Journalist
Lee Jung-woo이정우
cannes2030@ajupress.com
ReporterMinistry of Unification & North Korea, Politics, Foreign Affairs
I studied philosophy in college, and sociology and journalism in graduate school. I cover North Korea, South Korean politics, foreign affairs and films. I enjoy Nordic cinema, Indian cuisine and Japanese detective novels. I have a cat and like bright, acidic coffee.
"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."
"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."
Latest by Lee Jung-woo
-
Trump's move to reduce military drills stirs debate in Seoul and Washington SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump's order last Sunday to "substantially" scale back a joint military exercise with South Korea has triggered political criticism on both sides of the Pacific, with Democrats in Washington blaming Trump for weakening a key alliance, while South Korea's conservative opposition faulted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for allowing relations with Washington to deteriorate. Trump instructed the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise just hours before it was due to begin, citing its cost, his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Seoul's refusal to join U.S. military action against Iran. The exercise's computer-simulated drills and other training began Monday and are scheduled to run through Aug. 27. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sharply criticized the move on X. "The president is making US policy friendlier to North Korea and Russia than Canada and Oman. Are you kidding me?" Clinton wrote. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia also said Trump's decision appeared to punish an ally even as Pyongyang continued its missile provocations. "North Korea tests ballistic missiles and Trump decides the problem is with... our ally, South Korea, because it has the sense to avoid joining Trump's disastrous war with Iran? Kim Jong Un couldn't buy a better deal," Kaine wrote on Facebook. The criticism crossed party lines. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis stressed South Korea's longstanding military partnership with the United States. "South Korea has been a solid military ally for over 70 years that possesses exquisite military capabilities," Tillis wrote on X, arguing that reducing the exercises would free up North Korean troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine. In Seoul, however, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) directed its criticism at Lee rather than Trump, calling the reduction a "security disaster" brought about by the Lee administration's foreign policy. PPP Chairman Jang Dong-hyeok said the exercises were now at risk of disappearing altogether and accused Lee of failing to maintain Washington's trust. "President Trump was expressing his dissatisfaction with President Lee Jae Myung by scaling back the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises," said Rep. Choi Soo-jin, the party's chief floor spokesperson. "Trump's Truth Social post showed that he is dissatisfied with the Lee administration," said Rep. Kim Gunn, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. "I believe the underlying frustration stems from the fact that South Korea's investment commitments in the United States are not being carried out at the pace he wants," Kim added. "What North Korea fears most is South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises," said Rep. Sung Il-jong, former chair of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee. "The United States and North Korea are likely engaged in behind-the-scenes negotiations at the moment," Sung said. "Investment in the United States is a matter that should be considered in light of commercial viability and South Korea's investment capacity. It should not be linked to the issue of joint military exercises," said Rep. Jin Seong-joon of the ruling Democratic Party, who chairs the National Defense Committee. "Given that South Korea is also seeking dialogue with North Korea, I believe we need to actively make use of the reduction in the exercises," Jin added, arguing that Seoul could turn the scale-back into an opportunity. The controversy comes as North Korea has launched two ballistic missiles since Aug. 6 and deepened military cooperation with Russia, raising concerns in Washington and Seoul over whether reduced allied training could weaken deterrence on the Korean Peninsula. 2026-08-18 17:29:07 -
Central Asia emerges as South Korea's AI frontier SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) -South Korea wants to become one of the world's top three artificial-intelligence powers, and Central Asia may offer something lacking at home - ample space, energy and governments willing to build the physical infrastructure that AI requires. But Seoul is arriving at a market where U.S., Gulf, Chinese and Japanese players are already staking out positions. Kazakhstan is planning a data-center zone with eventual capacity of 1 gigawatt. Uzbekistan is courting billions of dollars for hyperscale computing. Kyrgyzstan is exploring AI data centers tied to hydropower and battery storage. Tajikistan is linking its AI ambitions with digital infrastructure, hydropower and mineral development, while Turkmenistan has made AI part of a new three-year digital-economy program. That makes the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit in Seoul on Sept. 16-17 more than another exercise in resource diplomacy. Artificial intelligence could become the thread connecting the traditional agenda of critical minerals and energy with a new contest over computing power, data centers, smart cities, digital government and the financing needed to build them. Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT has made becoming a global top-three AI power a national policy goal, with an "AI Highway" of computing infrastructure, homegrown models and nationwide AI adoption at the center of the strategy. Seoul's newly devised K-AI package is designed to attach Korean AI solutions and data centers to infrastructure financed through the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, with renewable-energy facilities potentially added to the package. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun Cheol raised the model directly with Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev this week, proposing cooperation stretching from critical-mineral exploration and processing to AI data centers and renewable energy. Seoul describes the K-AI package as linking AI solutions, data centers and power infrastructure to DCF-backed projects. Khodjaev agreed that AI data centers and critical minerals should become deeper areas of bilateral cooperation, while the two sides identified AI, supply chains, renewable energy, biotechnology and advanced infrastructure as areas to advance before the September summit. The business is straightforward. Central Asia has much of what Korea's AI expansion increasingly needs, while Korea has much of what Central Asian governments lack. The five countries offer combinations of electricity, land, critical minerals, hydrocarbons, hydropower and rapidly expanding digital markets. Korea brings semiconductor and memory technology, power equipment, engineering and construction, telecommunications networks, cooling systems, smart-city platforms and development finance. If those pieces can be assembled together rather than sold one by one, Central Asia could become a test ground for exporting a Korean AI infrastructure stack. Kazakhstan is moving fastest. Its new Digital Qazaqstan strategy through 2029 explicitly describes an "AI Economy Stack" extending from energy and infrastructure through computing power, data and language models to digital platforms and AI services. At the center is a sovereign AI hub built around the Data Center Valley in Ekibastuz, the coal-and-power city northeast of Astana. Kazakhstan plans to scale the cluster to 1 GW, bringing computing facilities, research institutions and technology companies onto one platform. The government estimates the broader Data Center Valley could eventually attract about $30 billion of investment. A first 125-megawatt data center and supporting engineering infrastructure are targeted for completion by the first half of 2027, with later phases taking the cluster toward 1 GW. Already, Kazakhstan has announced a separate $10 billion package involving U.S.-based Firebird and Nvidia technology that envisages computing capacity using as many as 100,000 advanced GPUs, including GB300 and Vera Rubin chips. The scale matters for Korea. Rather than competing only to sell servers or build individual facilities, Korean companies could enter at the level of the entire industrial system - substations and transmission, renewable generation and storage, liquid cooling, data-center construction, networking, AI memory, security and operating platforms. No Korean names have so far appeared in Kazakh projects. Uzbekistan is following a similar path. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's AI strategy through 2030 calls for greater AI computing capacity, more AI-based public services and wider deployment in healthcare, agriculture, finance, customs and energy. The government has already built a $24 million GPU-based AI infrastructure platform and plans additional computing equipment, while Mirziyoyev has repeatedly framed AI and digitalization as strategic tools for economic competitiveness rather than simply an IT-sector policy. Saudi Arabia's DataVolt has begun implementing a $3 billion, 500-MW data-center project, according to the Uzbek presidency. The country plans to add more than 17 GW of renewable generation by 2030 and expand its high-voltage transmission network as electricity demand rises. That combination — data centers plus power generation plus grid expansion — closely resembles what Korea's K-AI package is intended to assemble. Korea already has a beachhead. KT acquired Uzbek fixed-line operator East Telecom in 2007, and the companies subsequently developed a Tier III-class data center in Tashkent. East Telecom described the project as a 6,000-square-meter facility with more than 300 racks and plans for a broader Central Asian data-center network. But it remains small beside the hundreds-of-megawatts projects now under discussion. Daewoo E&C and state-backed Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corp., or KIND, have also been asked to examine a data center linked to Tashkent's planned Aerocity development. That remains at the proposal stage rather than a committed hyperscale investment. The gap illustrates Korea's challenge. It has relevant companies, but not yet a Central Asian project structure that combines them. Kyrgyz investment authorities this year discussed an AI data center that would draw on the country's hydropower potential, incorporate battery energy storage and reuse heat generated by computing facilities. Its government has also called for regional access to computing capacity through data centers as part of wider AI cooperation. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has identified artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure alongside hydropower, mining and mineral processing as prospective areas for foreign investment. Dushanbe has also promoted the idea of a regional AI center and is developing its own AI ecosystem. Turkmenistan, meanwhile, adopted a digital-economy program running through 2028 that includes development of a national AI strategy and the use of AI technologies across industries. Those ambitions point toward a possible division of labor across Central Asia rather than five isolated national markets. Kazakhstan can offer large-scale power and land for compute. Uzbekistan brings the region's largest population, industrial demand and aggressive investment drive. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan offer substantial hydropower potential. Turkmenistan brings energy resources. For Korea, the more valuable prize may therefore be a regional AI-energy-resource corridor, rather than a single data-center contract. AI infrastructure requires not only GPUs and high-bandwidth memory but enormous quantities of electricity, electrical equipment, copper, construction materials, cooling equipment and network infrastructure. Korea is strong in the manufactured end of that chain but remains highly dependent on imported energy and raw materials. A package that combines Korean technology with local resources could therefore give both sides more than a conventional mining agreement. AI could be used inside the mines, grids and processing plants themselves — for geological analysis, predictive maintenance, power optimization, automated industrial control and logistics — while the same energy and mineral base supports data centers and computing infrastructure. The upcoming summit's business agenda is therefore likely to be dominated by four overlapping questions: where to build computing capacity, how to power it, how to connect it with critical-mineral supply chains, and who will finance the package. The last question may be Korea's biggest weakness. Japan has already demonstrated how a coordinated national package can work in Uzbekistan. Toyota Tsusho, Internet Initiative Japan, NEC and NTT Communications won a project from state-owned Uzbektelecom covering data centers in Tashkent, Bukhara and Kokand as well as domestic and international telecommunications networks. Toyota Tsusho acts as prime contractor, IIJ supplies containerized data-center systems and cloud infrastructure, NEC provides network equipment and NTT supports international connectivity. Financing is backed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, MUFG Bank and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance. Japan had begun building that financing-and-technology chain years earlier, including a JBIC-backed Uzbek telecommunications project in 2019. A Ministry of Finance and Economy official cautioned that the government's push is still at an early stage, admitting no concrete public-private projects that have taken shape yet. The Sept. 16-17 leaders' gathering will be Korea's first summit with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan together. Officials have placed its economic component under a broader goal of building an “innovative and prosperous future” while institutionalizing the C5 relationship and producing visible cooperation projects. AJP Takeaways: Central Asia is emerging as a potential AI infrastructure partner for Korea, offering power, land, critical minerals and governments seeking sovereign computing and digital industries. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are moving at hyperscale, with Kazakhstan targeting a 1-GW Data Center Valley and Uzbekistan attracting a $3 billion, 500-MW project from DataVolt. Korea's new K-AI package could link AI solutions, data centers, power infrastructure and development finance, turning traditional resource cooperation into a wider AI-energy-minerals partnership. The September Korea-Central Asia summit will test Korea's ability to build a coordinated public-private consortium, an area where Japan has already demonstrated a financing-plus-technology model in Uzbekistan. 2026-08-13 14:50:24 -
PPP lawmaker hosts forum with group downplaying May 18 massacre SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Days after police raided Starbucks Korea over a marketing campaign accused of insulting the memory of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook is set to co-host a forum with a right-wing group that disputes describing the 1980 bloodshed as a massacre planned by state authorities. Lee will hold the forum, titled “Reexamining the May 18 Democratization Movement,” with the New History National Movement at the National Assembly Library on Thursday. The event will examine the origins and course of the uprising, the historical meaning of the so-called “Gwangju spirit” and its influence on South Korean politics since democratization in 1987. The group, whose first stated principle is “Liberate Gwangju,” refers to the May 18 Democratization Movement as the “Gwangju Incident.” It argues that the casualties during the uprising resulted from a combination of circumstances and that it is inappropriate to characterize them as a massacre deliberately planned by state violence. Speakers include New History National Movement co-leader Lee Young-hoon, PenNMic senior journalist Kim Yong-sam and former PPP Gwangju official Joo Dong-sik. Joo is scheduled to speak under the title “May 18 as the main culprit behind the contamination and degeneration of the 1987 system.” Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea whose constituencies are in Gwangju criticized Rep. Lee Jin-sook. “Lee appears to be trying to strengthen her political standing by relying on far-right forces,” said Rep. Cho In-chul, criticizing Lee. “Her intentions are highly impure.” “During the 2024 confirmation hearing for the chair of the Korea Communications Commission, I asked Lee, who was then the nominee for the position, whether she thought it was correct to define it as the ‘May 18 Democratic Uprising,’ but she could not answer,” Cho said. The forum is “a clear distortion of history disguised as an academic event and a clear challenge to the democratic history of the Republic of Korea,” said Rep. Jung Joon-ho. The forum amounts to “secondary victimization,” Jung said. “It is infuriating that they are trying to turn the National Assembly, the hall of the people’s will, into a ‘free-for-all of historical distortion.’” Voices of criticism also emerged from within the People Power Party. “It is truly concerning that Lee is disparaging the May 18 Democratic Uprising and distorting history,” said former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, who served four terms as a People Power Party lawmaker. “A political group that claims the Holocaust was not a massacre would have no place in Germany, the United States, Canada or any other country,” Yoo said. “The People Power Party, the main opposition party, should not allow one of its lawmakers to refer to the ‘Gwangju incident.’” “Politicians would be better off refraining from actions that unnecessarily cause conflict among the public,” said Rep. Woo Jae-jun, a member of the party’s Supreme Council. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, 17 related news reports could be found online. According to the Korea Press Foundation, South Korea had more than 8,000 newspaper outlets as of Dec. 31, 2024. AJP contacted Rep. Lee Jin-sook and her aide for comment but did not receive a response. 2026-08-12 14:38:32 -
Lee accepts credentials of US Ambassador Steel and others SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung welcomed U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel on Wednesday in their first meeting since the Korean American and former congresswoman took up her post in Seoul. Lee greeted Steel at Cheong Wa Dae during a ceremony in which he received credentials from newly appointed ambassadors of four countries. After accepting Steel's credentials, Lee said, "Welcome," before posing with her for a commemorative photo. He then offered the same greeting to her husband, attorney Shawn Steel, who accompanied her to the ceremony, and posed for another photo. A credentials presentation ceremony is a formal diplomatic event in which a newly appointed ambassador presents a letter of credence issued by the head of state of the ambassador's home country to the head of state of the host country. Lee also received credentials from Portuguese Ambassador Vanda Maria Dias Stelzer Sequeira, United Arab Emirates Ambassador Jamal Abdullah Al Suwaidi and Irish Ambassador Sean Hoy. Steel, born in Seoul in 1955, spent part of her youth in Japan before moving to the United States with her family in 1975. She later built a political career in California, serving on the California State Board of Equalization from 2007 to 2015 and the Orange County Board of Supervisors from 2015 to 2021. A Republican, Steel served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025, representing California's 48th and later 45th congressional districts. She was among the first Korean American women elected to Congress. President Donald Trump nominated her as ambassador to South Korea in April, and the Senate confirmed her on June 17. Steel is the second Korean American to serve as U.S. ambassador to South Korea, after Sung Kim, and the first Korean American woman to hold the post. Steel arrived in South Korea on July 30 and has since begun a series of diplomatic and public engagements. Before Wednesday's meeting with Lee, she met National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Aug. 4 to discuss key issues concerning the South Korea-U.S. alliance. AJP Takeaways: President Lee Jae Myung met U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday, their first meeting since she began her post in Seoul. Michelle Steel is the first Korean American woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to South Korea and the second Korean American to hold the position, after Sung Kim. Steel, a former Republican U.S. congresswoman from California, arrived in South Korea on July 30 and has begun diplomatic engagements focused on the South Korea-U.S. alliance. 2026-08-12 14:35:17 -
