Google's new smart glasses boast extensive AI capabilities SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - Google has re-entered the smart glasses market with a new prototype of XR-enabled smart glasses, unveiled at the Google I/O 2025 conference on May 20. The device aims to blend cutting-edge artificial intelligence with mainstream wearability and a fashion-forward design, showcasing a significant leap in functionality compared to previous attempts. The prototype features an embedded transparent display on the right lens, integrated with a camera, microphone, and speaker system. This configuration allows for seamless interaction with Google’s latest multimodal AI model, Gemini 2.5. A simple press-and-hold gesture on the frame activates Gemini, enabling the glasses to process the surrounding environment in real time. The device is designed to recognize objects, translate conversations, provide navigation guidance, and even recall past activities, such as a user's preferred coffee order or the artist and style of a painting. Visuals captured by the glasses are previewed directly on the lens, while audio feedback is delivered through frame-integrated speakers engineered to minimize sound spillover, enhancing user privacy in public settings. The system, though still in prototype phase, demonstrates a sophisticated integration of real-time vision and conversational AI, acting as a proactive everyday companion. Gemini can assist with shopping by identifying products, offer contextual overlays, and transcribe spoken dialogue as it occurs. The XR glasses are currently equipped to support a comprehensive suite of intelligent functions, including live translation, in-lens navigation, object and product recognition and photo and video capture. They also enable visual search, memory recall for places and tasks, in-lens notifications, voice command interaction, conversation transcription, and context-aware assistance, all powered by Gemini AI. 2025-05-27 14:00:25

Amorepacific taps Daiso to launch new men's grooming brand SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest cosmetics maker Amorepacific has rolled out Monday a new cosmetics line for men through Daiso, the popular discount chain, aiming to reach younger male consumers who are just beginning to explore skincare and grooming. The cosmetics maker said in a statement that its new brand, called “Prep by B.READY,” is geared toward men in their 20s and 30s. “The brand targets male customers who are new to styling,” the company said in a statement Monday. The lineup of the new male beauty product brand includes all-in-one skincare products, sunscreen, and basic color cosmetics designed for everyday use. The line is now available at Daiso stores across the country and through the retailer’s online platform. Daiso, known for selling most items between 1,000 ($0.7) and 5,000 won, has more than 1,500 locations nationwide and recorded sales of over 3 trillion won in 2024. Its affordability and wide selection have made it a go-to stop for younger shoppers looking for low-cost beauty products. Men’s cosmetics are no longer a niche in South Korea. According to Euromonitor, the male grooming market reached 1.2 trillion won ($878.9 million) last year, growing at an average rate of about 2.5 percent annually. The broader beauty industry remains strong. Data from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute showed the domestic market was worth 17.7 trillion won (approximately 13 billion dollars) in 2024, with expectations that it will climb to 15 billion dollars by 2028. 2025-05-26 15:17:34

BTS' Jin releases remixes from his latest mini album SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Jin, the eldest member of K-pop juggernaut BTS, released a new compilation album on Tuesday. According to his agency BitHit Music, the album contains eight tracks including six remixed versions of "Don't Say You Love Me," the title song from his second mini album "Echo," released last week, about six months after his debut solo album "Happy" late last year. Along with the instrumental version of the song, the remixes vary in style from retro pop vibes to futuristic beats. "Don't Say You Love Me" explores the complex emotions of love, which may bring heartache alongside solace, with each version offering a distinct interpretation of these feelings. Meanwhile, Jin will appear on NBC's late-night talk show "The Tonight Show" hosted by Jimmy Fallon to promote the album on Thursday, where he is expected to perform live, thrilling fans around the world and further solidifying his solo career. 2025-05-20 14:15:38

