Journalist

Lee Hugh
  • SK Multi Utility Begins Full Operations at 300-MW LNG-LPG Cogeneration Plant in Ulsan
    SK Multi Utility Begins Full Operations at 300-MW LNG-LPG Cogeneration Plant in Ulsan SK Multi Utility (SKMU) said Thursday it has completed efficiency verification and entered stable operations at its 300-megawatt LNG-LPG cogeneration plant in Nam-gu, Ulsan. The project began construction in July 2022 and, after about 40 months of work, finished trial runs that started in late 2025. Cogeneration, or combined heat and power (CHP), produces electricity and steam from a single fuel source to boost energy efficiency. The SKMU plant was built on a site of about 39,000 square meters and includes one gas turbine, one steam turbine and one heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The 300-MW facility can supply 2,412,000 megawatt-hours of electricity and 1.82 million tons of steam a year, SKMU said. The electricity output is enough for about 670,000 four-person households for a year, roughly comparable to the number of households in Daejeon (690,000). The steam output is intended to support petrochemical processes at the Ulsan Mipo National Industrial Complex. The plant uses two fuels, LNG and LPG, and SKMU said it has built a low-carbon energy system that reduces environmental burdens compared with coal-based facilities. SKMU said the new facility uses a dual-fuel system that can switch between LNG and LPG depending on seasonal and market price swings and supply conditions, allowing more stable and predictable energy costs for customers. If LNG prices surge, the gas turbine can run on LPG, and it can switch back to LNG when LPG supply is tight. SKMU said it expects to supply electricity and steam to existing customers including SK Chemicals, Toray Advanced Materials and KET, as well as other companies in the Ulsan Mipo National Industrial Complex. The company said it aims to improve production stability and cost efficiency for local businesses by ensuring reliable power and steam. "As economic slowdowns and uncertainty increase across industries, cutting power costs such as electricity is an important factor in improving manufacturing efficiency and cost competitiveness," SKMU CEO Kim Nam Gyu said. He said the company will use the dual-fuel system, strategic fuel operations and continued efficiency upgrades to build a sustainable energy ecosystem in the industrial complex.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 10:18:00
  • Hyundai Palisade, Kia EV9 win top honors at Canada Car of the Year awards
    Hyundai Palisade, Kia EV9 win top honors at Canada Car of the Year awards Hyundai Motor Group said Friday that the Hyundai Palisade won 2026 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year and the Kia EV9 won 2026 Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year at the 2026 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto. The Canadian Car of the Year awards are decided by a 53-member jury of Canadian auto experts and journalists, who test-drive vehicles and vote in four categories: passenger car, utility vehicle, electric passenger car and electric utility vehicle. With the Palisade and EV9 wins, Hyundai Motor Group said it has taken two awards at the Canadian Car of the Year program for four straight years. The group has also won Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year five times in the past six years: the GV80 in 2021, Tucson in 2022, Ioniq 5 in 2023, Santa Fe in 2025 and the Palisade this year. One local outlet previously described the run as a “dynasty,” the company said. Jurors said the Palisade stands out for “an appealing balance of performance and fuel efficiency” from its next-generation hybrid powertrain, along with a range of safety systems. They praised the EV9 as “the best three-row electric vehicle,” citing its styling, an available GT option with more than 500 horsepower, and overall value, price and size. The Palisade was also selected as the utility winner at last month’s 2026 North American Car of the Year awards, scoring 270 points to finish well ahead of the Nissan Leaf (135) and Lucid Gravity (85). Hyundai Motor Group said the model posted its highest annual global sales since its 2018 launch last year, with 211,215 units sold on an IR basis. The EV9 won two titles at the 2024 World Car Awards: World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle. It has also been recognized by major organizations and media outlets, including 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year and the 2024 Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year, the company said. A Hyundai Motor Group official said the dual wins in Canada show the company’s innovation and product competitiveness as it seeks to lead future mobility.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 10:09:00
  • Korean Heritage Campaign Brings Performances, Media Art to Times Square
