Daiso's budget cosmetics find devoted following Editor's Note: This is the fourth article in our series exploring the evolving landscape of the Korean beauty industry and the products that captivate international visitors. SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - In South Korea’s bustling beauty market, a surprising contender has quietly become a cultural force: Daiso, the ultra-low-cost retailer known more for household goods than cosmetics. The chain, beloved by locals and tourists alike, is defying expectations — and industry norms — by offering a range of beauty products that are not only accessible but, in some cases, rival pricier competitors. While Daiso may not carry the prestige of luxury beauty brands, its appeal lies in affordability and experimentation. “Daiso products may not have the brand power of famous companies, but the price allows you to try multiple items without feeling burdened,” said Jeong Kim, a customer in her twenties. “Not every product is a hit, but I often discover items that outperform name brands.” Among the store’s top sellers is the TAG Slim Brow Pencil, retailing for just 3,000 won (about $2.20) — a fraction of the cost of high-end alternatives like Shu Uemura’s Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil, which sells for $29. Despite the price disparity, the Daiso pencil has earned praise for its smooth color payoff and ability to mimic individual brow hairs with precision. Still, the limited shade range excludes those with blonde or auburn tones. The TAG Mood Blush Beam in shade 02 Fair Move has developed a loyal following for its versatility as both a blush and highlighter. The soft pink hue and pearl shimmer are ideal for enhancing features such as the bridge of the nose, under-eye area, and brow bone — staples of contemporary Korean beauty aesthetics. However, the blush, like many Daiso products, is formulated with lighter skin tones in mind, making it most suitable for those matching shade 21 or lighter in Korean foundation scales. One of Daiso’s most sought-after complexion products, the IPKN Personal Tone Correcting Blur Pact in Lavender, has sold out multiple times. The finely milled powder, designed to counteract sallowness, helps brighten and set makeup without caking. Users apply it selectively for dimension or all over for a subtle lift in overall tone. Daiso’s appeal also extends to skincare. The Real Barrier Sera Base Moisturizing Cream Toner, popular among customers during Korea’s hot and humid summer months, strikes a balance between hydration and wearability — a challenge in a climate where heavy skincare routines can undermine makeup longevity. A richer, more expensive version, the Real Barrier Extreme Essence Toner, is available at Olive Young, but has been out of stock in recent weeks. For international visitors navigating Korea’s beauty scene, Daiso offers a low-risk introduction to K-beauty trends. The mix of budget-friendly pricing and surprisingly high quality has turned casual shoppers into loyal fans — and positioned Daiso as an unlikely player in the global beauty conversation. 2025-06-09 16:31:53

President Lee agrees with Japanese PM to strengthen bilateral ties through phone call SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung has agreed Monday with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru through their first-ever phone call that it is important for South Korea and Japan to strengthen bilateral ties and accelerate cooperation. The 25-minute call, held around noon, marks the two leaders’ first official conversation since Lee’s inauguration five days earlier. The Presidential Office’s spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said that Lee thanked Ishiba for his congratulations and emphasized the growing strategic weight of the bilateral relationship. Lee expressed hope that the two countries can “respond to future challenges together and seek a path toward mutual prosperity, based on shared national interests.” The two leaders agreed to build what Kang described as a “more mature and resilient relationship,” grounded in mutual respect, trust, and responsibility. According to the spokesperson, Lee and Ishiba also recognized the significance of this year, which marks 60 years since the normalization of diplomatic relations, and agreed to further expand exchanges between citizens of South Korea and Japan, as well as to strengthen communication between governments. A discussion on regional security also took place during their phone call. Lee and Ishiba acknowledged the progress made under the trilateral cooperation framework with the United States and agreed to continue working together within that structure to address various geopolitical challenges. The conversation ended with both leaders pledging to meet in person and further extend their discussions on bilateral issues and shared interests, Kang said. The call with Ishiba came three days after Lee’s first leader-level phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Jun. 6. 2025-06-09 15:39:12

