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
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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 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 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 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 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 -
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 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 -
Han Seong-sook heads for confirmation as Korea's second female PM SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) -Technocrat and SMEs Minister Han Seong-sook cleared a key parliamentary hurdle Tuesday to become South Korea's second female prime minister, as the ruling party pushed ahead with her confirmation despite a boycott by the main opposition. The National Assembly's special committee on Han's confirmation adopted a report endorsing President Lee Jae Myung's nominee, with support from lawmakers largely from the ruling Democratic Party (DP). The report said a majority of committee members found Han qualified for office, while also recording dissenting opinions that deemed her unfit. Lawmakers from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the meeting in protest of the ruling party's decision to press ahead with the confirmation process. The DP planned to bring Han's confirmation motion to a vote during a plenary session later Tuesday. With the ruling party and its allies holding a parliamentary majority, the motion was widely expected to pass without opposition support. Under South Korean law, a prime ministerial nominee must win the support of a majority of lawmakers present at a plenary session, provided more than half of all National Assembly members are in attendance. Once confirmed, Han would become the first woman to serve as South Korea's prime minister in two decades and only the second in the country's history, following former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook. Han, 59, began her career as a magazine journalist before moving into the technology sector. She joined internet giant Naver, where she rose to chief executive officer and was credited with expanding the company's mobile and artificial intelligence businesses. She was recruited as the first SMEs and Startups minister by Lee Jae Myung administration. Opposition lawmakers questioned her over an illegally expanded structure on a property she owns in central Seoul, alleging she failed to remedy the violation until after her nomination. The PPP also challenged her real estate holdings and raised concerns over an alleged leak of personal information, arguing that the controversies called into question her suitability for the country's second-highest office. Han has denied any wrongdoing and defended her actions throughout the confirmation hearings. 2026-06-30 15:09:01 -
The trillion-dollar chip project revives Korea's old Jeolla-Yeongnam rivalry SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - Pork-barrel projects are always political. The debate becomes even hotter when the prize is the world's most coveted commodity — AI memory chips — and nearly $1 trillion in investment. A government-backed plan to steer hundreds of trillions of won in new semiconductor investment toward South Korea's southwestern Honam region has erupted into one of the first major political battles of President Lee Jae Myung's administration. The conservative opposition accuses Lee of arm-twisting Samsung Electronics and SK hynix into politically motivated investment decisions, while the president argues the project is essential both to maintaining South Korea's semiconductor leadership in the AI era and correcting decades of regional economic imbalance. The dispute has rapidly expanded beyond industrial policy into a broader debate over how far governments should influence corporate investment, whether balanced regional development can coexist with industrial efficiency, and where the country's next semiconductor frontier should be built. Lee mounted an unusually direct public defense over the weekend after the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) alleged that the administration had improperly pressured Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to build major fabrication plants in Honam, the Democratic Party's traditional political stronghold encompassing Gwangju and the North and South Jeolla provinces. Writing in a series of posts on X, Lee rejected accusations that the region was receiving political favoritism. "Creating a semiconductor ecosystem in Honam is not preferential treatment for a particular region," Lee wrote, urging the opposition to debate the issue on its industrial merits rather than inflaming regional divisions. Lee argued that the country's southwest offers exactly the conditions semiconductor manufacturers increasingly require: abundant undeveloped land, plentiful industrial water, expanding renewable energy resources and relatively low seismic risk. He said South Korea should continue accelerating expansion around the existing semiconductor clusters in Yongin and Pyeongtaek while simultaneously establishing a second large-scale manufacturing hub outside the Seoul metropolitan area. The president framed the proposal as both an industrial necessity and a national development strategy. Responding to criticism from PPP lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo that presidential requests for regional investment could constitute an abuse of authority, Lee argued that the government's role was limited to industrial promotion and administrative support rather than coercion. He also pointed to a 2023 government assessment conducted under former conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, which ranked Gwangju and South Jeolla among the strongest candidates for future semiconductor industrial complexes. When former PPP presidential candidate Yoo Seong-min questioned why Honam had been selected, Lee argued that renewable energy would become increasingly important as semiconductor manufacturers face tighter global carbon-reduction requirements. Lee also dismissed allegations by PPP floor leader Jung Jeom-sig that Samsung and SK hynix had acted under political pressure, saying critics were projecting their own past experiences onto others. Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy, described establishing a major semiconductor fabrication cluster outside the capital region as "a very powerful national strategy." Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan likewise defended the proposal, citing the southwest's strong electricity self-sufficiency, abundant water resources and concentration of research institutions, including Chonnam National University, the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology. The opposition, however, intensified its criticism Monday. PPP Rep. Ahn Sang-hoon told AJP that directing Samsung Electronics and SK hynix toward Honam represented "a major policy mistake" that risked weakening one of South Korea's most globally competitive industries while fueling fresh regional tensions. The controversy comes as the Lee administration prepares to launch one of the largest industrial investment programs in South Korean history. Under the proposal, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix would each build two semiconductor fabrication plants in the southwest as part of an 800 trillion won ($519 billion) semiconductor ecosystem forming one pillar of Lee's broader AI strategy. Administration officials argue that expanding production beyond the Seoul metropolitan area has become unavoidable because existing manufacturing hubs around Yongin and Pyeongtaek are approaching practical limits in land availability, electricity capacity and industrial water. Critics counter that dispersing production risks weakening the tightly integrated supplier networks, engineering talent and manufacturing efficiencies that have helped South Korea dominate the global memory-chip industry. The political sensitivity extends well beyond semiconductors. During South Korea's state-led industrialization under former President Park Chung-hee in the 1960s and 1970s, much of the country's heavy industry was concentrated in the southeastern Yeongnam region, while Honam increasingly came to regard itself as economically marginalized. That perception of unequal development became deeply embedded in the region's political identity and has remained one of South Korea's most enduring political fault lines. The electoral map still reflects that history. Honam has long served as the country's most reliable liberal stronghold, while the conservative People Power Party continues to draw much of its support from the southeastern Yeongnam region. Consequently, few large-scale investment decisions involving Honam are viewed solely through an economic lens. The semiconductor initiative therefore represents more than a debate over where the next fabrication plants should be built. It has become an early test of President Lee's industrial philosophy — whether the government can simultaneously pursue AI leadership, reshape the country's economic geography and convince voters that one of the largest industrial projects in Korean history is driven by national strategy rather than regional politics. 2026-06-29 17:34:59 -
South Korea to create second chip cluster at $520 billion *Updated with additional information SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) -South Korea envisions transforming itself into a "Chip Republic," committing more than 800 trillion won ($520 billion) to build a second semiconductor belt spanning the country's southwestern region in an unprecedented industrial strategy designed to preserve its leadership in AI-era chips. The master plan calls for four new wafer fabrication plants in the southwestern Honam region, an advanced semiconductor packaging hub in the central Chungcheong region and a supply-chain manufacturing cluster in the southeastern Yeongnam region, creating a nationwide semiconductor ecosystem beyond the Seoul metropolitan area. The AI-led industrial strategy rests on what Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan called the "three S's" — speed, stronghold and spearhead. The completion of the Yongjin chip cluster project will be fastened by 12 years to 2033, he said. "We will move faster than our competitors, build an unshakable industrial stronghold and spearhead the next generation of AI technologies," Kim said Monday while unveiling what is expected to become the Lee Jae Myung administration's most ambitious state-backed industrial initiative. "I will personally oversee and deliver these three mega projects," President Lee Jae Myung said in his opening remarks, flanked by Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee on his right and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on his left. The three national initiatives comprise semiconductors, Physical AI and AI data centers, placing chips at the center of South Korea's next growth strategy. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will each construct two state-of-the-art fabrication plants in Jeolla Province, creating what the government describes as a second national semiconductor cluster to complement the existing "K-Chip Belt" around Gyeonggi Province. The blueprint reflects the Lee administration's vision of building a fully integrated AI ecosystem stretching from semiconductor fabrication and advanced packaging to hyperscale AI data centers while reducing South Korea's decades-long economic dependence on the Seoul metropolitan area. Honam, encompassing Gwangju and the North and South Jeolla provinces, has historically received far less high-tech investment than the capital region despite its strong manufacturing base. The government hopes the semiconductor push will transform the region into a new growth engine for the AI economy. If completed as planned, the project would create a second semiconductor manufacturing corridor alongside the existing cluster surrounding Seoul, where Samsung, SK hynix and hundreds of suppliers currently concentrate their production. The strategy also reflects an intensifying global race to secure AI infrastructure, as governments increasingly view semiconductors, electricity, water resources and hyperscale computing facilities as strategic national assets rather than ordinary industrial investments. Unlike previous semiconductor policies focused primarily on manufacturing capacity, the new blueprint seeks to integrate the entire AI value chain — from chip production and advanced packaging to data centers and power infrastructure — into a single national industrial strategy. Samsung Executive Chairman Lee outlined a nationwide investment map extending well beyond semiconductors, saying Gwangju had emerged as the leading candidate for Samsung's next fabrication complex. "Among several candidates, Gwangju offers the greatest potential through secure electricity and water supplies, a skilled workforce and strong government support," Lee said. He noted that Samsung's investment timetable has accelerated significantly following the expansion of its Giheung, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek and Yongin semiconductor campuses, making preparations for a new production base necessary sooner than expected. Lee said Samsung will concentrate investment in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) manufacturing around Cheonan and Onyang in the Chungcheong region, where advanced packaging capabilities are already being built. "HBM, which powers AI training and inference, requires cutting-edge chip stacking technology and manufacturing processes equivalent to a front-end fabrication plant," he said. Beyond semiconductors, Samsung plans to concentrate humanoid robots and Physical AI investments in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, supported by AI data centers serving the group's own operations. Samsung SDI will continue expanding next-generation all-solid-state battery and battery energy storage system production in Ulsan, while Samsung Heavy Industries will increase investment in next-generation shipbuilding in Geoje. Samsung Electro-Mechanics will expand production of advanced package substrates in Busan, and Samsung Biologics will continue to concentrate its biotechnology investments in Songdo, west of Seoul. Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, unveiled an even larger investment blueprint, saying SK Telecom and SK hynix would commit about 1,100 trillion won to AI infrastructure and semiconductors through 2035, including 400 trillion won to build a new semiconductor cluster in the country's southwest. "The question is not why Korea should pursue AI, but what we want AI to accomplish," Chey said. "Korea should become a country that produces and exports intelligence." He proposed building multiple AI data centers totaling five gigawatts in the first phase before expanding to 10 gigawatts, describing them as "AI factories" that would manufacture intelligence rather than conventional industrial goods. Chey also confirmed that SK hynix will accelerate construction of its Yongin semiconductor cluster by 12 years, bringing completion forward to 2033, while investing 400 trillion won in the southwestern region to establish a second semiconductor manufacturing base. "Even after these investments, demand will continue to outstrip supply," he said, predicting persistent shortages of AI memory chips as computing demand accelerates worldwide. He compared the AI growth to a child whose brain capacity will grow along with the evolution, requiring that amount of memory capacity. Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said the government aims to facilitate more than 1,000 trillion won of cumulative investment in AI data centers by 2035, describing computing infrastructure as the next strategic battleground alongside semiconductors. President Lee closed the event by elevating the country's two business leaders to an unusual status rarely bestowed by a South Korean president. "This is a truly moving moment. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in Korea's history," Lee said. Calling Lee Jae-yong and Chey "national heroes," he praised them for choosing to expand investment at home rather than overseas despite fierce global competition to attract semiconductor projects. "You have shown that companies can pursue profits while also serving the nation," Lee said. Lee then bowed separately to each chairman before taking both men's hands in a rare public display of appreciation toward corporate leaders, pledging to establish a dedicated office under the presidential secretariat to oversee what he described as Korea's three defining projects — semiconductors, Physical AI and AI data centers. Investors were equally pleased. The KOSPI that sank to as low as 8,127.99 recovered after the announcement to above 8,400 while the KOSDAQ soared more than 8 percent. 2026-06-29 14:49:49