Korea, Tajikistan industry officials meet ahead of C5 summit SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - Ahead of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit in September, South Korea and Tajikistan on Tuesday discussed expanding economic cooperation in critical minerals, supply chains and new technologies. South Korean Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Moon Shin-hak met Isojon Qurbonzoda, Tajikistan's first deputy minister of industry and new technologies, in Seoul to discuss projects that could produce tangible economic outcomes at the upcoming summit. The two sides discussed creating a regular C5+Korea Industry Ministers' Meeting, bringing together South Korea and the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They also discussed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation in industry and new technologies and ways to expand exchanges among companies through a Korea-Central Asia Business Summit. The first Korea-Central Asia Summit is scheduled to be held in South Korea on Sept. 16-17, according to the Foreign Ministry. Seoul has been preparing for the inaugural gathering through a series of senior officials' meetings and established a 17-member private advisory committee covering seven fields. The summit is expected to serve as a platform for South Korea to deepen ties with the five Central Asian states, an increasingly important region for energy, critical minerals, infrastructure and supply-chain cooperation. Critical minerals were a major focus of Tuesday's meeting. Tajikistan has deposits of gold, silver and antimony, while South Korea is seeking to diversify supplies of minerals needed for its advanced manufacturing industries. The two countries will hold their first Korea-Tajikistan Minerals Forum in Seoul on Wednesday, bringing together government officials, institutions and companies to discuss mineral policies, joint exploration, investment, financing and supply-chain development. Moon said the forum could connect Tajikistan's resource potential with South Korea's mineral exploration and development technologies and its demand for raw materials. The government hopes the talks will lead to specific projects that can be presented when leaders meet in September. Economic ties between the two countries remain relatively small but have expanded sharply in recent years. Bilateral trade reached US$354 million in 2025, according to Korea International Trade Association data cited by the Foreign Ministry. "With their abundant resources and growth potential, Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries are important partners for Korea," Moon said, adding that Seoul would work to turn the discussions into concrete cooperation in industry, supply chains and critical minerals at the September summit. AJP Takeaways: - South Korea and Tajikistan are expanding cooperation in critical minerals, supply chains and advanced technologies ahead of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit in Seoul on Sept. 16-17. - Critical minerals will be a key focus, with the first Korea-Tajikistan Minerals Forum set for Wednesday to explore joint projects in mineral exploration, investment, financing and supply-chain development. - Seoul is seeking concrete economic outcomes from the September summit, including a possible C5+Korea Industry Ministers' Meeting and stronger business ties with resource-rich Central Asian countries. 2026-08-11 17:57:31 -
Korea, Uzbekistan put AI minerals atop business agenda for C5 summit SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence, from the critical minerals needed to build its infrastructure to the data centers and digital technologies that power it, is emerging as the centerpiece of the business agenda for Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's visit to South Korea next month. Mirziyoyev is expected to bring a roughly 200-strong business delegation to Seoul during his first state visit to South Korea in nearly five years, coinciding with the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit on Sept. 16-17. The groundwork was laid in Seoul on Tuesday, when senior Uzbek officials and executives from major Korean companies met to identify projects that could be advanced during the summit. “Uzbekistan aims to join the ranks of upper-middle-income countries by 2030 and attract more foreign investment by improving its investment environment,” Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev said at a Korea-Uzbekistan business roundtable at Lotte Hotel Seoul. “We hope Korean companies will take part in Uzbekistan’s development.” Khodjaev identified infrastructure, critical minerals, automobiles and digital development as priority areas for bilateral cooperation, placing AI and the infrastructure supporting it high on the agenda. “Uzbekistan has established plans for AI and digital development,” he said, adding that Tashkent was seeking Korean participation in data centers, green technologies and renewable energy projects. The push reflects Uzbekistan's effort to pair its natural resources and growing domestic market with Korean capital and technology as it seeks to move up the industrial value chain. The high-level roundtable brought together officials from both governments and representatives from Hyundai Motor Group, Korea Electric Power Corp., GS E&C, LX International, SK Nexilis and Lotte Hotels & Resorts. The Uzbek Embassy said the meeting was organized as part of preparations for Mirziyoyev's visit and aimed at generating concrete projects before the leaders meet. Khodjaev also proposed expanding cooperation in healthcare, including hospital construction and pharmaceutical industry clusters. South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said