HanmiGlobal, KEPCO team up with UK firm on overseas nuclear projects SEOUL, January 12 (AJP) - South Korea's HanmiGlobal said Monday it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with Korea Electric Power Engineering & Construction and U.K.-based project management firm Turner & Townsend to jointly pursue nuclear power projects overseas. The agreement follows a nuclear cooperation MOU signed last year between HanmiGlobal and KEPCO E&C. The three companies will build an integrated advisory package covering nuclear plant design, engineering, project management, and cost and schedule control to target the global nuclear market, HanmiGlobal said in a press release. HanmiGlobal has carried out about 3,200 project management assignments in 66 countries. It recently entered the nuclear sector after winning a project management contract for the life-extension project for Unit 1 at Romania’s Cernavoda nuclear power plant. KEPCO E&C has designed multiple nuclear plants in South Korea and overseas, including the Hanbit nuclear power plant and the Barakah plant in the United Arab Emirates. Turner & Townsend, headquartered in the U.K., operates 247 offices in 62 countries and works in project management and quantity surveying. It is handling integrated project management for the U.K.’s new Hinkley Point C nuclear plant and the Sellafield nuclear site, and provides consulting for the U.K. government’s small modular reactor program. HanmiGlobal said it plans to identify joint opportunities in key markets including Europe, the Middle East and Asia, in partnership with KEPCO E&C and Turner & Townsend. They also plan to cooperate on data-driven upgrades to nuclear project management using digital twin, BIM and AI technologies, and to expand cooperation across the nuclear life cycle, including large-scale plants, SMRs, decommissioning and radioactive waste disposal facilities. “By combining the core capabilities of the three companies, we will further strengthen competitiveness in global nuclear projects,” a HanmiGlobal official said. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-01-12 13:54:54

Lunar New Year train tickets to go on sale next week SEOUL, January 7 (AJP) - Advance train tickets for the Lunar New Year break will go on sale next week, railway operator KORAIL said Wednesday. Tickets will be available online for a week starting next Thursday, about a month in advance, for trains running during the weeklong holiday from Feb. 13 to 18. The first two days of pre-booking will be reserved for senior citizens aged 65 and older, people with disabilities, and recipients of national merit honors. Ordinary citizens can book tickets for the remaining days until Jan. 21. However, booking dates may vary by destination. KORAIL said it has extended the booking period from two to three days to prevent overcrowding and server congestion. 2026-01-07 15:44:55

China travel surge lifts Incheon airport to record passenger traffic SEOUL, January 05 (AJP) - Incheon International Airport handled a record 239,530 passengers on Jan. 4, the highest daily total since the airport opened in 2001, its operator said on Monday. The figure surpassed the previous record of 234,171 passengers set on Aug. 4, 2019, by nearly 5,000, and was up 13.7 percent from the same day a year earlier, when 210,891 passengers used the airport. By destination, travel to and from China accounted for 49.2 percent of total passenger traffic and recorded the largest year-on-year increase, which the airport operator attributed to visa-free entry policies and a recovery in outbound and inbound tourism. Passenger traffic involving Hong Kong and Taiwan rose 24 percent. Travel demand to Southeast Asia, however, showed relatively modest growth of 1.7 percent despite the winter peak season, partly due to recent developments in Cambodia, the operator said. Despite the surge in traffic, airport congestion remained close to normal levels. As of Jan. 4, the average wait time at departure security checkpoints in Terminal 1 was 7.9 minutes, with a peak of 42 minutes at around 6 a.m. Incheon International Airport Corp. said it is expanding the use of automated systems such as Smart Pass, enhancing training for security screening staff, hiring additional personnel and widening operations at Gate 1 in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. 2026-01-05 16:00:44

