PHOTOS: Silvergrass festival opens in Seoul

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - The Seoul Silvergrass Festival is being held in Mapo, Seoul, from Oct. 19 to 25. The festival takes place in a silvergrass field spanning about 198,000 square meters. This regenerated park, once a landfill, has been restored to nature from barren land. The festival, which began when the park opened in 2002, marks its 23rd anniversary this year.

October 21, 2024

PHOTOS: Netflix to release 'Hellbound' Season 2 this week

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - The cast and crew of Netflix's "Hellbound" Season 2 held a press conference in Seoul on Monday, ahead of the series' release on Friday. The dystopian thriller, directed by Yeon Sang-ho and co-written by Yeon and Choi Gyu-seok, continues the story of a world thrown into chaos by supernatural occurrences and religious conflict. Starring Kim Hyun-joo, Kim Sung-cheol and Kim Shin-rock, the new season promises to expand on the critically acclaimed first

October 21, 2024

Indian passenger flight to London receives bomb threat

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - An Indian passenger flight heading to London made an emergency landing at a German airport after facing a bomb threat during the flight. According to news reports on Saturday, a Vistara plane that took off from Delhi, India, and was en route to London made an emergency landing in Frankfurt around 9 p.m. on Saturday. German police evacuated all 147 passengers and deployed detection dogs to search the aircraft, but no explosives were found. The passenge

October 21, 2024

NCSOFT to spin off units amid financial struggles

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - NCSOFT Corp., a South Korean online game developer, has decided to spin off its artificial intelligence research unit and three game development teams amid declining earnings and underperforming new titles. The company made the announcement Monday in a regulatory filing after an extraordinary board meeting. Under the plan, its AI research division will become NC AI, while three game development teams will be spun off into independent studios: Studio X f

October 21, 2024

Doosan Group revives controversial plan to merge two subsidiaries

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - Korea's Doosan Group is reviving plans to merge subsidiaries Doosan Bobcat and Doosan Robotics, two months after abandoning the proposal amid investor and regulatory opposition. Doosan Robotics and Doosan Enerbility, Bobcat's parent company, said they held separate board meetings Monday and approved a restructuring plan, under which Bobcat, a construction equipment manufacturer, will be separated from its parent and affiliated under Robotics. Ene

October 21, 2024

UN pleads for humanitarian aid after nearly 90 killed in Gaza airstrike

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - Gaza's health ministry, run by Hamas, reported that at least 87 people were killed and over 40 injured in an Israeli airstrike on Beit Lahia in northern Gaza last Saturday. The ministry said that some people remained trapped under rubble following the strike on a residential area. Israel acknowledged the reports but claimed earlier casualty figures provided by Hamas were "exaggerated." The Israeli military has been heavily bombarding northern

October 21, 2024

Putin hails UAE's role in prisoner exchanges, discusses Middle East conflict

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed to the visiting UAE president on Sunday that the relationship between their countries had reached the level of a "strategic partnership." He also thanked the UAE for its mediation efforts in facilitating prisoner exchanges with Ukraine. It is reported that Putin hosted a dinner for President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at his residence, where they are set to hold formal discussions on Monday cover

October 21, 2024

Event marks 68th anniversary of Hungarian Revolution in Seoul

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - A special event commemorating the 68th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising was held in central Seoul last Friday. Hosted by the Hungarian Embassy in Seoul, the event, also celebrating the 35th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with South Korea, gathered over 200 participants and guests including foreign dignitaries and business leaders. Hungarian Ambassador to South Korea István Szerdahelyi stressed the significance of the Hungarian Revolu

October 21, 2024

Jewelry, watches drive luxury sales rebound in Korea

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - Jewelry and watches are driving a sharp recovery in South Korea's luxury goods market this year, according to industry data released Monday. Three major department stores reported overall luxury sales rebounded this year, with quarterly growth rates around 10 percent. The market expanded 22.3 percent in 2022 and 5.8 percent in 2023. Hyundai Department Store saw jewelry sales increase 33.5 percent, 29.9 percent and 33.4 percent in the first three quar

October 21, 2024

Seoul summons Russian envoy over North Korea's alleged troop deployment

SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - The Foreign Ministry here on Monday called in Russian Ambassador to Seoul Georgy Zinoviev to lodge a formal complaint over North Korea's alleged troop deployment to Russa to support its war in Ukraine. First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hong-kyun expressed concerns over the deepening military alliance between the two countries, from military equipment to troop deployment, which violates the UN resolutions. Zinoviev said he has "carefully

October 21, 2024