AJU PRESS ASIA FIRST NEWS AGENCY

Journalist

Lee Jung-woo
Lee Jung-woo이정우
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."
Latest by Lee Jung-woo
  • North Korea tests cruise missile from new 5,000-ton destroyer
    North Korea tests cruise missile from new 5,000-ton destroyer SEOUL, July 6 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised weapons tests from a new 5,000-ton destroyer that had been repaired after a failed launch ceremony last year, state media said Sunday, as he pushed to expand the country's naval combat capabilities. The official Korean Central News Agency said the destroyer Kang Kon conducted a test-fire of "strategic cruise missiles" last Friday, along with tests of "major weapon systems such as naval artillery, automatic machine guns and electronic warfare means." KCNA said the tests were intended to assess the combat systems mounted on the warship and to confirm "the ability to apply various kinds of weapon systems on board the destroyer in combat." South Korea's military said the same day it had detected North Korea firing a cruise missile from the warship toward waters off its eastern coast and that South Korean and U.S. authorities were analyzing the launch. Before the tests, Kim received detailed briefings from members of a weapons assessment group on what KCNA described as a "stepwise plan" to examine the performance of the ship's weapons systems. The tests included inspections of the destroyer's "target-detecting and information-processing capability" and its "combined firepower system," the report said. KCNA said Kim praised the progress of the tests, saying the "combat power and creditability" of the destroyer's anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as its "strategic offensive weapon systems," were being verified "in a responsible manner." Kim said the tests gave North Korea confidence in the "development of naval combat system of our own style," according to KCNA. He said the progress created "a great possibility to bring about a change in the readiness posture" of the country's strategic forces. The North Korean leader also called for speeding up efforts to expand the country's military capabilities, saying it was necessary to "further speed up the projects to maintain and steadily expand the reliable war deterrent and capability to fight a war." KCNA quoted Kim as saying North Korea would demonstrate "through more obvious actions" its political will and determination to possess an "absolute power." Kim also ordered officials to complete the Kang Kon's trial process "in a responsible manner" and commission the destroyer into the navy within two months, KCNA said. The Kang Kon drew outside attention last year after it was damaged during a botched launch ceremony at the northern port of Chongjin, an embarrassment that prompted an unusually angry response from Kim. North Korea later said the ship had been repaired and relaunched, though outside analysts questioned how quickly the vessel could be made ready for active service. The destroyer is part of a new class of North Korean warships that Kim has portrayed as central to his effort to modernize the navy. Late last month, North Korea commissioned another 5,000-ton destroyer, the Choe Hyon, in a ceremony state media cast as a milestone in strengthening the navy's ability to defend maritime sovereignty and deter war. KCNA said Kim recalled that a recent plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party had adopted a decision to turn each naval fleet base into “a hub of naval command, culture and combat capability” and to expand shipyard capacity at all levels. He also expressed what KCNA called his determination to take "national steps" to build up the navy, which he said plays an important role in defending North Korea's maritime sovereignty and exercising war deterrence. North Korea has increasingly emphasized naval development after years of focusing heavily on ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Kim has called for building two 5,000-ton-class warships each year over the next five years and has also outlined plans for larger 10,000-ton destroyers. The North describes some of its cruise missiles as "strategic," a term it often uses for weapons designed to carry nuclear warheads. Experts say deploying such weapons on surface ships could give North Korea more launch options and complicate missile-defense planning by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. KCNA said senior defense, navy and shipbuilding officials attended Friday's tests, including Jo Chun-ryong, a secretary of the Workers' Party Central Committee; Kim Jong-sik, first deputy department director of the party Central Committee; Pak Jong-chon, an adviser to the Ministry of National Defence; Pak Kwang-sop, commander of the navy; Kim Yong-hwan, president of the Academy of Defence Sciences; and Kim Kwang-il, minister of shipbuilding industry. It also said Kim convened "an important consultative meeting for the development of the warship building industry" but gave no details. 2026-07-06 10:51:03
  • North Korea, DPRK, or Joseon? Seouls naming dilemma
    North Korea, DPRK, or Joseon? Seoul's naming dilemma SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - Defined by its neighbor "hostile state," South Korea is rethinking how to address North Korea. The Unification Ministry said Friday that growing calls to refer to North Korea by its official name are part of a broader process of building public consensus, as a linguistic debate over inter-Korean relations moves from academic and religious circles into the center of national politics. At issue is whether South Korea should continue using the term "North Korea" — Bukhan in Korean — or begin referring to the country in official and public settings as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or by its shorter Korean name, "Joseon." The proposal, promoted by some religious leaders, scholars, and officials, is framed as a gesture of mutual respect that could help ease tensions. Critics counter that it risks echoing Pyongyang's claim that the two Koreas are separate, hostile states, and could undermine Seoul's constitutional commitment to peaceful unification. Jang Yun-jeong, deputy spokesperson for the Unification Ministry, said at a regular briefing in Seoul that the ministry was watching a declaration issued a day earlier by senior leaders of South Korea's major religious communities, which urged the two Koreas to respect each other's official names as a starting point for peaceful coexistence. "We see these developments as part of a process in which public consensus is being formed over the question of how to refer to North Korea's national name," Jang said, adding that the ministry would follow the debate closely and listen broadly to views across society. Her remarks stopped short of announcing a formal shift in government terminology, but signaled that the Lee Jae Myung administration is willing to keep the discussion alive at a time when inter-Korean relations remain frozen and North Korea has hardened its stance toward the South. The Korean Council of Senior Religious Leaders issued the "Declaration for Peaceful Coexistence and Mutual Respect on the Korean Peninsula" on Thursday, arguing that peace begins with respecting the other side's name. Signed by senior figures from Catholicism, Buddhism, Protestant Christianity, Won Buddhism, Cheondoism, Confucianism, and Korea's native religions, the declaration noted that the international community already recognizes the two Koreas by their official UN names — the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Approaching the other side's chosen name with