South Korea's AI and climate goals on collision course SEOUL, November 06 (AJP) - South Korea plans to invest $17 billion by 2030 to build an "AI expressway" and take the lead in the global AI race, a vision strengthened by NVIDIA's pledge to supply next-generation GPUs powerful enough to anchor five hyperscale AI data centers. Yet how the country intends to reconcile this ambition with its climate commitments is increasingly unclear. Under an energy rationalization strategy released this week, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment aims to cut national energy consumption to 211 million tons of oil equivalent (toe) by 2029 from 212 million toe in 2024. Climate Minister Kim Sung-hwan described the shift as the foundation for "a transformation toward a carbon-free green civilization." But the core drivers of Korea's AI goals demand the opposite direction. SK Group and Amazon Web Services are pushing ahead with more than $5 billion in hyperscale data center investments. Each server requires up to four times the power of a conventional unit, while cooling needs run four to ten times higher to sustain heavy GPU workloads. Hyperscale facilities—warehouse-sized sites with upward of 5,000 to over a million servers—consume electricity equivalent to at least 100,000 households. A new facility under construction in Ulsan could demand twenty times that amount, according to industry estimates. "The government's AI roadmap could derail on power shortages," Lee Young-tak, head of SK Telecom's growth support office, warned during a National Assembly forum in September. The numbers suggest a significant mismatch. Korea's total generation capacity is roughly 109 gigawatts. Yet government data show the country will need 732 new data centers by 2029, requiring nearly 49 gigawatts of electricity—almost half of today's available capacity. "That's equivalent to constructing 53 additional nuclear reactors," Lee said, arguing that such risks are absent in current policy planning. These projections do not include NVIDIA's more recent commitment to deliver an additional 260,000 GPUs to Korean customers. People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won noted that each high-end NVIDIA GPU draws roughly 1.4 kilowatts. The total would require around 400 megawatts—demanding dense power racks, advanced liquid-cooling systems, and high-speed networking infrastructure. She estimated this load alone would match the entire annual output of the Shin-Kori Unit 1 or Saewool Unit 1 reactor for six to twelve months. The Yongin semiconductor cluster adds to the strain. Once fully operational, the cluster is expected to require 16 gigawatts, an amount equal to about 60 percent of the combined apparent capacity of the Seoul and Namseoul substations, according to the National Assembly Research Service. Yet Korea's current grid struggles even with existing facilities. Among 318 power system impact assessment requests submitted to Korea Electric Power Corporation since August, only 21 received final approval as of September—a 6.6 percent success rate—according to PPP lawmaker Kim Sung-won. Infrastructure projects face chronic delays as well. A major high-voltage direct current line designed to move surplus power from the East Coast to the Seoul metropolitan area is seven years behind schedule due to local opposition. Transmission bottlenecks have forced coal plants in the Yeongdong region to operate at just 20 to 30 percent capacity despite available supply. Layered onto these constraints is the government's reluctance to expand nuclear power. The energy ministry is pursuing a nuclear reduction policy focused on raising renewable capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2030. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has continued to postpone a restart decision for Kori Unit 2, despite the near-completed approval process. Ten large reactors will reach the end of their operating licenses by 2029. Failing to extend those reactors could leave a power gap larger than Seoul’s annual electricity consumption by 2030—just as AI, semiconductor fabrication, and hyperscale data centers place unprecedented stress on the grid. 2025-11-06 16:48:22

Korean battery makers seat ESS at the forefront of AI-age global drive SEOUL, November 05 (AJP) - South Korean battery manufacturers are pressing ahead with aggressive global expansion and investment plans despite multiple headwinds - overcapacity worries, rising trade barriers, stalled growth in electric vehicles and China's overwhelming dominance - as they bet on rechargeable batteries becoming the dominant clean-energy infrastructure of the AI age. Top three battery makers are doubling their U.S. production capacity to 600 gigawatt-hours (GWh) annually by end-2026 from about 300 GWh now, even as U.S. EV sales stagnate. Sales reached roughly 607,000 units in the first half of this year, up just 1.5 percent from 597,500 a year earlier, according to Cox Automotive, and the elimination of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit in September is expected to weaken demand further. The financial impact has already begun to show. LG Energy Solution posted third-quarter revenue of 5.7 trillion won ($3.93 billion) with operating