Proposal for 'dawn delivery' ban stokes controversy in South Korea SEOUL, November 09 (AJP) - A heated controversy has erupted in South Korea over a proposal by some unionized delivery workers to ban "dawn delivery" services conducted between midnight and 5 a.m. The dawn delivery market has boomed, growing from 400 billion won in 2015 to 11.8 trillion won ($8.9 billion) last year, predominantly serving fresh foods and perishable goods. This rapid growth is driven not only by small business owners who rely on the service to receive ingredients for their daily operations, but also by working couples with little time to shop and households with young children, for whom the overnight convenience is essential. The debate on the dawn delivery pits concerns over workers' health and safety against the economic impact on delivery drivers, e-commerce platforms, and small businesses. The proposal was spurred by a recent spate of overwork-related deaths among night-shift delivery workers. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) argues that the convenience of early morning delivery comes at a deadly cost. "The convenience of dawn delivery is maintained at the cost of workers' sleep, health, and lives," the KCTU said, emphasizing the health risks of working against the natural circadian rhythm. They pointed out that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies night work as a potential cause of cancer for humans, demanding restrictions as a minimum measure to protect workers' lives. The proposal has met strong opposition from rival unions, e-commerce platforms, and the small business sector, who argue that the ban threatens economic stability. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) rejected a total ban, stating, "Realistically, there are workers who must work to earn a living, and there are also consumer segments for whom dawn delivery is essential." The union representing drivers for Coupang, the country's leading e-commerce platform, also criticized the move, noting that over 40 percent of their members are night-shift drivers and that attempts to curb their work threaten their job security. Many drivers online echoed this sentiment, stressing that dawn shifts are often a voluntary choice providing higher pay, less traffic congestion, or essential flexibility for those working a second job. The ban is also vehemently opposed by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KFSB). They called it "a measure that threatens the survival of small business owners relying on online platforms for sales amid a sluggish domestic economy." "Banning dawn deliveries is an attempt to collapse the small business ecosystem," the KFSB concluded. 2025-11-09 16:06:49

Chinese fishing boat capsizes in Yellow Sea; Two dead, three missing SEOUL, November 09 (AJP) - A Chinese fishing vessel with 11 crew members aboard capsized in the international waters of the Yellow Sea early Sunday, leaving two crew members dead and three missing, according to the Korea Coast Guard. The 98-ton vessel overturned at 6:50 a.m. in international waters about 81 kilometers southwest of Gageodo Island in Sinan-gun, South Jeolla Province. A nearby Chinese fishing boat immediately initiated rescue efforts, saving six of the crew. The KCG arrived shortly after and rescued two additional crew members who were drifting in the sea. While the six initially rescued showed no major health issues, the two rescued by the KCG were found in cardiac arrest and later confirmed dead. The search continues for the three missing crew members. KCG divers inspected the capsized vessel but found no external signs of collision. The KCG said it is working in cooperation with the Chinese coast guard to continue the search and rescue operation in the accident area. 2025-11-09 13:43:22

TOPIK website restored after data center fire, tests to resume normally SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - The official website for the Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK, has resumed normal operations, about two months after a fire at a government data center forced cancellations of some tests, the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education said Friday. The restoration means that upcoming tests, including those scheduled for November, will be held as planned, officials said, adding most systems related to test administration have now been fully recovered. The website, topik.go.kr, serves as the main portal for hundreds of thousands of applicants worldwide who take the Korean language test each year. With the system restored, test-takers can once again log in to download their official score reports, which are required for university admissions, graduation, and visa procedures. TOPIK results are also used as a key evaluation criterion in government programs assessing universities’ internationalization capacity and their management of foreign students. The 103rd paper-based TOPIK (PBT) and the 10th internet-based TOPIK (IBT) will both proceed next month as scheduled. About 36,000 candidates in South Korea and 49,000 in 11 other countries have registered for the 103rd PBT, which will take place on Nov. 16. Details on printing admission tickets will be provided later through the website, officials said. The 10th IBT, which faced disruptions during its registration period due to the system failure, will reopen for additional applications from Nov. 4 to 6. The test will be administered in South Korea and in three overseas countries. The 102nd PBT, held during the outage, was conducted using pre-stored data, but the 9th IBT and the 9th speaking test were canceled because both formats rely on active online systems. Applicants for the canceled IBT have been refunded, while those who wish to sit for the 10th IBT have been given a registration opportunity. The 9th speaking test, which had been planned only in South Korea, has also been canceled and refunded. 2025-10-31 15:18:38

