Russia pushes back against cancellations of ballet shows in Seoul

SEOUL, April 22 (AJU PRESS) – Russia has criticized South Korea over the recent cancellations of Russian ballet performances in Seoul amid Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine. Last week, a Bolshoi Ballet show scheduled for April 16-18 was called off one day before the opening. In March, the performance by Russian star ballerina Svetlana Zakharova, scheduled for April 17-21, was abruptly scrapped at the last minute. In an Instagram post on Friday (local time), the Russ

April 22, 2024

Paraguay to adopt Korean as second foreign language subject

SEOUL, April 19 (AJU PRESS) – Paraguay will adopt Korean as a second foreign language for middle and high school students starting in August, Seoul officials said Friday. The education ministries of Korea and Paraguay have recently signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in providing Korean education in the South American country. Under the agreement, Paraguay will include Korean as a regular second foreign language option that can be taught in secondary-level

April 19, 2024

Yoon apologizes over ruling party's election defeat

SEOUL, April 16 (AJU PRESS) – President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized Tuesday for his failure to uphold the will of the people, which he blamed for the ruling party's crushing defeat in last week's parliamentary elections. The ruling People Power Party was routed in the April 10 elections, securing only 108 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, compared to the opposition Democratic Party's 175. "I am sorry as the president for not properly considering and

April 16, 2024

Yoon to face big hurdle after election defeat

SEOUL, April 11 (AJU PRESS) - The main opposition Democratic Party won a landslide victory in Wednesday's general elections, beating the ruling People Power Party. The DP swept 175 out of 254 seats up for grabs, which is expected to boost its number to nearly 200 in the 300-seat National Assembly when combined with proportional seats won by its affiliated party and other splinter groups, giving it comfortable majority. Out of the 122 constituencies in the Seoul metropolitan area

April 11, 2024

Opposition scores major victory in South Korean parliamentary polls

SEOUL, April 11 (AJU PRESS) - The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and its satellite party scored a major victory in Wednesday’s general elections, securing a comfortable majority of 175 out of 300 National Assembly seats up for grabs. This is another major setback for President Yoon Suk Yeol and the ruling People Power Party (PPP), which managed to win 108 seats. The wider opposition bloc, including the Rebuilding Korea Party led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, ha

April 11, 2024

Opposition Democratic Party set for landslide victory in S. Korea's parliamentary elections

SEOUL, April 11 (AJU PRESS) - The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is poised to achieve a landslide victory in South Korea's parliamentary elections held on Wednesday. The Democratic Party, led by Lee Jae-myung, dealt a significant blow to the main ruling People's Power Party by securing at least 167 seats, compared to the conservative ruling party's tally of 94 seats. According to the National Election Commission, more than 95 percent of the ballots for legis

April 11, 2024

Exit poll shows opposition's major victory in parliamentary elections

SEOUL, April 10 (AJU PRESS) - The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), led by Lee Jae-myung, is predicted to secure a stable majority in the 300-member National Assembly, according to the results of a joint exit poll, released after voting closed on Wednesday. According to the poll, conducted by major TV networks, the DPK and its satellite party, "The Minjoo Union" for proportional representative seats, are expected to win between 184 and 197 seats. The

April 10, 2024

[Photos] On eve of general elections

SEOUL, April 09 (AJU PRESS) - Voters will cast ballots Wednesday to choose 300 new National Assembly members, with 254 of them through direct elections. The remaining 46 proportional representation seats will be allocated to parties depending on the portion of votes they win overall. Wednesday was their final day of the 13-day official general election campaign.

April 9, 2024

S. Korean single-person households exceed 10 million in 2024

SEOUL, April 09 (AJU PRESS) - Driven by aging population, low marriage rate, and declining fertility rate, the number of single-person households in South Korea has surpassed 10 million as of March 2024, according to state data. Data released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Tuesday revealed that the number of single households in South Korea exceeded the 10 million mark for the first time in history. The number stood at 10,021,413, accounting for 41.8 percent of total

April 9, 2024

S. Korean school to provide Korean classes for children with non-native parents

SEOUL, April 08 (AJU PRESS) - In a bid to help children with at least one parent with immigrant background to quickly adapt to the learning environment, an elementary school in Ansan, a city located southwest of Seoul, will offer Korean language programs every Saturday. Over 90 percent of Ansan Wongok Elementary School's 472 students are children of multicultural backgrounds with at least one parent from another country. According to data released by the state-run Korean Educa

April 8, 2024