the talks could provide a foundation for broader economic diplomacy with Central Asia. “Uzbekistan is a key cooperation partner for Korea, and we are producing tangible results together,” Yeo said. “I hope today’s discussions will deepen our understanding of bilateral trade, investment, supply chains and economic cooperation and serve as a meaningful foundation for the successful Korea-Central Asia summit.” Moon Ji-sung, deputy minister for international economic affairs at South Korea's Finance Ministry, said the two economies could complement each other. “If Uzbekistan’s abundant potential is combined with Korea’s technology and financial capabilities, the economies of both countries can make a new leap forward,” Moon said. Officials and companies discussed prospective projects spanning industry, energy, critical minerals, AI, healthcare and logistics, with the aim of turning some of them into concrete investment and cooperation deals before the September summit. The Sept. 16-17 gathering will be South Korea's first summit with all five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — collectively known as the C5. AJP Takeaways: South Korea and Uzbekistan are putting AI, critical minerals and data centers at the center of their economic agenda ahead of the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit in Seoul on Sept. 16-17. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is expected to bring about 200 business leaders to South Korea, as the two countries seek concrete deals in infrastructure, renewable energy, digital technology, healthcare and supply chains. Uzbekistan wants Korean technology, capital and investment to support its industrial transformation, while Seoul sees the partnership as a gateway to deeper economic cooperation with the five Central Asian countries, or C5. 2026-08-11 17:41:41 -
Dog days of summer end, so does Korea's dog meat tradition SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - There are "dog days of summer" for English-speaking societies. Korea likewise has its own pun from ancient calendar for the season’s punishing heat — and this Friday, its final dog day will carry an unusually literal sense of ending. Aug. 14 is Malbok, the last of the three traditional hottest days collectively known as Sambok, or Boknal. It will also be South Korea’s last Malbok before breeding, slaughtering and selling dogs for food becomes a crime. Malbok comes after Ipchu, the traditional beginning of autumn, and falls on the first gyeong day after it. This year’s Malbok falls on Friday, Aug. 14. The meaning of bok itself captures the seasonal struggle. The Chinese character 伏 means to lie prostrate or submit and combines the characters for a person and a dog. In the old East Asian theory of the five elements, summer belongs to fire and autumn to metal. Boknal was understood as the point when the cool force of approaching autumn tried to rise but was beaten back by the lingering power of summer — autumn forced to crouch before the heat. Three times it submits. Hence Sambok, the three bok days. For generations, Koreans answered that heat by eating heat. The idea known as iyeol chiyeol — fighting heat with heat — filled restaurants on Boknal with steaming bowls of samgyetang, chicken soup made with a whole young bird stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, jujubes and garlic. For many, particularly older Koreans, there was another restorative soup: bosintang, made with dog meat. That part of Malbok is now disappearing. Under a special law enacted in February 2024, breeding or slaughtering dogs for food and distributing or selling dog meat will be prohibited from Feb. 7, 2027, after a three-year transition period. Slaughtering dogs for food can carry up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won ($21,000), while breeding or distributing them for food can lead to up to two years in prison or a 20 million won fine. The law does not criminalize eating dog meat itself. The industry is already vanishing. Of the 1,537 dog farms registered with the government, 1,204, or about 78 percent, had closed by late December 2025, leaving just 333, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is a remarkable end for a practice documented on the Korean Peninsula for centuries. Xu Jing, a Chinese envoy who visited the Goryeo kingdom in 1123, recorded Koreans eating dog meat and raising dogs much as they did cattle and pigs. For much of modern Korean history, dog meat remained associated less with everyday dining than with stamina food, particularly during the oppressive weeks of Sambok. Its place in Korean society began changing rapidly in the late 20th century. International criticism intensified ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. At home, rising incomes, smaller families and the rapid growth of pet ownership gradually transformed the dog’s place in Korean life — from livestock or guard animal to companion and, increasingly, family member. Today, pet cafes, hotels, restaurants and hospitals are commonplace. Koreans spend heavily on dog food, clothing, grooming and medical care. What many older Koreans once regarded as summer health food has become unthinkable to much of a younger generation. South Korea had an estimated 5.46 million pet dogs at the end of 2024, according to the KB Financial Group Research Institute. Some 11.96 million people lived with dogs, while the broader number of Koreans living