Data breach drives SK Telecom to first quarterly loss in decades SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom, reported a steep decline in profit and a swing to a net loss in the third quarter on Thursday, as the fallout from one of the country’s largest personal data breaches continued to batter its business and reputation. The net loss ended the company's streak of consecutive quarterly profits that had continued since 2000. The company said its consolidated operating profit plunged 90.9 percent from a year earlier to 48.4 billion won, or about $35.7 million. Quarterly revenue fell 12.2 percent to 3.98 trillion won ($2.93 billion). The bottom line turned negative, with a net loss of 166.7 billion won ($122.9 million), compared with a profit during the same period last year. In a sign of internal accountability, SK Group removed CEO Yoo Young-sang from management roles. He was replaced by Jung Jae-heon, the company’s president and head of external cooperation. Jung, a former judge born in 1968, is expected to bring a steadier hand as the company navigates regulatory and reputational challenges. As of 10:45 a.m., SK Telecom shares were trading at 52,650 won, down 1,450 won, or 2.68 percent, from the previous session. SK Telecom said it would not pay a dividend for the third quarter — an uncommon move for one of South Korea’s most established blue-chip firms. The financial blow in the third quarter stems largely from the large-scale hacking incident disclosed in April, which exposed customer information and triggered a wave of cancellations. To stem the damage, SK Telecom rolled out extensive countermeasures, including compensation programs for affected users and rate reductions, all of which eroded earnings. The company also faced a 134.8 billion won ($99.3 million) regulatory fine imposed by the Personal Information Protection Commission — one of the largest penalties ever levied in South Korea for a data breach. Even as the crisis weighed on its bottom line, SK Telecom’s core telecom operations began showing signs of recovery after a turbulent second quarter, the company said. The company added roughly 240,000 5G subscribers from the previous quarter, bringing the total to 17.26 million, while its high-speed internet division returned to net growth. The company’s investments in artificial intelligence offered the strongest source of optimism. Revenue from AI-related businesses surged 35.7 percent year-over-year, with its data center division generating 149.8 billion won. Its broader AI transformation initiative, known as AIX, recorded 55.7 billion won in revenue. SK Telecom is doubling down on the sector, breaking ground on a new AI data center in Ulsan with Amazon Web Services and partnering with OpenAI to establish another facility in the country’s southwest. “The company will prioritize restoring customer trust and seek to turn this crisis into an opportunity by producing tangible results in our AI business,” Kim Yang-seop, SK Telecom’s chief financial officer, said in a statement. 2025-10-30 10:54:52

KOSPI soars past 3,500 milestone for first time on semiconductor rally SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - The main South Korean stock index, the KOSPI, surged to a historic close on Thursday, breaching the 3,500 level for the first time on record. Driven by a frenzied rally in technology and semiconductor shares, the benchmark index climbed 93.38 points, or 2.7 percent, to settle at 3,549.21, capping a day that saw the index peak at an intraday high of 3,565.96. The powerful upward trajectory was anchored by the nation's two memory chip giants. Samsung Electronics rose 3.49 percent, closing at 89,000 won and briefly touching 90,300 won, a high not seen since January 2021. More dramatically, SK hynix rocketed 9.72 percent to close at 395,000 won, achieving an intraday high of 404,500 won — its first time ever crossing the 400,000 won threshold. The sector’s strength was fueled by growing optimism surrounding potential alliances in artificial intelligence. This sentiment was galvanized by a high-profile meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to discuss broad cooperation in semiconductors and AI, including reports that Samsung and SK hynix were exploring a “Stargate” memory chip partnership with OpenAI. The enthusiasm spilled over from Wall Street, where a surge in semiconductor stocks, including a 7 percent rise in Intel, had already set a positive tone for global tech markets. Trading was dominated by foreign capital, which provided the bulk of the buying power necessary to lift the index to its record height. Overseas investors registered net purchases totaling 3.13 trillion won. In contrast, domestic retail investors offloaded 3.07 trillion won of shares, while institutional investors sold a net 668 billion won. 2025-10-02 16:42:16

