Growing strawberries year-round, even in desert with Korea's smart farming SEOUL, January 08 (AJP) - Strawberries are no longer a spring fruit in Korea. They have become seasonless — and in fact, their peak arrives in icy-cold winter. From strawberry cakes to lattes, the fruit dominates winter menus. "Orders are pouring in because it's winter strawberry season. We go through 10 kilograms of strawberries a day," said the owner of a café in downtown Seoul. Winter strawberries grown in greenhouses are known to be especially sweet. From winter staple to export powerhouse Korea-grown strawberries have also gained global popularity. Strawberry exports surpassed the 100-billion-won ($70 million) mark in 2023, becoming the country's top agricultural export item by value. Their appeal lies in freshness and sweetness — the result of advanced breeding technology. Only Korea, Japan and China possess premium strawberry varieties with high sugar content that are widely recognized in global markets. Among them, Korea has secured a competitive edge by developing proprietary varieties such as Seolhyang, Maehyang and Geumsil, establishing what industry officials describe as "sovereignty" in strawberry farming. Since Seolhyang — a low-acid, juicy variety developed by the Nonsan Strawberry Research Institute under the Chungcheongnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services — entered the market, Korea's domestic strawberry variety adoption rate has reached 96.3 percent. Between 2005 and 2020, the country saved an estimated 35 billion won in royalty payments by replacing foreign varieties. The strawberry "family" has continued to expand, with Maehyang introduced in 2010, Kingsberry in 2012, Sunnyberry in 2016, Vitaberry in 2017 and Geumsil in 2019. Currently, 18 Korean strawberry varieties are registered with the Rural Development Administration. More than half of Korea's strawberry exports are shipped to Southeast Asian markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore. To maintain freshness, shipments rely on air freight and short-haul routes — a limitation that has capped further export growth. "If they can't go far, why not grow them overseas?" That question has led Korea's strawberry industry toward smart-farm experiments in the Middle East. Smart farms take strawberries to the desert Smart farming offers solutions to those logistical constraints. Water usage is reduced to roughly one-tenth of traditional agriculture, farms can be built in deserts or city centers, and production is shielded from climate volatility. These advantages have drawn strong interest from Middle Eastern countries pursuing food self-sufficiency. Heating is the key challenge for winter farming in temperate climates — while cooling is the main hurdle in desert regions. Artificial intelligence (AI) has reshaped both. "Everything is automated based on environmental conditions that replicate natural growing environments through sensors," said Lee Sang-hun, CEO of Agro Solution Korea. Lee has been running a vertical farm in Abu Dhabi's Al Khatm South district since January 2025. Sensors collect real-time data on temperature, humidity and soil moisture, which AI systems analyze to automatically maintain optimal growing conditions. Early signs of pests and diseases are detected, while LED light spectra are adjusted according to growth stages to boost energy efficiency. Manual monitoring is largely replaced by data. Smart farms precisely control temperature, humidity, CO₂ levels and lighting. Vertical farms, in particular, achieve high productivity in confined spaces using multi-tier shelf structures. In conventional setups, fixed growing beds waste 30 to 40 percent of floor space on permanent walkways. The "Moving Bed" system addresses that inefficiency. Beds glide left and right on floor-mounted rails, remaining tightly packed during normal operation. When workers need access, pathways open only where necessary. "Vertical farms require more than 5 million won per pyeong in upfront investment for a four-tier structure," Lee said. "That's heavy capital, but the Middle East has the financial capacity." Lee added that while talks are underway with the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, large-scale expansion in Southeast Asia is challenging due to high humidity, unstable electricity and limited corporate investment. "The Middle East is more attractive," he said. Growing strawberries in Abu Dhabi Lee's smart farm in Abu Dhabi uses a "Double Bed" system. Unlike conventional single-row planting, two beds are connected to increase planting density and maximize yield per square meter. With this setup, 12,000 strawberry plants can be grown in a 75-pyeong (248-square-meter) facility, producing about one ton of strawberries per month. The potential is significant in a region where food self-sufficiency rates hover around 10 percent. Locally