INTERVIEW: Young N. Korean defectors seek to break stigma inside and outside SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - Portraying North Korean life in a truer light—rather than through stigmatized or patronizing lenses—and linking the reclusive state with the outside world through flash drives is the core mission of young defectors, according to a human rights activist. "While media coverage has shifted from rumor-driven reports to more fact-based accounts, portrayals still tend to be oversimplified," said Seongmin Lee, who heads the Korea desk and programs at the New York-based Human Rights Foundation, in an interview with AJP. "The country is often shown as a place where everyone moves in lockstep under central orders, ignoring regional and class differences. Human rights stories are usually reduced to 'government as perpetrator, citizens as victims.'" Lee argues that defectors, who combine lived experience with active networks inside the country, can provide nuance missing from mainstream narratives. "There are about 34,000 defectors in South Korea, but their voices are rarely heard in the international arena, especially in English," said Lee, who fled the North in 2009, later studied political science at Columbia University, and went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration. Now a U.S. citizen, he divides his time between New York and Seoul. One of the projects Lee oversees is "Flash Drives for Freedom," launched in 2016. The program smuggles donated USB sticks into North Korea, packed with films, TV dramas, e-books, and other content to give ordinary citizens a glimpse of the outside world. "North Koreans cannot use the internet, make international calls, or travel abroad, so USBs remain a vital tool. We have sent about 140,000 so far," Lee said. The drives were once carried by balloons along with leaflets, but since Seoul banned the practice to ease ties with Pyongyang, activists now move them through China or third countries. Lee emphasized that the project operates independently of South Korea’s shifting political stance. Lee also leads NK Insider, an English-language online magazine launched in January 2024 that focuses on analysis and opinion. More than half of its roughly 300 published articles are written by defectors themselves, drawing around 20,000 subscribers in 97 countries. Daily traffic runs in the hundreds to thousands, and the site has endured frequent hacking attempts. "That shows we are being effective," Lee said. Much of NK Insider’s reporting relies on information from North Korea’s border provinces—North Pyongan, Ryanggang, and North Hamgyong—or from North Korean workers in Chinese cities. While pandemic-era border closures restricted access, Lee says conditions have since eased. The ultimate goal, he stressed, is to ensure that defectors’ voices are not sidelined: "We will continue to provide diverse and in-depth content centered on the experiences of people who actually lived in North Korea." 2025-10-02 15:38:03

INTERVIEW: Global Cybersecurity Forum speakers warn of Korea's vulnerability to cyberattacks and crimes SEOUL, October 1 (AJP) - South Korea’s position as one of the world’s most digitalized societies also makes it highly vulnerable to cyberattacks and crimes, warned guest speakers at the Global Cybersecurity Forum. "Traditional defenses like fences and soldiers are no longer sufficient. Cyber resilience must be treated as a core part of national security, not an afterthought," said Heidi Crebo-Rediker, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, in an interview with AJP via Zoom. Mary Aiken, the world’s first cyberpsychologist who joined separately to discuss cyber themes, expressed concern about the surge in AI-assisted frauds and victim shaming in Korea. "When AI is used to make deepfakes and emails that are practically indistinguishable from legitimate ones, even highly vigilant individuals can be deceived," Aiken said. The two have been invited to the Global Cybersecurity Forum, hosted by Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority, which begins Wednesday for a two-day run. Launched in 2020 during the kingdom’s G20 presidency, the annual forum has become a key platform for international cooperation and knowledge-sharing on global cyber challenges. "Governments have a big role to play in ensuring that technology — one of Korea’s national jewels — is protected," she said, pointing out that innovators tend to focus on developing cutting-edge technologies while neglecting vulnerabilities such as intellectual property protection. Crebo-Rediker, who served as the first chief economist at the U.S. State Department under President Barack Obama, underscored the importance of treating cybersecurity as a competitiveness and security agenda. Korea’s pride as a digital powerhouse was bruised by a string of major hacking and data breach incidents involving top wireless carriers and credit-card issuer Lotte Card. Most recently, hundreds of public electronic services were disrupted after a fire broke out at a government data center. "You are not alone — the U.S. has also faced many cyberattacks on financial institutions, telecoms, and critical infrastructure, mainly from China and North Korea," she added, noting that "Korea should coordinate with the U.S., Japan, and European countries to share intelligence." Stressing the need for inter-government cooperation, she suggested joint R&D investment between Korea and the U.S., creation of early warning systems, and development of resilient supply chains. "Cybersecurity cannot be contained within one country. It requires global collaboration," she said. Mary Aiken, an Irish pioneer in the field of cyberpsychology who advised the FBI, Interpol, and the White House, emphasized the demoralizing impact of cyber abuses on the human mind. "Cyber fraud schemes exploit human characteristics around judgment, decision-making, biases, and trust in authority cues. For example, an email may look like it’s from your bank manager or boss, creating urgency to act immediately." She cautioned that victim shaming only worsens the impact. "It intensifies trauma, discourages reporting, and reinforces the false belief that cyber fraud results from individual weakness rather than systemic vulnerabilities," she said. "From a cyber behavioral science perspective, this creates a dangerous cycle." Protecting victims, she added, is not just about "compassion" but is essential to strengthening "national cyber resilience." She too called for government intervention and actions to protect young people from online dangers, recommending early school digital literacy and empathy training, targeted cyberpsychological interventions for at-risk youth and counseling, and stronger family and community-level support systems. 2025-10-01 16:16:22

