Journalist

Lee Hugh
  • Big tech giants ramp up hiring of Korean semiconductor engineers as AI chip race intensifies
    Big tech giants ramp up hiring of Korean semiconductor engineers as AI chip race intensifies SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - Major U.S. technology firms including Nvidia, Google, and Tesla are aggressively recruiting South Korean semiconductor engineers, zeroing in on the country's deep pool of expertise in high-bandwidth memory as the global race for artificial intelligence hardware accelerates. The hiring push marks a significant escalation from earlier years, when recruitment of Korean chip talent was largely confined to memory makers such as Micron Technology and mobile chip designer Qualcomm. Now, the world's most valuable tech companies are dangling Silicon Valley salaries and equity packages to lure specialists in a technology that has become the linchpin of the AI revolution. Nvidia, the dominant force in AI accelerators and the largest buyer of HBM chips, is currently advertising positions for senior memory system engineers at its Santa Clara headquarters, offering a base salary of up to $356,500. The role calls for at least 10 years of proven track record in DRAM design and deep understanding of HBM — a profile that effectively targets engineers at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the two companies that control the vast majority of the global HBM market. Google and Broadcom, which jointly develop Tensor Processing Units for Google's AI infrastructure, are also hiring HBM engineers in Silicon Valley. Google has posted openings for silicon validation engineers tasked with characterizing HBM operation in test chips and production silicon, while Broadcom is seeks specialists in design-for-test verification across HBM, DDR and high-speed interface technologies. Tesla has taken the most direct approach. Tesla Korea posted a job listing for AI Chip Design Engineers on Feb. 15, describing the role as part of a project to develop AI chip architecture aimed at achieving the world's highest production volume. CEO Elon Musk amplified the recruitment drive the on Tuesday, reposting the job opening on his X (formerly Twitter) account. The company's interest in Korean talent deepens a semiconductor partnership that has been building for months. Tesla has been expanding its in-house chip operations in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province — the same city that houses Samsung's wafer fabrication hub — as it prepares for production of next-generation AI chips at Samsung's foundry. The talent war reflects a structural shift in the AI industry. As tech giants pour hundreds of billions of dollars into data center infrastructure, HBM has emerged as the critical bottleneck. The memory, which stacks multiple DRAM layers using through-silicon vias to deliver vastly higher bandwidth than conventional chips, is essential for training and running the large language models that underpin generative AI. The Bank of America estimates the global HBM market will reach about $34.6 billion in 2025 and grow to $54.6 billion in 2026, with demand for custom-ordered, ASIC-based AI chips to skyrocket by 82 percent, accounting for around one-third of the market. Currently, SK hynix holds a dominant market share of over 50 percent in HBM, with Samsung and Micron competing for the remainder. The competitive landscape is poised to intensify further with the advent of custom HBM, or cHBM, in which big tech clients design proprietary logic dies tailored to their specific AI chip architectures. SK hynix showcased cHBM technology at CES 2026 in January, and Samsung has reportedly added new engineers to custom HBM projects targeting Google, Meta and NVIDIA. Volume production of custom HBM is widely expected to begin in 2027. For Samsung and SK hynix, the escalating brain drain has triggered aggressive retention measures. SK hynix paid a record performance bonus equivalent to 2,964 percent of monthly base salary in early 2026, after allocating 10 percent of its annual operating profit of 47.2 trillion won ($32.67 billion) to an employee bonus pool under a revised labor agreement struck in September 2025. Samsung's semiconductor division, meanwhile, awarded bonuses of up to 47 percent of annual salary for 2025, its highest payout since the AI-driven memory boom began. Industry observers say the defensive measures may not be enough to stem the tide. The combination of Silicon Valley compensation — which for senior engineers can exceed $300,000 in base salary alone, before stock grants — and the prestige of working on cutting-edge AI systems presents a formidable draw. 2026-02-18 12:17:45
  • Boston Dynamics Robotics Research VP Scott Kuindersma to Step Down
