PHOTOS: Seoul's royal shrine caught in clash between history and modernization

SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - On a frigid day in early December, a profound silence settles over the Jongmyo Shrine in the heart of Seoul, broken only by the crunch of footsteps on the stone paths. Though a steady stream of tourists, drawn by its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, still visits, the ancient royal sanctuary has been swept into a very modern controversy: a pitched battle over redevelopment and the city's skyline. The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s pro

December 5, 2025

Breakout success of ARC Raiders paves the way for Korean style extraction shooting

SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Nexon's ARC Raiders has crossed 7 million global sales just over a month after launch, spawning the rise of what industry watchers are calling a new "K-extraction shooter" genre defined by communal play, lower violence and robot-target gun-down. Developed by Nexon subsidiary Embark Studios, ARC Raiders logged 400,000 cumulative sales within two weeks of its Oct. 30 release. Steam concurrency rose from 350,000 in the first weekend to 480,000 b

December 5, 2025

Coupang sees drop in daily users after massive data breach

SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - Coupang, South Korea's leading e-commerce giant, has been seeing a drop in daily users after a massive data breach was detected late last month. According to an analysis by market researcher IGAWorks on Thursday, Coupang's daily active users fell to 17.80 million last Tuesday, down from a record 17.98 million the previous day. This marks the first decline after three consecutive days of increase since last Saturday, despite the breach. With dai

December 5, 2025

Amazon executive, South Korea's AI officials explore cooperation

SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korea’s AI Strategy Committee said Friday that David Zapolsky, Amazon’s senior vice president for global public policy and legal affairs, has visited the committee's vice chairman, Lim Moon-young, to discuss cooperation on artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. During the meeting, Amazon outlined its ongoing investments in AI and cloud services in South Korea and discussed potential collaboration on the government&rsquo

December 5, 2025

Korea to up crackdown on drug trafficking on record smuggling

SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korean authorities will up border control and crack down on drug trafficking after seizing a record 3,000 kilograms of illicit substances this year, mostly brought in through smuggling channels. The Korea Customs Service (KCS) said Friday it confiscated 2,913 kilograms of illegal drugs between January and October, nearly quadruple the volume seized during the same period last year. The surge underscores what officials describe as the shar

December 5, 2025

Hancom Lifecare to supply K5 gas masks to Korean military

SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Hancom Lifecare, a safety equipment subsidiary of Hancom Group, said Friday it has secured a major contract to supply gas masks to the South Korean armed forces. The company said it signed a 185 billion won ($13.8 million) agreement with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to deliver about 80,000 K5 gas masks by 2026. The K5 model, developed between 2010 and 2014, features a single-lens visor for improved visibility and dual filters desig

December 5, 2025

Seoul included among world's most attractive cities

SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - Seoul has been included among the world's ten most attractive cities, according to an annual survey by data analytics company Euromonitor International released this week. The survey evaluates cities around the world based on several factors including "economic and business activity, tourism performance, infrastructure, tourism policy and appeal, health and safety, and sustainability." Seoul ranked 10th, making it into the top ten for the

December 5, 2025

AI race to be defined by entrepreneurial spirit

The global artificial intelligence market is exploding in size. Precedence Research projects that AI will swell from $757.6 billion to $3.7 trillion by 2034. An annualized growth of 19.2 percent is pronounced: AI is not just another fast-growing technology. It will reshape the very structure of the world economy. But in this era of relentless innovation, the decisive factor is no longer the technology itself. AI is becoming widely accessible—almost a public good. What will

December 5, 2025

Kia marks 80th anniversary with pledge to lead future mobility

SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Kia President Song Ho-sung pledged to accelerate innovation across electric and purpose-built vehicles as the automaker marked its 80th anniversary on Friday. “We will continue to innovate with various electric and purpose-built vehicle models to become a centennial company,” Song said at a commemorative event held in Yongin, south of Seoul. Reflecting on Kia’s evolution to a global brand, Song credited the company’s resilien

December 5, 2025

KITA forecasts record exports for South Korea this year

SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korea's exports are on track to top $700 billion for the first time in history, with the recovery expected to continue into 2026, according to a report released on Dec. 5 by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA). KITA's Institute for International Trade said exports are projected to rise 3.0 percent this year to $704 billion, while imports are expected to slip 0.3 percent to $630 billion. That would leave the country with a tra

December 5, 2025