South Korean expats to begin voting for new president this week SEOUL, May 19 (AJP) - Overseas voting for the June 3 presidential election is set to begin on Tuesday at some 223 polling stations in 118 countries around the world, election watchdog National Election Commission (NEC) said on Monday. Some 258,254 overseas South Koreans will be eligible to vote over a six-day period that runs until next Monday, at around 182 embassies and consulates abroad, along with some 41 newly added polling stations set up for military units dispatched to Lebanon and Uganda. Polling stations were also set up for the first time in Cuba, Estonia, Lithuania, and Luxembourg, where diplomatic missions have been recently established. The first overseas ballots will be cast at South Korean consular offices in New Zealand and Fiji, while the final polling station to close will be in Hawaii. The number of overseas voters registered for the upcoming election rose 14.2 percent compared to 226,152 in the previous 2022 presidential election. By country, the U.S. has the largest number of voters with 51,885, followed by Japan with 38,600 and China with 25,154. Voters can cast their ballots between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., though they are advised to check the exact dates and times, which may be subject to change depending on local conditions. They should also be mindful not to vote for Koo Ju-wa of the minor far-right Liberty Unification Party, who withdrew from the presidential race over the weekend after the ballots were already printed out. Any votes cast for him will be deemed invalid. Their ballot papers will be delivered to the NEC in diplomatic pouches and sent by registered mail to the relevant constituencies across the country, where they will be counted on the election day along with the other votes here. Meanwhile, early voting will take place over two days next Thursday and Friday at any polling station, regardless of voters' registered addresses. 2025-05-19 17:28:27

Teen South Korean baseball player signs with Texas Rangers SEOUL, May 19 (AJP) - Teen baseball player Kim Seong-jun has signed with the Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball in the U.S. Announcing their deal with Kim as an international free agent, the Rangers said on Sunday, "Kim, a shortstop and right-handed pitcher, is in his final year at Gwangju Jeil High School in South Korea and will graduate in January 2026, at which point he will join the organization." "We're so excited about , a world-class talent and also a world-class person," said Hamilton Wise, a senior recruiter for the Rangers. "We've been so impressed with him defensively at shortstop and in the batter's box, but also on the pitcher's mound. We have full intent as an organization to develop him as a two-way player." Wise added, "He has the character and mental makeup to impact the game in this organization positively for many years to come." Kim is the fifth player from the school in southwestern South Korea to reach the MLB, joining a notable list of alumni including pitcher Kim Byung-hyun, slugger Choi Hee-seop, pitcher Seo Jae-weong, and shortstop Kang Jung-ho. However, the teen prospect is the first to join an MLB team without prior experience in the country's professional league. Admitting the challenges ahead, Kim said through his interpreter with the Rangers, "It's gonna be hard, not easy. But I will do my best. I'm not going to regret anything at all. I will do my best." He then added, "If I can improve better and earlier, I can be the best player in the big leagues. That's why I decided to sign" with the Rangers. Standing six feet tall, the shortstop, also capable of throwing a powerful fastball, has already built an impressive amateur career, earning several awards here and setting his sights high to achieve success, comparable to Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani. According to local media, Kim's deal is reportedly worth US$1.2 million. 2025-05-19 15:39:54

Presidential candidates to face off in first televised debate this weekend SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) - With just a few weeks remaining until next month's presidential election, four presidential hopefuls are set to face off in a televised debate scheduled for this weekend. In their first debate hosted by election watchdog National Election Commission slated for Sunday, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) will present their visions and discuss ways to revive the struggling economy while boosting the country's ultra-low birthrate. Lee Jun-seok of the minor centrist Reform Party (RP) and Kwon Young-kook of the minor progressive Democratic Labor Party will also take part in the debate. They are scheduled to hold two additional debates in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the DP candidate has secured a solid lead over his rivals, garnering over 50-percent support, according to a nationwide survey of over 1,000 voters conducted earlier this week and released by pollster Gallup Korea on Friday. The lawyer-turned-politician, who garnered the most support among voters in their 40s, led the race with 51 percent, surpassing the 50-percent level for the first time. He was followed by Kim at a distant 29 percent, and the youngest presidential candidate from the RP, who turned 40 in March, making him eligible for presidential candidacy, with just eight percent. About 12 percent of respondents remain undecided. In terms of party preference, some 48 percent of respondents favored the DP, while 30 percent supported the PPP. The June 3 snap election comes after the Constitutional Court of Korea's ruling early last month to impeach disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law debacle late last year. 2025-05-16 17:05:06