South Korea, US to hold first working group talks on visa issues this week SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - The first meeting of a working group between South Korea and the United States to address visa issues, which came to prominence after the large-scale detention of South Korean workers by US immigration authorities, is scheduled to take place on Sept. 30 (local time) in Washington D.C., South Korean diplomatic sources said Sunday. The meeting comes 26 days after 317 South Korean nationals were detained while working at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia. The working group will be jointly led by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State. The US delegation is also expected to include officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce. The group is tasked with resolving visa problems for Koreans connected to major U.S. investments, with discussions expected to focus initially on clarifying the permitted scope of work under the B1 business visa, a non-immigrant visa for short-term business activities. In addition, the two sides plan to review the establishment of a separate visa desk at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul dedicated to processing applications for Korean businesspeople involved in U.S. investment. The South Korean government is expected to push for the creation of a separate visa category for Korean companies through the working group. Beyond merely clarifying B1 visa guidelines, discussions will reportedly explore creating a new, appropriate visa for Korean personnel who need to stay in the U.S. for several months to manage factory installation, personnel training, and other essential duties. There will also be discussions on pursuing legislation — potentially with the U.S. Congress — to establish a separate visa quota specifically for highly skilled Korean professionals, the sources said. 2025-09-28 14:21:00

Fire at data center traced to aged battery, potential human error SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - The massive administrative network disruption in South Korea, caused by a fire at the National Information Resources Service headquarters in Daejeon, Friday night, is being linked to a lithium-ion battery for an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) that was in use for over a year past its recommended 10-year lifespan. As officials have launched a full-scale investigation into the incident, the focus is falling on the potential role of both the aging hardware and possible workplace mistakes during a planned equipment transfer. The UPS lithium-ion battery that ignited the blaze in the NIRS server room on Sept. 26 was originally supplied and installed in August 2014. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety confirmed that the battery, reportedly built with cells from LG Energy Solution, had exceeded its 10-year functional life. "Using such batteries past their recommended lifespan can lead to quality defects and increase the risk of accidents," said an industry source. Neither the ministry nor NIRS has offered a clear explanation as to why the aging battery was still in operation. Authorities initially explained that the fire broke out in one disconnected battery while 13 workers were moving the UPS units from the 5th-floor server room to the basement. The incident occurred during the third of four planned relocation attempts, with the first two having been completed without issue. However, a conflicting account from an industry source suggests that the fire may have been caused by "human error" during the relocation. This theory posits that an electrical short circuit occurred when cables were disconnected before the battery's power was properly shut off — a critical safety step in the relocation process. 2025-09-28 10:43:05