    Boston Dynamics Robotics Research VP Scott Kuindersma to Step Down Hyundai Motor Group robotics unit Boston Dynamics said Scott Kuindersma, vice president of robotics research, has submitted his resignation. Industry sources said Feb. 18 that Kuindersma wrote on social media that he decided in January to leave Boston Dynamics. “Starting with a small research team, we became the first to showcase humanoid robot parkour, and it has been an incredible journey all the way to launching Atlas, a product with the potential to reshape industrial automation,” he wrote. “I’m truly grateful for the chance to build, fail, learn and celebrate achievements with the world’s best robotics experts.” Kuindersma joined Boston Dynamics in 2018 and played a key role in commercialization by developing control algorithms for the Atlas humanoid robot. He later was promoted to vice president overseeing robotics research across the company. Separately, Robert Playter, who has led Boston Dynamics for seven years, said he will step down as CEO on Feb. 27. Chief Financial Officer Amanda McMaster will serve as interim CEO until the board names a successor. 2026-02-18 11:51:00
  • OPINION: When a Chat App starts making decisions for you
    OPINION: When a Chat App starts making decisions for you Not long ago, choosing a restaurant in Seoul required some effort. You searched on Naver. You skimmed blog reviews. You checked ratings on Kakao Map. You compared prices. You asked friends on KakaoTalk. Sometimes, you still had to make a phone call. Soon, it may take one sentence. “Find me a quiet wine bar in Gangnam.” Within seconds, a list appears on the screen. Photos, location, price range and user ratings are displayed. For restaurants linked to KakaoTalk’s reservation system, a “Book Now” button follows immediately. One tap, and the table is secured. No browser. No switching apps. No comparison sites. Everything happens inside a chat window. This is powered by Kakao’s new “Kanana in KakaoTalk” service, which integrates generative AI with Kakao Map, Kakao Pay and Kakao Booking. Users can search, compare, reserve and pay without leaving the messenger app. Somewhere between typing and tapping, the decision disappears. Korea did not drift into this future. It rushed toward it. For decades, the country treated connectivity as basic infrastructure. High-speed internet, universal smartphones and mobile payments spread faster than in most advanced economies. Artificial intelligence is simply the next layer. By 2025, more than 20 million Koreans were using generative AI services every month. Many paid for premium subscriptions. Many used AI tools daily at work and at home — for writing, research, translation and scheduling. In Korea, AI is no longer a novelty. It is becoming part of everyday utilities, like messaging or banking. You notice it only when it fails. What makes this moment different is not speed. It is delegation. In the early days of the internet, information became abundant, but judgment still belonged to users. People compared sources, checked credibility and made their own choices. AI compresses that process. It summarizes reviews. Ranks options. Suggests “best” choices. And now, through agent-style services, it completes transactions. It does not just recommend a restaurant. It books it. It does not just compare prices. It pays for you. Convenience turns into commitment. This shift is spreading across professional life. Law firms use AI to draft contracts and summarize rulings. Banks rely on algorithms for investment memos and risk analysis. Hospitals use AI tools for image reading and literature searches. Marketing teams generate copy and campaign plans automatically. At first, this feels efficient. Reports appear in minutes. Presentations are produced instantly. Productivity rises. Then a subtle change occurs. Employees stop writing first drafts. They edit machine drafts. They stop framing problems from scratch. They begin from what the AI suggests. The system’s first answer becomes the default. Businesses are adapting quickly. A new industry is emerging around a simple question: How do you appear in AI answers? Companies now analyze how often their brands are mentioned in ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity responses. Marketing strategies are shifting from search engine optimization to “answer optimization.” The old goal was to rank high on Google. The new goal is to be cited by chatbots. Visibility is no longer earned only from readers. It is negotiated with algorithms. For ordinary users, the consequences are less visible. Consider navigation apps. When GPS first appeared, it eliminated wrong turns. Over time, many people lost the ability to navigate familiar routes without it. The same pattern is emerging with AI. When every comparison is automated, people stop comparing. When every answer is summarized, people stop reading. When every decision is packaged, people stop questioning. Judgment weakens quietly. This is not mainly about machines becoming smarter. It is about humans becoming more dependent. The danger is