Incheon Airport sets daily passenger record with nearly 240,000 travelers SEOUL, January 5 (AJP) - A record 239,530 passengers passed through Incheon International Airport last Sunday, the most in a single day since it opened in 2001, operators said on Monday. The figure was nearly 5,000 higher than the previous record of 234,171 set on Aug. 4, 2019, and was also up about 13.7 percent from a year earlier, when 210,891 passengers used the airport. Chinese passengers accounted for the most at 49.2 percent of all travelers, seeing the biggest increase, likely due to a temporary year-long visa-free entry program between South Korea and China that runs until the end of this year. Passenger traffic from Chinese-speaking countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan also rose by 24 percent. However, the number of travelers to and from Southeast Asia remained relatively low, rising by just 1.7 percent despite the winter peak season, which was attributed to recent revelations of online phishing scams and other crimes, mostly in Cambodia. Despite the record passenger numbers, the airport appears to be handling the surge smoothly, with an average processing time of just 7.9 minutes and a peak wait of 42 minutes at around 6 a.m. The airport said it is expanding automated immigration clearance systems and adding additional security and screening staff. Lee Hak-jae, the airport's president, said, "We will continue to improve convenience for foreign travelers and other visitors by revamping multilingual signage and increasing more personnel." 2026-01-05 14:55:34

Fire breaks out at motorcycle repair shop in Namyangju SEOUL, December 27 (AJP) - A fire broke out at a motorcycle repair shop in Namyangju, south of Seoul, authorities said Saturday. Fire officials said the blaze started about 2:55 p.m. at the shop in Byeollae-myeon, Namyangju, in Gyeonggi province. Black smoke rose from the building, prompting a series of calls from nearby residents. No casualties had been confirmed as of Saturday afternoon. Firefighters deployed 31 pieces of equipment and 78 personnel to contain the flames. Police and fire officials said they will investigate the cause and assess damage once the fire is fully under control. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-27 17:18:45

Coupang shares jump 6% in New York after company releases probe findings on data leak SEOUL, December 27 (AJP) - Coupang shares rose on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Friday (local time), the first trading day after the company released its own findings on a major personal data leak. Coupang Inc., the parent company of the e-commerce firm, closed up 6.45 percent at $24.27 on the NYSE. U.S. markets were closed the previous day for Christmas, making Friday the first session after the announcement. Coupang said in a news release on Thursday that it had identified a former employee who leaked customer information using forensic evidence. The company said it recovered and secured all devices and hard disk drives used to access and steal the data, and its review found no external transmission. Coupang also said the leaker deleted all stored information and that no customer data were sent to third parties, according to its findings. The rebound was seen as reflecting investor expectations that the situation could stabilize after the company's announcement. The government, however, dismissed Coupang's statement, saying that what Coupang claims has not been confirmed by the joint public-private investigation team and is a one-sided claim. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-27 09:32:23

Samsung C&T advances Australian energy push with HVDC transmission deal SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Samsung C&T Corp.’s construction unit said on Thursday it has won a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project in Australia. The company said it signed a contract with Marinus Link, a government-backed company established by Australia’s federal government and the state governments of Victoria and Tasmania, for the Marinus Link HVDC project. The project involves the engineering, procurement and construction of a 750-megawatt HVDC transmission system connecting the Hazelwood area in Victoria with the Heybridge area in Tasmania. The system will comprise about 90 kilometers of underground cable and 255 kilometers of subsea cable, for a total length of 350 kilometers. Samsung C&T said it formed a joint venture with local infrastructure contractor DTI to carry out civil works related to underground cable installation and the construction of converter stations. Of the total project value of about 940 billion won ($680 million), Samsung C&T’s 50 percent share amounts to roughly 470 billion won. The company said it received strong evaluations from the client during the early contractor involvement process after presenting an optimized design and highlighting experience gained from its HVDC project in the United Arab Emirates. “The Marinus Link HVDC project demonstrates recognition of Samsung C&T’s technology and project execution capabilities in the Australian market,” said Kim Sung-jun, vice president and head of the company’s energy solutions sales division. “We will continue to expand our business in Australia and the global energy market.” Samsung C&T said it has secured around 1 trillion won in orders in Australia’s energy sector this year, including a battery energy storage system project in Victoria worth about 200 billion won won in July. Since entering the Australian market with the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub project in 2023, the company has been carrying out energy storage system projects totaling about 2.9 gigawatt-hours, it added. 2025-12-18 09:38:22