Lee aims for diplomatic reboot at upcoming G7 summit in Canada SEOUL, June 9 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung is set to embark on his first overseas trip just over a week after taking office earlier this month, as he heads to Canada to attend the G7 summit this weekend. Just about ten days into his single, five-year term, Lee will make his debut in multilateral diplomacy, as he meets leaders of major countries at the three-day summit in Alberta, which kicks off on Sunday. Lee's upcoming visit will be the fifth by a South Korean president to the summit, following former disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol's attendance in the 2023 gathering in Hiroshima, Japan. But Lee becomes the fastest among South Korean presidents to do so, unlike his predecessors who usually spent two to three months settling in after taking office. Lee is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and other leaders on the sidelines of the summit, which will bring together leaders of the G7 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. - along with leaders invited by host country Canada. Should a summit with Trump materialize, the two are likely to focus on tariff-related talks - one of the most pressing issues between Seoul and Washington, ahead of the U.S.' July 8 deadline for broader sweeping tariff deals. A trilateral summit involving the leaders of Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. could also take place. Despite concerns that such hastily-arranged meetings may not yield tangible results due to insufficient preparation, Lee's decision to attend the summit appears aimed at reviving stalled international diplomacy, which had been disrupted for over six months amid domestic political turmoil stemming from Yoon's botched Dec. 3 martial law debacle late last year. In a phone conversation last Friday, the two leaders agreed to work hard toward reaching mutually acceptable deals, but it remains to be seen whether time constraints during their brief meeting will allow for in-depth discussions. The meeting is also expected to be an early test of Lee's pragmatic approach to global diplomacy, as he would seek to balance Seoul's national interests with Trump's America-first policies. 2025-06-09 15:20:54

South Korean manufacturers accelerate shift to smart factories SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - As industries worldwide undergo sweeping technological and structural shifts, manufacturers are redefining production at its core. Nowhere is this transformation more pronounced than in South Korea, where industrial heavyweights, such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG, are rapidly embracing the smart factory — an integrated, data-driven model reshaping global manufacturing norms. From intelligent communications to AI-driven production lines, the South Korean manufacturers are reshaping their operations to meet the demands of an era defined by automation, data, and resilience. Unlike traditional factories, smart factories represent fully digitized, adaptive environments powered by artificial intelligence, edge computing, and next-generation wireless infrastructure. Machines embedded with AI can now detect anomalies, self-correct in real time, and optimize performance without human intervention. Digital twin technology simulates entire production environments, eliminating the need for costly trial-and-error approaches. Computer vision systems conduct instant quality inspections, while collaborative robots, or “cobots,” assist with complex or repetitive tasks. These systems are stitched together through private 5G networks and edge computing platforms, enabling ultra-low latency communication across machines, sensors, and control systems. Industry experts say these innovations are not just about efficiency — they are responses to mounting global pressures: aging workforces, energy price volatility, disrupted supply chains, and intensifying global competition. By enabling more autonomous and adaptive production systems, smart manufacturing offers a pathway to resilience and long-term sustainability. According to Precedence Research, the global smart factory market is projected to more than double, growing from $155.6 billion in 2024 to $386.4 billion by 2034. South Korea’s largest industrial firms are moving quickly to position themselves at the center of this transformation. Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics are collaborating to implement Private 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) networks in their manufacturing hubs, including Hyundai’s Ulsan complex and its Metaplant in Georgia, United States. The system enables seamless, interference-free communication for over 200 autonomous mobile robots and a growing number of automated guided vehicles and inspection units. RedCap’s use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X35 5G chipset and Samsung’s customized 5G infrastructure reduces power consumption and latency, offering advantages over traditional Wi-Fi networks. Hyundai has also embedded the technology into its diagnostic scanning systems to transmit inspection data in real time. Samsung’s platform supports AI-optimized network operations, and the companies report no communication-related downtime since implementation. HD Hyundai has followed suit, investing 200 billion won to convert its Ulsan Campus into a fully integrated smart factory. The new 234,710-square-meter site merges two separate plants and features AI-driven inspection systems and welding robots. The upgrades have boosted production capacity from 9,600 to 15,000 units annually, improved productivity by 20 percent, and cut production times by 35 percent. LG Electronics, meanwhile, is scaling smart manufacturing through an AI-centric, data-heavy strategy. Its platform processes 770 terabytes of production data across global operations, enabling predictive maintenance, automated defect detection, and faster decision-making. Digital twin simulations allow full-scale factory modeling before physical deployment, significantly reducing costs and risk. At LG’s Smart Park in Changwon, automation levels have reached 65 percent, increasing productivity by 22 percent and reducing defects by 30 percent. Its Tennessee plant in the U.S. achieved similar gains, with energy efficiency rising by 30 percent. Both sites have earned recognition as “Lighthouse Factories” from the World Economic Forum. In 2024, LG launched a dedicated smart factory unit that now supports clients ranging from electronics firms to cosmetics producers. The unit is projected to generate 1 trillion won in orders by 2030. Rather than offering off-the-shelf products, LG provides tailored end-to-end solutions. “This is a once-in-a-generation transformation,” said Cho Joo-wan, LG’s chief executive, noting that the initiative prioritizes not only speed and scale, but adaptability, sustainability, and long-term client integration. 2025-06-09 14:50:54

