• 
  PHOTOS: Seoul Illustration Fair highlights growing 'character culture' SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - South Korea’s premier celebration of visual storytelling, the Seoul Illustration Fair, concluded its 11th-anniversary edition on Sunday, drawing tens of thousands to the COEX convention center in Gangnam. The four-day event, which ran from Dec. 25 to 28, featured over 900 artists and more than 1,000 booths. This year’s iteration saw a significant global presence, with approximately 50 international teams joining a diverse roster of domestic c December 29, 2025
• 
  President Lee Jae-myung's first commute to Blue House SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung arrived at the Blue House main building for the first time on Dec. 29, holding a morning tea time with aides and marking the beginning of the Blue House era. President Lee's commute to the Blue House comes about seven months after his inauguration and about three years and seven months after the Yoon Suk-yeol administration moved the presidential office to Yongsan in May 2022. At 12 a.m. on this day, the Phoenix Flag, symb December 29, 2025
• 
  Homeless left outdoors in Seoul's deep freeze SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) -A bitter cold settled over Seoul as temperatures fell below zero, pushing the wind chill near minus 17.6 degrees Celsius (0.3 degrees Fahrenheit). Beneath Seoul Station, some homeless people lay on the floor wrapped in cardboard and thin sleeping bags, sheltering under fluorescent lights that never go out. Outside, they huddle inside fragile tents as Arctic air cuts through. The city issued its first freeze warning of the winter and activated round-th December 26, 2025
• 
  PHOTOS: Seoul art show opens in Coex SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - The 2025 Seoul Art Show, an exhibition offering a comprehensive look at the latest trends in contemporary art, opened December 24 at Coex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and runs through December 28. Now in its 14th year, the Seoul Art Show is held annually during the Christmas season and has become a fixture of the city's year-end cultural calendar. The event serves as a barometer for the Korean art market and a primary point of contact between the public and December 26, 2025
• 
  Cold wave grips South Korea SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Bitter Artic air gripped South Korea Friday, sending temperatures in Seoul and elsewhere well below freezing and triggering widespread weather alerts. The mercury fell to as low as minus 17.6 degrees Celsius (0.3 degrees Fahrenheit) as of 5 a.m. and will stay subzero for most of the day. December 26, 2025
• 
  PHOTOS: Merry Christmas, 1,004 Santas spread cheer across Seoul SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) - “Merry Christmas!” Bright and spirited voices rang out as volunteers dressed as Santa Claus gathered in the heart of Seoul. On Tuesday afternoon, volunteers in Santa costumes held a send-off ceremony along Yonsei-ro in Seodaemun District. Marking Christmas Eve, 1,004 Santas set out across the capital to visit underprivileged children, practicing year-end giving and social solidarity. Hosted by Korea Youth Foundation, the “2025 December 25, 2025
• 
  PHOTOS: As Christmas arrives, trees light up a fractured world SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - As Christmas Day arrives, trees are lit across the world. It is a season that calls, however quietly, for peace and harmony — regardless of heartbreak, loss, grievance or conflict — as people mark the birth of Christ in their own idiosyncratic ways. In Rockefeller Center, the annual tree lighting took place on Dec. 3, as it does every year. Thousands of LED lights pierced the Manhattan night, drawing cheers from December 24, 2025
• 
  Children's choir lights candles for Christmas SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - As the year-end Christmas season arrives, choirs across the country are spreading holiday joy and cheer. Among them, a children's choir at Light and Salt Church in northern Seoul lit candles last week, about a week ahead of Christmas. Through their carols, they prayed that small lights might come together to overcome the darkness, and that their small voices could swell into a thunderous chorus, bringing warmth to the cold winter night. December 24, 2025
• 
  Restored incense burners at Gyeongbokgung Palace unveiled on Christmas Eve SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - Two lids for incense burners at Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul have recently been restored, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said on Wednesday. The newly-created lids, perfectly restored to fit the burners in front of the palace's main hall, were unveiled to the public on Christmas Eve and will remain permanently on display. The two identical burners are believed to have been made by melting down a large bell in 1866, during the reign of Gojo December 24, 2025
• 
  Santa buses return to Busan streets SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - Santa-themed buses, once a beloved winter tradition in Busan but suspended due to fire and safety concerns, are making a comeback. The Busan Bus Transport Business Association announced Sunday that 10 Santa buses will operate from December 22 through mid-January 2026, reviving the popular seasonal service that had captured citizens' hearts. December 23, 2025