not that AI makes errors. It does. The danger is that users accept them without scrutiny. Societies usually adapt to new technologies in two stages. First, they celebrate efficiency. Later, they confront dependence. Korea is entering the second stage. The question is no longer whether AI works. It clearly does. The question is whether people still understand the systems they rely on — and whether they are prepared to challenge them. That requires habits - clearly labeling AI-generated work, verifying sources and data, keeping final responsibility with humans. Teaching students to question AI outputs, not just use them. These are not technical issues. They are social and civic ones. Artificial intelligence accelerates everything. It shortens the distance between intention and action. But speed without direction leads nowhere — faster. Today, millions of Koreans move from message to purchase, from question to decision, without pausing. It feels like progress. In many ways, it is. But progress that replaces thinking with convenience comes at a cost. In the age of AI agents, the most important skill may not be prompting or coding. It may be the simple habit of thinking — before tapping “Confirm.” *The author is the managing editor of AJP 2026-02-18 11:36:16
  • ASIA INSIGHTS: Robots on Chunwan stage: What China is signaling to Asia
    ASIA INSIGHTS: Robots on Chunwan stage: What China is signaling to Asia China’s Spring Festival Gala, known as Chunwan, is more than a television program. At 8 p.m. on Lunar New Year’s Eve, nearly 1.4 billion people turn their eyes to television and mobile screens at the same time. That moment functions as a national ritual and a shared narrative. It is a cultural event, a political message and an entertainment program — and also a showcase of industrial strategy. Each year, China uses this stage to declare where it is heading. The 2026 Chunwan was especially symbolic. Humanoid robots and artificial intelligence stood at the center of the stage. Traditional performances — classical dance, opera, comedy sketches and cross-talk — remained, but the driving force of the production was AI, XR, 5G and swarm-control technologies. This was not merely visual spectacle. It was a display of industrial capability. The most talked-about segment was the humanoid martial arts performance presented by Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics. Robots executed drunken boxing and swordplay, exchanged dialogue with human actors and shifted formations in synchronized groups. It went beyond entertainment. It resembled a technological declaration. Behind the choreography lay reinforcement learning, precision actuator control and vision-language-based cognition. Key robotic technologies were integrated into a single performance. The message was clear: China is moving directly toward the era of physical AI. From Liquor to Technology: A Generational Shift in Sponsors Another striking change was visible in advertising. For years, baijiu brands had dominated Chunwan sponsorship. This year, their presence declined sharply. In their place stood AI companies. Alibaba promoted its large language model “Qwen.” Tencent highlighted its “Yuanbao” AI platform. ByteDance emphasized the advancement of its AI-driven content and recommendation systems. This was more than a marketing shift. It symbolized a change in the center of gravity of the Chinese economy — from traditional consumption to advanced technology. If baijiu once symbolized wealth, AI and robotics now symbolize future power. Chunwan became a ceremonial marker of that transition. China’s AI development does not stop at applications. It spans large language models, video-generation systems, industrial robots and autonomous driving platforms. Alibaba and Tencent expand AI services on the back of massive cloud infrastructure, while startups pursue aggressive experiments in hardware and control systems. In physical AI, China fully leverages its manufacturing base. Mass production of precision motors, batteries, sensors, drones and industrial robot components accelerates hardware development. Government-led robot clusters and local subsidies strengthen the industrial foundation. Chunwan is where this entire ecosystem is condensed and displayed. Technological Rivalry and Asia’s Position AI leadership has become a core arena of U.S.