    Korean Heritage Campaign Brings Performances, Media Art to Times Square South Korea’s Korea Heritage Service and its affiliated National Heritage Promotion Agency, working with the Korean Cultural Center New York, opened a promotional event for the “Visit Korean Heritage” campaign in New York on Feb. 11 (local time) under the title “Korea on Stage in New York.” Organizers themed the program “Golden Blessings: Discovering Korean Cultural Heritage,” launching it in Times Square with heritage videos on major screens and a special performance. The event also features media art, traditional arts performances and a temple-food experience to promote the value of South Korea’s national heritage. Since Feb. 9, advertising videos highlighting South Korea’s national heritage have been running on Times Square’s large electronic billboards. The videos feature national heritage sites, traditional crafts and court dance, presenting what organizers described as the roots of today’s globally popular K-culture. At 3 p.m. Feb. 11 in Times Square, the Chumnuri Korean Traditional Dance Company (KTDOC) and the National Heritage Promotion Agency’s arts troupe staged a roughly 30-minute special performance, “Wishes in Motion Times Square.” The program included performances with the modeumbuk drum, the sogo drum dance and the Jindo bukchum drum dance. Afterward, hat-shaped promotional items were handed out and quickly ran out. An opening ceremony followed at 7 p.m. at the Korean Cultural Center New York, attended by about 250 people, including Korea Heritage Service Administrator Heo Min, National Heritage Promotion Agency Director Lee Gui Young, Korean Cultural Center New York Director Kim Cheon Su, South Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, Cha Ji Hoon, and Lee Sang Ho, acting consul general in New York, along with local arts and culture figures. At the ceremony, Heo presented Kevin Woo — who played the lead vocalist of “Saja Boys” in the film “K-pop Demon Hunters” — with a “Visit Korean Heritage Passport,” which organizers said symbolized an invitation to visit South Korea and experience K-heritage firsthand. Guests also exchanged Lunar New Year greetings for Seollal. In opening remarks, Heo said it was meaningful to introduce South Korea’s national heritage in New York, calling it a center of global culture. He said the event would help show that K-culture’s popularity is rooted in the depth and beauty of Korean heritage built over thousands of years. With the launch, performances and hands-on programs promoting Korean heritage also began. Starting Feb. 12, traditional arts performances by the agency’s arts troupe and a temple-food class with Venerable Jeong Kwan, a master of temple cuisine, drew more than 1,700 applicants as soon as reservations opened. A “Visit Korean Heritage Passport” produced for the event also proved popular. Participants who collected stamps after visiting experiences on each floor received K-heritage goods such as a saekdong key ring and a gat key ring. Participants said they wanted to visit South Korea with the passport after experiencing the programs. More information is available on the official Visit Korean Heritage campaign website and the Korean Cultural Center New York website. The Korea Heritage Service and the National Heritage Promotion Agency said they plan to expand programs following “Korea on Stage in New York” to promote the value of South Korea’s national heritage worldwide and strengthen it as a signature cultural content.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 10:06:00
  • Teen skater comes from behind to win bronze in mens short-track speed skating
    Teen skater comes from behind to win bronze in men's short-track speed skating SEOUL, February 13 (AJP) - With this year's Winter Olympics now halfway through in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, short-track speed skater Rim Jong-un won bronze in the men's 1,000 meters on Thursday. Lim, the only South Korean skater to reach the final, came from behind to finish third with a time of 1:24.61. With top contenders like Jens van't Wout of the Netherlands, Sun Long of China and William Dandjinou of Canada leading early, Lim slipped to last among the five skaters before making his final spurt in the final lap. The Dutch skater won gold and Sun claimed silver. The teen skater's bronze medal was South Korea's first in short-track speed skating and the country's fourth overall, following snowboarders Kim Sang-gyeom, who won silver in the men's parallel giant slalom, Yoo Seung-eun, who won bronze in the women's big air, and Choi Ga-on, who won gold in the women's halfpipe. As of Friday, South Korea ranked 11th in the overall medal tally with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Norway took the top spot with seven gold medals, followed by Italy with six. 2026-02-13 09:57:27
  • Koreas science ministry drops titles to loosen bureaucratic culture
    Korea's science ministry drops titles to loosen bureaucratic culture SEOUL, February 13 (AJP) - What’s in a title? In South Korea, quite a lot — enough to make headlines. Last month, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) replaced nameplates for more than 900 employees, removing official titles and leaving only first names followed by the universal honorific suffix “-nim.” The change cost about 10 million won ($6,900). The move was ordered by Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, an AI engineer-turned policymaker who also serves as a deputy prime minister. Upon taking office in October, Bae asked ministry officials to abandon formal forms of address such as “deputy prime minister, sir.” The unfamiliar shift became widely known during a televised briefing to the president, when a spokesperson referred to his boss simply as “Kyung-hoon-nim.” Before entering government, Bae worked as a consultant for Naver and LG AI Research. He has sought to apply private-sector management practices to a