respect, the group said, could be a symbolic first step toward reducing hostility. Kang Chang-il, executive vice chairperson of the National Unification Advisory Council — a constitutional body on unification policy chaired by the president — endorsed the proposal Thursday in a personal statement: "If North Korea calls us the Republic of Korea, it is only reasonable that we call North Korea the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." Kang argued that the first step toward converting the armistice into a peace regime would be for both Koreas to use each other's official names, noting that such names appeared in the 1991 inter-Korean Basic Agreement, the same year both countries joined the UN separately. Continued hostility amid a dialogue freeze, he said, would lead only to mutual destruction. The main opposition People Power Party denounced Kang's comments Friday. Spokesperson Cho Yong-sul said North Korea's use of "Republic of Korea" is not a gesture of respect but part of Pyongyang's effort to formalize its "hostile two-state" doctrine, and warned that a terminology debate should not be allowed to weaken South Korea's security posture given the North's continued weapons development. A Larger Question About National Identity The dispute reflects a broader question facing Seoul: how to respond to North Korea's rejection of the long-standing idea that the two Koreas remain one nation temporarily divided by history. Since late 2023, Kim Jong-un has described inter-Korean relations as those between two hostile states rather than members of a shared nation, and Pyongyang has increasingly used "Republic of Korea" or "South Korea" instead of terms implying ethnic or national kinship. For some in Seoul, that shift opens the door to a more pragmatic relationship built on mutual recognition. For others, it's a trap that could normalize North Korea's abandonment of unification and erode South Korea's legal and moral standing. The Lee administration's unification policy has emphasized peaceful coexistence, respect for the North's system, and reduced military tensions. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has repeatedly used North Korea's formal name in public remarks — speaking of "Korea-Joseon relations" and, at a ministry event earlier this year, referring to the North as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In January, he said the government respects the North's system and rejects any German-style absorption unification. In March, at a joint conference with the Korea Institute for National Unification, he again used the North's official name, urging South Korea to turn Pyongyang's hostile two-state line into an opportunity to rethink the inter-Korean paradigm. At the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security in Mongolia on June 4, Chung used "DPRK" and proposed four-way talks among South Korea, North Korea, the United States, and China to build a peace regime — one that could later expand to include Mongolia, Japan, and Russia. "We can begin four-party talks among the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States and China," he said. The use of "DPRK" at an international forum drew attention because, while South Korean officials have long used the term at international bodies, they've been more cautious about it domestically. Ministry officials say no fixed policy exists yet and that any change would require public discussion, expert review, and government-wide coordination. The issue entered formal public discussion on April 29, when the Korean Political Science Association — backed by the Unification Ministry — held a conference titled "Naming for Peaceful Coexistence: North Korea or Joseon?" examining whether a change in terminology could reshape perceptions, law, and policy. Sogang University professor Kim Sung-kyung argued that "North Korea" is not a neutral term in South Korean society, shaped as it is by decades of anti-communist ideology, the National Security Act, and threat narratives. Using the North's official name, she said, would signal respect and a willingness to reset relations. She noted that South Koreans bristled when Pyongyang used "South Joseon" for the South, and asked whether continuing to use a name the North rejects for itself really serves the relationship Seoul says it wants. Kangwon National University professor Lee Dong-ki pointed to West Germany's Cold War-era shift away from West-centered labels for East Germany as part of a broader reconciliation process, suggesting South Korea consider similar language to defuse mutual hostility. Supporters say adopting "Joseon" would not signal acceptance of Pyongyang's ideology or nuclear program, but would be a limited gesture acknowledging the reality of two governments on the peninsula. They point out that past agreements have used formal titles before: the 1972 July 4 Joint Communique avoided official names amid extreme Cold War caution, while the more formal 1991 Basic Agreement — signed as both Koreas entered the UN as separate members — described inter-Korean relations as a "special relationship" formed temporarily in the pursuit of unification, rather than ordinary relations between foreign states. That formula has let Seoul treat North Korea as a negotiating counterpart while still upholding its constitutional goal of peaceful unification. Critics say the proposed shift could upset that balance. South Korea's Constitution defines the Republic of Korea's territory as the entire Korean Peninsula and requires the state to pursue peaceful unification; some conservative politicians and legal scholars warn that officially calling the North "Joseon" could imply acceptance of it as a separate sovereign state, undermining the constitutional basis for unification policy. Others question whether Pyongyang would reciprocate at all, arguing that North Korea's own terminology shift was never conciliatory — but rather a strategy to sever ethnic and political ties with the South, brand the Republic of Korea a hostile foreign state, and justify a more aggressive military posture. The Unification Ministry has tried to frame the issue as one for public deliberation rather than swift decision. Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-joong told the April conference that language can either deepen distrust or ease tension, and that institutions and language recognizing the other side's existence are needed to break the cycle of confrontation. But he acknowledged the issue is far from simple, requiring South Korea to weigh its constitutional order, the special nature of inter-Korean relations, domestic law, international practice, and public consensus. A Politically Fraught Symbol North Korea policy in South Korea has long swung between engagement and pressure depending on the administration, and even symbolic steps can become partisan flashpoints — especially when they touch on the North's statehood, nuclear program, or claims over the South. The Lee administration is seeking room for engagement at a time when Pyongyang shows little interest in dialogue: North Korea has expanded its nuclear and missile programs, deepened ties with Russia, rejected Seoul's offers for talks, and left inter-Korean communication channels severed. Supporters of the terminology shift argue that in this climate, small symbolic gestures may be among the few tools available to reduce animosity, since language shapes how the public understands the other side and how policymakers imagine future agreements. Opponents counter that symbols cut both ways — that changing terminology without any reciprocal move from Pyongyang could signal weakness and blur South Korea's goals, and