-China competition. The United States dominates chip design, cloud platforms and open AI ecosystems. China counters with market scale, data volume and manufacturing strength. Chunwan functions as technological diplomacy in cultural form — a stage for external signaling. It is soft power through engineering. Where Does Korea Stand? Korea cannot afford to remain a spectator. The country possesses three structural advantages. First, manufacturing. Strength in semiconductors, automobiles, shipbuilding and batteries can translate directly into physical AI competitiveness. Robots are built in factories, and Korea’s factories are globally competitive. Second, digital infrastructure. Ultra-fast networks and high digital utilization enable large-scale experimentation and data accumulation. Physical AI improves through repeated failure and correction, and Korea’s industrial and urban environments are ideal testbeds. Third, execution speed. The “ppalli-ppalli” culture is often criticized, but it represents problem-solving speed and adaptability. When combined with strategy, speed accelerates innovation. Physical AI remains incomplete. It advances through falling, breaking and malfunctioning. What China showed on Chunwan reflects years of accumulated trial and error. Korea must build an environment that tolerates failure. Public institutions, military facilities, disaster sites, hospitals and logistics centers should serve as testbeds. Data from these experiments must be treated as industrial assets. At the same time, hardware and software firms must form deep alliances. Without integration of manufacturing and algorithms, global competitiveness is impossible. Korea’s cooperative models in semiconductors and batteries should be extended to robotics and AI. Chunwan was China’s declaration. It declared technology as national identity. But leadership is not built on declarations alone. Technological competition is also a contest of talent, capital, standards and ethics. Only countries that develop technology within frameworks of trust, transparency and values earn long-term credibility. Korea now stands at a crossroads. As Asia’s technological landscape is being reshaped, will Korea remain on the periphery — or move to the center? The potential exists. Manufacturing strength, digital infrastructure and execution capacity can support leadership in physical AI. What is required is determination. The robots on Chunwan’s stage were not merely performers. They were signals. Asia is moving. Now it is Korea’s turn to respond. *The author is a columnist for AJP. 2026-02-18 11:26:52
  • U.S. surges in 5G standalone adoption as South Korea holds second in download speeds, report finds
    U.S. surges in 5G standalone adoption as South Korea holds second in download speeds, report finds SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - The United States is rapidly consolidating its lead in 5G standalone (SA) deployment, while South Korea continues to rank among the world's fastest networks by download speed, according to a report released Wednesday by global network intelligence firm Ookla. The report, which assessed the state of 5G SA and 5G Advanced worldwide, said U.S. standalone adoption surged 8.2 percentage points over the past year to reach 31.6 percent, driven by the sequential rollout of SA networks across all three of its Tier-1 carriers. The pace of expansion outstripped every other major market tracked in the study. South Korea, meanwhile, posted a median 5G SA download speed of 767 megabits per second (Mbps) in the fourth quarter of 2025, placing second globally behind the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The country's standing is largely attributed to its wide 3.5 GHz channel bandwidth, though overall deployment progress has remained broadly stagnant. The GCC delivered the world's fastest 5G SA median download speeds at 1.13 gigabits per second (Gbps) — about five times that of Europe — with the UAE alone recording 1.24 Gbps. The United States, despite its rapid adoption gains, registered a median download speed of 404 Mbps. Europe trailed sharply, posting just 205 Mbps, though that figure still represented a 45 percent improvement over non-standalone networks. The region's overall 5G SA sample share stood at 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter, trailing North America by 27 percentage points, with Austria, Spain, the United Kingdom, and France leading the bloc's gradual acceleration. Globally, 5G SA connections delivered a median download speed of 269.51 Mbps, about 52 percent faster than legacy non-standalone networks, as overall SA sample share reached 17.6 percent — meaning roughly one in six 5G speed tests worldwide now occurs on a standalone network. "5G SA is being recognized not merely as a connectivity evolution, but as national-level infrastructure for AI supremacy," Ookla said, adding that considerations of digital sovereignty and AI readiness are reshaping telecom investment priorities across major markets. 2026-02-18 11:06:47
  • South Korea Falls to No. 9 in U.S. Import Market as Trump Tariffs Bite