grown strawberries are virtually nonexistent, with imports arriving mainly from Europe and the United States. Long-haul logistics push prices into luxury territory. "In desert climates where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius and annual rainfall falls below 100 millimeters, traditional agriculture is nearly impossible," Lee said. Strawberries reach optimal flavor at sugar levels above 10 Brix, he explained, requiring temperature swings between a maximum of 24 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 10 degrees. "Strawberries are cold-climate plants, so heating isn't necessary," Lee said. "In vertical farms, we mainly focus on cooling. Even in winter, indoor temperatures remain stable — winter is actually ideal." Although desert heat suggests heavy cooling costs, Lee said insulation makes the difference. "We use double-layer sandwich panels to block external heat and maintain internal temperatures. There's minimal heat loss." Electricity costs also favor the Middle East. In the UAE, power for data centers costs about 73 won per kilowatt-hour — less than half Korea's average commercial rate of 172.99 won. Lee's company is also working with the Korea Institute of Energy Research on a proof-of-concept project to capture waste heat from LEDs. Since LEDs emit only 20 percent light and 80 percent heat, recovering that heat could significantly cut cooling demand. Automation and the road ahead Automation is also reducing labor costs. While strawberry harvesting still requires human hands, Lee said progress is being made. "Starting this January at our Iksan farm, robots patrol the facility to identify pest and disease outbreaks and apply treatments only where needed," he said. Full automation of harvesting is expected to take several more years. K-strawberry exports, which approached 100 billion won again in 2024, are projected to expand further. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has set a target of $21 billion in K-food exports by 2030 and identified the Middle East as a key growth market for fresh fruit. The Middle Eastern fruit and vegetable market is expected to grow from $17.9 billion in 2025 to $25.8 billion by 2032 — and Korea's smart-farm technology may offer the blueprint for growing strawberries where none could grow before. 2026-01-08 17:55:42

Overseas fugitives top 1,000 for first time as cross-border scams surge in Korea SEOUL, January 07 (AJP) - The number of criminal suspects who fled overseas after committing crimes in South Korea has surged past 1,000 for the first time on record, raising concerns that the country is increasingly exposed to transnational crime networks operating across Asia and Russia. According to the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), 1,249 new overseas fugitives were recorded last year, up 31 percent from 951 a year earlier. It marked the first time the annual figure exceeded 1,000 since police began compiling the data. Police attribute the sharp rise to the growing internationalization and organization of crime, particularly scam- and fraud-related offenses structured to operate across borders. In the past, overseas flight was largely associated with suspects attempting to evade punishment after committing violent crimes such as murder or robbery. In recent years, however, many criminal operations have been designed from the outset to run from abroad, with perpetrators establishing overseas bases while targeting victims in South Korea. That shift has drawn renewed attention to Cambodia, which has emerged as a major hub for global online scam operations. Last August, a South Korean college student who traveled to Cambodia after being promised a high-paying job was found dead near a crime compound in the Bokor Mountain area of Kampot province. A joint investigation and autopsy conducted with local authorities found extensive signs of assault and torture. Cambodia has long been identified as a center for online scam activity involving the abduction and trafficking of foreign nationals. KNPA data show that Cambodia ranked first among destinations linked to overseas fugitives last year, with 399 suspects, or 31.8 percent of the total — overtaking China, which recorded 254 cases. The Cambodia-linked figure more than tripled from 123 a year earlier. Police believe hundreds of scam compounds operated by Chinese criminal organizations are scattered across Cambodia, drawing in criminal groups from South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and elsewhere to form an extensive transnational network. Experts trace the roots of this structure to the mid-2000s, when Cambodia and China jointly developed the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone. After China intensified its anti-corruption campaign under President Xi Jinping in 2018, casino capital and criminal groups relocated to Cambodia. When