that Seoul should instead focus on deterrence, sanctions enforcement, and alliance coordination. The debate has been sharpened by North Korea's own conduct: its use of "Republic of Korea" has often appeared in hostile contexts rejecting reunification and casting the South as a permanent enemy, even as Pyongyang revises its domestic political language to strip out references to peaceful unification. For many South Koreans, "Joseon" carries layered meaning — it's the short name North Korea uses for itself, but also evokes the premodern Joseon Dynasty and a shared national history. "North Korea," by contrast, reflects division while implying the peninsula remains connected by history, language, and identity. The practical implications of any change remain unclear. The government could keep using "North Korea" domestically while continuing to use "DPRK" at international conferences, as it often already does; it could encourage academic, civic, and religious groups to adopt the official name without making it government policy; or it could eventually use "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" in certain official documents or inter-Korean proposals while keeping "North Korea" as the standard public term. Whether the proposal can win broader public support remains uncertain. Polling has not yet established a clear national consensus, and the issue is likely to stay vulnerable to partisan framing. 2026-07-03 17:50:32
  • Koreas Lee to head to NATO summit as Seoul courts defense partners
    Korea's Lee to head to NATO summit as Seoul courts defense partners SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will travel to Türkiye and Mongolia next week for a five-day diplomatic swing aimed at expanding Seoul's security, defense industry and supply chain partnerships, the presidential office said Friday. Lee will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara from July 7 to 8 before making a state visit to Mongolia from July 9 to 11, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said at a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea's presidential office. The trip will be Lee's second major multilateral diplomatic outing in less than a month, following his participation in the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, in June. The presidential office said the visit is intended to broaden South Korea's diplomatic reach and accelerate cooperation with NATO member countries, which Wi described as the world’s largest defense market. Lee is scheduled to arrive in Ankara on the afternoon of July 7 and attend a small-group meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and leaders from the alliance's Indo-Pacific partners — South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand — a grouping often referred to as the IP4. NATO has stepped up engagement with the four Indo-Pacific partners in recent years, saying developments in the Indo-Pacific can directly affect Euro-Atlantic security. The four countries first joined NATO leaders at the 2022 Madrid summit and later attended summits in Vilnius in 2023 and Washington in 2024. NATO says its cooperation with South Korea includes cyber defense, emerging technologies, nonproliferation and interoperability. The Ankara summit, scheduled for July 7 and 8, will be chaired by Rutte and held at the Beştepe Presidential Compound, according to NATO. The alliance's Defense Industry Forum, a high-level event on defense production, investment and innovation, will also take place in Ankara on July 7. Lee will deliver a keynote speech during the forum and later attend an official welcome dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan. Wi said Seoul is arranging bilateral meetings on July 8 with countries that have strong demand for practical cooperation, including in defense. He said the trip would help lay the groundwork for South Korean defense companies to enter NATO markets and build more resilient defense supply chains. South Korea has emerged as a major arms exporter, particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a surge in European defense spending. Seoul has promoted its weapons systems as cost-effective, NATO-compatible and quickly deliverable, a combination that helped Korean firms win large contracts in Europe, including in Poland. The NATO summit comes as the alliance seeks to expand defense production and reinforce deterrence amid concerns over Russia, Ukraine and burden-sharing within the transatlantic alliance. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters ahead of the summit that NATO’s priorities include increased defense spending, a stronger transatlantic defense industry, alliance unity and support for Ukraine. Lee's visit also comes against the backdrop of deepening South Korea-Türkiye defense ties. Türkiye, a NATO member with the alliance's second-largest military, has worked with South Korea on major defense projects, including the Altay main battle tank. Erdogan said last year that the Altay project was one of the most successful examples of defense cooperation between the two "strategic partner" countries. South Korea and Türkiye established diplomatic ties in 1957 and often describe their relationship as one rooted in the Korean War, when Turkish troops fought under the United Nations (UN) Command. In recent years, the two countries have expanded cooperation in defense, infrastructure, energy and trade, while Ankara's role inside NATO gives Seoul an additional channel into the Euro-Atlantic security architecture. After the NATO summit, Lee will travel to Ulaanbaatar at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh. Wi said it will be the first state visit to Mongolia by a South Korean president in 15 years. Lee will hold a summit with Khurelsukh on July 9, followed by an exchange of agreements and memorandums of understanding and a joint press announcement. The two leaders are also expected to issue a joint declaration setting out what the presidential office called a new "golden era" in South Korea-Mongolia relations. Lee will later deliver a keynote speech at a South Korea-Mongolia business forum attended by government officials and business leaders from both countries. South Korea and Mongolia established diplomatic relations in 1990 and upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership in 2021. Mongolia's "third neighbor" policy, which seeks to diversify its foreign relations beyond China and Russia, has helped Seoul and Ulaanbaatar expand cooperation in diplomacy, development, culture, infrastructure and resources. Critical minerals are expected to be a major focus of the visit. Mongolia is rich in natural resources, including rare metals and other minerals needed for batteries, electronics and advanced manufacturing. South Korea, whose major industries depend heavily on imported raw materials, has been trying to diversify supply chains for critical minerals. Last month, senior officials from South Korea and Mongolia launched a vice-ministerial strategic dialogue in Ulaanbaatar, where they discussed cooperation in rare metals, critical minerals, supply chains, health care and international issues. On July 10, Lee will visit a memorial hall honoring Lee Tae-joon, a Korean independence activist and doctor who practiced medicine in Mongolia and supported Korea's independence movement during Japan's colonial rule. He will also meet members of the Korean community in Mongolia over lunch. On July 11, Lee and Khurelsukh will attend the opening ceremony of Naadam, Mongolia's largest national festival. Wi said Lee will be the first South Korean president invited as guest of honor to the festival, which celebrates Mongolia's independence and national identity through traditional sports including wrestling, archery and horse racing. Wi said Mongolia is also significant because it maintains traditional ties with North Korea. He said Lee and Khurelsukh are expected to discuss peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, regional confidence-building and possible ways to resume dialogue with Pyongyang. "The visit to Mongolia is connected to our government's push to expand cooperation with the New Northern region and diversify diplomacy," Wi said. "It will also be an opportunity to strengthen trade and supply chain cooperation with a resource-rich partner." 2026-07-03 15:17:32
