Flower market bustles with shoppers on Parents' day SEOUL, May 08 (AJP) -In South Korea, spring does not fully arrive until the carnations appear. Every year on May 8, families across the country celebrate Parents' Day, a national observance dedicated to honoring both mothers and fathers. Streets fill with bouquets wrapped in pink paper, flower stalls spill over with red carnations, and schoolchildren clutch handmade pins and handwritten letters on their way home. The carnation has become the defining symbol of the holiday & May 8, 2026

Gyeonggi fire services demonstrates unmanned firefighting robot 'FIRO' YONGIN, May 07 (AJP) - The Gyeonggi Fire Service's headquarters has conducted a demonstration of an unmanned firefighting robot called 'FIRO' at the Gyeonggi Fire Service Academy's live fire training facility in Yongin, south of Seoul, on Wednesday. The demonstration event included remote driving, water spraying, and search & rescue operations. According to the emergency headquarters, the unmanned firefighting robot will be deployed in dangerous environments May 7, 2026

Prelude to U.S.-China summit, scholars discuss fault lines in Korea SEOUL, May 06 (AJP) -Scholars from South Korea and China gathered in Seongnam on Tuesday to dissect the shifting balance between Washington and Beijing ahead of a closely watched meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping due next week. At Gravity Pangyo in Gyeonggi Province, academics and policy experts filled the conference hall for a special seminar examining how intensifying U.S.-China rivalry is reshaping diplomacy, technology and security a May 6, 2026

Circus casts a little magic over Children's Day on Nodeul Island SEOUL, May 04 (AJP) - A little magic settled over Nodeul Island this Children’s Day as the Seoul Circus Festival turned the riverside island into a world of acrobats, laughter and wide-eyed wonder. From Monday through Tuesday, circus performers tumbled across grassy fields, balanced high above cheering crowds and invited children to step into the spotlight themselves. What began as a performance quickly became a playground where children were no longer spectators, but part of May 5, 2026

Seoul converts downtown into massive garden for international exhibition SEOUL, May 04 (AJP) - Seoul transformed into a massive public garden as the 2026 Seoul International Garden Show opened Friday in the Seoul Forest and Seongsu, the western district of hipsters and foreign tourists. The exhibition is scheduled to run through October 27. The event spans approximately 90,000 square meters and features 167 distinct gardens, making it the largest horticultural show in the history of the capital. According to the Seoul Metrop May 4, 2026

Royal night revived through open-air concert at Changdeok palace SEOUL, May 03 (AJP) -The glow of lanterns and the sound of centuries-old melodies filled Changdeokgung as a 100-member traditional Korean music ensemble transformed the royal palace into an open-air nighttime stage during a rare spring performance in central Seoul. Held from May 1 to 3 at Injeongjeon Hall, the palace’s main throne hall, the “2026 Royal Palace Concert: Music of Great Peace” invited visitors to step into a royal setting once reserved for kings, co May 4, 2026

No Children's Day without LEGO: Gwanghwamun turns into brick playground SEOUL, May 04 (AJP) -For Koreans, Children’s Day and LEGO are nearly inseparable — a pairing as familiar as balloons, picnic mats and spring sunshine. At Gwanghwamun Square over the weekend, that bond unfolded on a citywide scale as the “2026 Gwanghwamun Family Festival – Let’s Play Gwanghwamun” transformed the heart of Seoul into a sprawling outdoor LEGO playground packed with families, strollers and towering brick creations. Organized with May 4, 2026

Visitors taste bitter exile at Gyeongbokgung royal kitchen SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) - Visitors gather at the Saenggwabang kitchen inside Gyeongbokgung Palace on April 30 to participate in a program exploring the life of Danjong, the sixth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. The event, titled "Yuju: Spring in the Saenggwabang," runs from April 27 to May 3. This historical program has gained significant attention following the massive success of the film The King's Warden. The movie, which depicts the tragic April 30, 2026

Seoul Photo Festival reimagines home after 5-year hiatus SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) -Photography has become second nature in everyday life — instantly shared, endlessly consumed — yet its deeper resonance often remains elusive. It brings us face to face with moments we have never lived, lives we have never known, making the medium feel at once intimate and distant. Against this backdrop, a festival that returns to the essence of photography has come back after a five-year pause. The Seoul Photo Festival, themed “Come Bac April 29, 2026

The young are not resting, but unfound: Job fair in Seoul SEOUL, April 28 (AJP)-The so-called "resting" young people under 30 numbered 402,000, and the unemployment rate of the young cohort hit 7.4 percent as of March even as the overall employment rate neared 70 percent in South Korea. The spring has failed to arrive for the young jobseekers. The government and business groups opened the 2026 Korea Win-Win Job Fair at aT Center in southern Seoul on Tuesday, hoping to provide some reprieve. The two-day event is hosted Min April 28, 2026