the COVID-19 pandemic undermined the casino economy, these groups pivoted to online scams, repurposing existing infrastructure and manpower into what police describe as corporate-style fraud operations. Fraud accounted for the largest share of offenses among overseas fugitives last year, with 757 cases, or 60.6 percent of the total, followed by online gambling at 141 cases, or 11.3 percent. Most involved cyber-enabled financial crimes, including voice phishing, investment scams, romance scams and schemes using deepfake technology, the KNPA said. "In the past, suspects could simply flee overseas and wait out the statute of limitations," said Shin Yi-chul, chair of the Department of Police Science at Wonkwang Digital University. "But the law has since been revised so that the statute of limitations is suspended when a suspect flees abroad. Overseas flight no longer offers a real escape — at best, it buys time." Law enforcement authorities have stepped up cooperation with foreign counterparts through permanent joint investigation teams, enabling faster arrests on the ground. A key example is the Korea Task Force jointly operated by South Korean and Cambodian police. Established in November, the unit arrested 92 South Korean suspects within its first month. In early December, authorities detained the ringleader and 15 members of a romance-scam organization responsible for 26 billion won ($1.8 million) in losses in Poipet. Later that month, joint raids near the Cambodia–Vietnam border led to the arrest of 26 additional suspects. Extraditions have also risen. Police repatriated 828 fugitives last year, up nearly 20 percent from the previous year, marking the fourth consecutive annual record since 2022. In total, 263 South Korean suspects were arrested in Cambodia alone. "Crimes committed domestically have become much harder to carry out," an official at the KNPA's International Cooperation Bureau said. "International cooperation — through channels such as Interpol and bilateral partnerships — is now far more active and effective than in the past." 2026-01-07 17:22:04

Stray Kids, Jennie to headline major US music festival 'The Governors Ball' SEOUL, January 07 (AJP) - K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's Jennie and K-pop boy band Stray Kids will headline The Governors Ball Music Festival, one of the largest music festivals in the U.S. Organizers of The Governors Ball Music Festival announced on Tuesday the lineup for this year's event, scheduled to take place from June 5 to 7 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York. HYBE's Korean-American joint girl group KATSEYE, which has been nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammy Awards set to be held in February, will open the festival on June 5. Stray Kids will headline the June 6 show, while Jennie will take the stage as a headliner on June 7. Jennie is expected to perform tracks from her first full-length solo album, "Ruby," during her set. The festival is a large-scale outdoor music event held annually in New York during the summer. Past headliners include Eminem, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar and Lizzo. Meanwhile, Stray Kids have set a record by topping the U.S. Billboard 200 with eight consecutive releases. According to the latest chart released on Tuesday, the group's fourth full-length album, "KARMA," ranked No. 117, marking its 19th consecutive week on the chart and extending the group's longest charting record. Jennie recorded the highest first-week sales ever for a female solo artist in Korea last year, selling around 660,000 copies, according to the Korea-based music sales tracking system Hanteo Chart. She also logged the highest cumulative views at the Melon Music Awards, organized by Korea's largest music streaming platform, with a total of 1.7 billion streams to date. 2026-01-07 16:37:05

K-content gets a permanent address in Incheon — now comes the harder part: keeping it interesting SEOUL, January 06 (AJP) - Imagine never having to fight ticket scalpers again for a G-Dragon concert. No frantic refreshing. No VIP seats resold at 6.8 million won. Just… a year-round GD performance you can drop in on, any weekend you like. That, at least, is the fantasy behind Incheon's ambitious bet on what officials are calling "K-Con Land" — a sprawling cultural complex designed to give K-pop, K-drama and digital content something they've never really had before: a permanent home. At the heart of the plan is a concert hall where holograms of past and present stars perform on a rotating basis. Die-hard fans won't have to wait for comeback tours or overseas dates. The show, in theory, is always on. But K-Con Land is not just about concerts. The larger vision, unfolding across the Cheongna and Yeongjong districts, is to stitch together production studios, performance venues, hotels and tourism infrastructure