with pets reached 15.46 million, or nearly three in every 10 people. “I can’t imagine how we could be so brutal to these precious animals,” said Park Da-yeon, 45, who raises a 2-year-old brown poodle. “Better late than never. I’m glad we are finally past the custom.” The retreat of dog meat has even reshaped Korea’s market for traditional stamina foods. Goat meat emerged as one possible alternative, prompting farmers to expand production, but oversupply and rapidly growing imports have since helped drive domestic live-goat prices down more than 60 percent from two years ago. Across the border, however, the cultural clock is moving in the opposite direction. North Korean state media this month again promoted dog-meat soup, known there as dangogi-guk, or “sweet meat soup,” among nutritious foods to help people cope with the summer heat. Pyongyang continues to celebrate the dish as traditional summer nourishment even as Seoul prepares to eliminate the industry altogether. That divergence gives this year’s Malbok an ending larger than a change in menu. The arrival of Malbok has always suggested that summer’s grip is finally beginning to loosen. The character 伏 evokes autumn’s cool energy lying defeated beneath the heat, waiting for its chance to rise. This Friday, the heat may still win that ancient battle. But for South Korea’s dog-meat tradition, there will be no next Malbok. AJP Takeaways: South Korea’s dog meat ban takes effect Feb. 7, 2027, making Aug. 14, 2026, the country’s final Malbok before breeding, slaughtering and selling dogs for food becomes illegal. Dog meat consumption, once linked to Boknal and summer stamina food, is rapidly disappearing as pet ownership grows and 78 percent of registered dog farms had already closed by late 2025. The shift marks a major cultural divide on the Korean Peninsula: South Korea is ending its centuries-old dog meat industry, while North Korea continues to promote dog-meat soup as a traditional summer food. 2026-08-11 14:07:31 -
Zelenskyy repeatedly warns of expanded N. Korean role in Russia's war SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - North Korea's expanding role in Russia's war against Ukraine should raise security concerns in South Korea as Pyongyang gains battlefield experience and improves its weapons through cooperation with Moscow, Ukraine's top military commander has repeatedly warned. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia was preparing to station additional North Korean troops on its territory and had received more ballistic missiles from Pyongyang. Over the weekend, he said a decision had been made to deploy between 30,000 and 50,000 North Korean troops to Russia, though he did not disclose the source of the figure or give a timeline. Zelenskyy warned that North Korea's participation in the war poses risks extending far beyond Ukraine because its soldiers and weapons are being tested and improved under real combat conditions. "The greater the danger will later be for Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and other countries in the region," Zelenskyy said in an address Sunday. He has also called on South Korea and Japan to provide Ukraine with greater air defense support, arguing that helping Ukraine counter North Korean weapons could prevent Pyongyang from using the conflict to strengthen its military capabilities. For South Korea, a key concern is the battlefield experience North Korean troops could bring back to the Korean Peninsula. North Korean forces fighting alongside Russia have gained exposure to drone warfare and other modern combat operations, potentially allowing Pyongyang to refine tactics for future conflicts. The changing threat is already being reflected in military preparations in South Korea. The South Korean and U.S. militaries will conduct their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from Aug. 17 to 27, with training covering threats including drones, GPS disruption and cyberattacks. U.S. military officials said North Korean troops returning from the Ukraine war have gained combat experience that must be taken into account in defending the peninsula. North Korea has also supplied Russia with artillery ammunition, ballistic missiles and other weapons. Analysts have warned that Pyongyang could receive economic assistance and Russian military technology in return, potentially accelerating improvements to weapons that directly threaten South Korea. North Korea previously deployed an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to Russia, with its forces participating in fighting in the Kursk region. Pyongyang and Moscow publicly acknowledged the deployment in 2025. 2026-08-11 13:30:29 -
