Hong Kong delegation to visit Saudi Arabia to enhance financial cooperation

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Paul Chan, the financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), will lead a delegation from the financial, innovation, and technology sectors to Saudi Arabia on Monday. Analysts believe this visit will strengthen cooperation between the HKSAR and the Middle East across various areas, reinforcing Hong Kong's role as a global financial and commercial hub. The delegation includes over 110 members, consisting of leaders or repr

October 28, 2024

China's industrial profits exceed 5 trillion yuan in first three quarters  

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Major industrial enterprises in China posted combined profits of 5.23 trillion yuan (735.41 billion U.S. dollars) from January to September, marking a 3.5 percent decrease compared to the same period last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Sunday. Sectors driven by high-tech manufacturing have seen rapid growth, demonstrating resilience in the industrial economy, noted NBS statistician Yu Weining. Several factors have influence

October 28, 2024

Russia 'transporting North Korean troops' to battlefield

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - North Korean troops are expected to be deployed to the battlefield as early as this week. Russia is "transporting North Korean soldiers to the front lines via trucks," the Kyiv Independent reported last Sunday, citing a source from the Main Directorate of Intelligence . "Russian police officers on Oct. 27 stopped a Kamaz truck with civilian license plates on the Kursk-Voronezh highway," the Ukraine English-language online newspaper sa

October 28, 2024

Japan ruling coalition loses parliamentary majority in shock defeat

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Japan's ruling coalition suffered a major setback, losing its majority in the lower house of parliament, as a widening political funding scandal eroded voter confidence in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's leadership. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito secured 215 seats, fewer than the 233 seats required for a majority in the 465-seat House of Representatives in Sunday's election, according to the national broadcaste

October 28, 2024

Netanyahu faces mounting pressure as ceasefire talks resume in Doha

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at a memorial for the Oct. 7 attack victims was disrupted by protesters as ceasefire talks on Gaza resumed in Doha, Qatar. Netanyahu stood quietly while some attendees shouted "Shame on you," and one protester repeatedly called out, "My father was killed," causing him to pause briefly. Initially, the event did not plan for bereaved family speeches to avoid government criticism, but t

October 28, 2024

OPINION: US presidential election remains very close

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - The United States presidential election will be held on Nov. 5. In analyst Nate Silver's aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 48.6–47.4, a gain for Trump since last Wednesday, when Harris led by 48.8–47.2. Harris' national lead peaked on Oct. 2, when she led by 49.4–45.9. The U.S. president isn't elected by the national popular vote, but by the Electoral College, in which each sta

October 28, 2024

Top security officials of South Korea, US, Japan discuss NK troop deployment to Russia

SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - Top national security officials from South Korea, the United States, and Japan expressed deep concern on Saturday about North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia. In a trilateral meeting in Washington D.C., South Korean National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Japanese National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba discussed the issue, along with other regional security matters. "The national securit

October 26, 2024

Veteran actress Kim Soo-mi dies at 75

SEOUL, October 25 (AJP) - Veteran actress Kim Soo-mi died of cardiac arrest on Friday. She was 75. According to police, Kim was found unconscious at her home by her son early in the morning and was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. Kim, who is known for her signature TV role as a warm-hearted rural grandmother, had been hospitalized several times since May this year. She was advised to rest for a while due to accumulated fatigue from her busy wo

October 25, 2024

VISUALS: Extreme sports festival kicks off at Gwanghwamun

SEOUL, October 25 (AJP) - The inaugural Seoul Extreme Sports Festival opened Friday at Gwanghwamun Square, featuring breaking, skateboarding and BMX competitions. The event features the Seoul International Breaking Battle (SIBB), where international b-boys, including Paris Olympics qualifiers from Ukraine and Belgium, compete against local performers in one-on-one battles. The festival, running through Saturday, also offers free skateboarding lessons and extreme sports experiences in a speci

October 25, 2024

South Korea, U.S. defense chiefs to hold talks in Washington

SEOUL, October 25 (AJP) - Defense officials from South Korea and the U.S. will gather for talks in Washington next week, the Ministry of National Defense here said on Friday. The annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) slated for next Wednesday at the Pentagon will be the first in-person meeting between South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin since Kim's appointment in early September. The main agenda of the meeting will be

October 25, 2024