China leaps on global corporate stage while Korean Inc. stagnates SEOUL, September 24 (AJP) - China is rapidly widening its footprint in the global corporate landscape while the Korean Inc. has remained stagnant, according to an analysis by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). KCCI study of Forbes’ Global 2000 rankings showed that the number of Chinese firms on the list surged to 275 this year from 180 in 2015. By contrast, Korean names thinned from 66 to 62 over the same period. The U.S. population strengthened from 575 to 612. The gap is more evident in revenue growth. Over the past decade, the Korean Inc. expanded by 15 percent - from $1.5 trillion to $1.7 trillion. During the same period, U.S. firms surged by 63 percent from $11.9 trillion to $19.5 trillion, while Chinese names nearly doubled from $4 trillion to $7.8 trillion. “The data show that China’s corporate ecosystem has been fueled by new players, while the U.S. has rapidly transformed through advanced technologies such as AI,” the KCCI said. In the U.S., corporate expansion was driven by tech and healthcare powerhouses such as Nvidia, UnitedHealth, Microsoft and CVS Health. Newcomers like Tesla, Uber and Airbnb also boosted the ecosystem’s dynamism. China’s rise owed to e-commerce giant Alibaba, EV maker BYD, gaming and media leader Tencent, joined by companies like Xiaomi, ride-hailing platform Didi Global and IT services provider Digital China. Korea, meanwhile, relied heavily on traditional names. Chipmaker SK hynix, LG Chem, KB Financial Group and Hana Financial Group made strides. New entrants to the Global 2000 were mostly financial companies such as Samsung Securities, KakaoBank and Kiwoom Securities. 2025-09-24 12:49:34

South Korea vows govt intervention to fight hackers SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - The South Korean government has vowed proactive intervention to fight cyberattacks and protect consumer privacy as nationwide consumer services reel from a string of data breaches. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, presiding over an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday, ordered a comprehensive overhaul of telecommunications and financial services regulations to better address the growing threat. "Realizing a digital transition and building an AI powerhouse would be a pipe dream without security protection," Kim said. He stressed that the wave of hacking incidents poses a "threat to the public," pledging to revisit the regulatory framework to toughen penalties and strengthen government oversight. Under the new approach, the government will launch investigations of its own initiative when deemed necessary, instead of waiting for companies to report breaches. The series of high-profile data leaks has fueled criticism of corporate negligence. "In security, vulnerability management is critical, but Korean firms are falling short," said Youm Heung-youl, director of the SCH Cybersecurity Research Center at Soonchunhyang University. "It is unclear whether companies lack sufficient staff or whether their staff are underqualified, but attackers continue to exploit weaknesses in corporate systems. Korea grew rapidly as an IT powerhouse, yet it seems unprepared for the side effects and vulnerabilities that came with such fast growth." 2025-09-22 17:32:13

Aju News chair named first head of Kazakhstan–Korea Friendship Association SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - Kwak Young-kil, chairman of Aju News Corporation, has been appointed as the founding head of the Kazakhstan–Korea Friendship Association, marking a milestone in efforts to deepen ties between the two countries. The appointment ceremony was held Monday at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Seoul. Kwak underscored the strong presence of Korean companies in Kazakhstan, noting that the business community and other sectors have long sought opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation. He said the new association will "pursue closer relations in a more systematic and forward-looking way," adding that it will promote collaboration across business, politics, culture, and the arts through a wide range of exchange programs and events. Kazakh Ambassador to Seoul Nurgali Arystanov praised Kwak’s long-standing support for strengthening bilateral relations. "Aju Business Daily has extensively covered Kazakhstan and even dispatched a reporter to Astana," Arystanov said. "As the inaugural chairman of the friendship association, I expect him to make even greater contributions." The ambassador pledged the embassy’s support for the association’s initiatives, expressing hope that ties between the two countries will advance further across politics, the economy, culture, and the arts. The Kazakhstan–Korea Friendship Association was established to promote exchanges, foster cooperation, and enhance mutual understanding between the two nations. 2025-09-22 15:35:27

