OPINION: The harsh process of becoming K-pop star is opening to western performers

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (AJP) - "Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience" is a six-part reality show following five British trainees over 100 days as they debut as a Korean-pop (K-pop) idol boy group called Dear Alice. In collaboration with SM Entertainment, a K-pop powerhouse, the show will introduce the behind-the-scenes of making a K-pop idol through an immersive training system. Showing a glimpse of the lives of K-pop trainees, the first episode introduces K-pop as a multi-billion

September 4, 2024

Ko Ah-sung 'seeks escape' in her latest film

SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) -Actress Ko Ah-sung returned to the silver screen with her new film, "Because I Hate Korea," which hit local theaters last week. As its provocative title might suggest, especially to many Koreans, the film revolves around a woman in her late 20s who decides to move to New Zealand in search of happiness, quitting her job and leaving her family and boyfriend behind. "'I should do this, otherwise, I would forever regret not doing it.'

September 4, 2024

VISUALS: Incheon International Airport hosts conference on the future of aviation industry

SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - The 2024 World Aviation Conference, a two-day event hosted by the Incheon International Airport, was kicked off Tuesday at the Inspire Entertainment Resort near the airport in Incheon. Under the theme "A New Way Forward: Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity," the conference will focus on post-pandemic industry trends and the recovery and growth of the aviation market following the COVID-19 downturn. The event, which was inaugurated in 2016, brings toge

September 3, 2024

Actor Yoo Ah-in sentenced to 1 year in prison for drug offenses

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (AJP) - Actor Yoo Ah-in was sentenced to one year in prison for illegal drug use on Monday. The Seoul Central District Cour also imposed a fine of two million Korean won (US$1,492). Yoo was immediately taken into custody following the sentencing. The verdict came out after the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office sought a four-year prison term for Yoo in July. The court said, "Despite warnings from medical professionals, Yoo continued to use sedative

September 3, 2024

Bulgarian minster visits Hyundai E&C over nuclear power project

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (AJP) – Bulgarian Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov visited Hyundai Engineering and Construction in Seoul to discuss cooperation on the nation’s nuclear power plant project, the company announced Tuesday. The leading Korean construction company was selected in February as the preferred bidder for a project to build two additional nuclear reactors at the Kozloduy nuclear power complex. During his visit on Monday, the minister met with Hyundai E&C CEO

September 3, 2024

PHOTOS: Gyeongbokgung Experience of Royal Refreshments event offers taste of traditional Korean sweets and tea

SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - The "Gyeongbokgung Experience of Royal Refreshments" program is set to attract visitors to Gyeongbokgung Palace from Sept. 4 until Oct. 31, 2024. Through the royal refreshment-experiencing program, selected visitors are offered an opportunity to taste seven types of traditional Korean sweets and a type of tea, created at the Sanegwabang, the royal kitchen of the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1897). The confectioneries were reproduced versions of sweets that were

September 3, 2024

PHOTOS: Seoul debuts new sculpture festival

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (AJP) - The first-ever Seoul Sculpture Festival opened Monday at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art and Songhyeon Green Plaza in the Jongno district. The weeklong festival runs through Sunday, while the sculpture exhibition will remain on display for three months ending in November. Organizers said the event features 10 works selected from the newly established Seoul Sculpture Award competition and eight pieces invited by the artistic director. The festival also includes publi

September 3, 2024

Gyeonggi bus drivers, companies in last-minute talks to avert strike

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (AJP) - Unionized bus drivers in Gyeonggi Province and their employers engaged in eleventh-hour talks Tuesday, the eve of a threatened strike that could disrupt nearly 90 percent of bus operations in the nation’s most populous province. The federation of bus labor unions in the province surrounding Seoul plans to launch a walkout at 4 a.m. Wednesday if it fails to reach an agreement with the bus management association. The two sides began negotiations over wa

September 3, 2024

Mid-sized business lobby calls for labor market flexibility

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (AJP) - The head of Korea’s mid-sized companies' association on Tuesday called for greater labor market flexibility during a meeting with the new chief of the presidential council on labor policies. Choi Jin-shik, chair of the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK), visited Kwon Gi-seob, the newly appointed chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC), the tripartite panel representing the government, businesses, and labor unio

September 3, 2024

Hundreds of deepfake crime cases under investigation, police say

SEOUL, September 3 (AJP) - Hundreds of deepfake-related crime cases are under investigation with over 120 cases reported just last week alone, the National Police Agency (NPA) said during a parliamentary session at National Assembly on Monday. Deepfake technology, which uses artificial intelligence to swap faces in videos, has been increasingly misused to create illegal explicit content. The NPA's commissioner Cho Ji-ho said, "Approximately 75 percent of those apprehende

September 3, 2024