into a single ecosystem — one that turns K-content from a series of one-off events into something closer to a standing attraction. Think less "festival weekend," more "content district." From airport stopover to content destination Incheon's pitch starts with geography. The city sits next to Korea's main international gateway, and with the opening of the Third Sea Bridge this week, Cheongna and Yeongjong are now directly linked. The goal is to turn airport proximity — long a logistics advantage — into a cultural one. At the center of the plan is I-Con City, a massive complex slated for Cheongna International City, just west of Yeongjong Island. The project covers 260,000 square meters — roughly the size of Yeouido Park — with total floor space exceeding that of COEX. Rising up to 49 floors, the complex will house an arena, VFX studios, a content tower, museums, hotels and resort facilities, all wrapped around a central public space dubbed "Durumi Park." The idea is frictionless circulation: artists arrive, shoot, perform and stay in one place; visitors watch, tour, sleep and move on — or stick around longer. Transportation is meant to do the rest. Subway Line 7's extension to Cheongna, scheduled for 2027, will cut travel time to Gangnam to about 68 minutes without transfers. A KTX connection from Incheon via Songdo would link the area to Busan in just over two hours. For a city long seen as peripheral to Seoul’s cultural core, those minutes matter. Competing with Seoul — by not being Seoul Cheongna's biggest selling point may be what it lacks: density. Unlike Seoul's Sangam Digital Media City, where land is tight and costs are high, Cheongna offers room to build large-scale studios and move bulky equipment — and to house international crews without scattering them across the capital. Production, performance and accommodation in one zone is not just convenient; developers argue it cuts costs and time. "With the Third Land Bridge, Cheongna is now directly connected to Yeouido in 30 minutes and to Yeongjong," said Eum Jae-sang, CIO at DAOL Asset Management. "With Starfield Cheongna and a university hospital also coming in, this won't be a bedroom town. It's becoming a district with its own purpose." The lineup of partners reflects that long-game thinking. U.S.-based boutique hotel franchise The Kessler Collection will oversee overall development and hospitality operations. DAOL manages the funds. POSCO E&C is handling construction. Galaxy Corporation — which represents G-Dragon — is in charge of content operations. Financial structuring is being led by SK Securities. Hotel Shilla will operate serviced residences, while a U.S. senior-living operator is joining the residential side. "This isn't a build-and-sell project," Eum said. "We're talking about operating this for 20 to 30 years after completion." The real test: content, not concrete Construction is slated to begin in the second half of 2027, with completion targeted for 2031. By then, the buildings will likely be impressive. What's less guaranteed is what happens inside them. Industry officials say tax incentives for foreign content producers could make or break the project's appeal. Incheon's Free Economic Zone authority has been calling for stronger breaks, arguing that global competition for film and content production is intensifying. "If production costs one unit, the regional economic impact can be seven to ten times that," said Commissioner Yun Won-sok early last year, noting that many advanced economies now offer aggressive incentives to attract studios. For a project estimated at 1.9 trillion won, the stakes are high. K-content has proven it can draw global attention — but turning that attention into a permanent tourist habit is another matter entirely. A hologram concert may draw crowds once. The challenge will be making them come back. 2026-01-06 17:05:20

New S. Korean regional carrier SUM Air's first aircraft arrives at Gimpo SEOUL, January 05 (AJP) - SUM Air, a new South Korean regional carrier, said its first new-build aircraft has arrived at Gimpo International Airport after completing a multi-leg ferry flight from France. The inaugural aircraft of SUM Air, a Regional Air Mobility (RAM) operator, departed Toulouse on Jan. 1 and landed at Gimpo International Airport on Jan. 4, according to the company. The aircraft was formally handed over on Dec. 29 following the completion of leasing procedures with aircraft lessor Avation. It was registered in South Korea on Dec. 30 under the registration number HL5264 before departing France. The delivery flight was conducted as a ferry flight, operating without passengers or cargo, and passed through Cairo, Muscat, Nagpur and Da Nang en route to South Korea. SUM Air said the aircraft will undergo demonstration flights required for air operator certification. Following consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the airline plans to conduct trial takeoffs and landings in February at Goheung Airfield in South Jeolla Province, which has a 1,200-meter runway comparable in length to Ulleung Island's planned airport. SUM means "island" in Korean, and the carrier plans to connect cities and islands, including Ulleung, Heuksan and Baengnyeong, once their airports open. "SUM Air aims to address mobility challenges in regions with limited air connectivity and grow into a core regional carrier linking communities across Korea by revitalizing regional airports," said Choi Yong-duck, CEO of SUM Air. 2026-01-05 17:35:18

