INTERVIEW: S. Korea invests in rural resilience as climate extremes worsen

SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - South Korean farmers are feeling the intensifying pressures of climate change, from searing heat to destructive rains. Few know this better than Kim In-jung, the newly appointed head of the Korea Rural Community Corporation, who says the task before him is nothing less than safeguarding the nation’s food supply. “We are all experiencing the effects of climate change,” Kim said in an interview on Sept. 22. “This summer,

September 30, 2025

HD Hyundai Heavy begins overhaul of US Navy ship in Ulsan

The U.S. Navy's Alan Shepard supply vessel/ HD Hyundai Heavy Industries SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has begun maintenance work on the U.S. Navy’s supply vessel USNS Alan Shepard, a contract that underscores the growing role of South Korean shipyards in servicing American military assets in Asia. The 41,000-ton vessel, part of the Navy’s 7th Fleet, has arrived at Yeompo Pier near Ulsan for a scheduled overhaul, the company said Monday. Th

September 30, 2025

[South Korea-Japan Ties] Korea, Japan explore power link as AI drives electricity demand

Editor’s Note: Aju Business Daily is publishing a special series to mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Japan. The series reflects on the renewed relationship between the two neighbors. SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - As artificial intelligence drives a surge in global electricity demand, South Korea and Japan are positioning themselves as unlikely but pragmatic partners in rethinking the future of power infrastructure.

September 30, 2025

[South Korea-Japan Ties] Food makers set sights on Japan to conquer global palates

Editor's Note: Aju Business Daily is publishing a special series to mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Japan. The series reflects on the renewed relationship between the two neighbors. SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - With South Korean cuisine's growing global appeal, Japan is emerging as the next key market for its further growth. According to a report released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Mon

September 30, 2025

OPINION: Robo-taxis promise change. But do they deliver progress?

Innovation has become one of the most abused words in our collective vocabulary. Every new app, gadget or piece of software is branded as revolutionary, as if the mere act of introducing technology were synonymous with progress. Robo-taxis, for instance, are being touted as the future of urban mobility. But let’s be clear: simply rolling out driverless cars is not innovation. Real innovation does not mean discarding the old for the shiny and new. It means expandin

September 30, 2025

Major battery pack fires pose setback to Korean battery makers' ESS bet

SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - A fire from an aging lithium battery storage system that triggered a nationwide disruption of South Korea’s electronic public services has cast a shadow over its maker, LG Energy Solution (LGES), and the government’s renewable transition drive centered on energy storage systems (ESS). LGES, the country’s top battery producer, has been betting heavily on ESS to offset a slowdown in electric vehicle demand. According to Mirae Asset Securit

September 29, 2025

KOSPI bull run, recent IPO wins may spark 4Q rush led by K Bank

SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - K Bank is poised to file for its third initial public offering (IPO) prospectus early next month, potentially triggering a flurry of delayed listings in the fourth quarter as Korea's equity market is expected to sustain a bullish rally through year-end. The eight-year-old online-only bank — Korea's first of its kind — had pledged its investors of a 1.15 trillion won rights offering in 2021 to complete its KOSPI debut by July 2026. Fa

September 29, 2025

S. Korea launches alliance to lead in 'Physical AI' with backing from BlackRock

SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - South Korea unveiled a new initiative on Monday aimed at securing a lead in what it calls “physical artificial intelligence,” a field that integrates advanced computing with the physical world, from robotics to autonomous vehicles. The Physical AI Global Alliance, as the project is known, is supported by a multibillion-dollar investment commitment from BlackRock, the American asset management firm, and forms part of the government’s

September 29, 2025

Taekwang Industry bets on K-beauty with Aekyung acquisition

SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - Taekwang Industry has been selected as the preferred bidder to acquire a controlling stake in Aekyung Industry, a move its leadership is casting as a strategic entry into South Korea’s booming K-beauty market. The company said Monday that its consortium would purchase about 63 percent of Aekyung’s shares in a deal valued at roughly 400 billion won, or $293 million. If completed, the transaction would mark a significant shift for Taekwang,

September 29, 2025

Digital front-runner Korea chagrined by lack of backup for e-government

SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - South Korea tops the OECD scale in digitalization and proudly teaches and exports e-government strategy and systems, which may explain the chagrin and furor over the mass-scale crippling of the public-sector electronic system. Much of the work at public-service windows had to be handled in person after an outage caused by a battery fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) data center in Daejeon, which brought down 647 civil service syst

September 29, 2025