    South Korea Falls to No. 9 in U.S. Import Market as Trump Tariffs Bite South Korea’s position in the U.S. market weakened compared with major competitors, reflecting the impact of U.S. tariffs, according to an analysis of U.S. government trade data. An analysis of U.S. Commerce Department import and export statistics released Tuesday on the Korea International Trade Association’s statistics service showed the United States imported $113.4 billion in goods from South Korea last year through November. That was down 5.9% from the same period a year earlier. South Korea accounted for 3.6% of total U.S. imports, ranking ninth among the top 10 suppliers. That was down two places from a year earlier. It was South Korea’s lowest ranking since 1988, the earliest year tracked in the association’s analysis. South Korea held steady at No. 6 or No. 7 for 15 years starting in 2009, and in 2024 it ranked seventh with a 4.0% share, just before the Donald Trump administration took office. The top U.S. import sources last year through November were Mexico ($492.5 billion, 15.7%), Canada ($351.2 billion, 11.2%), China ($287.3 billion, 9.2%), Taiwan ($176.7 billion, 5.6%), Vietnam ($175.3 billion, 5.6%), Germany ($140.8 billion, 4.5%), Japan ($133.8 billion, 4.3%) and Ireland ($129.7 billion, 4.1%). The drop suggests South Korea was hit harder than rivals by the Trump administration’s broad tariff policy. Taiwan and Ireland, which ranked below South Korea in 2024, moved ahead last year. Taiwan, a key competitor to South Korea in foundry chip manufacturing, jumped from No. 8 in 2024 (3.6%) to No. 4 last year (5.6%). Taiwan has been temporarily subject to a 20% reciprocal tariff because it has not completed a trade deal with the Trump administration, but semiconductors, its main export, are not subject to separate product-specific tariffs, limiting the direct impact on exports. South Korea, by contrast, took a bigger hit because major exports such as automobiles, steel and machinery were subject to high tariffs. Japan, which is seen as having a similar trade structure to South Korea due to its strong manufacturing base in autos and semiconductors, also slipped two places, from No. 5 to No. 7. 2026-02-18 10:42:00
  • Report: Hyundai, Tesla Lead AI Robotics Push, but Profitability and Ethics Remain Hurdles
    Report: Hyundai, Tesla Lead AI Robotics Push, but Profitability and Ethics Remain Hurdles AI-powered robots are expected to reshape manufacturing and boost efficiency across industrial processes, and analysts say the auto industry is especially well positioned to scale the technology. The report said advanced control and driving technologies already used in vehicles could be combined with robotics, expanding business opportunities across many areas of human mobility and helping build a next-generation mobility ecosystem. But it said commercialization will require progress on cutting costs, improving productivity, building data sets and addressing ethical concerns. On Feb. 18, the Export-Import Bank of Korea’s Overseas Economic Research Institute released a report titled “The auto industry’s entry into AI robotics and risk factors.” It forecast the global AI robotics market will grow 46% annually through 2034 to $375.9 billion (544 trillion won). The institute said automakers including Hyundai Motor and Tesla are currently driving the market. It said Hyundai’s Atlas is being advanced for use in industrial sites, focusing on manufacturing processes, while Tesla’s Optimus aims to secure leadership through development of general-purpose AI robotics. Tesla plans to integrate its own algorithms into robot systems and gradually deploy intelligent control systems in factories so robots can perceive and make decisions, the report said. It said Tesla is training Optimus on real-time driving data and pursuing a strategy to capture labor-replacement markets through mass production. Optimus units deployed at Tesla plants are being used in practical tasks such as moving battery cells to improve autonomous decision-making, it said. The report said Hyundai’s open-API strategy is designed as a platform that allows broad participation by partners. It said an end-to-end value chain could help Hyundai secure real-world data based on its own demand and build a vertically integrated data structure, giving it strong potential to lead its own intelligent mobility market. The report defined an end-to-end value chain as a supply chain that integrates and manages the entire process of delivering products and services to customers. Hyundai plans to invest 50.5 trillion won in AI robotics by 2030, exceeding Tesla’s AI investment of 13.5 trillion won, the report said. It added Hyundai is building a robot-dedicated plant in the United States with annual capacity of 30,000 units. The institute estimated the price of Hyundai’s Atlas at $130,000 and projected the investment could be recovered within two years after adoption. It said deploying Atlas in production sites could raise productivity by up to threefold by improving assembly efficiency. “Hyundai is internalizing AI robotics control technology through its acquisition of Atlas (Boston Dynamics) technology, and is pushing a practical strategy that applies its capabilities on site to move beyond simple mechanical movement and shift