LG Electronics solidifies lead in premium TV market in Europe SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - LG Electronics has surpassed 10 million OLED television sales in Europe, a milestone that underscores the South Korean tech giant’s continued dominance in the region’s premium TV segment. The achievement, reached in April 2025, comes 12 years after LG first brought OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology to market in 2013. While it took eight years to reach the first 5 million units sold, the company doubled that number in just four years. According to data from the market research firm Omdia, LG shipped approximately 391,100 OLED TVs in Europe during the first quarter of 2025 alone, commanding a 56.4 percent share of the regional OLED market. Europe accounted for more than half of LG’s global OLED shipments for the quarter, with nearly one in two buyers on the continent choosing an LG-branded device. The company attributes its success to a mix of technological innovation and cultural alignment. OLED displays, known for their deep blacks, infinite contrast ratio and vibrant color reproduction, have found a receptive audience in Europe, where appreciation for high-quality content and refined interior design run deep, company officials said. “European consumers value picture quality and aesthetics in equal measure,” the company said in a statement. “Our OLED technology delivers both.” OLED's slim, backlight-free design has also proven popular in Europe’s living room-centric lifestyle, where televisions often serve as both entertainment centerpieces and design elements. LG’s smart TV platform, webOS, has played a key role in reinforcing the brand’s presence through its localized content offerings. The company’s FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) service, LG Channels, now offers more than 1,700 channels across 16 European countries. LG has also expanded its own programming, including the recently launched LG 1 channel, developed in partnership with major content providers such as NBC Universal, FilmRise, and Lionsgate. 2025-05-22 16:04:39

Soprano Sumi Jo to receive France's highest cultural honor next week SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Soprano Sumi Jo is set to receive France's highest cultural honor next week, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Paris. Jo will be awarded the Commander's medal of the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of her contributions to French art. Established in 1957 by the French Ministry of Culture, the prestigious award recognizes individuals who have made "significant contributions to the arts and literature both in France and internationally." Jo will be the second South Korean to receive the top honor, following conductor Chung Myung-whun in 2011. Other previous South Korean recipients of the lower-ranked Officer's medal include the late actress Yoon Jung-hee, filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, painter Kim Tschang-yeul, and jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on May 26. After making her debut in Italy in 1986 with Verdi's masterpiece "Rigoletto," Jo quickly rose to fame worldwide, with legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan praising her as "a voice from heaven." Jo, who regularly performs at major venues around the world, has reportedly been tied up with a packed year-round schedule. Last year, Jo hosted her namesake singing competition for the first time at a historic castle in central France. Set to be held every two years, the event is the first international vocal contest abroad named after a South Korean artist. 2025-05-22 15:57:20

PHOTOS: Inside high-speed delivery culture of Dongdaemun fashion district SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - In the warren-like alleys of Dongdaemun Shopping Complex, Seoul’s sprawling wholesale fashion hub, a unique culture built on speed has quietly defined the rhythm of commerce for decades. Here, the hum of motorcycles and the shuffle of small delivery trucks are as much a part of the landscape as bolts of fabric and sequins glinting in warehouse light. For more than 40 years, Dongdaemun has operated not just as a wholesale marketplace, but as a vital artery in South Korea’s fashion industry, where retailers, manufacturers and online sellers rely on its famed quick delivery service — a vast, hyper-efficient system designed to meet the demands of a city where traffic is relentless and time is money. Navigating congested roads, drivers — often on scooters or compact trucks — deliver goods ranging from textiles and zippers to trousseau items and garment accessories. Speed is essential. A rider may balance towering parcels of fabric on a scooter, the bulky loads held together with netting or straps. The demographic of these drivers is shifting. Once dominated by men in their 40s and older, the scene changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. As food delivery apps surged in popularity, young riders in their 20s and 30s entered the labor market. When that boom faded post-pandemic, many pivoted into quick delivery work, bringing new energy to a system showing signs of strain. Despite the influx of younger drivers, the marketplace they serve is shrinking. Over the past five years, the number of wholesale and retail workers in Dongdaemun has steadily declined, as has the volume of consumers utilizing its services. These days, even in the early afternoon — traditionally the peak period for dispatch — idle motorcycles sit lined up in tight rows, their riders staring at smartphones, waiting for the next job to appear. The nature of the work leaves little room for leisure. Sit-down restaurants are scarce near the motorcycle lots. Instead, riders grab meals from food stalls or convenience stores, favoring items that can be eaten quickly: spicy tteokbokki, fish cakes skewered in broth, or pre-packaged hamburgers. Roadside coffee and beverage stands once offered a brief reprieve — but like the business itself, they too are beginning to disappear. 2025-05-22 15:17:59

Girl band TWICE to drop new full-length album in July SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - K-pop girl band TWICE will release a new album in July. More than a month ahead of the album's release slated for July 11, their management agency JYP Entertainment teased fans with a video on social media earlier this week. The 14-minute teaser clip shows all nine members in blue outfits, with clues hinting at the impending release of their fourth full-length album "This Is For." The upcoming album comes nearly four years after their last full-length album, which was released in November 2021. Since their debut in 2015, TWICE have remained popular with hit songs like "Cheer Up," "TT," and "Likey," and are now expanding their reach to global fans. As part of such efforts, they are gearing up to perform at the annual Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago this summer, one of the biggest in the U.S. along with Coachella in California. The nonet will headline the festival on Aug. 2. 2025-05-22 15:03:17

