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352 storiesSouth Korea's Lee orders CPTPP talks restarted from the beginning amid farm concerns
President Lee Jae-myung instructed at a cabinet meeting on Oct 6 that the government should not fix a conclusion on joining the CPTPP and should “restart dialogue from the beginning,” saying the pact's strategic value is cited alongside ver…
Defense ministry to pursue cut, abolition of alternative service for arts, sports
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on Oct 6 that it plans to ultimately pursue a reduction and abolition of supplementary military service, including arts and sports personnel, and to reflect it in the defense reform basic plan. Spokespers…
Asian Games gold row widens as parties in South Korea seek exemption review
South Korea beat Japan 1-0 on October 3 to win a fourth consecutive Asian Games men's football gold, a result that exempts most of the squad from military service. A locker-room photo of Park Seung-su in a discharge hat, captain Lee Ki-hyuk…
AMD CEO Lisa Su to visit Korea Oct. 7 for Gamer Day; AI chip talks expected
AMD chair and CEO Lisa Su will visit Korea on Oct. 7, about seven months after her March trip, to attend an “AMD Gamer Day” event at 2 p.m. at Dragon City in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, AMD said. Su and senior vice president Jack Huynh will attend, …
Two Gyeongbuk public institutions win top grade in provincial evaluation
The Gyeongbuk Credit Guarantee Foundation and the Gyeongbuk Women's Policy Development Institute received the highest grade in Gyeongbuk province's evaluation of its public institutions, according to three local outlets. The reports gave no…
Single Seoul apartment unit draws 68,663 applicants on near-1-billion-won gap
One 84㎡ unit at the 강변역 센트럴 아이파크 complex in Guui-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul drew 68,663 applications when it was offered on Oct 6, Newsis and Seoul Economic Daily reported, both citing the Korea Real Estate Board's Cheongyak Home portal. The …
China Railway warns travellers over third-party ticket-grabbing platforms
China Railway issued a reminder that 12306 is its only official online ticket sales channel and said it has never cooperated with any third-party platform, according to IT Home and China News Service. The railway described bloggers in railw…
Daejeon beekeeper Park Heon-ui becomes city's first agriculture master
Daejeon announced that Park Heon-ui, head of the Daedeok-gu branch of the beekeeping research group under the Korea Rural Leaders Daejeon Metropolitan City Federation, passed the beekeeping category of the 7th Agriculture Master designation…
Trump signs order allowing tax-free red-dyed diesel on highways
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday temporarily allowing off-road red-dyed diesel to be used for highway driving and deferring the federal excise tax on that fuel through the end of 2026 without interest or penalties.…
President Lee vows to keep pledge to end “real estate speculation republic”
President Lee Jae-myung said on Oct. 5 in a post on X that his government will keep its promise to escape the “real estate speculation republic,” saying the country cannot be made to face a “lost 30 years” from real-estate bomb-passing even…
Actress Jun Won-ju, 87, says she gifted half her assets to prevent inheritance dispute
Actress Jun Won-ju, 87, said she gifted half of her assets to her two sons and their wives in advance so they would not fight over her estate, speaking on MBC’s “PD수첩” episode “2026 Inheritance War: Time of the Family Left Behind,” which ai…
South Korea says 157 ticket scalpers arrested under stricter anti-scalping law
Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young told a cabinet meeting that 157 ticket scalpers had been arrested since revised anti-scalping laws took effect on Aug. 28, Yonhap and Asia Economy reported. He said the public had filed 68,158 reports and tha…
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days Begin With Discounts on Apple Macs, AirPods and iPads
Amazon's fall Prime Big Deal Days sale is live, with early discounts on Apple products including AirPods Pro 3 at $179.00, down from $249.00, AirPods Max 2 at $429.00, and about $200 off most M5 MacBook Air models. Outlets also reported all…
Bucheon offers half-price admission at six attractions to local university students
Bucheon, in Gyeonggi Province, began offering a 50% discount on admission to six city attractions on Oct 6 for students at four local universities. Students must show a student ID or enrollment certificate; the night attraction Bucheon Lumi…
South Korea weighs ending military service exemptions for athletes and artists
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on October 6 that it is considering tightening or abolishing the military service exemption granted to athletes and artists, after some Asian Games gold medalists said exemption mattered more to them than…
Kilmar Ábrego Garcia back in court as US seeks deportation to Liberia
Kilmar Ábrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March 2025, was due back in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Tuesday in his fight against deportation to Liberia. The government is asking U.S…
South Korea culture ministry issues director-level personnel notice
South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released a personnel appointment notice on 5 October 2026, carried by Newsis, Yonhap, Seoul Economic Daily, Asia Economy, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankook Ilbo. Yonhap's summary described …
ABC asks federal judge to block FCC early review of its broadcast licenses
ABC asked a federal judge in Washington on Tuesday to block the FCC from conducting an early review of its broadcast licenses, calling it retaliation for content President Trump dislikes. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan did not rule immed…
Samsung to launch Galaxy Tab S12 series and SmartTag3 in Korea on Oct 7
Samsung Electronics said it will launch the Galaxy Tab S12 series tablets and the Galaxy SmartTag3 tracking device in Korea on Oct 7. The tablets offer up to 23 hours of video playback, run large-screen Galaxy AI features and are the first …
Japan transport ministry sets four-level flood risk plan for underpasses
Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism published guidelines on October 6 classifying underpasses nationwide into four flood-risk levels and calling for remotely operated or automatic barriers at the most dangerous s…