String of major data breaches raises serious questions about Korea's cybersecurity SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - South Korean officials bowed their heads in apology during a televised press conference Friday but offered little comfort to a highly connected society grappling with yet another string of mass data breaches. "The government is coordinating across agencies to minimize damage and prepare fundamental measures rather than temporary responses," said Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong of the Ministry of Science and ICT. "In light of these incidents, we will immediately begin thorough inspections of security practices and pursue fundamental institutional improvements to prevent recurrence," added Financial Services Commission Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-young. The joint briefing came as multiple hacking incidents, spanning both government and corporate sectors, rattled public confidence. Wireless carriers SK Telecom and KT, as well as credit-card issuer Lotte Card, have all reported breaches this year, exposing the personal data of millions. On April 18, SK Telecom confirmed that its internal servers had been attacked. A government probe of 42,605 servers through June revealed that 26.96 million sets of SIM card data (9.82GB) had been leaked, including phone numbers and subscriber identity codes (IMSI). Some servers also contained unencrypted device numbers (IMEI), names, and call records. Rival carrier KT uncovered breaches between June 1 and Sept. 10 while reviewing its mobile payment service. Investigators found that fake base stations had been used to capture phone numbers, IMSI, and IMEI codes. The hack caused 2.4 billion won ($1.7 million) in losses affecting 362 people, while 20,030 customers were exposed to rogue stations. KT also reported six additional cases of server intrusion. Meanwhile, Lotte Card disclosed that attackers infiltrated its online payment servers between Aug. 14 and 27. Detected on Aug. 31, the breach compromised data on 2.97 million of its 9.6 million members, including card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes (CVC). For about 280,000 users, even partial PINs were exposed. What was first reported as a 1.7GB leak was later confirmed to be 200GB. These breaches are alarming not only for their scale but also because they struck Korea’s dominant telecom operators and one of its largest credit card issuers. Both SK Telecom and KT invest heavily in cybersecurity — spending 93.3 billion won (4.4% of IT budget) and 125 billion won (6.3%), respectively, in 2024 — levels close to the global average of around 5 percent. Yet the recurrence of large-scale leaks underscores glaring vulnerabilities in Korea’s digital defenses. Beyond eroding trust in individual firms, the incidents raise deeper concerns about the resilience of South Korea’s broader digital ecosystem. 2025-09-19 16:53:38

INTERVIEW: Climate expert urges Seoul's new climate ministry to finalize NDC SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea must commit to a long-term pathway to reduce carbon emissions now that it is set to launch a new ministry integrating energy, climate, and environmental functions, said a leading climate scientist. "The most urgent task for the ministry would be to finalize the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)," said Axel Timmermann, director of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Center for Climate Physics at Pusan National University, in an interview with AJP. "The government must have eyes on the future and design long-term climate policy for the world children will face 20 to 30 years from now," he said. He welcomed the new government’s plan to reorganize the Environment Ministry as the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, which would take over energy policymaking from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). "When energy policy is under MOTIE, growth and industrial competitiveness are the main priorities. But if a ministry dedicated to climate and environment also manages energy, it can focus more on the next generation and long-term sustainability," he said, urging concrete implementation plans, including a carbon tax and carbon tax dividends. Timmermann, a world-renowned climate physicist who trained under 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Klaus Hasselmann, has headed the IBS Center for Climate Physics since 2017. The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) is Korea’s most prestigious national research institute dedicated to basic science, headquartered in the science hub city of Daejeon’s Sin-dong research complex. His team in Busan uses supercomputer models and cave-based climate records to study Earth’s variability and make long-term projections. In explaining the extreme heat wave this year, he pointed to the country’s dense urbanization. "A large share of South Korea’s population lives in metropolitan areas such as Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, and in these cities the so-called urban heat island effect—where concrete and asphalt trap heat and make cities hotter than surrounding rural areas—intensifies the impact of heat waves," Timmermann said. "Concrete surfaces block natural cooling from evaporation, while the lack of vegetation makes the heat feel even more severe." The summer was the hottest on record, with the mercury averaging 25.7 degrees Celsius between June and August, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). But Koreans should get used to the intense heat as a new norm, the scientist said. "There will be year-to-year variability, so some summers will be hotter and some cooler. But the long-term trend points to increasingly extreme summers," he added, calling for a joint inter-Korean response to common challenges from shared climate conditions. In his first year in Korea, he explored the possibility of joint research with North Korea, but abandoned the idea due to the complex approval procedures amid zero inter-Korean ties and sanctions related to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. The North has also been grappling with the fallout from extreme weather such as heat waves, droughts and floods. "I believe scientific cooperation across borders is essential and beneficial." "Science has no borders. When we think about the betterment and efficiency of scientific research, there’s every reason for greater collaboration with others," he added. 2025-09-18 17:59:09

