• Alcohol-related deaths rise among Korean women as health costs climb SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - Alcohol-related deaths among South Korean women have risen over the past decade, as health care costs linked to drinking and smoking continue to climb. The alcohol-related death rate among women reached 3.1 per 100,000 people in 2025, up from 2.4 in 2015, according to the National Data Office. The increase was particularly pronounced among women in their 50s, whose rate rose to 6.6 from
• Iran offers seven-day Hormuz reopening plan, rejects nuclear concessions SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - Iran has presented the United States with a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington meets a series of conditions, while signaling that any agreement on the waterway would not lead to concessions over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran had delivered the proposal to Washington through Qatar and that normal sh
• Chuseok traffic builds as Busan-to-Seoul trip stretches to 7 hours SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - Highway congestion intensified across South Korea on Saturday, the third day of the Chuseok holiday, as travelers began heading back toward Seoul while outbound traffic gradually eased. According to the Korea Expressway Corp., estimated travel time to the Seoul tollgate as of 9 a.m. was seven hours from Busan, six hours and 40 minutes from Ulsan, six hours and 30 minutes from Mokpo, six
• Chuseok scenes change, but fight for Eumma jeon remains hot SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - In a city where groceries can arrive at the door within hours, holiday food can be ordered on a smartphone and warehouse stores promise nearly everything under one roof, there is still a corner of Seoul where preparing for Chuseok begins with a queue.
• Washington must not be pushed to Beijing's 'correct' stance on Taiwan: congressman SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) -President Donald Trump should resist pressure from Beijing to alter longstanding U.S. policy toward Taiwan, a senior Democratic lawmaker said, after Chinese President Xi Jinping used his state visit to Washington to call on the United States to adopt what Beijing described as the “correct” position against Taiwan.
• Xi brings pandas, not business deals as Trump rolls out red carpet SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the White House to one of the most elaborate welcomes Washington has staged for a foreign leader, but the pageantry produced few immediately visible breakthroughs on the economic and geopolitical disputes dividing the world's two largest economies.

AJP Briefing>

• Samsung Electronics carries Seoul stocks into Chuseok break SEOUL, September 23 (AJP)-Chip heavyweights pushed South Korea's main stock index higher on Wednesday, the last session before a four-day Chuseok autumn harvest holiday. Foreign investors turned net sellers, and retail investors cashed out 1.44 trillion won ($1.06 billion) on the way into the break. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 63.0 points, or 0.9 percent, to 7,080.9. Samsung Electronics led the gain, climbing 3.3 percent to 285,500 won ($210.14) and closing above 2
• AJP Factbox: When and where for fall foliage in S.Korea SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - South Korea's autumn foliage will start turning in the northern Gangwon mountains in early October and reach its nationwide peak later that month, the Korea Forest Service said Wednesday. Peak dates, defined as half a forest changing color, are forecast for Oct. 20 at Seoraksan, Oct. 28 at Songnisan, Nov. 4 at Naejangsan and Nov. 6 at Hallasan, about 0.8 day later than the average of the past five years.

AJP ScaleUP

• Wiseplanet jumps nearly fourfold on KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - South Korean consumer brand company Wiseplanet Company surged more than 270 percent on its first day of trading on the KOSDAQ Wednesday, after strong demand from institutional and retail investors ahead of its listing. Shares traded at 45,150 won ($33.2) as of 4:55 p.m., up 276.25 percent from the initial public offering price of 12,000 won. The stock opened at 42,750 won and rose as high as 48,000 won during the session before paring some gains. Wiseplanet had earl
• Operator of self-photo booths seeks KOSDAQ listing SEOUL, September 21 (AJP) - South Korean self-photo booth operator Seobuk filed for a preliminary review to list on the KOSDAQ on Monday, starting the formal process toward an initial public offering (IPO) for its flagship Photoism brand. The company applied to list 12.63 million shares including 2.6 million shares planned for the public offering, according to Korea Exchange (KRX). Founded in 2020, Seobuk is a global entertainment platform that operates flagship brand Photoism, a self-photo bo

ASIA Insight

• What's in a face? In Korea, seemingly a lot SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) -A gifted physiognomist played by Song Kang-ho sits at the center of the 2013 Korean film The Face Reader, able to divine a person's character and destiny simply by looking at a face. His gift eventually draws him into a struggle over the Joseon throne. After studying the face of Prince Suyang, he sees the makings of a ruthless usurper. His judgment proves accurate. But knowing what is coming does not mean he can stop it. Despite his efforts to protect the young K by Kim Hee-su
• When AI becomes a confidant, how much should we tell it? SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - Plug in your personal details, desires, weaknesses and troubles. Artificial intelligence suddenly becomes a confession box, healer, consultant, judge, friend and even accomplice. For Jang, an office worker in his 30s from Bundang, south of Seoul, the familiarity is unsettling. "When I talk to AI about my problems, sometimes it scares me to think that it will eventually know me better than I know myself," he said. The sense of privacy and closeness can be by Ryu Yuna

AJP Watch

• For Gen Z, adulthood comes in small treats SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - Once a week, a 28-year-old nurse working at a small hospital in central Seoul walks into a gift shop in Jongno-gu and buys herself something small. It has become a ritual since she changed jobs two years ago. She does not drink or have particularly expensive hobbies. After rent, student loan payments, food, transportation and her phone bill, she says there is little left to save. The life she once imagined for 28 looked very different. “When I moved from Nort
• Giant hand to truck-boat, local projects raise questions on cultural spending SEOUL, September 21 (AJP) - Lee Ji-hye, a 33-year-old resident of Songdo in Incheon, took her young son to see a new sculpture that had appeared along the waterfront in their neighborhood. His immediate reaction was "Rock and roll," she said, copying the hand gesture. Her son also thought it looked like Spider-Man's hand. "There was a lot of discussion because we simply couldn't make it out," Lee told AJP. She could only laugh when she read the explanation at the b

AJP Focus

• AI giants go straight to memory makers SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - The artificial intelligence boom is beginning to reshape not only how memory chips are used, but who buys them. OpenAI and Anthropic are expected to begin purchasing memory directly from manufacturers in 2027 as leading AI developers take greater control over the chips and data centers that power their models, according to an industry report. The shift could create a new class of direct customers for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which have traditionally supplie
• Korea looks beyond HBM. Can HBF prove as big? SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - South Korean memory makers racing to sustain a comfortable lead on the next-generation chip front have their eyes on the next big thing; high-bandwidth flash, or HBF. Six months ago, one prominent chip researcher predicted it would define the AI path. "HBM defined the last decade, but HBF will likely determine the next," Joung-ho Kim, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), told AJP in March. The proposition is now a