SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Asian shares closed broadly higher Wednesday, lifted by renewed optimism over artificial intelligence following the debut of Google’s “Gemini 3.0” model. While sector performance varied across the region, sentiment improved as investors increasingly dismissed the notion of an AI bubble. The benchmark KOSPI climbed 2.67 percent to 3,960.87. Easing anxiety over the AI sector and direct market intervention by foreign exchange authorities s

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Koreans have emerged as the world's most avid ChatGPT users, spending more time on the AI platform than on the country's dominant portal Naver, and pushing Korea to become OpenAI's second-most profitable market despite its small population, data showed. According to app analytics firm Sensor Tower, Korea ranked No. 2 after the United States in ChatGPT revenue contribution. Global downloads of the ChatGPT app have surpassed 1.4 billio

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Korean authorities are pleading for all-around help — from the "big-brother" National Pension Service (NPS) to brokerages and exporters — to mobilize every possible tool to defend the Korean won drifting toward the untouched 1,500-won ($1.02) watershed. But they cannot expect sympathy, much less sacrifice, from ordinary Koreans, whose enduring appetite for overseas spending — on goods, travel, and securities — remains un

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s shipping industry has raised alarms over the potential sale of Hyundai LNG Shipping, the country’s largest liquefied gas carrier operator, to a foreign buyer, warning the deal could undermine national energy security. The Korea Shipowners’ Association said Wednesday that IMM Private Equity and IMM Investment are in talks to sell the company to Indonesia’s Sinar Mas Group. Hyundai LNG Shipping operates 12 liquefied

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Netmarble announced on Wednesday that its PC gaming website was hacked last week, potentially exposing personal information belonging to customers and employees. The company said it detected the intrusion on Nov. 22 and “immediately took response measures,” including blocking unauthorized access and notifying authorities. An internal investigation is under way to determine the scale of the breach. According to Netmarble, the compromised

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - KT said on Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with DigitalBridge, a U.S.-based digital infrastructure investment firm, to collaborate on the development and operation of AI data centers in South Korea. The agreement was signed on Nov. 25 at KT’s headquarters in Seoul. DigitalBridge, which manages about $108 billion in assets, specializes in data centers, fiber networks and cloud infrastructure. KT said the partnership aim

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Hedging maneuvers and central bank lifelines — South Korea's National Pension Service has several cards it can play to help authorities fend off pressure on the Korean won, but any relief is likely to be temporary, as the fund's core mission is safeguarding old-age coffers, not defending the currency. The NPS has been asked to join fiscal and monetary authorities in a joint response council as the won drifts toward the once-unthinkable 1,500

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - S-Oil Science Prodigy and Culture Foundation on Wednesday presented awards to promising researchers in basic sciences, distributing a total of 368 million won (about $250,000) in research funding at its Seoul headquarters. The foundation, chaired by Hong Suk-woo, held the 15th Dissertation of the Year Awards and the 7th Next-generation Scientist Fellowship Awards ceremony at the company's Gongdeok-dong office. The Korean Academy of Science and Technolo

SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Naver has acquired a controlling stake in cloud-based electronic medical records (EMR) company Cenacle as it accelerates its expansion into the digital healthcare sector. The acquisition price was not disclosed, and Naver said it ultimately aims for full ownership. Cenacle operates the cloud EMR platform “Orem Chart” and the patient health-management app “Clea,” serving clinics across internal medicine, pediatrics and other s