Samsung maintains lead in European microwave market for 10th straight year SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics retained its position as the top-selling microwave brand in Europe for the 10th consecutive year in 2024, according to data from market research firm Euromonitor. The South Korean electronics maker captured a 12.8 percent share of the European market by sales volume, cementing its lead in a region it has dominated since 2015. The Euromonitor survey covered 19 European countries. Samsung attributed its continued success to a combination of proprietary technologies and consumer-oriented design. Its microwave ovens feature ceramic interior coatings certified as 99.9 percent antibacterial by Hohenstein, a German institute specializing in antimicrobial testing. The coatings were found to be 99.93 percent effective against Staphylococcus and 99.99 percent effective against pneumonia-causing bacteria following 18-hour lab tests. To appeal to design-conscious European consumers, the company launched a line of Bespoke microwaves available in seven colors and glass finishes designed to match contemporary kitchen interiors. It has also rolled out Wi-Fi-enabled models integrated with its SmartThings ecosystem, allowing users to control appliances via Bixby voice assistant and access cooking recommendations through its Samsung Food platform. As part of its broader sustainability efforts, Samsung collaborated with steelmaker Posco to develop enamel steel sheets with a higher proportion of recycled content. 2025-06-09 14:29:12

Court postpones Lee Jae-myung's trial citing presidential immunity SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung will not face trial during his presidency in a key election law case, as a high court in Seoul postponed proceedings indefinitely on Monday, citing constitutional protections for a sitting head of state. The Seoul High Court announced on Jun. 9 that it had canceled a hearing previously set for Jun. 18 in Lee’s ongoing retrial. No new date was set. The court said the decision was made “in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution.” That clause states that a president may not be prosecuted while in office, except in cases of insurrection or treason. While the Constitution does not clearly state whether this includes ongoing criminal trials, the court’s move suggests it interprets the immunity broadly, applying it not only to new indictments but to active proceedings as well. In South Korean legal terms, the trial now enters what is known as “to be decided later,” a limbo in which no further hearings are scheduled, and the case effectively stalls. Courts often use this designation when a case cannot move forward for legal or procedural reasons. The trial in question involves allegations that Lee violated the Public Official Election Act during the 2022 presidential election. It is one of several high-profile cases he has faced over the past few years. But with the court now invoking constitutional immunity, it is unlikely this particular case will proceed before the end of his term. This marks a turning point for Lee. The legal obstacles that dogged his path to the presidency, including court appearances, pending rulings, and ongoing investigations, have now largely been pushed aside, at least temporarily. Attention is now turning to the other courts where Lee has pending cases. These include trials over allegations tied to urban development scandals in Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, and Wirye, corporate sponsorships connected to the Seongnam FC football club, unregistered foreign transfers to North Korea by the Ssangbangwool Group, and misuse of a government-issued corporate card. An appeal in a separate witness tampering case is also underway. With the latest court decision, however, none of these cases may move forward while he remains in office. For now, President Lee is free to govern without the immediate weight of courtroom battles hanging over his presidency. 2025-06-09 14:26:41

South Korean musical makes for real 'happy ending,' sweeping Tony Awards SEOUL, June 9 (AJP) - South Korean musical "Maybe Happy Ending" took home the top honor along with five other gongs at this year's Tony Awards in the U.S. on Sunday, making for a real happy ending to the night. At an awards ceremony held in New York, the musical, which received ten nominations, won six awards for its Broadway production including "Best Musical," "Best Book of a Musical," "Best Original Score," "Best Scenic Design of a Musical," "Best Direction of a Musical," and "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical." The futuristic musical revolves around two obsolete robots, created to assist humans, who start with an "awkward encounter" and end up falling in love amid their doomed existence. After premiering here in 2016, the critically-acclaimed show has become a sleeper hit, leading to its Broadway debut in November last year. Thanks to a strong reception, its U.S. run has been extended through January next year. A special performance in celebration of its 10th anniversary is slated for this fall in Seoul. Established in 1947, the annual awards are widely considered the most prestigious honors in the American theater and musical industry. 2025-06-09 10:54:49

