SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - South Korea’s Minimum Wage Commission is holding its ninth plenary session at the government complex in Sejong on Thursday to finalize next year’s minimum wage. A final decision could come as early as Thursday night or early Friday morning. The labor side initially demanded a 14.7 percent increase from this year’s hourly wage of 10,030 won ($7.38), proposing 11,500 won. However, it revised its demand down to 11,260 won two days ago during th

SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - North Korea issued a sharp rebuke on Thursday to the United States over joint military exercises with South Korea and the deployment of strategic assets in the region, calling them “provocative acts” that aggravate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In an editorial carried by the state-run Rodong Sinmun, Pyongyang claimed that the U.S. has “repeatedly staged acts of provocation” through combined military drills since the end of the Kore

SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - BTS' Jungkook is breaking new ground on Spotify, achieving chart longevity that no other Asian solo artist has reached before. "Seven," his debut solo single released in July 2023, ranked 69th on Spotify's Weekly Top Songs Global chart for the week of June 20 to 26. The track has now spent 102 consecutive weeks on the chart, the longest run ever for a song by an Asian solo artist. His first solo album, "GOLDEN," released in Novem

Editor's Note: This article is the 25th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - As South Korea’s construction industry struggles with a prolonged downturn, KCC Group, once a stalwart of the sector, is reinventing itself through a bold pivot toward advanced semiconductor materials and high-tech defense applications — an

SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - Tomorrow X Together (TXT), often described as BTS' brother band under Hybe, is ramping up excitement for their return with a full preview of their upcoming album, "The Name Chapter: Together," released via Hybe Labels' YouTube channel at midnight Wednesday. The preview offers a glimpse of all eight tracks from the group's fourth studio album, which officially drops on July 21 at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT). The album marks the final chapter in th

SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - K-pop boy band BTS will resume group activities next spring with the release of a new album, as all seven members recently reunited after completing their mandatory military service. During a live-streamed event on their platform on Tuesday, the first since their reunion last month, they shared their upcoming plans with fans. "We'll soon start working on the album," said leader RM. "We plan to release it by spring, definitely before summer

SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia unveiled its latest suite of AI-powered networking technologies in Seoul, Wednesday, positioning robust network infrastructure — not just graphics processing units — as the true backbone of next-generation artificial intelligence systems. The company showcased its 25G passive optical network (PON) and Ethernet-PON (E-PON) technologies, which promise faster, more scalable internet speeds without the need to re

SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - Shilla Duty Free has joined forces with Paradise City, a major integrated resort and casino complex, to launch a collaborative marketing campaign aimed at boosting foreign tourist traffic, the companies announced Wednesday. The agreement outlines a strategic partnership that will combine the two companies’ strengths in duty-free retail and hospitality to enhance services for international visitors. As part of the arrangement, Shilla Duty Free will o

SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - South Korean fashion platform Musinsa is expanding its collaboration with GS25, one of the country’s largest convenience store chains, introducing a new lineup of summer apparel and debuting its first beauty products at retail locations nationwide, the company announced Wednesday. The partnership extension includes five new items from the Musinsa Standard Express collection — the company’s casual sub-label tailored for retail distribution &