  • Crypto hacks hit record count, two thirds tied to North Korea
    Crypto hacks hit record count, two thirds tied to North Korea SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - North Korea-linked hackers stole about $643 million in cryptocurrency in the first half of 2026, accounting for roughly two-thirds of all funds taken in crypto hacks during the period, according to a new report by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs. The findings underscore Pyongyang’s continued reliance on cyber theft as a source of hard currency even as overall losses from cryptocurrency hacks fell sharply from a year earlier. TRM Labs said attackers carried out 207 crypto hacks and exploits from January through June, the highest number the firm has recorded in any six-month period. Total losses, however, fell to $972 million, less than half the $2.3 billion stolen in the first half of 2025, the report said. The decline reflected the absence of a theft on the scale of last year’s $1.5 billion Bybit hack, which the FBI attributed to North Korea. But TRM warned that the lower dollar figure should not be read as evidence that the crypto ecosystem has become safer. “North Korea’s activity has not slowed,” the firm said in the report. “The difference is that the rest of the ecosystem experienced fewer large scale thefts than in 2025.” Nearly all of the North Korea-linked losses in the first half came from two attacks in April, TRM said. A breach of Drift Protocol caused about $285 million in losses, while an exploit targeting KelpDAO accounted for about $292 million. Together, the two attacks represented about $577 million in stolen funds. TRM described the incidents as state-directed financial operations involving sophisticated infrastructure compromises rather than opportunistic smart-contract exploits. The report pointed to a split in the threat landscape. Smart-contract exploits made up most of the hacks, with 125 of the 207 incidents recorded in the first half. But the largest losses came from attacks on infrastructure, credentials and systems used to control digital assets. Infrastructure and operational compromises accounted for about 76 percent of all funds stolen while representing only about 15 percent of incidents, TRM said. By contrast, smart-contract attacks drove the record number of hacks but accounted for a much smaller share of the stolen value. The median crypto hack in the first half caused about $219,000 in losses, while the average loss was $4.7 million, a gap that TRM said reflected the distorting effect of a few large attacks. The FBI said in February 2025 that North Korea was responsible for the theft of about $1.5 billion in virtual assets from Bybit, a Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange. The bureau identified the activity as TraderTraitor and said the stolen assets were being converted and dispersed across thousands of addresses on multiple blockchains. U.N. sanctions monitors and U.S. officials have said North Korea uses cyberattacks and other illicit financial activity to help fund its nuclear weapons and missile programs while evading international sanctions. North Korea has previously denied allegations of hacking and other cyberattacks. Other blockchain analytics firms have reached similar conclusions about the scale of the threat. Chainalysis said in December that North Korean hackers stole at least $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, pushing their cumulative crypto theft total to at least $6.75 billion. TRM said the $643 million attributed to North Korea-linked hacks in the first half of 2026 covers only hacks and exploits, not other illicit crypto activity such as phishing, fraud, scams, social engineering or covert information technology worker operations. The report said crypto firms should continue auditing smart contracts because code exploits remain the most common attack type. But it said companies holding large amounts of digital assets also need stronger controls around key management, signing infrastructure, approval workflows and custody systems. “Large infrastructure compromises continue to drive the industry’s biggest financial losses, while a growing number of smaller smart contract exploits are pushing incident counts to record levels,” TRM said. 2026-07-03 11:04:02
  • Climate forum in Seoul frames clean energy shift as security challenge
    Climate forum in Seoul frames clean energy shift as security challenge SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - South Korean lawmakers, German diplomats and climate experts on Thursday framed the transition to clean energy as no longer just an environmental issue, but a matter of national security, industrial competitiveness and global trade strategy. The remarks came at 2026 Climate Talks Seoul, held at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeouido and co-hosted by the German Embassy in Seoul, Rep. Kim Gunn’s office and the National Assembly Global Diplomacy and Security Forum. Kyun Jong-ho, Korea’s climate change ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the clean energy transition should be understood as a national security issue. The Foreign Ministry lists an ambassador and deputy minister for climate change among its senior posts, and Kyun has represented Korea in recent climate diplomacy discussions with other governments. “Germany is a very valuable partner to Korea,” Kyun said, citing bilateral climate cooperation and the need to expand renewable energy. He said the transition to clean energy required participation from a wide range of stakeholders, not only governments. The main panel, titled “National Strategy and Policy: Carbon Neutrality and Renewable Energy Roadmap,” was moderated by Yoo Yeon-chul, secretary-general of the U.N. Global Compact Network Korea. Rep. Park Ji-hye of the Democratic Party said the most urgent task was a major expansion of renewable energy. Park, who serves as a lawmaker involved in the National Assembly’s special committee on the climate crisis, said carbon neutrality had become one of the most important issues in her legislative work. Fossil fuels still dominate Korea’s energy system. The International Energy Agency says Korea’s energy sector is characterized by a dominance of fossil fuels, heavy dependence on energy imports and a high share of industrial energy use. The IEA also notes that Korea faces distinct challenges in expanding renewables because of limited land, high population density and a lack of electricity interconnections with neighboring countries. Rep. Kim Gunn of the People Power Party said Korea needed to ask why renewable energy had struggled to rise more quickly in the country’s power mix. The central challenge, he said, was infrastructure. “We need to build the infrastructure,” Kim said. Rep. Lee Joo-young of the Reform Party said Korea and Germany faced different structural conditions. Korea, she said, is effectively an island when it comes to electricity, with no major cross-border grid connections to