government Offic January 26, 2026