Journalist
김혜준(Candice Kim)
candicekim1121@ajupress.com
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Korea opens pavilion at Osaka Expo, highlighting technology, tradition, sustainability SEOUL, April 13 (AJP) - South Korea opened its national pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, Sunday, aiming to showcase its technological innovation, cultural heritage, and vision for a sustainable future over the course of the six-month international event. Organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, the opening ceremony marked the start of a 184-day exhibition set within one of the expo’s signature structures, the Grand Ring, on Yumeshima, a man-made island in western Osaka. Held under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the 2025 Osaka Expo runs through October 13 and features participation from 158 countries, regions, and international organizations. South Korea’s pavilion comprises three exhibition halls and seeks to deliver a message of authentic connection — bridging tradition and modernity, people and technology, and Korea with the world. Spanning 3,501 square meters, the pavilion features a large media facade displaying Korea’s four seasons, cultural legacy, and advanced technologies through immersive visual storytelling. Architectural elements such as hanbok garments and traditional lanterns are used to express the subtle elegance of Korean aesthetics. The South Korean government has planned more than 30 official events centered around “Korea Day” on May 13. Highlights include a Korea-Japan friendship banquet, a K-pop and J-pop concert titled “Korea Day M Concert,” a reenactment of the historic Joseon Tongsinsa diplomatic voyage, and themed events promoting Korean food and tourism. Korean officials say the expo offers a prime opportunity to promote Korean innovation and soft power on a global stage, while also serving as a platform for renewed Korea-Japan cultural and diplomatic engagement. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries. 2025-04-13 16:01:35 -
Trump exempts smartphones from sweeping tariffs SEOUL, April 13 (AJP) - The Trump administration has granted exemptions on a range of electronic devices, including smartphones and personal computers, from a broad package of reciprocal tariffs — a move that offers significant relief to major global tech firms such as Apple and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics. In a notice published April 12, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that select categories of electronics — including smartphones, laptops, PCs, servers, and semiconductor equipment — would be excluded from the reciprocal tariffs, which include levies of up to 125 percent on goods imported from China. The exemptions are retroactive to April 5. The decision is expected to ease mounting concerns across the technology industry about the potential for rising consumer prices, given the heavy reliance on Chinese manufacturing for many of the affected products. While President Trump had previously threatened to impose steep tariffs on a wide array of imports, he announced a 90-day suspension of that plan last week. In the interim, the United States has introduced a general global tariff of 10 percent. However, for imports from China, only the newly implemented 125 percent tariffs are affected by the exemption. A separate 20 percent tariff, tied to what the administration has described as China’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis, will remain in place. In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president remains committed to reducing America’s dependence on Chinese manufacturing, particularly for critical technologies. “President Trump has made it clear America cannot rely on China to manufacture critical technologies, such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones and laptops,” Leavitt said, adding that major tech companies are “hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible.” Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that further details on his administration’s strategy for semiconductor tariffs would be announced Monday. 2025-04-13 15:44:52 -
Criminal trial of Yoon Suk Yeol will begin Monday Former President Yoon Suk Yeol waves to his supporters as he leaves the presidential residence in Yonsan, Seoul, April 11, 2025. Joint Press Corps SEOUL, April 13 (AJP) - The criminal trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to begin Monday at the Seoul Central District Court. Yoon, who was removed from office by a unanimous ruling of the Constitutional Court on April 4, faces charges of leading an insurrection after attempting to mobilize military forces on Dec. 3. He is the fifth former South Korean president to face a criminal trial. The proceedings are set to open at 10 a.m. As a defendant,Yoon is required to appear in court, where he was allowed to enter through an underground parking lot. The court has banned photography inside the courtroom prior to the start of the session. At the start of the hearing, prosecutors are expected to outline Yoon's charges. He may petition the presiding judge for an opportunity to address the court. If convicted, Yoon could face a life sentence or potentially the death penalty, according to South Korean law. Among the witnesses scheduled to testify are Cho Sung-hyun, a commander of the Capital Defense Command, and Kim Hyung-ki, head of the First Special Forces Battalion of the Special Warfare Command. Both are expected to provide testimony regarding the events of Dec. 3. During Yoon’s impeachment trial earlier this year at the Constitutional Court, Cho testified that he received orders from then-Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo to dispatch troops to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly. Kim is believed to have been given similar instructions that same evening. 2025-04-13 13:22:40 -