rely on in times of stress. Lee cautioned against setting one-sided targets before the country had a clearer picture of future electricity demand and industrial needs. The wars in Ukraine and the threat of disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, she said, showed that energy had expanded into the realm of defense. “We need to find stable energy sources that can support all of our industries,” Lee said. “To do that, we first need to understand how much power we will need.” Kim also referred to the shock that the Ukraine war had delivered to European households, saying his own apartment maintenance fees in Korea reached 500,000 won ($323) in winter and that some Europeans had seen heating bills rise sharply after the war. The example, he said, showed how deeply energy insecurity can affect ordinary citizens. Lee, who previously served on the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, said climate-related health threats would not stop at national borders. “The next pandemic will come,” Lee said. “If Korea and Germany do not prepare in advance, a future pandemic will become a matter of enormous cost and even survival.” Asked by AJP what specific preparations were needed, Lee said no single city or country could prepare for a pandemic alone. She called for broad research into how pathogens evolve or disappear under changing climate conditions. She also warned that the next pandemic could begin in a developing country or refugee camp before spreading globally. That possibility, she said, meant Korea should not treat distant health crises as unrelated to its own security. “We must take part in vaccine development and international cooperation,” Lee said. “Joint work is essential, just as multinational companies participated in vaccine development during Covid.” Park said Korea should legislate a date for ending coal-fired power generation, while Kim pointed to his proposed climate diplomacy legislation, which he described as a “diplomacy law to save the Earth.” Kim introduced a climate diplomacy bill in February aimed at strengthening Korea’s diplomatic capacity to respond to the climate crisis, according to local reports. The forum ended with a broad consensus that energy transition had moved beyond the boundaries of environmental policy. The government approved a 2035 target last year to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 53 percent to 61 percent from 2018 levels, a step that has put new pressure on policymakers to align energy infrastructure, industrial policy and diplomacy. 2026-07-02 17:02:49
  • AMCHAM launches AI leadership council to leverage alliance for AI supremacy
    AMCHAM launches AI leadership council to leverage alliance for AI supremacy SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea launched a new AI Leadership Council on Thursday, bringing together senior executives from major global technology, finance, manufacturing and mobility companies as South Korea seeks to sharpen its position in the intensifying global race for artificial intelligence. The council was unveiled at the AMCHAM AI Forum 2026, held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul under the theme “Powering Korea’s AI Future: Partnership, Policy, and Scale.” More than 150 senior government officials, industry leaders and technology experts from South Korea and the United States attended the forum, which focused on Korea’s national AI strategy, global technology trends, investment conditions and the policy framework needed to expand the country’s AI ecosystem. The launch underscored how artificial intelligence has become a central pillar of the economic and strategic partnership between Seoul and Washington. South Korea, already a global leader in semiconductors, manufacturing and digital infrastructure, is trying to move beyond its traditional strengths in hardware and become one of the world’s leading AI economies. “Korea has a unique opportunity to help shape the next era of global innovation,” James Kim, chairman and chief executive of AMCHAM, said in opening remarks. “Realizing that opportunity will take more than technology — it will take partnership, sound policy, and the ability to scale.” Kim said the new council would seek to strengthen public-private collaboration and deepen U.S.-Korea cooperation to help ensure Korea remains globally competitive. The AMCHAM AI Leadership Council will be chaired by Kim and include senior executives from Apple, Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Cohere, Corning, J.P. Morgan, Lam Research, OpenAI, PTC, Qualcomm and Tesla. AMCHAM said the group would represent the full AI value chain, from semiconductors and cloud infrastructure to AI platforms, advanced manufacturing, mobility and financial services. The council is expected to provide industry views on AI policy and regulation, data governance and ecosystem development, while creating a channel for closer cooperation between government and business. James Heller, chargé d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, framed AI not only as a technology competition but also as a matter of shared economic opportunity. He described AI as a “tool for shared prosperity” and said that “winning the AI race” was not something the United States could achieve alone. That effort, he said, would require close cooperation with allies such as South Korea. The comments reflected a broader shift in U.S.-Korea economic ties, as both governments and companies increasingly view AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing as strategic sectors tied to national competitiveness. South Korea has enacted an AI Basic Act and has set a goal of becoming one of the world’s top three AI powers, while Korean conglomerates have announced large-scale plans tied to chips, AI data centers and physical AI. Rep. Cha Jiho of the National Assembly delivered a special policy address outlining Korea’s national AI strategy and the policy direction needed to strengthen the country’s competitiveness. Cha’s remarks were followed by Heller’s congratulatory address, then keynote speeches by Spencer Kim, vice president and president of Qualcomm Korea YH, and James Ryu, president of the AI Committee at SK SUPEX Council. Spencer Kim said the industry was moving from conventional AI into a more advanced era of agentic and physical AI. If conventional AI systems such as ChatGPT represented the first stage of AI, he said, agentic AI represented the second stage and physical AI the third. In his keynote address, titled “The Year of Agents,” Kim said agentic AI would begin reshaping user experiences in 2026 by understanding context across multiple devices and delivering appropriate outcomes in real time. He said Qualcomm would continue working with partners across smartphones, PCs, automobiles, robotics and data centers, supported by low-latency and energy-efficient technologies. Kim also invoked popular culture to describe where he believed AI was headed. He said he liked the film “Iron Man” and predicted that artificial intelligence resembling Jarvis, the assistant in the movie, would eventually become reality. Ryu of SK SUPEX Council used his address, “From Chips to AI Tokens,” to argue that Korea’s next challenge is to convert its semiconductor strength into broader AI leadership. He said competitiveness in the AI era would be defined by the ability to produce high-quality AI tokens more efficiently. SK Group, he said, wants to help Korea evolve “from a semiconductor-exporting nation into an AI token-exporting nation” and become “the world’s most trusted partner in the global AI ecosystem.” Kim Kyeong-man, deputy minister of artificial intelligence policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, presented the government’s AI policy priorities under the theme “K-AI Blueprint 2026: Advancing Toward a Global AI Leader.” He said the government would continue strengthening Korea’s AI ecosystem while expanding global cooperation. “As Korea strives to become one of the world’s top three AI nations, the government will continue strengthening the competitiveness of its AI ecosystem while deepening global cooperation,” he said. He added that the government was committed to ensuring that the benefits of AI innovation were broadly shared and contributed to people’s well-being around the world. Industry presentations examined the building blocks of a competitive AI ecosystem, including infrastructure, industrial AI adoption, AI assurance, cybersecurity and foreign investment. Kim Young-hoon, director of Korea and Japan public policy at Amazon Web Services, discussed global AI adoption trends and customer success cases as companies move from experimentation to AI deployment at scale. Dr. Helen Teixeira, managing director of Unit 42 JAPAC at Palo Alto Networks, warned that the cybersecurity landscape was changing rapidly as frontier AI lowered the barrier to sophisticated attacks. She said companies and governments were in a brief but critical “defender’s window,” in which AI could be used to identify systemic vulnerabilities before malicious actors weaponized the same capabilities at scale. Through initiatives such as Project Glasswing and continuous agentic defense systems, she said, organizations could move from reactive patching to proactive exposure management and better protect the infrastructure that will power the next era of innovation. Jason Chan, vice president of data and innovation at UL Solutions, said trust would be central to AI adoption. AI could drive growth, he said, but only when built on governance and transparency. Independent testing and certification, he added, would be essential to building confidence across the AI life cycle. Alex Kim, vice president and general manager of PTC Korea, focused on manufacturing AI and the potential for Korea and the United States to combine their respective strengths. “The key to AI success is not the volume of data, but the structure that connects it,” he said. Kim said the most important question for companies was no longer whether to adopt AI, but who could implement and scale it faster. To realize AI’s full value, he said, companies would need to go beyond technology adoption and redesign how they work. “When Korea’s strong manufacturing foundation is combined with the United States’ AI intelligence layer, it will usher in the era of true Physical AI,” he said. Lee Ji-hyung, president and chief executive of Invest Seoul, presented Seoul as a global AI investment destination, citing the city’s talent base, capital and digital infrastructure. He said Seoul was committed to attracting leading global AI companies and helping them succeed while contributing to Korea’s AI transformation. The forum concluded with a panel discussion on the policy frameworks, investment conditions and collaborative initiatives needed to accelerate AI adoption across industries and strengthen Korea’s position as a leading AI economy. For AMCHAM, the council represents a new platform in its long-running role as a bridge between the Korean and American business communities. Founded in 1953, AMCHAM is the largest foreign chamber in Korea, with more than 800 member companies and affiliates. As AI becomes an increasingly important part of economic policy, industrial strategy and diplomacy, AMCHAM officials said the organization would continue working with stakeholders in both countries to promote innovation, a predictable policy environment and public-private cooperation. 2026-07-02 15:21:47
  • President Lee to go live with cabinet H2 briefings
    President Lee to go live with cabinet H2 briefings SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will once again receive live televised briefings on the government's second-half policy agenda, pressing ahead with the format despite criticism that it has become more of a public spectacle than a working policy review. The presidential office said Wednesday that Lee will receive reports from government ministries and agencies from July 15 to July 21 in nine sessions, reviewing progress on tasks assigned during the administration's first round of policy briefings late last year. The reviews will cover progress on structural reform, region-led growth initiatives and projects aimed at restoring state institutions. About 200 members of a public observer panel will attend the sessions, asking questions and offering suggestions after presentations by government officials and discussions with the president. Lee announced on Facebook that applications for the citizen panel would be accepted through July 6. "This is the first ministry briefing jointly conducted by the government and the people," Lee wrote. "Rather than simply announcing achievements, it will be an opportunity to review policy outcomes together with citizens and discuss the future direction of state affairs." The initiative has become a defining feature of Lee's governing style since his first round of ministry briefings, but it has also exposed a sharp political divide over how government should operate. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the conservative People Power Party said the broadcasts could improve transparency but warned that they risked becoming political theater. "Lee Jae Myung government's livestreamed ministry briefings are meaningful in that they are an experiment to reveal the operation of government directly to the public," Yoon said. "However, the current format appears to place more emphasis on performance and public reprimands than on policy reviews." "Government is not a show but a system. The strengths of transparency and livestreaming should be preserved, but they need to be complemented with calm policy discussions and a long-term vision for state affairs, rather than controversial remarks and impromptu instructions," he added. Rep. Ahn Sang-hoon, also of the People Power Party, dismissed the format as "showmanship." "It's governance for show," Ahn said. "Ministries will spend more time preparing materials for presidential briefings than working on detailed implementation plans." He added that even "if a president is a genius, trying to oversee everything personally will ultimately produce weak governance," arguing that ministers should instead be given broader authority while the president focuses on major policy issues. Rep. Cho In-cheol of the ruling Democratic Party welcomed the initiative. "I wholeheartedly welcome it because government can no longer operate behind closed doors as it did in the past," Cho said. "It is also a promise to the people: 'This is what we will do. Please watch whether the government is doing well or not.'" Cho acknowledged that the process could be burdensome for civil servants but said, "The civil service should no longer be afraid of adopting private-sector practices," adding that Lee's informal style of communication was intended to ease pressure on government officials. 2026-07-01 17:07:02
  • Google faces fresh Korean antitrust action over alleged app store exclusivity
