Gwanghwamun's Hangul signboard to be discussed SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - The government will bring 200 citizens together this weekend to debate whether a Hangeul signboard should hang at Gwanghwamun Gate alongside the existing Chinese character one. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the first "Forum for Everyone" on the question from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 26 at Yonsei University's Baekyang-nuri hall in Seoul, the ministries said Thursday. July 24, 2026

Seoul to offer free month of bike-sharing after data breach SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - The Seoul Facilities Corporation, which suffered a data breach affecting 4.62 million citizens after its Ddareungi bike-sharing system was hacked by two middle school students, announced it will provide affected users with a one-month Ddareungi pass worth 5,000 won. The operator of bike-sharing service Ddareungi, sent text messages to users on July 21 informing them of the details of the hacking incident and the categories of personal information exposed. July 24, 2026

One ordinary workday, one task at a time SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - At 10 a.m., an hour before the first customers arrive, the lights flick on inside a modest Kimchi stew restaurant tucked into Hyehwa neighborhood, southwestern district on Seoul. Three aprons are tied almost simultaneously. One employee wipes tables. Another arranges bowls into neat stacks. In the kitchen, vegetables are trimmed and ingredients portioned for the lunchtime rush. Before opening, everyone gathers around one table to eat together &mdas July 23, 2026

College admissions season kicks off for class 2027 SEOUL, July 23 (AJP)-South Korea's 2027 college admissions season officially got underway Wednesday as the country's largest university admissions counseling fair opened at COEX in southern Seoul, drawing nearly every four-year university ahead of this year's early application period. The three-day 2027 Early Admissions Fair opened at 10 a.m. at COEX Hall 1 in Gangnam-gu and runs through Friday, about six weeks before universities begin accepting early admission applic July 23, 2026

Skies weep as Ethiopia's Kagnew Choir offered heavenly songs of remembrance SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) -The heavenly voices of Ethiopian children drifted across Gwanghwamun Square on Wednesday afternoon, transforming Seoul's Garden of Gratitude into a place of remembrance as the Kagnew Choir sang Korean folk songs in tribute to the veterans who fought in the Korean War 75 years ago. The cultural exchange performance, titled "The Courage of That Day, Today's Song," commemorated the 75th anniversary of Ethiopia's participation in the Korean July 22, 2026

Fire at Coupang warehouse in Incheon burns into third day SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - A fire at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon had burned for more than 51 hours as of Monday, with flames spreading to all four sides of the building. Local authorities have ordered an evacuation near the site as a precaution, though fire officials have pushed back on earlier media reports that firefighters were given an emergency escape order over building collapse fears. The fire broke out around 6:54 a.m. Friday on the sixth floor of Coupang's Fulfi July 20, 2026

Istanbul purrs with beloved cats SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - They sleep on the warm hoods of parked taxis and in the display windows of carpet shops. They wait outside fish restaurants with the patience of regulars. They stroll into mosques, curl up on prayer rugs, and no one moves them. In Istanbul, a city of some 16 million people, the cats behave less like strays and more like citizens who happen to have four legs, and the city, for the most part, treats them accordingly. Nobody knows exactly how many there are. Es July 20, 2026

Job fair in Seoul helps young people discover career paths SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - Many job seekers and recent graduates have been flocking to an annual job fair in Seoul this week. The four-day fair, organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOC), kicked off at aT Center in Yangjae, southern Seoul earlier this week and runs through Friday, featuring more than 150 booths. Held under the slogan "Discover Yourself, Open Your Future," the fair offers a wide range of career-related programs including July 16, 2026

Homeplus tenants protest in Seoul as ailing supermarket chain on verge of going bust SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - More than 50 small business owners operating inside ailing supermarket chain Homeplus staged a protest in central Seoul on Wednesday. In a rally that gathered Homeplus-linked merchants and tenants from across the country, they demanded the government guarantee their right to continue operating and ensure payment of their unpaid dues. The massive rally came after Homeplus, whose court rehabilitation was terminated last week, abruptly s July 15, 2026

Grounded by silence: Waiting for Korea's flying future INCHEON, July 15 (AJP) - The future of Korean aviation spent Wednesday sitting quietly on a launch pad. It was supposed to rise above Songdo's skyline at 10 a.m. Instead, it never left the ground. Long before the scheduled demonstration, spectators, engineers, investors and journalists gathered outside the INU Innovation Center at the University of Incheon. A steady drizzle swept across the flight zone as umbrellas dotted the viewing area, prompting quiet speculation over whe July 15, 2026