Uzbek expats celebrate historic World Cup debut in Seoul SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - On the morning of June 18, the underground floors of S Tower in Seongsu-dong—Seoul’s renowned hipster district—were transformed into a cauldron of Central Asian football passion. Roughly about 200 Uzbekistan expatriates, international students, and workers living in South Korea gathered to witness a monumental milestone: the Uzbekistan national football team’s first-ever FIFA World Cup match against Colombia. June 18, 2026

KOSPI leaps to new four-digit milestone SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) -South Korea's benchmark KOSPI crossed another four-digit threshold on Thursday, racing from 7,000 to 9,000 in less than two months in one of the fastest equity rallies in its history. The index closed 2.4 percent higher at 9,072.86, up nearly 50 percent from 6,191.92 just two months ago. The latest milestone arrived in 22 trading sessions after KOSPI first broke above 8,000 on May 15. The pace itself has become the story. The benchmark June 18, 2026

Baekdu Mountain: many names, many maps SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - This year I climbed the West Slope on June 11 and the North Slope on June 12. On the 11th, the West Slope was buried in snow. Both the mountain and Cheonji, the Heaven Lake, were submerged in white, with only a dark blue gleam of water showing through. The next day, on the North Slope, the snow had thinned considerably, and the same lake looked like an entirely different place. The sky over Cheonji wouldn't hold June 17, 2026

Visitors wash hair in calamus water ahead of Dano festival SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - Foreign tourists and children participated in a centuries-old Korean tradition of washing their hair in water infused with calamus root at the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul on Wednesday, two days ahead of this year's Dano festival. The museum held the demonstration in the courtyard of Ochon-daek, a traditional house on its grounds, as part of its seasonal Dano program. Dano falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and has long been marked June 17, 2026

Ruling party members shooed away as Jamsil rally takes a far-right turn SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - The political tide appeared to shift Wednesday at Gate 2-1 of Seoul Olympic Park's Handball Gymnasium, where a protest initially fueled by younger voters' concerns over ballot shortages increasingly showed signs of becoming dominated by older, far-right activists. Members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea visited the site of an ongoing rally over the June 3 local election ballot shortage, urging demonstrators not to disrupt public access and sp June 17, 2026

Occupation Jamsil turns into political battleground SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - South Korean and American flags fluttered in the scorching summer heat, handmade signs covered the sidewalks and hundreds of protesters occupied entrances to Seoul's Olympic Park on Tuesday as the Jamsil demonstrations entered their 12th day, turning a dispute over ballot shortages into a broader political confrontation over democratic legitimacy. What began as a protest over ballot shortages reported during the June 3 local elections has June 16, 2026

KOSPI refueled on U.S.-Iran preliminary deal SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI posted sharp gains on Monday, buoyed by investor optimism following news of a ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States. The KOSPI opened 402.50 points, or 4.95 percent, higher at 8,526.12 and extended its rally in early trading. The rapid advance triggered a buy-side sidecar six minutes after the market opened. The volatility control measure is activated when KOSPI 200 futures rise more than June 16, 2026

Korea joins Pride Month SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) - South Korea's celebration of Pride Month is relatively young by global standards. The Seoul Queer Parade, now in its 27th year, is still modest in size compared with some of the world's largest Pride events that attract hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions, of participants. Yet its growth has been striking. What began as a small gathering of about 2,000 people in 2000 has evolved into an event drawing tens of thousands each June 16, 2026

World Cup 26: Koreans ride emotional journey during the first match SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) -The thrill before kickoff Thousands of supporters dressed in red packed Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square on Friday morning, creating a sea of national flags and cheering sticks as South Korea opened its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against the Czechia. Office workers on leave, families with children and foreign visitors gathered beneath giant screens, united by anticipation and hope. The nail-biting first half As the match sett June 12, 2026

A shipwreck, a gift and 140 Years of friendship between Korea and France SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - The story of how Korea and France first encountered each other began far from Paris — on a remote island off Korea's southwestern coast. In the spring of 1851, the French whaling ship Narval ran aground near Bigeumdo. Stranded sailors found unexpected refuge among local Joseon officials who offered food, shelter and assistance despite sharing no common language. When French consul Charles de Montigny arrived from Shanghai to retrieve t June 12, 2026