Data center fire causes public services meltdown in South Korea SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - A fire at a state-run data center in central South Korea triggered a massive network outage that left government services crippled and disrupted daily life for millions over the weekend, officials said. The blaze broke out Friday evening when a lithium-ion battery exploded inside the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon, about 100 miles south of Seoul, according to police and fire officials. The government preemptively shut down 647 online systems, including the country’s mobile identification app, as servers overheated and humidity controls failed, Vice Interior Minister Kim Min-jae told reporters. Of those systems, 436 serve the public directly while 211 are used internally by government officials — nearly a third of the government’s online infrastructure. The fire, which burned for 22 hours before being extinguished Saturday, left behind a tangle of disabled servers and frayed public trust. The shutdown rippled through daily life in a country that prides itself on its digital efficiency. Citizens reported being unable to pay with debit cards issued by Korea Post or transfer funds through postal accounts. Others were unable to retrieve essential certificates, such as family records or residency documents, needed for everything from schooling to real estate transactions. Even emergency services were affected. The 119 rescue system’s location-tracking function, which pinpoints distressed callers, was knocked offline. Commuters who normally rely on digital ID for discounted fares on buses, trains, or planes were told to carry physical identification instead. “We apologize for causing great inconvenience to the public by delaying civil applications and the issuance of certificates,” Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said. The government has promised swift repairs, with officials racing to restore critical functions such as postal and financial services. Tax filing deadlines and document submissions will be postponed until systems are operational again, and citizens have been advised to visit offices in person where possible. Authorities said the risk of permanent data loss was minimal because the facility operates a four-stage backup system. Still, police and fire investigators are working to determine the precise cause of the blaze and assess the full extent of the damage. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok issued a public apology on Saturday, while President Lee Jae Myung convened an emergency meeting on Sunday. “President Lee called for the urgency of restoring critical government services that have been disrupted by the incident,” presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo Jung said. “Lee told officials to concentrate all capabilities on the swift restoration and operation of government systems." 2025-09-28 10:22:58

Naver moving to acquire Korea's top cryptocurrency exchange operator SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - South Korean internet and tech powerhouse Naver Corp. is moving to integrate the nation's leading cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit, into its ecosystem by acquiring Upbit's operator, Dunamu Inc. The core of the proposed deal is a comprehensive stock swap between Naver's fintech subsidiary, Naver Financial, and Dunamu. The news, which marks a major convergence between South Korea's dominant internet portal and the country's largest crypto exchange, caused Naver’s stock to soar by 9.21 percent to 249,000 won as of 1:49 p.m. on Thursday. Naver officially acknowledged the discussions in a regulatory disclosure, stating that Naver Financial is in talks with Dunamu regarding "various collaborations, including stablecoins and unlisted stock transactions, in addition to a stock swap." However, the company noted that "nothing has been finalized regarding additional cooperation items or methods." Naver Financial and Dunamu are reportedly preparing to approve the comprehensive stock exchange proposal at their respective board meetings as early as next month. The proposed deal is expected to create a formidable financial technology force. By linking Naver Financial's payment platform, Naver Pay, with Upbit's digital asset infrastructure, the combined entity aims to launch a service that seamlessly integrates simple payment, shopping, and virtual asset trading for a vast user base. This strategic integration signals Naver's ambition to create a dominant "super app" covering all aspects of e-commerce and digital finance. The comprehensive stock swap is a corporate action where Naver Financial exchanges its newly issued stock for all outstanding shares of Dunamu, sources from Naver said. This process will position Dunamu as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Naver Financial. Both Naver and Dunamu have reportedly established separate task forces to conduct the necessary valuations and preparations required to execute the stock exchange. Naver currently holds approximately 75 percent of Naver Financial's shares. Key shareholders in Dunamu include its founders: Chairman Song Chi-hyung with 25.5 percent and Vice Chairman Kim Hyung-nyeon with 13.1 percent. Kakao Investment holds a 10.6 percent stake. 2025-09-25 14:04:51

KT CEO acknowledges flaws in network security after data breach SEOUL, September 24 (AJP) - The chief executive of KT Corp. acknowledged to lawmakers on Wednesday that the company had poorly managed its cellular network, which led to unauthorized mobile payment breaches and the theft of private data from hundreds of users. During a parliamentary hearing, KT's CEO, Kim Young-shub, admitted to significant security vulnerabilities related to the company's network of micro base stations, known as femtocells. "After the incident, we reviewed the management of femtocells and found numerous vulnerabilities and poor management," Kim said. He added that the company had since taken steps to prevent "illegal femtocells from connecting to the network." Femtocells are small, low-power cellular transmitters typically used to boost signal strength inside homes or businesses. Kim stated that KT outsources the installation and management of these devices. The breaches, which occurred around late August, involved unregistered femtocells connecting to the KT network. Hackers reportedly used these connections to access the private data of 362 users, with damages estimated at 240 million won, or about $173,000. The stolen information may have included sensitive identifiers like international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) numbers, along with users' phone numbers. 2025-09-24 17:26:48