profit of 601.3 billion won. Samsung SDI reported revenue of 3.05 trillion won but swung to an operating loss of 591.3 billion won. SK On logged revenue of 1.81 trillion won with an operating loss of 124.8 billion won. Amid the slowdown in EV demand, Korean battery makers are rapidly shifting focus to energy storage systems (ESS), which store electricity generated from solar and wind farms for release during peak demand. The pivot comes as AI data centers require unprecedented and highly stable power loads. According to SNE Research, the global ESS market is projected to expand sixfold from 185 GWh in 2023 to 1,232 GWh by 2035, with the U.S. market also expected to grow sharply as electricity demand surges. China dominates ESS as well, but narrowing access to Chinese batteries under the Trump administration's trade barriers could open opportunities for Korean firms. "The decoupling of the U.S. from China is expected to accelerate in areas with high Chinese dependency such as ESS batteries and graphite, which will serve as an opportunity for Korean battery companies," said Lee Jin-myung, an analyst at Shinhan Securities. LG Energy Solution has already begun converting EV battery lines to ESS production. The company started mass production at its Holland, Michigan plant in June after retooling the facility. The plant now has 16 GWh of capacity, which LG Energy aims to expand to 30 GWh by end-2025. "It could grow beyond 30 GWh," said Kim Dong-myung, president of LG Energy Solution, at an industry event on Oct. 30. The company is reviewing additional conversions. On Monday, LG Energy and Stellantis said their joint venture in Canada will convert some of its nickel manganese cobalt (NCM) battery lines to cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) production for ESS. Samsung SDI has secured substantial ESS orders as well. The company plans to convert its Stellantis joint venture in the United States to ESS production with a target of 30 GWh annual capacity by end-2025. Samsung SDI will also supply Tesla with more than 3 trillion won worth of ESS batteries over three years, delivering about 10 GWh annually starting this year, according to industry sources on Nov. 3. SK On is joining the bandwagon. The company won a 1 GWh ESS supply contract in the United States in September and will convert part of its standalone Georgia plant to meet the order, with additional U.S. lines possibly repurposed depending on demand. Industry experts say Korean firms are preparing for strategies that go beyond ESS, as Chinese batteries remain difficult to beat on price and performance. "With the introduction of cell-to-pack technology, cheap LFP batteries have proven quite competitive against NCM batteries for lower-priced EV models like Tesla's Model 3 or Model Y," said Kim Ki-jae, professor of battery science and engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. He added that Korean manufacturers are working to improve nickel-based batteries to match their cheaper counterparts, with companies such as EcoPro continuing to focus on high-nickel cathodes. "Korean firms could also focus on developing batteries for urban air mobility and robotics. They could really capture significant portions of market share," said Kim. 2025-11-05 16:58:27

Game developer Krafton posts robust revenue in Q3 SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) - Game developer Krafton has posted a hefty 870.6 billion Korean won (US$605 million) in its third-quarter revenues, up 21 percent from a year earlier, driven by robust growth in its PC and mobile gaming operations. According to a regulatory filing released on Tuesday, the maker of "PUBG: Battlegrounds" saw its quarterly operating profit rise 7.5 percent year-on-year to 348.6 billion won. The strong quarterly performance pushed nine-month cumulative operating profit to a record 1.05 trillion won, the first time the company has surpassed the 1 trillion won milestone since its founding. Krafton attributed the surge to its PC platform, with revenue surging 29 percent year-on-year to hit a quarterly record of 353.9 billion won, fueled by the popularity of the PUBG franchise and various collaborations with popular artists and auto brands. Its mobile division also generated 488.5 billion won, largely due to record performance from the Battlegrounds series, exclusively available in India. To grow its popular battle royale game, the developer plans to expand ongoing IP collaborations and upgrade it into a next-generation platform with a new game engine and more diverse, user-engaging content. Krafton is also working on about a dozen new projects, with plans to unveil "Palworld Mobile" at the annual G-STAR gaming exhibition in Busan, slated for Nov. 13. "We will continue to strengthen our specialized capabilities while expanding our IP lineup across various genres," Krafton said. It added that it is building a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) cluster worth 100 billion won and developing a 500-billion-parameter foundation model in partnership with SK Telecom as part of its strategy to become a leading company in the AI-led era. Even with strong performance, Krafton's shares fell slightly, closing at 279,000 won, down 0.18 percent from the previous session. 2025-11-04 16:48:50