Trade ministers from South Korea, US hold tariff-related talks in Jeju SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) - Trade ministers from South Korea and the United States are continuing talks to narrow differences during a series of meetings on the sidelines of the preparatory gathering for this fall's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which wraps up in Jeju on Friday. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun is holding talks with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer over Washington's proposed 25-percent reciprocal tariffs on South Korean exports, following working-level discussions between the two countries earlier in the week. Friday's agenda includes negotiations on the U.S.' steep tariffs on automobiles and steel, as part of broader talks aimed at reaching a packaged deal by July 8, the day U.S. President Donald Trump's 90-day tariff suspension is set to expire. South Korea is apparently pushing for trade exemptions in exchange for expanded cooperation in the shipbuilding and energy sectors. Meanwhile, Greer met with the CEOs of several South Korean shipbuilders including HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean, reportedly discussing tariff-related issues and cooperation. Chinese trade envoy Li Chenggang has also been on the southern resort island, holding one-on-one trade talks with senior U.S. officials. The two-day preparatory gathering, attended by representatives from 21 member countries and senior officials from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), is being held ahead of this year's APEC summit, which is scheduled to take place in late October in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. 2025-05-16 13:51:21

Tour programs to Panmunjom to resume on limited basis this week SEOUL, May 15 (AJP) - A tour program to the truce village of Panmunjom and nearby areas is set to resume later this week after a halt of about a year and a half, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. But the program remains restricted, allowing access only to selected groups of visitors on a limited basis. About 20 government officials and executives from state-run companies are scheduled to visit there this Friday, becoming the first group to take part in the revived program as part of an education course run by the ministry. Located in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), Panmunjom has long stood as a tense symbol of division between the two Koreas. The tour was suspended in July 2023 after a U.S. soldier abruptly crossed into the North during a visit to the Joint Security Area (JSA). It partially resumed several months later, only to be halted again amid heightened military tensions with the North in December that year. As requests for tours have been pouring in from foreigners, war veterans, and others, the ministry has decided to allow limited access, with the possibility of fully resuming once safety measures are in place. 2025-05-15 14:33:10

North Korean IT workers in China linked to remote work scams overseas SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - North Korea has set up dozens of front companies in China, helping its IT workers "trick Western companies into hiring them," the American news website Axios reported on Tuesday. Citing a fresh report released by strategic intelligence platform Strider Technologies, the website revealed details of a vast network of China-based companies allegedly involved in facilitating North Korea's clandestine IT operations overseas, evading international sanctions. According to Axios, the scheme involves North Korean workers using aliases to land jobs at tech companies in the U.S., with "nearly every Fortune 500 company" having "struggled with the problem of North Korea-based IT workers trying to get hired at their firms." The report identified about 35 companies believed to be connected to Liaoning China Trade Industry, a Chinese firm already sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The firm was blacklisted earlier this year for shipping laptops and other IT equipment to North Korea's military unit, known as Department 53, which is involved in weapons trading. Among other suspected firms named in the report are Dandong Deyun Trading, a textiles and electronics wholesaler; Guangzhou Aiyixi Trading, which engages in the sale of cosmetics and clothing; and Yongping Zhuoren Mining, a distributor of minerals and construction materials. The report suspected that these firms may be helping to funnel resources to fund Pyongyang's missile and nuclear weapons program. But more recently, North Korea's aims appear to be shifting from earning dollars to intelligence gathering such as "intellectual property and any other company secrets," Axios said, quoting Strider CEO Greg Levesque as saying. The latest revelation raises concerns over North Korea's increasingly sophisticated tactics to infiltrate Western businesses, posing threats to their cybersecurity. 2025-05-14 15:41:31

Kim Sae-ron's posthumous film set for release later this month SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - The late actress Kim Sae-ron's posthumous film is set for release later this month. Directed by Lee Seong-jong, "Guitar Man" deals with the story of a once-promising but now aimless guitarist struggling to navigate a rapidly changing world. Isolated and cynical, he begins to rediscover hope after joining a live-club band where he meets a female keyboardist. Currently serving as the CEO of dental-care provider Sungwon Pharmaceutical, the versatile director not only stars in the lead role but also composed the film's soundtrack, which underscores its theme of offering solace to those enduring hardship. Much attention has been drawn to the upcoming film which was filmed last fall and is scheduled to hit local theaters on May 30, as many fans remain bewildered by Kim's sudden death early this year. The young actress had apparently struggled with financial difficulties after being caught driving under the influence in 2022 and was allegedly involved in an inappropriate relationship with actor Kim Soo-hyun. The 24-year-old, best known for her role in the 2010 hit action thriller "The Man from Nowhere," shocked the nation when she was found dead of apparent suicide at her home in eastern Seoul in February this year. 2025-05-13 15:27:12