Lights-out warfare and why it should worry South Korea SEOUL, January 05 (AJP) - The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a lightning U.S. raid last weekend was not merely a dramatic geopolitical shock. It marked a decisive shift in how modern wars are fought — quietly, surgically and increasingly in the dark. The operation, carried out by U.S. Delta Force commandos, removed a sitting head of state from his bedroom in just five minutes, completing an end-to-end mission in under five hours. Yet the most striking element was not speed or firepower, but how little the world saw while it was happening. There were no mass airstrikes. No prolonged fighting. No advance warning. Instead, the lights went out. The New Battlefield: Cyber Before Kinetic According to military analysts, the operation followed a now-emerging template of "dark warfare" — a fusion of cyber disruption, drone dominance and precision special operations. U.S. forces temporarily cut power and communications in parts of Caracas, reportedly through a coordinated cyberattack and drone strikes on key substations and communication towers. The objective was not destruction, but paralysis — delaying response, blinding defenses and sowing confusion. "This is modern warfare," said retired South Korean Army Lieutenant General Chun In-bum. "Drones didn't just support the operation — they reshaped the battlefield itself." Chun cautioned that many tactical details remain classified, but emphasized that drones have become central, not auxiliary, to contemporary military strategy. Drones That See What Satellites Cannot The groundwork for the raid was laid months earlier. Beginning last August, U.S. intelligence agencies deployed teams into Venezuela, combining human intelligence with persistent drone surveillance. Unlike satellites, which offer intermittent snapshots, drones hovered continuously — mapping Maduro's movements, routines and living quarters in granular detail. They tracked not only where he slept, but how he moved, what he wore, even the layout of his residence. Using this data, Delta Force built a full-scale replica of the hideout and rehearsed the assault repeatedly — a level of precision impossible without drone-collected intelligence. In early December, drones struck a remote coastal dock — a move widely seen as both a disruption of cartel logistics and a deliberate probe of Venezuelan air defenses. The strike drew radar responses without risking pilots, allowing U.S. planners to map threats in advance. Five Minutes in the Dark When the final order came from U.S. President Donald Trump late on Jan. 2, roughly 150 aircraft launched simultaneously from some 20 land and naval bases across the Western Hemisphere. As drones neutralized surveillance and cleared flight paths, helicopters carrying Delta Force operatives flew at just 30 meters above sea level toward Maduro's residence. Despite brief resistance, U.S. forces overwhelmed Venezuelan defenders under constant drone overwatch. Within three minutes of entry, commandos reached Maduro's location. Two minutes later, he and his wife were in custody as they attempted to flee to a reinforced panic room. By 4:30 a.m., the team had withdrawn safely to the USS Iwo Jima, stationed about 100 miles offshore. From authorization to extraction: four hours and 43 minutes. A Blueprint That Raises Alarms in Asia The operation has sent shockwaves far beyond Latin America — particularly in Northeast Asia. Just hours later, North Korea launched its first ballistic missile of the year, a move widely interpreted as signaling vigilance amid shifting global deterrence norms. Its foreign ministry was also among the first to respond to the U.S. operation, releasing a statement on Sunday to condemn "the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty." Still experts caution against simplistic parallels. "Venezuela and North Korea are fundamentally different cases," said Jung Kyeong-woon, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Studies. Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal, he said, fundamentally alters the calculus. "The likelihood of a Venezuela-style operation on the Korean Peninsula remains low." Choi Seung-woo, a director of the Seoul Defense Forum Center for Nuclear Strategy, echoed that assessment, noting that Pyongyang emerged from the failed 2019 Hanoi summit convinced that Washington understands its nuclear capabilities, making so-called 'bloody nose' strikes unlikely. Why South Korea Still Cannot Ignore the Lesson Still, the Venezuelan raid underscores vulnerabilities that resonate uncomfortably in South Korea. South Korea is among the world's most digitized societies — its power grids, financial systems, transportation networks and military command structures deeply interconnected. That connectivity is a strength — and a potential weakness. In a crisis, a short-lived blackout, GPS disruption or cyberattack on civilian infrastructure could delay response just long enough for drones and special forces to act. North Korea, meanwhile, has invested heavily in asymmetric capabilities — cyber warfare units, GPS jamming, electronic warfare and special-operations forces trained not for invasion, but infiltration. Pyongyang is also accelerating drone development with reported Russian technology transfers, including AI-enabled reconnaissance and suicide drones. "The lesson is not that this will happen in South Korea," Chun said. "The lesson is that warfare has already changed — and anyone who ignores that reality is unprepared." War Without Sirens Perhaps the most unsettling takeaway is strategic ambiguity. Cyberattacks and drone strikes often fall below the legal threshold of war. They are deniable, reversible and difficult to attribute in real time. Mutual defense treaties were written for missiles and armies — not malware and micro-drones. When the lights go out, policymakers may still be debating whether an attack has even occurred. In the age of dark operations, wars may no longer begin with explosions — but with silence. And by the time certainty returns, the mission may already be over. 2026-01-05 16:54:33

Doctors' associations urge halt to government-backed Korean medicine infertility programs SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - Doctors' associations in Korea have called on the government and local authorities to immediately suspend public support for Korean medicine–based infertility treatment, citing a lack of scientific evidence and safety verification. At a press conference on Saturday, the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and related groups said such programs pose potential risks to maternal health and fetal safety. "These treatments are being promoted without sufficient scientific or safety verification, despite infertility care being a highly specialized medical field directly linked to the health and lives of both parents and unborn children," the groups said. They cited a report published by the Research Institute for Healthcare Policy on the use of Korean medicine in infertility treatment, saying 4,473 participants took part in programs operated by 103 local governments between 2017 and 2019, recording a clinical pregnancy rate of 12.5 percent over an average treatment period of 7.7 months — roughly half the natural pregnancy rate observed over the same timeframe. They also warned that many herbal medicines used in these infertility treatments contain ingredients that have been linked to fetal abnormalities, miscarriage and organ toxicity when used during pregnancy. "Recommending treatments that lack even minimal safety assurances to women experiencing infertility — and funding them with public money — is unacceptable," they said. The groups urged an in-depth investigation into the toxicity and teratogenic risks of herbal ingredients used in infertility treatment, as well as full public disclosure of the findings. The controversy comes as the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to extend Korean medicine to fertility treatments to promote the development of traditional medicine. The KMA, in response, criticized the policy as lacking scientific grounds and reiterated its demand for a full suspension. However, the Association of Korean Medicine has pushed back against the criticism, arguing that its infertility programs have accumulated sufficient clinical experience over years of implementation. The group has urged the government to expand support to protect patient choice and address Korea's low birth rate. 2026-01-03 17:38:27