Police raid state authorities in Jeju Air crash probe SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - South Korean police investigating the 2024 Jeju Air disaster raided the transport ministry and other aviation authorities Tuesday as part of a widening probe into possible negligence linked to the crash that killed 179 people. A special investigation team began executing search warrants at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Airports Corp. and the Busan Regional Office of Aviation at around 9 a.m., according to police. Investigators said the searches were aimed at securing additional evidence related to suspected professional negligence resulting in death and injury. The latest raids come as police examine the roles of government agencies and airport authorities in the disaster, including the construction and oversight of a concrete embankment at Muan International Airport that the aircraft struck after overrunning the runway. The special investigation team previously raided the transport ministry in March and again in June. Korea Airports Corp., which operates Muan International Airport, has now been searched twice since the special investigation team was launched. Police are also investigating allegations that the transport ministry sought to downplay or conceal problems surrounding the concrete structure after initially maintaining that it did not violate regulations. Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, a Boeing 737-800 flying from Bangkok, crashed at Muan International Airport in southwestern South Korea on Dec. 29, 2024. The aircraft made an emergency belly landing without its landing gear deployed, overran the runway and slammed into a concrete embankment supporting a localizer, a navigation system that helps guide aircraft during landing. Of the 181 people aboard, 179 were killed. Two flight attendants seated near the rear of the aircraft survived. It was the deadliest aviation disaster on South Korean soil. A preliminary investigation found evidence of bird strikes in both engines. The aircraft's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder stopped recording about four minutes before the crash, complicating efforts to reconstruct the final moments of the flight. Scrutiny has increasingly focused on the concrete embankment at the end of the runway and whether it unnecessarily increased the severity of the accident. In March, South Korea's Board of Audit and Inspection found that the 2.4-meter-high embankment had been built in part to reduce earthwork costs without adequate review of relevant safety requirements. International aviation standards generally require structures supporting equipment such as localizers in runway safety areas to be designed to break away upon impact. The official investigation has also faced criticism from victims' families over its pace and independence. South Korea subsequently moved the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board from under the transport ministry to the prime minister's office, with revised legislation taking effect on Feb. 28 to strengthen the body's independence. The investigation was effectively restarted this summer under a newly constituted accident investigation board, more than a year and a half after the disaster, as authorities continue to examine the bird strike, the aircraft and crew response, airport safety facilities and possible regulatory failures. 2026-08-11 10:22:13 -
Extreme heat adds to Korea's inflationary pressure SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - South Korea’s prolonged heat wave is pushing up food prices, as extreme temperatures disrupt fresh food output and add volatile press pressure on top of energy costs. While the worst of last week’s near-40 C heat has eased, heat wave alerts remained in effect across most of the country Monday, with daytime highs forecast at 27 to 34 C and tropical nights continuing in many areas. Temperatures topped 40 C in some parts of the country as recently as Friday, including areas of Gyeonggi Province and South Gyeongsang Province, underscoring the severity of this summer’s prolonged heat. The heat is now increasingly being reflected in grocery prices, a phenomenon often described as “heatflation.” According to price data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp., or aT, the wholesale price of a 50-count box of cucumbers stood at 16,200 won ($11.4) as of Thursday, up 87.1 percent from a month earlier. The price of 4 kilograms of spinach jumped 86.5 percent to 37,300 won over the same period. Wholesale prices for Korean broccoli rose 69.6 percent, zucchini climbed 69.1 percent and red chili peppers gained 58.8 percent over the month. Persistent high temperatures have slowed crop growth while also reducing the amount of time farmers can work outdoors, contributing to lower shipments. The impact is also spreading to fisheries. The average auction price of farmed flounder at Seoul’s Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market reached 22,300 won per kilogram between July 27 and Aug. 1, up 13.2 percent from a year earlier. More than 21,000 flounder reportedly died at fish farms on Jeju Island in late July as water temperatures rose to 27 to 28 C, above the species’ optimal range of roughly 18 to 25 C. Egg prices are also adding pressure to household food bills. The average price of a 30-egg carton reached 9,496 won in the second quarter, up 15.8 percent from a year earlier, although the increase also reflects factors such as supply disruptions caused by avian influenza rather than the heat alone. The Bank of Korea has warned that climate-driven temperature increases can have broader inflationary consequences. Its analysis found that a 1 C rise in the monthly average temperature could raise the agricultural product inflation rate by as much as 0.44 percentage point and overall consumer inflation by up to 0.07 percentage point. The heat is expected to remain a concern. The Korea Meteorological Administration said temperatures through mid-August would remain above seasonal norms, with apparent temperatures reaching at least 33 C across most of the country and exceeding 35 C in some inland areas. 2026-08-10 17:46:14