Hyundai, Kia record highest-ever Q1 sales of 71 trillion won amid looming U.S. tariff challenges SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor and Kia are expected to report combined first-quarter sales of 71.03 trillion won ($48.5 billion) despite U.S. President Donald Trump's 25 percent tariff increase on automobiles, according to automotive and securities industry sources on Thursday. The sales figure represents a 4 percent increase from the same period last year, while operating profit is forecast to reach 6.89 trillion won, down 1.3 percent year-on-year. Hyundai Motor alone is expected to post first-quarter provisional sales of 43.36 trillion won and operating profit of 3.62 trillion won, up 6.6 percent and 1.7 percent respectively compared to the same period last year. Kia's sales and operating profit are projected at 27.67 trillion won and 3.27 trillion won. The strong first-quarter performance is attributed to increased sales of high-profit vehicles such as SUVs and hybrid models, combined with favorable exchange rates. In the United States, consumers rushed to purchase new vehicles before Trump's tariffs on specific automotive products took effect on April 3, significantly boosting March sales. Hyundai and Kia's combined U.S. sales for the first quarter reached 419,912 units, a 10.7 percent increase year-on-year, with March sales hitting a record 172,669 units, accounting for nearly half of the quarterly total. The automotive industry is closely watching how performance will evolve from the second quarter when the impact of U.S. tariffs becomes fully apparent. Securities analysts estimate that Hyundai and Kia could face annual operating losses of 6 trillion won and 4 trillion won respectively due to the 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles, representing approximately 40 percent of Hyundai's and 36 percent of Kia's operating profits from last year. However, the companies have some cushion against cost increases due to the stronger dollar. The average exchange rate for 2025 (1,465 won) is 7.3 percent higher than 2024's average (1,365 won). For every 100 won increase in the dollar exchange rate, Hyundai is estimated to gain 2.5 trillion won in profits while Kia could see 4 trillion won. According to securities industry analysis, this could offset approximately 40 percent of Hyundai's and 80 percent of Kia's cost pressures from tariffs. "The true crisis response capabilities of global automakers will be revealed from the second quarter when the effects of U.S. tariffs fully materialize," said Lim Eun-young, an analyst at Samsung Securities. "With more than 60 percent of their operating profits dependent on the United States, and expected intensified competition with Chinese electric vehicles in other regions this year, the group's fate hinges on its response to the U.S. situation." 2025-04-11 15:03:55 -
SK chief visits Taiwan to discuss AI semiconductor cooperation with TSMC SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won traveled to Taiwan earlier this week to meet with TSMC and other Taiwanese semiconductor companies to discuss cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, industry sources said on Friday. SK Hynix CEO Kwak No-jung reportedly accompanied Chey on the visit, which marks the chairman's first publicly known trip to Taiwan in 10 months. During his previous visit in June 2024, Chey met with TSMC Chairman Mark Liu and proposed "opening the foundation for an AI era that benefits humanity together," while agreeing to strengthen cooperation between the two companies in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) sector. SK Hynix had previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with TSMC in April 2024 for technical cooperation on developing HBM4, the sixth generation of high-bandwidth memory, and enhancing advanced packaging technology capabilities. This latest visit appears to continue discussions on collaboration opportunities in AI and semiconductor technologies with key figures in Taiwan's IT industry. The visit comes as memory manufacturers worldwide are racing to secure their positions in the growing AI semiconductor market, with HBM chips playing a crucial role as they provide the high-speed data processing capabilities required for AI applications. TSMC, as the world's leading semiconductor foundry, is a vital partner for memory manufacturers seeking to advance their high-performance computing solutions. SK Hynix is scheduled to participate in the "TSMC 2025 Technology Symposium" on April 23 in Santa Clara, California, where it plans to showcase its HBM4 and cutting-edge packaging technologies. This event will provide SK Hynix with an opportunity to demonstrate its latest innovations to potential partners and customers in the global semiconductor ecosystem. 2025-04-11 10:36:44