S.Korean firms hold off action after ICE detentions SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - South Korean major companies with multibillion-dollar ventures in the United States are biding their time or adopting stopgap measures as they assess the fallout from the immigration raid at a Korean battery plant in Georgia. LG Energy Solution has suspended the final-stage construction of a $6 billion joint-venture battery plant with Hyundai Motor following the surprise raid by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and arrest of 475 workers. The battery maker is exploring remote oversight as a temporary alternative. "If we could do things remotely, we would not have had to send workers (despite visa issues). We are discussing with partner companies whether some tasks could be handled through remote supervision," a company official said. Of the 317 detained Korean workers, 170 entered under the visa waiver program (ESTA) and 146 on short-term business or tourist visas (B1/B2). One had a valid employment authorization document (EAD), but was arrested nonetheless. "Work (at the site) is on hold until the U.S. and Korean governments give clear guidance (on permits). We are waiting for the U.S. government’s instruction to resume operations," the official said. The visa turmoil is reverberating across other Korean projects in the U.S. Samsung Electronics’ chip division is building a foundry in Texas worth 50 trillion won ($37 billion). Hyundai Motor Group is investing 6.7 trillion won ($5 billion) with SK On in a battery plant in Bartow County, Georgia. Hanwha Solutions is building a solar module plant in Georgia worth 3.1 trillion won ($2.3 billion). Hyundai Motor has instructed employees to put off business trips to the U.S. until further notice. "There are too many different types of business trips to apply one blanket rule, so we are monitoring the situation closely. For now, we expect the construction to be delayed by about two to three months," a company official said. Hanwha Solutions likewise said it is holding off U.S. trave and project acceleration until visa uncertainties are lifted. 2025-09-17 21:07:06

South Korean workers return home after weeklong detention in Georgia SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - More than 300 South Koreans who were detained in an immigration crackdown in Georgia, the U.S. returned home on Friday after being held for about a week. A total of 316 South Koreans, along with about a dozen foreign workers, traveled by bus to Atlanta to board a chartered flight at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after being released from a detention facility the previous day and arrived at Incheon International Airport at around 3:30 p.m. Looking weary and exhausted after a 15-hour flight, they quickly left the airport after being reunited with their family members who had been anxiously awaiting their return. Some of them are being driven home in cars provided by LG Energy Solution, which arranged the flight to bring the workers back to Seoul. Medical checkups will also be arranged for them upon request. They were caught last Thursday in the largest single-site workplace in the history of the Department of Homeland Security, leading to the detention of nearly 500 people, most of them South Korean nationals working at a joint electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Folkston, Georgia, by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution. The U.S. immigration authority alleged that the workers were either in the country illegally, had overstayed their visas, or were employed on visas without proper work permits. The incident occurred shortly after President Lee Jae Myung pledged massive investment plans to the country's closest ally during his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington late last month, sparking widespread public anger and concern here. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who rushed to Washington immediately after the incident, met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other immigration-related officials to express concern about the raid and regret over the release of video footage showing the detained workers in shackles. He also requested that the U.S. ensure they would not face any disadvantages with future reentry into the U.S. Their departure was initially delayed due to a reportedly last-minute offer from Trump for the high-skilled workers to remain in the U.S. to train local staff, but they decided to return with one choosing to stay there. In the wake of the incident, officials from both countries are discussing the issuance of a new type of visa for skilled South Korean workers to prevent similar occurrences. 2025-09-12 16:16:52

British Chamber's annual garden party to offer chance to enjoy beautiful autumnal night SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - The British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (BCCK) will host its annual garden party later this month. In collaboration with Dulwich College Seoul, an international school in southern Seoul, this year's party will be held in the garden of the British Ambassador's residence in central Seoul on Sept. 24. It will be a great opportunity for participants to look around the historic residence, which was built in the late 1800s and rarely open to the public. They will be able to enjoy a perfect autumnal evening filled with live music and performances while savoring catered food and beverages. Events like wine tasting and raffles are also planned. "We are thrilled to once again host the party at this beautiful residence," a BCCK spokesperson said. "We believe it will be our best yet." 2025-09-12 15:59:26