Shinsegae chair's Hannam-dong home remains South Korea's most expensive for 11th year SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - Lee Myung-hee, chairwoman of South Korea’s Shinsegae Group, owns the country’s most expensive home for the 11th consecutive year, according to government property data released on Wednesday. Lee’s residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, was valued at 31.35 billion won ($21 million), up 5.48 percent from a year earlier, data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport showed. The valuation rose by 1.63 billion won from last year’s 29.72 billion won, marking the first time in four years that the property’s assessed value has exceeded 30 billion won. The 2,862-square-meter home has held the top position since 2016. The second most expensive residence is owned by Lee Hae-wook, chairman of construction and energy conglomerate DL Group. His home in Samsung-dong, Seoul’s Gangnam district, was valued at 20.3 billion won, up 5.67 percent from last year. The rankings of the top 10 most expensive homes were unchanged from last year. Seven are located in Yongsan-gu, two in Gangnam-gu’s Samsung-dong and one in Seocho-gu’s Bangbae-dong. In land valuations, the site occupied by cosmetics retailer Nature Republic in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, retained its position as South Korea’s most expensive plot for the 23rd consecutive year. It was valued at 18.84 million won per square meter, up 4.38 percent. The second most expensive site was the Woori Bank property in Myeong-dong, valued at 18.76 million won per square meter, a 4.58 percent increase. 2025-12-17 13:48:58

Incheon airport chief pushes back on president's call for cash-smuggling probe SEOUL, December 16 (AJP) - The head of South Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corporation said on Tuesday that a full investigation into allegations of cash smuggling using books would be virtually impossible, pushing back against an order issued by President Lee Jae Myung. Lee Hak-jae, chief executive of the airport operator, told a press conference in Incheon that searching for $100 bills concealed inside books would be unworkable in practice. “Conducting a full search for banknotes hidden in books is not feasible,” said Lee, a former three-term lawmaker of the opposition People Power Party. “It would disrupt airport operations and cause significant inconvenience to passengers.” President Lee had earlier raised concerns during a briefing by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport about the possibility of smuggling large sums of money by hiding $100 bills in books. After Lee Hak-jae failed to give clear answers, the president publicly criticized him and instructed authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation. Asked about alternative measures, Lee said the airport would strengthen existing security checks in response to public concern. “We will enhance current screening procedures in light of the president’s remarks and public interest,” he said, adding that the airport was open to proposals from customs authorities to improve detection methods. Lee also rejected calls for him to step down, saying his position was protected by a fixed term. “I have not considered resigning,” he said, adding that he had not received any direct communication from the presidential office regarding his status. Separately, Incheon International Airport outlined plans to ease congestion through airline relocations and expanded terminal operations. Low-cost carriers Air Busan and Air Seoul began operating from Terminal 2 in the third quarter, while Asiana Airlines is scheduled to move there on Jan. 14. The shift is expected to reduce congestion at Terminal 1, which currently handles about 66 percent of passengers, lowering the share to around 49 percent. Terminal 2 will see expanded capacity, including the addition of 119 security staff, an increase in parking spaces from 19,553 to 25,540, and an expansion of boarding gates from 47 to 63. The airport forecasts 73.52 million international passengers this year, with total passenger traffic reaching 74.04 million. Passenger numbers are projected to rise 2.1 percent next year to 75.07 million. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-16 15:51:24

Strike by unionized railway workers averted after overnight negotiations SEOUL, December 11 (AJP) - A full-scale strike by unionized railway workers in Seoul was averted early Thursday morning after a breakthrough was made during overnight negotiations between labor and management. State-run rail operator KORAIL's workers called off their planned strike after both sides tentatively agreed to further discuss key issues including bonus payments and safety measures, allowing all trains to run as scheduled. The union had demanded performance-based bonuses to be restored to 100 percent of base salary, matching other public enterprises, up from the current 80 percent. The Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU), which operates Line 9 separately from Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines 1 through 8, also decided to call off its strike after reaching a deal on wages. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-11 09:11:57