POST-APEC: Korea gains major traction in AI push with Nvidia backing SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - South Korea — once considered a latecomer in the race to artificial intelligence — has rapidly gained global momentum by leading regional governance discussions and securing tens of billions of dollars in investment tied to next-generation chips, hyperscale data centers, and physical AI infrastructure. Its hosting of the APEC Summit and CEO meetings served as a global stage, pulling in top players such as OpenAI, Nvidia, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix — collectively representing the supply chain powering the AI supercomputing era. South Korea has lined up high-profile commitments worth more than $20 billion across AI data centers, chip supply pipelines, AI agents, and robotics-related platforms over the past two weeks alone. Of that, Nvidia's promised supply of next-generation GPUs — up to 260,000 units — represents nearly $10 billion in hardware firepower, enough to build five to six massive supercomputing centers. During a 20-minute address at the APEC CEO Summit, Nvidia founder Jensen Huang said the reservation of Blackwell-generation GPUs for Korea reflects his "deep confidence" in the country's future in AI. "Korea has the software expertise, deep technical capability, and manufacturing capability to become a powerhouse in AI and robotics," Huang said. Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman also announced plans to invest over $5 billion in Korea by 2031 to expand AI-related cloud infrastructure. He held separate talks with the chiefs of Lotte Group, GS Group and LG Electronics to discuss enterprise cloud acceleration. Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT additionally signed an MoU with the United States on cooperation in AI, next-generation communications, biotechnology, quantum science and space. As host, South Korea secured a consensus among all 21 APEC member economies to adopt the APEC AI Initiative — the first collective AI framework proposed within the group. Member countries agreed to cooperate on safe AI transformation, with public, private and academic sectors jointly developing infrastructure and governance guidelines. The momentum is striking given that Korea only enacted its basic AI law last year. President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June, has been aggressively positioning Korea at the forefront of AI governance and industrial adoption. In his budget pitch at the National Assembly Tuesday, he called next year's spending plan "Korea's first budget for the AI era," allocating 10.1 trillion won for AI — more than triple this year's level. Lee plans to invest 6 trillion won over five years in AI transformation across robotics, automobiles, shipbuilding, semiconductors, appliances and smart factories. The government will also expand AI use in public services, train 11,000 advanced AI specialists, and support nationwide adoption of AI skills for all citizens. Huang's commitment of 260,000 GPUs — a dramatic increase from Korea's current stock below 100,000 — could fundamentally reshape the country's AI compute landscape. The GPU, often described as the "crude oil of the AI age," is the primary power source for model training, inference and physical AI applications. The Nvidia supply alone, estimated at over $7 billion, gives Korean tech companies a rare opportunity to turbocharge domestic AI model development and platform competitiveness. OpenAI echoed that sentiment in an Oct. 23 report: "With its world-class technology ecosystem, strong industrial and digital infrastructure, and globally respected talent, Korea has all the foundations to become one of the next great AI powerhouses." Despite the optimism, Korea's AI trajectory faces potential geopolitical headwinds. In a CBS interview aired Nov. 2, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he could restrict Nvidia's Blackwell chips from being exported outside the United States. "We don't give the Blackwell chip to other people," Trump said. The comment was directed at China, but experts warn the timing — coming just days after Nvidia's large-scale commitment to Korea — could raise uncertainty over future export rules or licensing conditions. 2025-11-04 15:35:31

SK brings global tech giants as well as Korean startups in AI agent ecosystem SEOUL, November 03 (AJP) - SK Group, chip-strong and central to South Korea's AI ambitions through alliances with global leaders such as Nvidia, OpenAI and Amazon Web Services, is positioning itself as a front-runner in the emerging field of AI agent services by leveraging its strengths in high-performance memory chips, wireless networks and hyperscale data-center technologies. "AI is no longer a competition of scale, but a competition of efficiency. This paradigm shift is essential," SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said Monday at the opening of the conglomerate's annual AI summit for 2025. More than 30,000 attendees filled Seoul's COEX convention center, reflecting the intensity of AI investment and interest in Korea and signaling a broader shift toward autonomous Agent AI systems that require far more computing power than current AI applications. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, appearing via video message, highlighted the expanding partnership with SK, under which the Korean group's chip unit will supply 900,000 high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips each month for the Stargate AI infrastructure project. Chey pointed to the maturation of inference models, accelerating business-to-business AI adoption, the rise of Agent AI, and intensifying sovereign AI competition as the four forces driving today's explosive computing demand. Global data-center investment reached $600 billion this year, he said, growing about 24 percent annually for the past five years. To ease chip supply bottlenecks, SK hynix is expanding production capacity at its Gwangju facility and pressing ahead with the Yongin semiconductor cluster, scheduled to begin operations in 2027. Each fab at Yongin will have roughly six times the capacity of the company's Cheongju M15X facility, Chey said. At the infrastructure layer, SK is building AI-optimized data centers in Ulsan with Amazon Web Services and in Korea's southwest region with OpenAI. "We are seeking the most efficient and ideal AI infrastructure structure," he said. Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy, in a video address, called SK a key partner in advancing global AI solutions, adding that performance improvements in semiconductors are becoming increasingly vital to building next-generation infrastructure. On the sidelines of the summit, universities and startups showcased Agent AI applications ranging from accessibility services to early childhood development. Chung-Ang University demonstrated an AI assistant that helps elderly and disabled users navigate restaurant kiosks by analyzing interfaces and presenting simplified choices. Yonsei University presented A-Eye, a walking-assistance service for the visually impaired that analyzes video input and provides real-time directions such as warning of obstacles or suggesting safe paths. Startup Todak Todac unveiled diagnostic tools that monitor muscle development, social interaction and cognitive patterns in young children, with plans to connect families to counselors for further support. SK stressed that it does not intend to compete with its partners but instead aims to create collaborative AI business opportunities. The group is already applying AI inside its manufacturing operations, including efforts to develop a fully autonomous memory-chip production system using Nvidia's Omniverse simulation platform. The summit also featured presentations from Nvidia's Tim Costa on next-generation semiconductor design, Kakao chief executive Chung Shin-a on sustainable AI agent development, and Anthropic co-founder Ben Mann on building safe and trustworthy AI systems. SK Group said it aims to contribute to building a Korean AI ecosystem that supports the government's goal of becoming one of the world's top three AI powers, with a focus on semiconductors, infrastructure and AI model development through partnerships with domestic and international companies. 2025-11-03 14:57:58

Nvidia to supply 260,000 GPUs to South Korea in sweeping AI partnership SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - Nvidia has unveiled a sweeping initiative to deploy about 260,000 advanced graphics processing units to South Korea, partnering with the government and four major corporations in a deal valued at up to 14 trillion won ($10.5 billion), the company disclosed Friday. The chipmaker said it will work with Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver Cloud to build what it terms "AI factories" across the Asian nation, marking one of its most ambitious sovereign AI infrastructure projects to date. "Korea's leadership in technology and manufacturing positions it at the heart of the AI industrial revolution — where accelerated computing infrastructure becomes as vital as power grids and broadband," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, during the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in Gyeongju. "Just as Korea's physical factories have inspired the world with sophisticated ships, cars, chips and electronics, the nation can now produce intelligence as a new export that will drive global transformation." Under the arrangement, the South Korean government will secure up to 50,000 GPUs to support corporate AI development. Samsung, SK Group and Hyundai Motor will each receive up to 50,000 units, while Naver Cloud will obtain 60,000 processors. The deployment will expand South Korea's total AI GPU inventory from 65,000 to more than 300,000 units, the partnership extending beyond hardware supply to encompass platform collaboration. The Korean companies will leverage Nvidia's software ecosystem, including its Nemotron language models and CUDA-X computing platform, to develop digital twins that enhance semiconductor manufacturing speed and yields. Samsung plans to construct what Nvidia described as the industry's largest "semiconductor AI factory" equipped with 50,000 GPUs, while SK Group will focus on semiconductor research, cloud infrastructure and AI agent development. Hyundai Motor will build an AI factory for autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing and robotics, with the Korean government co-investing $3 billion in physical AI expansion. The GPUs, primarily featuring Nvidia's latest GB200 Grace Blackwell architecture with some RTX 6000 series processors, face tight global supply constraints. Nvidia said it would prioritize allocation to ensure Korean entities receive priority access to the scarce chips. 2025-11-01 05:00:43