ministry overseeing science and ICT — sectors where innovation and speed are critical. A Gentler Atmosphere At first, the change felt awkward. But officials say it has gradually softened the atmosphere inside the traditionally rigid bureaucracy. “The organization feels gentler now,” said a director-level official. “We’ve started using colleagues’ first names — even those we worked with for years without ever calling them directly. It feels more personal.” Still, discomfort remains. “I still feel awkward calling my superiors by their first names,” the official admitted. As a compromise, some senior officials have encouraged juniors to use nicknames. First Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae, for example, is sometimes called “Ja-ryong-nim,” a reference to the legendary warrior Zhao Yun in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Efficiency Behind the Experiment Officials say the initiative goes beyond symbolism. “We’re trying to build respect and trust across ranks and improve efficiency,” said a deputy director-level official. The title change has been accompanied by adjustments in daily work practices. After-hours and weekend messaging has been restricted. Monday meetings were moved from mornings to afternoons to ease post-weekend workloads. Briefing materials are now limited to one page. For foreign executives working in Korea, the country’s complex title hierarchy can be bewildering. Honorifics remain central to social life, reflecting Confucian traditions rooted in the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), where age, rank and status shaped language and behavior. In government offices, organizational charts typically run from “sajang-nim” (CEO) down to junior staff, and using first names for superiors has long been taboo – practice reinforced under Japanese colonial and military governments in modern history. The removal of titles and the use of the universal honorific “-nim” to show respect for all employees, regardless of status, has long been common in the private sector. Younger employees have largely welcomed the change, while older officials and academics have expressed reservations. Jo Kyung-ho, a professor at Kukmin University, said the move could help modernize public administration. “Korea’s civil service has developed closed, class-like structures,” he said. “Changing titles can be a starting point for cultural reform and more field-oriented governance.” Yoo Sang-yeop of Yonsei University emphasized the distinction between authority and authoritarianism. “Cultures change slowly,” he said. “Small adjustments like this can gradually erode rigid hierarchies, like water wearing down rock. But de-bureaucratization carries risks, since conservatism also protects public value where failure is costly.” Ki Jung-hoon of Myongji University noted that bureaucratic caution stems from accountability and institutional rules, not just habit. “Korea’s context differs from individualistic Western societies,” he said. “Hierarchy is embedded in governance structures.” What matters are results, not rhetoric, observers all agree. “Dropping titles is only meaningful if it leads to improvements in appointments, evaluations and decision-making,” said Rho Seung-yong, a professor at Seoul Women’s University’s Department of Public Administration. “De-bureaucratization cannot be achieved through symbolic gestures alone.” 2026-02-13 09:56:17
  • South Korea’s Choi Ga-on wins Olympic women’s halfpipe gold, first for Korean snowboarding
    South Korea’s Choi Ga-on wins Olympic women’s halfpipe gold, first for Korean snowboarding High school snowboarder Choi Ga-on won South Korea’s first Olympic gold medal in snowboarding, drawing surprised reactions online. She did it after apparent injury in the women’s halfpipe final.  Choi scored 90.25 points on her third run in the women’s halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Feb. 13 (Korea time) to take gold. She finished ahead of Chloe Kim, who scored 88.00 and was seeking a third straight Olympic title.  Choi crashed hard after her second jump on the first run when she caught an edge on the lip, then made a mistake on the first jump of her second run. She returned for the third run and delivered a clean performance to secure the title. Afterward, she was seen limping.  “My first Olympic medal being a gold medal makes me very happy,” Choi said. “I can’t believe it. It’s also an honor to be the first gold medal for the Korean team.”  Online commenters called it “a movie-worthy story,” with some saying it was too dramatic to be believable and others quoting a popular phrase: “What matters is an unbreakable heart.”  South Korea’s snowboard team has won three medals at the Games so far: Kim Sang-gyeom’s silver in the men’s parallel giant slalom, Yoo Seung-eun’s bronze in women’s big air and Choi’s gold in women’s halfpipe.  2026-02-13 09:54:40
  • U.S. Navy Team Visits HJ Shipbuilding Yard in Busan, Praises MRO Work
