KAIST researchers develop flexible micro-OLED brain implant for precision neural treatment

SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - South Korea's prominent research institute Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced Sunday the development of a new flexible brain implant that uses micro organic light-emitting diodes (micro-OLEDs) to stimulate neurons with light. The device is expected to offer a safer and more precise tool for treating hard-to-cure brain disorders through a method known as optogenetics. Optogenetics involves sending light into specific area

July 6, 2025

Trump's sweeping economic bill may boost Korea's semiconductor, shipbuilding sectors

SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law a wide-ranging economic bill — dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill for America,” or OBBBA — cementing key elements of his domestic agenda and delivering a potential windfall to South Korea’s semiconductor and shipbuilding industries. The legislation, signed on July 4, includes a suite of measures aimed at reducing taxes, reforming welfare, strengthening national defense, and looseni

July 6, 2025

K-pop anime film soundtrack tops US music chart

SEOUL, July 5 (AJP) - A track from "KPop Demon Hunters," a new Netflix animated film inspired by the K-pop industry, has topped the American music charts. Global streaming platform Spotify said Friday that "Your Idol," performed by the film’s fictional boy band Saja Boys, ranked No. 1 on its daily top songs chart in the United States. It is the fourth K-pop track to top the chart, following Jungkook’s "Seven," Jimin’s "Who,&quo

July 5, 2025

Japan travel demand drops over fears of July earthquake

SEOUL, July 5 (AJP) - Travel demand from South Korea to Japan has dropped sharply amid growing fears over a rumored major earthquake expected to hit Japan in July, leading to widespread trip cancellations and a sharp decline in airfares and hotel bookings. Round-trip tickets to major Japanese cities like Osaka and Fukuoka are selling for just over 100,000 won ($70) on weekends in July and August, as demand remains weak despite the peak travel season. The sharp decline appe

July 5, 2025

Gov't set to distribute cash vouchers after passing $22.7 bln supplementary budget

SEOUL, July 5 (AJP) - South Korea on Saturday approved a 31.8 trillion won ($22.7 billion) supplementary budget aimed at reviving the economy and supporting livelihoods. The cabinet meeting, held at the presidential office in Yongsan, followed the budget’s parliamentary approval the night before. President Lee Jae-myung, who presided over the meeting, said the move was in response to the country’s “difficult economic conditions” and urged each ministry to

July 5, 2025

France looks to deepen IP cooperation with S. Korea in film and media

SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - France is pushing for stronger cooperation with South Korea in the area of intellectual property rights, particularly in film and media, as the rapid rise of generative AI and global content platforms continues to disrupt traditional frameworks. Speaking at a press conference hosted by the French Embassy in Seoul on Friday, Gaëtan Bruel, the President of the French National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), underlined the urgency of protecting

July 4, 2025

GS Retail launches AI-assisted feature to help customers shop for alcoholic beverages

SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - GS Retail, the operator of convenience store chain GS25, has launched a new feature that allows customers to identify wines and other alcoholic beverages simply by photographing them without the need to scan QR codes or barcodes. Since last week, the artificial intelligence-assisted feature is available on its mobile app Wooridongne's Wine25Plus. It can recognize and provide information on approximately 10,000 types of alcoholic beverages such as wines and

July 4, 2025

Chinese tech giant Tencent unveils massive investment plans to boost cloud business in South Korea

SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - Chinese tech giant Tencent aims to boost investment and hiring to expand its presence here, as it considers South Korea a key strategic market. During an interview in central Seoul earlier this week, general manager Nicky Fang of Tencent Cloud, a cloud computing service arm, unveiled the company's ambitious plans to further accelerate its business here, with a focus on gaming, e-commerce, and entertainment. In particular, it seeks to leverage its expertise

July 4, 2025

Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' voted 'best film of 21st century' by NYT readers

SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - Director Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film "Parasite" has been voted the "best movie of the 21st century" by the readers of the New York Times. According to the daily, a survey of over 200,000 readers choosing the top 100 films named Bong's 2019 film as their top pick, followed by David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" (2001) and the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" (2007). Another film by Bong, &quo

July 4, 2025

North Korea denounces Quad's demand for denuclearization

SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - North Korea on Friday slammed the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad over its "coercive" demand for the isolated country's complete denuclearization, calling it a "provocation" that infringes on its sovereignty. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) accused the informal alliance, which was formed among Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, of "reckl

July 4, 2025