LG Chem posts 43% jump in Q3 operating profit on cost cuts, battery unit recovery SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - South Korea's LG Chem reported a 42.6 percent quarter-on-quarter increase in operating profit for the third quarter on Friday, driven by its battery unit's improved performance and company-wide cost reduction efforts despite sluggish global demand. The chemical giant posted an operating profit of 679.7 billion won (around $476 million) for the July to September period, up 38.9 percent from a year earlier, while revenue fell 1.9 percent to 11.2 trillion won. LG Energy Solution, its battery-making subsidiary, contributed 601.3 billion won in operating profit with revenue of 5.7 trillion won. Operating profit grew by 34.1 percent year-on-year, while revenue fell 17.1 percent during the same period. "In the third quarter, we delivered improved earnings through growth across our diverse business portfolio, including the petrochemical division's return to profit, receipt of upfront payments from life sciences license-outs, and LG Energy Solution's performance improvement, as well as cost reduction activities along the entire value chain," Chief Financial Officer Cha Dong-seok said. "While challenging business conditions will persist due to weak global demand, we will overcome these difficult times by accelerating our shift toward a high-value, high-profit business portfolio and through new business development and operational optimization activities." Shares of LG Chem closed Friday 1.85 percent lower at 397,500 won. 2025-10-31 17:03:54

Korean tech giants vie to win attention with latest innovations at APEC GYEONGJU, October 30 (AJP) - A trifold handset stole the limelight as South Korean tech heavyweights vied to impress global visitors with next-generation technologies showcased across the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit venue in Gyeongju. All the familiar Korean corporate names — Samsung Group, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Electronics — mounted large-scale exhibitions at the Expo Park on Thursday, effectively offering a preview of what they may unveil at next year’s CES. Samsung Electronics drew the biggest crowds. Visitors passing through the company’s hypnotic digital columns were led into a hall of new foldables — the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 — and teased with a prototype "Tri-fold Phone." Resembling the latest Fold7 when shut, the unnamed model measures roughly 1.2 to 1.5 centimeters in thickness and expands to around 10 inches when fully unfolded. A company official said the device was "fully operational and market-ready," but declined to specify its launch schedule or price. Samsung's "Art Cube" installation also showcased curated works displayed on premium micro-LED panels, created in collaboration with artists Lee Kun-yong, Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic, Saya Woolfalk, and Marc Dennis, delivering a fully immersive digital experience. SK Group emphasized the hardware backbone of the AI era. Its pavilion featured next-generation liquid cooling systems for energy storage, capable of partial cooldown, alongside glass substrates for advanced chip packaging expected to boost data-processing speeds by up to 40 percent. Although drained of fluid for safety, drawer-like casings demonstrated how batteries and data servers would be submerged in non-conductive coolants beneath tempered glass layers. A magnified digital model of SK's HBM4 series stood beside the fingernail-sized actual chips. SK Telecom manager Kim Dong-young explained how 12 vertically stacked layers enable the chipset’s exceptional AI performance. Robotics dominated Hyundai Motor Group's exhibition. Compact robotic platforms for logistics and parking-assistance robots capable of maneuvering vehicles in tight spaces showed the group’s expanded ambitions beyond automobiles. An official said a nano-mobility device resembling a wheelchair had already been deployed this year to support patients with physical disabilities or in hospital settings. Hyundai also demonstrated through scaled models how magnetic couplings could enable modular rear units for its purpose-built vehicles (PBVs). Owners could switch between a passenger cabin, pickup-style cargo box or mobile workstation by attaching magnetized modules. The group further laid out its hydrogen roadmap — from production and distribution to mobility solutions spanning land, air and maritime applications. In a nearby pavilion, Hyundai displayed the latest Nexo hydrogen SUV, rolled out in June. LG Electronics constructed a towering chandelier made from 28 transparent "Signature OLED T" units. Arranged in a circular formation, the wireless OLED screens allowed 360-degree viewing. Periodically, panels unfolded to