Turkish corvette-class warship TCG Kinaliada visits Busan 

BUSAN, June 04 (AJU PRESS) - Türkiye’s corvette-class warship TCG Kinaliada arrived in the southern port city of Busan Tuesday as part of its Asian tour of 20 countries. The Turkish homemade warship will stay docked at Korea’s Fleet Command port for two days before it heads to Japan. The Embassy of Türkiye in the Republic of Korea and the Turkish Naval Forces officials held an on-board press conference on Kinaliada and explained the purpose of the Asian Tour

June 4, 2024

Buying home in Seoul would take 86 years for young people

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - People in their 20s would need to save for an average of 86 years to buy their own home in Seoul, a survey reveals. According to the survey conducted by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the average annual income of households under 29 was 41.23 million won ($29,981) last year, but deducting essential living costs and taxes, their savable income dropped to 13.89 million. With the average sales price of apartments in Seoul at about 1.2 billion

June 4, 2024

PHOTOS: Activists rally ahead of opening ceremony of National Assembly

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - Civic and labor activists held a series of press conferences in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Tuesday. They included the South Korean Coalition for Anti-discrimination, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Korean Public Transport Workers' Union. They demanded various legislative measures one day before the opening ceremony of the 22nd National Assembly, including the enactment of an anti-discrimination law and an ind

June 4, 2024

PHOTOS: Outlook worsens for small businesses, traditional markets

SEOUL, June 04 (AJU PRESS) - The perceived economic outlook of small businesses and traditional markets has deteriorated for the second consecutive month. According to a report released by the Small Enterprise And Market Service on June 3, the business sentiment index (BSI) for small businesses in June was 67.4, down 7 points from the previous month. The BSI for traditional markets in June was 63, down 3.7 points from the previous month. A BSI reading above 100 indicates that more firms be

June 4, 2024

Analysts urge caution after announcement of possible oil, gas reserve

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) – Analysts urged investors to be cautious after the government approved oil and natural gas exploration in the southern industrial city of Pohang, expecting that up to $1.4 trillion worth of resources could be buried. During a briefing on Monday, President Yoon Suk Yeol said up to 14 billion barrels of oil and gas are expected to be stored in the waters off Yeongil Bay in Pohang. Citing a geophysical study conducted by U.S. geoscience consulting fir

June 4, 2024

BTS' Jin set to meet fans after completing military service

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - Jin of boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, will make his return to fans next week after completing his mandatory military service for 18 months. He will be discharged from the military on June 12 and will meet fans in Seoul the following day, his management agency HYBE said in a press release early this week. June 13 marks the day when the iconic K-pop band made their debut in 2013. Jin, the eldest of the band, was the first to enlist in the army

June 4, 2024

South Korea to resume military drills near border with N. Korea

SEOUL, June 04 (AJU PRESS) - South Korea’s military will resume artillery firing and other training exercises near the border with North Korea, following the government’s suspension of the Sept. 19, 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. The move came in response to a series of North Korean provocations, including last November’s launch of a military spy satellite and recent landings of trash-carrying balloons in South Korea. The resumption of military drills

June 4, 2024

UAE Embassy in Seoul offers AI-assisted consular service

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - The United Arab Emirates Embassy in Seoul has embraced artificial intelligence (AI) for visa issuance and other consular services, becoming the world's first embassy to do so. The embassy said last week that the AI-assisted services using facial recognition and hologram technologies will allow UAE nationals or other applicants to easily apply for visas and submit required documents through an AI-powered platform. The services are part of the UAE

June 4, 2024

LS Cable to invest 100 billion won in Donghae submarine cable factory expansion

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - LS Cable & System plans to invest about 100 billion won ($75 million) to expand its submarine cable factory in the eastern city of Donghae, Gangwon Province. The company signed an investment agreement with local authorities on Monday to fund the construction of a fifth submarine cable building, covering an area of 19,451 square meters (209,387 square feet). Upon completion in the second half of next year, the facility will quadruple LS Cable's

June 4, 2024

Seoul Tourism Organization launches new app for foreigners' travel pass

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - The Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) announced on Wednesday the launch of a new mobile application for its Discover Seoul Pass, a tourist pass designed to provide foreign visitors with access to various attractions and facilities in Seoul at discounted rates or for free. According to the STO, the updated app aims to improve user convenience by offering a more mobile-friendly interface compared to the previous web view format. The app also introduces new f

June 4, 2024