    U.S. Navy Team Visits HJ Shipbuilding Yard in Busan, Praises MRO Work HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said U.S. Navy officials visited its Yeongdo shipyard in Busan on Feb. 12 to inspect maintenance, repair and overhaul work on a U.S. vessel and praised the company’s technical capabilities. The delegation included Jim Goodheart, deputy director of the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command’s ship management office, and five Navy supervisors, the company said on Thursday. HJ Shipbuilding signed a contract in December for intermediate maintenance on the 40,000-ton logistics support ship Amelia Earhart. The company said it began work immediately and plans to complete required MRO and improvement work and deliver the ship to the U.S. Navy by March. During the visit, the officials reviewed progress, shipyard operations and equipment that has already been serviced, and they praised the quality of the work, the company said. It added that the delegation also asked HJ Shipbuilding’s management for additional maintenance work beyond the scope of the existing contract, which the company expects would increase revenue and profit from its first MRO project. Chief Executive Yoo Sang-cheol said the company is focusing on schedule and quality control to meet the U.S. Navy’s requirements. “We will concentrate all of the company’s capabilities on meeting the delivery schedule and delivering a high-quality ship so this project can serve as a foundation for building trust with the U.S. Navy,” Yoo said. 2026-02-13 09:48:00
  • North Korea urges South Korea to prevent recurrence of drone incursions
    North Korea urges South Korea to prevent recurrence of drone incursions SEOUL, February 13 (AJP) - North Korea on Friday urged South Korea to take measures to prevent a "recurrence" of what Pyongyang says was a drone incursion into its airspace. "I give advance warning that reoccurrence of such provocation as violating the inalienable sovereignty of the will surely provoke a terrible response," said Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the reclusive country's leader Kim Jong-un, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Her remarks came just a day after South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed regret over drones allegedly sent by civilians to the North, without specifying which incidents he was referring to. KCNA quoted her as saying it was "fortunate" that the South had expressed regret, calling it "sensible behavior." She added, "We don't care who the very manipulator of the drone infiltration into the airspace of the DPRK is and whether it is an individual or a civilian organization." Earlier in January, the North said it shot down a South Korean surveillance drone near the industrial town of Kaesong, dealing a blow to Seoul's efforts to mend relations with Pyongyang. 2026-02-13 09:11:45
  • South Korea’s first snowboard Olympian Kim Ho Jun congratulates Choi Ga On on historic gold
    South Korea’s first snowboard Olympian Kim Ho Jun congratulates Choi Ga On on historic gold South Korea’s first Olympic snowboarder, JTBC commentator Kim Ho Jun, congratulated Choi Ga On after she won the country’s first Olympic gold medal in snowboarding.  Kim posted a video on social media on Thursday, writing, “Ga On, congratulations from the bottom of my heart, and thank you.” He added, “Snowboarding is the trend. When I first competed in the Olympics, most people didn’t even know what a halfpipe was,” and said some people even mistook snowboarding for skiing. Kim, a former national team halfpipe rider, competed at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics as the only South Korean athlete in the event.  He wrote that hearing “snowboarding is the trend” feels especially exciting because he rode “in that era” and poured everything into the sport. “Today, the history of South Korean snowboarding has been rewritten,” he said, adding that he had watched for a long time how hard Choi worked to win halfpipe gold.  Kim ended his post by thanking Choi and JTBC, writing, “South Korean snowboarding! May it last forever. The trend is? Snowboarding.” Choi won gold in the women’s halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, scoring 90.25 on her third run to beat Chloe Kim, who scored 88.00 and was seeking a third straight Olympic gold. It was South Korea’s first gold medal in a snow event.  South Korean snowboarders have won three medals at these Olympics: Kim Sang Gyeom’s silver in men’s parallel giant slalom, Yoo Seung Eun’s bronze in women’s big air and Choi’s gold.  2026-02-13 09:03:00
  • Chaevi Wins Contract to Inspect and Maintain Environment Ministry Fast-Charging Sites
    Chaevi Wins Contract to Inspect and Maintain Environment Ministry Fast-Charging Sites Chaevi, a South Korean electric vehicle charger company, said Thursday it was selected as the top bidder in a Korea Automobile Environmental Association tender to provide on-site inspections and outsourced maintenance for the Ministry of Environment’s fast-charging facilities. Chaevi has carried out the ministry’s outsourced maintenance work for the past two years, and the latest award extends its role for a fourth straight year. The contract covers 4,603 fast-charging bays installed in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Daejeon and Sejong. The term runs for two years through Dec. 31 of next year. The company said it will handle regular, unscheduled, emergency and special inspections, along with fault diagnosis, rapid restoration, repairs to related facilities, and relocation or removal work across the charging infrastructure. CEO Choi Young Hun said, “Through this selection, we will do our best in maintenance and management so that public fast-charging facilities can be operated with the industry’s highest level of quality and reliability.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 08:57:00