reveal the razor-thin displays, highlighting how high-resolution TVs can now be built into near-invisible structures. Global tech giant Meta also joined the Korean-led showcase, presenting its second-generation AI glasses developed with Ray-Ban. Slightly bulkier than standard eyewear, the frames supported full voice-controlled AI assistance. Commands beginning with "Hey Meta" — such as "Turn on Taylor Swift's Red" — triggered responses through open-ear speakers embedded in both temples. A high-resolution front-facing camera was positioned on the right side, paired with a light-emitting privacy indicator on the left to signal recording. Korean-language support, however, was still under development, a Meta staffer said, noting the need for updates such as Celsius-based temperature readings and integration with apps like KakaoTalk before domestic release. One section of the venue, the K-Business Square, displayed a compressed timeline of South Korea's industrial ascent — from war-torn recovery to manufacturing powerhouse — ending with today’s advanced automation where robotic arms now replace factory-line labor. Gyeongju-themed digital works dotted the venue. A tapering three-tier media pillar paid homage to Seokgatap, the city's iconic Buddhist pagoda, while a hexagonal kaleidoscope tunnel projected shifting Silla-era motifs, including the kingdom's signature smiling roof tiles. Tech startups also added their flair. One popular booth featured an AI sketching robot capable of holding a natural conversation while drawing a caricature in real time with its pen-gripping mechanical hand. 2025-10-30 17:05:51

APEC CEO Summit opens in Gyeongju with focus on AI, regional cooperation GYEONGJU, October 29 (AJP) - The CEO Summit as part of as part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit kicked off on Wednesday in South Korea's southeastern city of Gyeongju, drawing top business leaders and political figures from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation and sustainable growth. President Lee Jae Myung delivered the opening address at the Gyeongju Arts Center, emphasizing the summit's themes of connectivity, prosperity and innovation as leaders from economies representing 61 percent of global GDP gathered for the two-day forum. "Korea is a cherished American friend and close ally." Trump highlighted plans to revive American shipbuilding through partnership with South Korea. "Today, we're not really building ships and we're going to start. We're going to have a very thriving shipbuilding industry and we're working with South Korea very much," he said. Regarding the Philadelphia Shipyard, Trump said it would become "one of the most successful yards in the world." The CEO summit, themed "Bridge, Business, Beyond," will focus on regional economic integration, AI and digital transformation, sustainability, finance and investment, and bio-health sectors. South Korea's major conglomerate heads attended the opening ceremony, including Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Eui-sun, and LG Group chairman Koo Kwang-mo. SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won, who leads business lobby Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, serves as the summit's chair. International participants include Deloitte CEO David Hill, Google APAC Vice President Simon Kahn, and Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is also among the participants, scheduled to give speech on Friday. 2025-10-29 16:48:59

VISUALS: Visitors enjoy taste of Korean culture on sidelines of APEC CEO Summit GYEONGJU, October 29 (AJP) - The APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025 officially launched on Wednesday, inviting esteemed business leaders not only from Korea but from across the globe to discuss pressing global agendas together. Outside the main hall stands a cultural ground dubbed "K-Wave Playground" for foreign delegates to catch a glimpse of Korean culture during the summit event. Standing right in front of the entrance, a skilled musician played the gayageum, a traditional zither with twelve strings. Meanwhile, visitors tried on outfits for Joseon court musicians at the musical instruments booth. "We're quite nervous for this event, but we hope the APEC CEO Summit visitors get to see how Joseon court musicians dressed up," said Shin Ye-won, a 23-year-old volunteer from Goyang. Colorful indigenous Korean paintings decorated walls of the 'K-Art' booth, pictures drawn both by professionals and amateurs alike. "It's the traditional 'Mi,' or beauty of our culture that we wish to share, our paintings drawn in modern-day times yet preserving the spirit of our ancestors," said Woo Sook-ja, a manager from the Korean Institute for Minhwa Research, as she pointed at the vibrant colors on the drawings. A full-spin photo and video station had staff helping guests change into hanbok, traditional Korean wear. "So many enjoyed hanbok, especially the ones we prepared that resemble those of Saja Boys from K-pop Demon Hunters," said Moon Yu-jin, a 25-year-old student participating as a volunteer. In hemisphere-shaped domes, other aspects of traditional Korean culture including hanji, traditional foods, and liquor were also on display. 2025-10-29 16:30:58