Girl band TWICE to drop new full-length album in July

SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - K-pop girl band TWICE will release a new album in July. More than a month ahead of the album's release slated for July 11, their management agency JYP Entertainment teased fans with a video on social media earlier this week. The 14-minute teaser clip shows all nine members in blue outfits, with clues hinting at the impending release of their fourth full-length album "This Is For." The upcoming album comes nearly four years after their last full

May 22, 2025

Wine tasting contest underway in Seoul

SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Lotte Department Store announced on Thursday the return of its popular blind wine tasting event, “The V:lind." Inspired by the famed 1976 Judgment of Paris — where a panel of French judges, in a blind tasting, ranked California wines above their French counterparts — Lotte’s initiative aims to elevate consumer appreciation through taste alone, stripping away biases tied to origin or price. This year’s edition has expanded i

May 22, 2025

PHOTOS: Traditional way of rice planting

SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - The staple food for Koreans is rice, a grain deeply interwoven with the nation's history and culture. Each May, the paddies across the country come alive as farmers begin the arduous process of cultivating this essential crop. Traditionally, this involved flooding the fields, meticulously preparing the soil, and hand-planting delicate rice seedlings, known as "mo." While modern machinery now dominates most of these tasks, allowing for efficient preparati

May 22, 2025

Search underway to find new US envoy for North Korean human rights

SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Washington's post for a special envoy on North Korean human rights issues, which has remained vacant since early this year, is expected to be filled soon. When asked during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday whether there are plans to appoint someone to the post left vacant since former envoy Julie Turner stepped down in January, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that thorough vetting procedures are currently underway to &quo

May 22, 2025

SK hynix develops new mobile storage solution aimed at powering on-device AI

SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - SK hynix has developed a new mobile storage solution based on its latest NAND flash technology, positioning the product as a key component for next-generation smartphones powered by artificial intelligence, the firm said Thursday. The company’s latest offering is a Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.1 solution built using its 321-layer 1-terabit Triple Level Cell (TLC) 4D NAND flash — the tallest NAND stack produced to date, according to SK hynix. T

May 22, 2025

Job creation in South Korea falls to record low

SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s job market has continued its downward spiral, with the number of new positions falling to the lowest level, highlighting the deepening strain on the country's economy and labor force. According to data released Thursday by the Korean Statistical Information Service, only 2.44 million new jobs were created in the fourth quarter of 2024 — down from 2.55 million in the same period a year earlier. The decline marks the 11th consecut

May 22, 2025

New Zealand Embassy in Seoul and EAAFP celebrate World Migratory Bird Day

SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - A small seabird that flies thousands of kilometers each year received the spotlight in Seoul this week, as the New Zealand Embassy in the Republic of Korea hosted a reception on Tuesday to mark World Migratory Bird Day. The event, jointly organized by the embassy and the East-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) was held at the ambassador’s residence bringing together diplomats, scientists, and civil society to highlight the shared responsibility of

May 22, 2025

GS charts new course with digital pivot, generational shift

Editor's Note: This article is the 19th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - As it marks its 20th anniversary this year, GS Group — one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates — is doubling down on digital transformation in a bid to reverse slowing growth and streamline operations in an increasingly volatile ec

May 22, 2025

LG Electronics inks deal to supply commercial washing machines in US, Canada

SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - LG Electronics has signed a supply agreement with CSC ServiceWorks, North America’s largest provider of laundry solutions, marking a strategic move to expand its business-to-business home appliance operations in the region. The deal was formalized at a recent signing ceremony attended by Kim Sang-yong, executive vice president of LG Electronics USA’s Home & Life Solutions division, and Rodrigo Castellanos, chief executive of CSC ServiceWorks. Fi

May 21, 2025

'Mission: Impossible' final installment draws over 1 million viewers in less than a week

SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning" attracted over 1 million moviegoers less than a week after its release here last week, distributor Lotte Entertainment said on Wednesday. The eighth and final installment in the action-packed franchise, released last Saturday, swept the box office by drawing about 424,000 viewers on its opening day alone. The Hollywood blockbuster starring its perennial star Tom Cruise achieved the feat in just five days si

May 21, 2025