    Google faces fresh Korean antitrust action over alleged app store exclusivity SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - South Korea's antitrust regulator has launched formal proceedings against Google, accusing the U.S. tech giant of using financial incentives to induce major game developers to give preferential treatment to its Play Store, in what authorities describe as an abuse of its dominant market position. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said Wednesday it had sent an examiner's report to Google, marking the start of deliberations that could lead to corrective orders and a fine of up to 849.6 billion won ($547 million). The case targets Google LLC in the United States, Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. in Singapore and Google Korea. According to the KFTC, Google signed agreements with 22 domestic and foreign game developers between July 2019 and March 2026 under its Games/Google Velocity Program (GVP), internally known as "Project Hug." The agreements required developers to launch games on Google Play under conditions that were at least as favorable as those offered on rival app stores, including release timing and service quality, in exchange for financial support for Google Cloud, Google Ads, YouTube and other Google services. The regulator alleges the contracts were structured so that Google's financial support increased as developers generated more revenue through Google Play, creating strong incentives to prioritize Google's marketplace over competitors. The KFTC said the arrangement significantly reduced developers' incentives to distribute games through competing app stores, including Korean app marketplace OneStore, effectively forcing developers into de facto exclusive dealing with Google and hindering rivals' business activities. Google's Play Store has maintained more than an 80 percent share of South Korea's Android app market, according to the regulator. The regulator also said the agreements discouraged some companies from launching their own app marketplaces. The KFTC estimated that Google's alleged conduct affected $9.22 billion in relevant revenue in Korea, allowing the commission to impose a fine of up to 6 percent of that amount under the country's antitrust law. The examiner recommended corrective measures and financial penalties, describing the alleged violations as "very serious." The case marks Google's second major antitrust action in Korea involving its app marketplace in three years. In 2023, the KFTC fined Google 42.1 billion won (about $32 million at the time) after finding that the company offered marketing and overseas expansion support to game developers on the condition that they did not release games on rival app store OneStore. Because the latest alleged violations occurred within five years of the previous case, any eventual fine could be increased under the regulator's penalty guidelines, although the statutory maximum remains unchanged. Google has up to eight weeks after receiving the examiner's report to submit a written response and review the evidence before the commission issues a final ruling. The KFTC said it plans to reach a decision as quickly as possible, calling the case significant for restoring competition in South Korea's app marketplace. 2026-07-01 15:21:26
  • Koreas new PM Han Seong-sook vows AI focus and faster policy delivery
    Korea's new PM Han Seong-sook vows AI focus and faster policy delivery SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - South Korea's new Prime Minister Han Seong-sook pledged Wednesday bolder policy commitment in artificial intelligence and advanced industries while ensuring the benefits of economic growth reach ordinary citizens. Speaking to reporters as she arrived for her first day at the Government Complex Seoul, Han said she accepted "with great humility" the responsibility entrusted to her by the people and the National Assembly. Referring to the government's June 29 announcement of three flagship "mega projects" to expand chip-led AI infrastructure, Han said Korea was transforming "from a follower into a country leading major change." "We will pursue even bolder investment in AI and advanced industries," she said. "We will work to ensure that the results become part of people's daily lives and create opportunities for young people to grow and succeed." Han said the benefits of economic growth should extend beyond large corporations to small businesses and neighborhood merchants so that "all citizens can realize their potential." Asked about her most urgent task, Han said the government's speed would be critical. "I believe the speed of government is extremely important," she said. "I will do my best to make this a government that moves more quickly." Han added that she would prioritize policies with tangible benefits for the public, saying she wanted to focus on initiatives that people could directly experience in their daily lives. Addressing the division of responsibilities with President Lee Jae Myung, Han said the president would set the administration's overall direction while the Cabinet would focus on rapid execution. "If the president presents the big picture and delivers the overarching message, the Cabinet's job is to carry it out quickly," she said. Han, who becomes South Korea's second woman to serve as prime minister, downplayed the historic significance of the appointment. "Whenever I've taken on a new role, I've often carried the title of 'the first woman,'" she said. "I don't think much about that. I believe I am in a position where I can do this job now." Earlier Wednesday, Han received her letter of appointment from President Lee. She said the president encouraged her to continue the work she had been doing and told her that people had high expectations for her leadership. Han also identified suicide prevention as one of the government's priority policy areas. Echoing President Lee's emphasis on building "a government that saves lives," she said ministries should better coordinate and analyze data together to improve the effectiveness of suicide prevention efforts. Under South Korea's presidential system, the prime minister is the country's second-highest-ranking government official but serves under the president, who is both head of state and head of government. Appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly, the prime minister oversees government ministries on the president's behalf, coordinates Cabinet affairs and can recommend the appointment or dismissal of Cabinet ministers. Although the office carries less independent political authority than prime ministers in parliamentary democracies, it plays a key role in managing the day-to-day operations of the government and coordinating policy implementation across ministries. The prime minister is also first in the constitutional line of succession and assumes the powers of the presidency on an acting basis if the president is unable to perform official duties or the office becomes vacant. 2026-07-01 14:19:54
  • Mocking Gwangju is no childs play, baseball aspirants learn