Most S. Koreans expect new president to do well and see economy as top priority: survey SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - About six out of every ten South Koreans believe that President Lee Jae-myung, inaugurated last week, will do a good job in the office, according to a new survey released on Jun. 9. The South Koreans also selected as the economic recovery as the country’s top priority among a list of challenges which the Lee administration must tackle. The survey, commissioned by Energy Economic News, was conducted by pollster Realmeter on Jun. 4 and 5, asking 1,012 adults nationwide about their expectations for the new president. 58.2 percent had said that Lee is likely to perform well, while 35.5 percent said he will not. In the June 3 election, Lee won the presidency with 49.42 percent of the vote, defeating conservative rival Kim Moon-soo, who garnered 41.15 percent of the vote. The latest Realmeter survey suggests that public expectations align similarly with Lee’s actual electoral support, indicating a stable political footing as he begins his term. The pollster analyzed that while the numbers are largely positive, they are lower than early-term ratings for Lee’s predecessors. Former President Lee Myung-bak had a 79.3 percent approval rating at the start of his term, followed by Moon Jae-in at 74.8 percent, Park Geun-hye at 64.4 percent, and Yoon Suk Yeol at 52.7 percent. President Lee’s figure is 5.5 percentage points higher than Yoon’s but trails well behind others. Regionally, Lee’s support was strongest in Gwangju and the Jeolla region at 85.3 percent. His lowest rating came from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea’s conservative stronghold, where 39.6 percent said he would perform well. In the capital area, approval was 57.6 percent in Seoul and 59.9 percent in Gyeonggi and Incheon. Support also varied by age. The most optimistic group was those in their 40s, with 76.6 percent expecting him to do well. They were followed by people in their 50s (70.0 percent), 30s (57.1 percent), 60s (50.9 percent), and those aged 70 or older (48.9 percent). Meanwhile, people in their 20s showed the lowest optimistic expectations for the new president. Only 41.3 percent expressed confidence in the new president. When asked what Lee should prioritize, 41.5 percent pointed to economic recovery and stabilizing daily life. Prosecution and judicial reform came next at 20.4 percent, followed by national unity and easing social divisions (12.8 percent), political reform and bipartisan cooperation (8.3 percent), and measures to tackle low birth rates and an aging society (4.6 percent). Realmeter said the results show that recent economic instability, including rising prices, slow growth, and broader uncertainty, is weighing heavily on the public. The strong focus on justice reform and national unity also reflects accumulated frustration with political investigations, deepening social rifts, and weakened trust in the system. The survey was conducted using automated phone interviews (100 percent wireless). It has a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 8.0 percent. Full details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website. 2025-06-09 10:52:30

Naver bets on 'sovereign AI' with launch of Silicon Valley venture arm SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest internet company Naver introduced its new investment arm, Naver Ventures, at a networking event on June 5 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palo Alto. The announcement marks a renewed push by the company to assert itself in the evolving artificial intelligence landscape — not by chasing the biggest players, but by charting a path rooted in specificity, sovereignty, and strategic restraint. The initiative was unveiled by Lee Hae-jin, Naver’s founder and newly reinstated chairman, who addressed a crowd of more than 200 Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors. The event, aptly named Next Chapter, was Lee’s first major public appearance since Line Corp.’s 2016 IPO. “There have been many waves over the 25 years since Naver was founded, but artificial intelligence feels like a wave on the level of the internet and mobile,” Lee said, framing the recent AI surge — catalyzed by breakthroughs like ChatGPT — as a once-in-a-generation shift. While conceding that Naver lags behind U.S. and Chinese tech giants in scale and core AI research, Lee was unapologetic about the company’s differentiated strategy. Rather than vying for dominance in general-purpose AI, Naver will concentrate on domain-specific applications where it can exploit proprietary data — particularly in commerce. “There’s a chance in specific domains,” he said. “Search started out as an algorithm battle, but in the end, it became about differentiation. I think AI will follow a similar trajectory.” That philosophy is already reflected in Naver’s ecosystem. Through a string of strategic acquisitions and partnerships — including Smart Store in Korea, Line and Yahoo in Japan, Wallapop in Spain, and Poshmark in the United States — Naver has been assembling a data-rich portfolio designed to fuel commerce-centric AI tools. “When we invested in Poshmark, people may have wondered why Naver entered the secondhand market,” Lee said. “But it was to secure commerce data.” At the heart of this next phase is Naver Ventures, which will be led by Kim Nam-sun, head of Naver’s Strategic Investment Division. Its first investment: Twelve Labs, a Silicon Valley startup founded in 2021 that specializes in video intelligence. Known for building multimodal AI systems like Pegasus and Marengo — which can identify and retrieve scenes from video using natural language queries — Twelve Labs has drawn backing from investors such as NVIDIA, Snowflake, and Databricks. Naver now joins them, following earlier support from SK Telecom. The move is emblematic of Naver’s broader ambition: embedding itself more deeply in the U.S. tech scene, while developing AI that reflects local values, languages, and control structures. Lee’s message went beyond market positioning. He offered a cultural and philosophical counterpoint to what he sees as the increasing homogenization of global technology platforms. “Starbucks is a good company that offers consistent drinks everywhere in the world,” he said. “But if Starbucks were the only place selling coffee globally, that would be a bit sad. Each country should have its own tea houses. In the same way, Naver will continue to provide diversity in AI, just as we have in search.” Lee invoked Naver’s origin story — as a Korean-language search engine built when Western tools failed to surface relevant local content — to argue for “sovereign AI,” an approach that emphasizes local ownership of data and infrastructure. “One search engine providing all results to the world can be dangerous,” he said. “Korea is different because people can compare Google and Naver. That kind of diversity must be preserved.” 2025-06-09 09:36:21

