US may seek renegotiation of USFK upkeep deal

SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - There are growing speculations that the U.S. may seek to renegotiate its defense cost-sharing deal with South Korea for the upkeep of maintaining U.S. troops here. Shortly after his first telephone conversation with Acting President Han Duck-soo on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform that the two had discussed "payment for the big-time Military Protection provides to South Korea," among other

April 9, 2025

PHOTOS: Crime thriller 'Yadang: The Snitch' to hit theaters next week

SEOUL, April 09 (AJP) - The press screening and media conference for the upcoming crime action film Yadang: The Snitch took place on April 7 at Megabox COEX. Yadang: The Snitch delves into South Korea’s underground drug trade, weaving a tense narrative around three central figures: Yadang, a cunning broker who architects the nation’s illicit drug market; a driven prosecutor eager to climb the professional ladder; and a relentless detective who has devoted his career to

April 9, 2025

Fed may accelerate rate cuts as concerns over trade war mount

SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - The U.S. Federal Reserve may move more swiftly to cut interest rates amid mounting concerns over a potential economic slowdown, a shift driven in part by the Trump administration’s tariff policy, according to the Bank of Korea said in a report. Several major investment banks, including Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Nomura, and Wells Fargo, have revised their outlooks to reflect a greater likelihood of rate reductions in 2025, the BOK's New York office sai

April 9, 2025

Korea's entry into global bond index delayed to April 2026

SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - South Korea’s long-anticipated inclusion in the World Government Bond Index (WGBI) has been postponed by five months, delaying potential inflows of tens of billions of dollars into the country’s sovereign debt market. FTSE Russell, the index provider, announced that South Korea will now enter the benchmark index in April 2026, rather than the previously scheduled November 2025. "We commend the commitment of South Korean market authorities

April 9, 2025

Korean won tumbles to five-year low amid US tariff concerns

SEOUL, April 09 (AJP) - The value of South Korean won fell sharply against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, reaching its lowest level in more than five years, as markets reacted to heightened uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariff policy. As of 9:15 a.m. the won was trading at 1,486.3 per dollar, up 13.0 won from the previous session’s closing price. The intraday spike marks the currency’s highest level since March 16, 2019, when it reached 1,492.0 during the global financia

April 9, 2025

Acting President's appointment of Constitutional Court justices stirs controversy

SEOUL, April 08 (AJP) - South Korea’s main opposition party vowed Tuesday to seek legal action to block acting President Han Duck-soo’s appointment of two Constitutional Court justices. Earlier on Tuesday, Han announced that he would nominate Lee Wan-kyu, the current minister of government legislation, and Ham Sang-hun, a judge on the Seoul High Court, to fill the upcoming vacancies, with two sitting justices, Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-son, scheduled to retire on April

April 8, 2025

PHOTOS: Planting season

SEOUL, April 08 (AJP) - The arrival of spring has ushered in a period of intense activity in the countryside as farmers ready the land for planting. This collection of images offers a glimpse into their springtime labors.

April 8, 2025

DeeprRoute.ai CEO touts AI-native driving system as industry game-changer

SEOUL, April 08 (AJP) - Maxwell Zhou, CEO of Chinese autonomous driving company DeeprRoute.ai, has showcased the company’s end-to-end AI-powered technology during his keynote speech at the Seoul Mobility Show held at KINTEX northwest of Seoul on Tuesday, saying the firm’s Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model has ushered in a new era of scalability, transparency, and human-level decision-making in smart driving systems. “This is not just a technological shift,&rdquo

April 8, 2025

TRAVEL: At royal tomb, symbolic reeds-cutting ceremony connects past and present

SEOUL, April 08 (AJP) - On April 5, a tradition linking South Korea’s imperial past to its present unfolded at the serene Donggureung Royal Tombs. Under a steady spring drizzle, the “Cheongwan Yecho” ceremony took place, a ritual centered on the trimming of reeds that blanket the burial mound of Geonwolleung, the final resting place of Yi Seong-gye, who established the Joseon Dynasty. The term “Cheongwan” refers to reeds, while “Yecho&rdqu

April 8, 2025

Samsung's profit exceeds market expectations, signaling modest rebound

SEOUL, April 8 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics reported stronger-than-expected preliminary earnings for the first quarter of this year, signaling a tentative recovery for the world’s largest memory chip and smartphone maker after a prolonged slump. Operating profit for the quarter came in at 6.6 trillion won, or approximately $4.48 billion, the company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. While essentially flat from a year earlier — down 0.15 percent — the figure be

April 8, 2025