'Golden,' Rosé's 'APT.' place in UK year-end top 10 SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - "Golden," a song from the "KPop Demon Hunters" soundtrack, and Rosé of BLACKPINK’s global hit "APT." have both placed in the top 10 of the UK End of Year Singles Chart. According to the chart released Friday, "Golden," performed by the fictional group Huntrix from Netflix's animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," ranked fourth overall. The track previously topped the UK Official Singles Chart for a total of 10 non-consecutive weeks last year. "APT.," a collaboration between Rosé and U.S. pop star Bruno Mars, finished fifth on the chart. The song peaked at No. 2 during its run and has now spent a cumulative 57 weeks on the chart. Other songs from "KPop Demon Hunters" also made the year-end list. "Soda Pop" and "Your Idol" by the film's rival group Saja Boys ranked 36th and 44th, respectively, while Huntrix tracks "How It's Done" and "What It Sounds Like" placed 67th and 90th. "Golden" has continued to enjoy strong popularity in the U.S. as well, including a high-profile performance at a New Year's event in New York. The song held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 for eight weeks and remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart for 27 weeks following its release. Topping the UK End of Year Singles Chart was "Ordinary" by U.S. pop newcomer Alex Warren. British singer-songwriter Lola Young's "Messy" placed second, followed by "Pink Pony Club" by American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan at No. 3. 2026-01-03 16:37:11

Nearly 70% of departing KT subscribers switch to SK Telecom after fee waiver SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - More than 30,000 subscribers have left KT in the three days following the company's decision to waive early termination fees, with around 70 percent of those switching to SK Telecom. According to industry sources on Saturday, a total of 31,634 subscribers left KT between Dec. 31 and Friday, averaging more than 10,000 departures per day. Of those, 26,192 moved to rival mobile carriers, including 18,720 — more than 70 percent — who switched to SK Telecom. Another 7,272 subscribers moved to LG Uplus, while the remainder opted for budget mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). Industry officials attribute the heavy shift toward SK Telecom to its customer reacquisition policies. Following last year's hacking incident, SK Telecom has been restoring subscription tenure and membership tiers for returning customers, a move that appears to have encouraged former users to switch back amid KT's penalty waiver. Differences in consumer trust are also believed to have played a role. While the SK Telecom case was largely concluded with the imposition of fines, LG Uplus remains under scrutiny over suspected record concealment. KT's compensation package itself has also been cited as a factor driving subscriber departures. Although the company offered termination of early fee waivers, additional data allowances and expanded membership benefits, the extra data benefit does not apply to users on unlimited data plans, who account for roughly 30 percent of its subscriber base. With KT's fee waiver program set to remain in effect until the 13th and rival carriers continuing aggressive customer campaigns, industry watchers expect further subscriber losses in the coming days. All three of South Korea's major mobile carriers were attacked by hackers last year. A joint public-private investigation led by the Ministry of Science and ICT found that KT's breach involved a significantly larger scale of malware infections than the incident at SK Telecom, while SK Telecom was assessed to have suffered greater damage in terms of personal data leaks. LG Uplus is expected to face an intensive police investigation following allegations of false submissions and server disposal related to its breach. 2026-01-03 14:51:15

Police arrest taxi driver in fatal Jonggak Station crash after positive drug test SEOUL, January 03 (AJP) - Police have arrested a taxi driver after he tested positive for drugs following a fatal crash near Jonggak Station in central Seoul, officials said Saturday. According to police, the driver was detained after a preliminary drug test showed a positive result for morphine. The accident occurred at around 6 p.m. Friday on a road near Jonggak Station in Seoul's Jongno District, when a taxi collided with two vehicles. The collision sent the taxi onto the sidewalk, killing one pedestrian and injuring 13 others. Police said the electric taxi, driven by a man in his late 70s, first struck a vehicle, crashed into a signal pole at a crosswalk and then hit another vehicle ahead. In the process, pedestrians waiting to cross the street were struck and knocked to the ground. Among the injured was a woman in her 40s, a South Korean national, who suffered cardiac arrest. She was transported to a hospital while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but later died. Police said they have not ruled out the possibility that the driver had taken legally prescribed medication, such as cold medicine, and have requested a detailed analysis from the National Forensic Service. A further investigation will be conducted into potential vehicle defects, the driver's health condition and the circumstances surrounding any drug use before deciding whether to seek an arrest warrant. 2026-01-03 11:04:57