manufacturing toward unmanned operations,” the report said. “High-performance AI robotics will play a key role in that process.” The report also cited hurdles. It said Hyundai has gained flexibility through its open-API strategy to adopt a vision-language-action (VLA) model with language-based reasoning, but the total volume of real-time data being accumulated is not sufficient, limiting the speed of AI self-learning. Other challenges include malfunction risks in complex situations, building data for unexpected events, delays in generating profits due to technical constraints, and defining the operating scope of AI robots that can collaborate with humans, it said. “AI robotics has limited ability to respond to situations outside specific scenarios, and high upfront investment costs are a major burden on short-term profitability,” the report said. “In addition, because responsibility for AI robotics working with humans is not clearly established, legal disputes between manufacturers and operators and difficulties in compensation systems are also expected in the event of accidents.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 10:30:00
  • Hyundai Tops 1 Million Eco-Friendly Vehicle Sales in U.S., Hybrids Lead
    Hyundai Tops 1 Million Eco-Friendly Vehicle Sales in U.S., Hybrids Lead Hyundai Motor Co. has surpassed 1 million cumulative sales of eco-friendly vehicles in the U.S. market. The automaker said Feb. 18 that since it began selling the Sonata Hybrid in the United States in 2011, it has sold a total of 1,014,943 eco-friendly vehicles through January, including hybrids, electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Sales have climbed sharply in recent years, reaching 75,009 units in 2021 — more than triple the prior year — then 98,443 in 2022 and 159,549 in 2023. In 2024, Hyundai sold 204,115 eco-friendly vehicles in the U.S., topping 200,000 for the first time. Their share of Hyundai’s U.S. sales rose to 22.4%, also the first time it exceeded 20%. Last year, Hyundai set an annual record with 259,419 eco-friendly vehicles sold, lifting the share to 26.4% — about one out of every four vehicles it sold in the U.S. In January, eco-friendly vehicle sales rose more than 30% from a year earlier to 17,408, the highest January total on record, the company said. By type, hybrids accounted for 759,359 units, or 75% of cumulative eco-friendly sales. EVs totaled 253,728, followed by 1,856 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Hyundai’s best-selling eco-friendly model in the U.S. was the Tucson Hybrid. Since its U.S. debut in 2021, it has sold 233,793 units through January. Next were the Sonata Hybrid with 205,420 and the Ioniq 5 with 150,618. Hyundai currently sells four hybrid models, seven EV models and one hydrogen fuel cell model in the U.S. The Palisade Hybrid, launched locally last year, won the utility category at the “2026 North American Car of the Year” awards in January, Hyundai said. Hyundai is expanding eco-friendly vehicle production at its Alabama plant (HMMA) and at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA). Eco-friendly vehicle sales from the two plants totaled 132,533 last year, about 50 times higher than in 2022, the first year of mass production. The company plans to add hybrid production by introducing a mixed-model production system at HMGMA, its EV manufacturing hub. It also plans to expand annual capacity from 300,000 units to 500,000.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 10:27:00
  • South Korean Airlines Had 441 Aircraft at End of Last Year; 15% Were Over 20 Years Old
    South Korean Airlines Had 441 Aircraft at End of Last Year; 15% Were Over 20 Years Old South Korean airlines had about 450 aircraft at the end of last year, according to data submitted to the government. Rep. Lee Yeon-hee of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, said Feb. 18 that figures provided via the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport by 12 South Korean carriers showed they held a total of 441 aircraft at year’s end: 401 passenger planes and 40 freighters. That was up 25 aircraft from a year earlier (416). Passenger planes increased by 27, while freighters fell by two. The combined fleet stood at 414 aircraft in 2019, then dropped to 366 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has climbed since, reaching 370 in 2022 and 393 in 2023, as passenger demand recovered and newer airlines expanded. By carrier, Korean Air had 167 aircraft at the end of last year — 144 passenger planes and 23 freighters — up two from a year earlier. Its fleet included 45 Boeing 777s, 27 Boeing 787s, 24 Boeing 737s and 19 Airbus A321s. Asiana Airlines, which is preparing to merge with Korean Air, operated 68 passenger aircraft, down 15 from the previous year. Asiana sold its cargo business unit in August to cargo-only carrier Air Zeta (formerly Air Incheon). Among low-cost carriers, T’way Air