    Mocking Gwangju is no child's play, baseball aspirants learn SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - "A man is responsible for his ignorance," Milan Kundera once wrote. Young Koreans are now learning that lesson the hard way. Just last week, Starbucks Korea was forced to close stores early nationwide for employee history lessons, absorbing an estimated 2 billion won ($12.8 million) in losses after a promotional campaign on May 18 sparked outrage in Gwangju. Its "Tank Day" promotion of 5/18 tumbler sparked social outrage for its painful associations with the May 18, 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, when military forces used tanks and lethal force to suppress a pro-democracy uprising, killing hundreds of civilians. The controversy was reignited during a high school baseball championship game between teams from Seoul and Gwangju last Monday. What may have begun as teenage taunting quickly escalated into a serious national issue, drawing investigations by education authorities and the Korea Baseball Softball Association. For the students involved, the consequences could be severe. Disciplinary action could affect not only their school records but also their future baseball careers. The controversy erupted during a game between Paichai High School of Seoul and Gwangju Jeil High School in the 81st Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship at Mokdong Baseball Stadium. Video footage circulating online showed multiple Paichai players repeatedly chanting, "Let's go, let's go, let's go to Starbucks," from the dugout during the top of the eighth inning as their team led 6-2. The baseball incident suggested that the lessons from the Starbucks controversy had not been fully learned. Critics accused the students of trivializing the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement as it remains one of the darkest chapters in modern Korean history. According to witnesses and game footage, the chanting continued until coaches from Gwangju Jeil protested. Paichai's coaches intervened only after the complaint was raised, and umpires stepped in to calm the situation. The Korea Baseball Softball Association has launched an investigation after Gwangju Jeil formally requested disciplinary action against those involved. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also announced Tuesday that it would conduct its own investigation. "The office takes this matter extremely seriously," it said in a statement. "Expressions that can be interpreted as ridiculing historical suffering or mocking a particular region are educationally unacceptable and have no place in school sports." Education officials said they would visit Paichai High School to determine how the incident unfolded, whether coaches responded appropriately, how student athletes were supervised, and what measures the school plans to take to prevent similar incidents. The school's apology also came under criticism. Paichai High initially stated that it would discipline "the student athlete involved" under school regulations, wording many online critics said portrayed the incident as the actions of a single individual despite video footage showing numerous players chanting together. The apology sparked further controversy after internet users noticed that the first version carried a visible watermark indicating it had been generated using Google's Gemini artificial intelligence model. The watermark was later removed. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union criticized not only the students but also the adults responsible for supervising them. "The fact that no one stopped the students immediately demonstrates educational neglect," the union said in a statement Tuesday. "Society's failure to respond firmly to historical distortion and hate speech has ultimately influenced the language and behavior of adolescents." Residents of Gwangju told AJP the episode reflected what they described as deeply rooted prejudice and hostility toward the city, adding that such incidents occur with troubling frequency. Lee Dong-yoon, a physical education student at Chonnam National University, said that when he travels outside the region, it is "very common" for people to discriminate against those from Gwangju or disparage the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. "I think almost everyone from Gwangju has had that kind of experience," he said. "I experienced a great deal of prejudice and discrimination, especially during my mandatory military service in Seoul." "Many senior soldiers referred to people from Gwangju as hongeo (ray fish), a derogatory slur, or repeated distorted claims about the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement." Having witnessed the chanting during the game, Lee said he was "deeply shocked that such young high school students were saying those things." "I'm worried because, after I graduate, I may have to teach students like them," he said. "It made me think that regional hatred is spreading like an internet meme," said Yun Young-jun, a business administration student at Chonnam National University. "The players targeted the opposing team simply because it represented Gwangju. It's unfortunate that even teenage athletes seem to consume and reproduce these expressions as casual jokes." Kim Ki-beom, a history education student at Chonnam National University, said he was particularly disturbed by the coordinated nature of the chants. "I was shocked to see the students chanting while performing choreographed gestures in the dugout," he said. "I believe this incident reflects how hostility toward Gwangju has become normalized in everyday life. Watching it was heartbreaking." The incident has reignited a longstanding debate in South Korea over regional discrimination and how younger generations perceive one of the country's darkest historical tragedies. The May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement began after military strongman Chun Doo-hwan expanded martial law following the assassination of President Park Chung-hee. As students and citizens protested military rule in the southwestern city of Gwangju, paratroopers were deployed to suppress the demonstrations. Security forces used live ammunition, beat civilians and arrested thousands. Historians estimate that between 600 and 2,300 civilians were killed. The uprising has since become a defining symbol of South Korea's democratization movement and is officially commemorated each year on May 18. Seon Hee-ju, a history education student and baseball fan who watched the game live, said the incident reflected broader social prejudice rather than the actions of a few individuals. "One of my friends even had a man disparage the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement during a blind date," she said. "Derogatory remarks about the Honam region occur frequently, and it seems the number of people who view someone negatively simply because they are from Gwangju has actually increased." Yang Jae-hyuk was standing with his mother in front of the former South Jeolla Provincial Government building when soldiers attacked civilians during the 1980 crackdown. "The soldiers repeatedly beat my mother and me, then a middle school student, with clubs," he recalled. "Although 46 years have passed, I still frequently have nightmares in which soldiers beat my mother and me until we were covered in blood." His older brother, Yang Jae-young, fought against martial law troops as a member of the citizen militia. A high school senior at the time, Yang Jae-young suffered severe head injuries after being captured. He lived with the lasting effects of those injuries until his death in 2009 in his mid-40s. Yang said he hopes history education will be strengthened and that the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement will eventually be included in the preamble to South Korea's Constitution. Rep. Seo Young-kyo, chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said the controversy should become an opportunity to correct distorted perceptions of the uprising. "We must make it clear that regional discrimination and disparaging the democratization movement are unacceptable," she said. Park Ha-sung, who joined the citizen militia as a high school student during the uprising, said witnessing today's students mock the movement reinforced the need for stronger history education. "Watching today's high school students ridicule the Gwangju Democratization Movement convinced me that history education must be strengthened and that those who distort the history of May 18 should face tougher consequences." 2026-07-01 11:23:58