Robotaxis proposed as elderly crashes rise SEOUL, June 08 (AJP) - A year after a deadly crash in central Seoul left nine pedestrians dead, new data show a sharp rise in traffic accidents involving elderly drivers, adding urgency to discussions about mobility alternatives like driverless robotaxis. According to a June 8 report from the Korea Insurance Research Institute, drivers aged 65 and older were responsible for 20 percent of all traffic accidents in 2023. That figure is up dramatically from 6.8 percent in 2015, reflecting a demographic shift that has yet to be matched by policy solutions. During the same period, the share of elderly license holders nearly doubled, from 7.6 percent to 14.9 percent. “Among all licensed drivers, the number of traffic accidents per 100 people is second-highest for the elderly, after drivers in their twenties or younger,” said researcher Kim Hae-sik, author of the report “Elderly Driving: Technological Change and Insurance Systems.” “While accident numbers are falling in other age groups, they continue to rise among older drivers,” Kim said. The statistics come in the wake of a tragic incident near Seoul City Hall on July 1, 2024, when a 68-year-old man behind the wheel of a Genesis G80 drove into a crosswalk, killing nine and injuring several more. The driver claimed unintended acceleration, but forensic investigators later concluded that the accelerator had been pressed 90 percent of the way and that there had been no attempt to brake. Since then, police have shortened the license renewal cycle for older drivers from ten years to five and tightened aptitude screening. Local governments have also encouraged drivers aged 65 and older to surrender their licenses voluntarily. Even so, just 2.2 percent did so in 2024. A public survey conducted last July suggests there’s strong support for further measures. Out of 500 adult respondents, 26.5 percent favored mandatory safety systems for elderly drivers, 23 percent supported stronger incentives for voluntary license return, and 19.9 percent called for stricter physical and cognitive testing. Still, as Kim pointed out, the gap between public opinion and real-world action remains wide. “Despite strong public support for policies like incentives to return licenses, the low rate of actual returns shows that older adults have few reliable ways to get around after giving up driving,” he said. Kim believes that driverless robotaxis could be the breakthrough. First showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this January, autonomous vehicles are designed to operate without human input and could allow seniors to travel independently without relying on private cars. Unlike conventional taxis, robotaxis are being developed as personal-use vehicles, replicating the convenience of car ownership without requiring anyone to drive. Boston Consulting Group and other firms expect the technology to be commercially available before 2030. But the arrival of fully autonomous vehicles raises difficult questions around insurance and liability. “In a fully autonomous environment, the owner and operator of the vehicle may not be the same, making it difficult to assign responsibility under the current system, which ties liability to the driver or vehicle owner,” Kim said. “This calls for a structural overhaul of the current automobile insurance framework.” For robotaxis to succeed, he argued, public institutions need to step in. Not just to support the technology, but to protect the people using it. “We need to guarantee mobility access for non-driving seniors through services like robotaxis, spread out risk through public insurance, and secure social trust through a new legal framework that clearly defines liability,” he said. “Insurance products should be designed in a way that society supports seniors’ safety during robotaxi use.” 2025-06-08 17:34:17