had the largest passenger fleet with 46 aircraft, up eight, helped by the introduction of Boeing’s next-generation 737-8. Jeju Air followed with 45 aircraft — 43 passenger planes and two freighters — up four. The airline has not sharply expanded its fleet as it focuses on modernization after a passenger-plane accident. Hanjin Group’s three low-cost carriers — Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul — maintained their fleet sizes at 31, 21 and six passenger aircraft, respectively. Eastar Jet expanded to 20 passenger planes after adding five 737-8s last year. Air Zeta held 15 freighters after adding 11 aircraft transferred from Asiana, including 10 Boeing 747s and one Boeing 767. Aero K and Air Premia each had nine passenger aircraft, up three apiece. Parata Air, a new airline that began flying in September, operated four aircraft. The data also showed 67 aircraft — 15.2% of the total — were more than 20 years old and classified as aging aircraft subject to special oversight by the transport ministry. Those aircraft were operated by Korean Air (28), Air Zeta (15), Jin Air (8), Jeju Air (6), Asiana (5), Aero K (3) and Air Busan (2). Airlines are bringing in newer aircraft and retiring older planes to reduce safety concerns and improve passenger satisfaction and fuel efficiency. They reported to the ministry plans to add 55 aircraft this year and dispose of 32, including aging planes.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 10:09:00
  • S.Koreas curling team slip to fourth after Switzerland defeat, bobsled pairs finish outside top 10
    S.Korea's curling team slip to fourth after Switzerland defeat, bobsled pairs finish outside top 10 SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - South Korea's women's curling team dropped to fourth place in the round-robin standings after falling to world No. 1 Switzerland 5-7 on Wednesday, putting their semifinal push under increased pressure at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Kim Su-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun and fifth Seol Ye-ji — the squad known as "Team 5G" — were edged out at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, sliding from a joint second-place position just one day earlier. The match remained tight through the opening ends. South Korea drew first blood in the first end, and the two teams held level through the third, but Switzerland broke the game open by scoring three in the second end to wrest control of the momentum. The sides traded single points through the middle stages. The decisive blow came late. Switzerland posted two more in the ninth end off a double takeout, stretching their lead beyond reach. South Korea chased hard in the final end but could not close the gap. With the loss, South Korea now stand at 4-3, tied with Canada for fourth. Sweden leads the table at 6-1, with Switzerland and the United States both at 5-2. The team's campaign is at a critical crossroads. South Korea face Sweden — the tournament's frontrunner — next, before a pivotal showdown against Canada on Thursday that will largely determine whether they advance to the knockouts. The top four teams of the ten-nation field proceed to the semifinals, with medal rounds scheduled for Feb. 20 to 22. "Team 5G," which went unbeaten at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, has been one of the more closely watched sides in Cortina. The team is aiming to improve on the silver medal won by "Team Kim" at the 2018 PyeongChang Games — South Korea's only Olympic curling medal to date. South Korea's broader Olympic campaign has yielded six medals through Day 12 — one gold, two silver and three bronze — though the country remains without a gold in short track, a discipline that has driven the medal count at every Winter Games since 1992. Curling now stands as one of the remaining paths to the podium. Bobsled pairs finish well off the pace South Korea's two men's bobsled entries wrapped up their two-man campaigns outside the top 10 at the Cortina Sliding Center on Wednesday. The pairing of pilot Kim Jin-su and brakeman Kim Hyung-geun posted a combined four-run time of 3 minutes 43.60 seconds to finish 13th among 26 teams. The sled had shown early promise — clocking 55.53 seconds in the opening run for fifth overall — but gradual slippage through subsequent runs cost them positions. They sat 12th after two runs before fading to 13th by the end. Pilot Suk Young-jin and brakeman Chae Byung-do finished 19th with a combined time of 3:44.61. Germany swept all three medals for the second consecutive Games, having done the same at Beijing 2022. Johannes Lochner and Georg Fleischhauer claimed gold in 3:39.70, ahead of Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schuller in silver and Adam Ammour and Alexander Schaller in bronze. Meanwhile, both South Korean sleds are entered in the four-man event, scheduled for Feb. 21 to 22. 2026-02-18 09:49:37