Criminal trial of Yoon Suk Yeol will begin Monday

SEOUL, April 13 (AJP) - The criminal trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to begin Monday at the Seoul Central District Court. Yoon, who was removed from office by a unanimous ruling of the Constitutional Court on April 4, faces charges of leading an insurrection after attempting to mobilize military forces on Dec. 3. He is the fifth former South Korean president to face a criminal trial. The proceedings are set to open at 10 a.m. As a defendant,Yoon is re

April 13, 2025

Foreign job seekers explore new opportunities at networking event in Seoul

SEOUL, April 12 (AJP) - Nearly 100 foreigners gathered in Seoul’s trendy Seongsu-dong on Saturday for a networking event aimed at helping international students and jobseekers explore career opportunities in Korea. Hosted by Exprivé, a company that connects over 10,000 foreign influencers to promote Korean culture worldwide, the event brought together participants and businesses from various industries. Exprivé CEO Baek Min shared the

April 12, 2025

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon exits presidential race ahead of expected bid

SEOUL, April 12 (AJP) - Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Saturday that he will not run in the upcoming presidential election, a surprise decision that is expected to reshape the race. The snap election, scheduled for June 3, follows the Constitutional Court of Korea's unanimous decision last week to impeach Yoon over his botched martial law debacle late last year. Oh made the announcement just one day before he was expected to declare his presidential bid. Speaking at the People P

April 12, 2025

Rescue efforts underway after tunnel collapse southwest of Seoul

SEOUL, April 12 (AJP) - Rescue operations continued Saturday following a tunnel collapse at a construction site on the southwestern outskirts of Seoul that left one worker missing and another rescued. The tunnel under construction partially collapsed around 3 p.m. Friday in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Two workers, a man in his 20s and another in his 50s, were working inside the tunnel at the time. The younger worker was pulled out alive after nearly 13 hours of rescue effort

April 12, 2025

Extended hours at museums and cultural spots allow Seoulites to unwind on Fridays

SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - Many Seoulites are now able to let their hair down late into the night at the end of the week, as the capital's hottest spots and cultural spaces extend their operating hours every Friday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, several historical sites and libraries such as Unhyeong Palace, the Seoul Museum of History, the Seoul Museum of Art, and Namsangol Hanok Village will stay open until 9 p.m. on Fridays, as the city's annual program tha

April 11, 2025

South Korea establishes diplomatic ties with Syria

SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - Korea has established formal bilateral relations with Syria, completing diplomatic outreach to some 110 UN member countries, leaving North Korea as the only exception. With the latest addition of the Levantine country, South Korea now has diplomatic arrangements with some 194 countries including non-UN entities such as the Cook Islands, Niue, and the Vatican, the Foreign Ministry here said on Friday. The ministry hailed it as a "diplomatic milestone&q

April 11, 2025

Impeached president leaves official residence

SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - Disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol left his official residence in Hannam-dong in Seoul's tony district of Yongsan on Friday, about a week after the Constitutional Court of Korea's ruling to impeach him over his botched martial law debacle late last year. "As I leave the official residence, I am deeply grateful for everything," Yoon said in a written message upon his departure. "I will now return to life as an ordinary citizen and

April 11, 2025

Military battles unidentified wildfire in DMZ near Goseong

SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - A wildfire has started in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the front-line area of Goseong, Gangwon Province, prompting South Korea's military to engage in a firefighting operation. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Friday, the fire was first detected around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in the DMZ area of Goseong. Two firefighting helicopters from the Korea Forest Service were dispatched to extinguish the blaze at about 6:30 a.m. on Friday. &q

April 11, 2025

Jeju 4·3 Archives inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World program

SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - The Jeju 4·3 Archives have been officially inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World program, marking global recognition of the historical tragedy and the island’s long journey toward truth, reconciliation, and remembrance. The decision was adopted during the 221st session of UNESCO’s Executive Board, held in Paris on Apr. 10 (local time). The listing, under the title “Revealing Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archives,” acknowledg

April 11, 2025

Constitutional Court rejects Justice Minister's impeachment over alleged martial law involvement

SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea on Thursday unanimously dismissed the impeachment of Justice Minister Park Sung-jae over his alleged involvement in disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle late last year. The court said it found "no evidence or other objective records" showing that Park aided Yoon's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law or tacitly supported it. With the ruling, Park was immediately reinstated,

April 10, 2025