Wine tasting contest underway in Seoul SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Lotte Department Store announced on Thursday the return of its popular blind wine tasting event, “The V:lind." Inspired by the famed 1976 Judgment of Paris — where a panel of French judges, in a blind tasting, ranked California wines above their French counterparts — Lotte’s initiative aims to elevate consumer appreciation through taste alone, stripping away biases tied to origin or price. This year’s edition has expanded in scope, featuring nearly 200 wine entries and introducing two formats: the customer-centric “Mega Tasting” and the professionally judged “V:lind Contest.” The Mega Tasting event, which began Friday and runs through May 29, is being held across eight of Lotte’s major department stores nationwide, including locations in Seoul, Busan, and Incheon. Shoppers are invited to taste eight wines — four reds and four whites — all priced under 100,000 won (approximately $73). Presented without labels or brand identifiers, the wines are evaluated by participants who vote for their favorites. The professional segment of the competition will be held on June 5 at Mood Seoul in Seocho-gu. There, a panel of experts will assess 20 imported wines that have not yet been introduced to the Korean market. Among the judges are Kim Kyung-moon, the only Master Sommelier of South Korean nationality — one of just 270 globally — and Kim Jin-beom, head sommelier at the acclaimed Seoul restaurant Mosu. “We aim to continue offering customers fresh experiences and carefully curated selections through trustworthy wine programs,” said Choi Hyung-mo, head of Lotte Department Store’s food division. 2025-05-22 14:51:34

PHOTOS: Traditional way of rice planting SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - The staple food for Koreans is rice, a grain deeply interwoven with the nation's history and culture. Each May, the paddies across the country come alive as farmers begin the arduous process of cultivating this essential crop. Traditionally, this involved flooding the fields, meticulously preparing the soil, and hand-planting delicate rice seedlings, known as "mo." While modern machinery now dominates most of these tasks, allowing for efficient preparation and planting, the image of oxen tilling the land and farmers meticulously placing each seedling by hand is increasingly rare. These traditional methods, once the backbone of Korean agriculture, are slowly fading from view. Yet, a recent surge of events aims to preserve and showcase these forgotten traditions. These gatherings offer a poignant glimpse into the past, highlighting the immense effort and communal spirit that once defined the rice harvest. We've gathered some photos from these occasions, capturing the enduring spirit of Korea's agricultural heritage. 2025-05-22 14:45:45

Search underway to find new US envoy for North Korean human rights SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Washington's post for a special envoy on North Korean human rights issues, which has remained vacant since early this year, is expected to be filled soon. When asked during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday whether there are plans to appoint someone to the post left vacant since former envoy Julie Turner stepped down in January, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that thorough vetting procedures are currently underway to "find the right person." He then added, "We are working through it, but obviously our intention is to have someone as the statute requires." The post had remained vacant for nearly six years during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term after he declined to nominate a successor to then-envoy Robert King. After the prolonged vacancy, Turner was nominated by former U.S. President Joe Biden in January 2023 and later assumed the position tasked with raising awareness of human rights abuses in North Korea. With Turner's sudden departure after a brief stint in the position, which was belatedly revealed several months later, there have been doubts about the appointment of a new envoy under Trump's current non-consecutive second term, which appears to place less focus on international human rights issues. 2025-05-22 14:07:16

SK hynix develops new mobile storage solution aimed at powering on-device AI SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - SK hynix has developed a new mobile storage solution based on its latest NAND flash technology, positioning the product as a key component for next-generation smartphones powered by artificial intelligence, the firm said Thursday. The company’s latest offering is a Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.1 solution built using its 321-layer 1-terabit Triple Level Cell (TLC) 4D NAND flash — the tallest NAND stack produced to date, according to SK hynix. The new chip, the company said, is designed to meet the growing demand for fast and energy-efficient storage solutions capable of supporting stable on-device AI applications. Compared with the previous generation built on 238-layer NAND, the new solution improves power efficiency by 7 percent and reduces thickness from 1 millimeter to 0.85 millimeters, enabling integration into increasingly thinner mobile devices. These enhancements are seen as crucial as manufacturers seek to balance the performance demands of AI workloads with battery life constraints in mobile form factors. The UFS 4.1 solution delivers sequential read speeds of up to 4,300 megabytes per second — the maximum supported under current UFS 4.1 specifications — and boasts improvements in random read and write speeds of 15 percent and 40 percent, respectively. SK hynix said this marks the highest performance among UFS 4.1 products currently available. The company plans to offer the new storage chip in 512-gigabyte and 1-terabyte capacities for customer validation later this year, with mass production slated to begin in the first quarter of 2026. The product is aimed at enhancing app responsiveness and reducing latency in data delivery — key requirements for AI-driven mobile user experiences. “Following this product launch, we plan to complete development of consumer and data center SSDs based on the same 321-layer 4D NAND technology within the year,” said Ahn Hyun, Chief Development Officer at SK hynix. “Through this, we will build a product portfolio that enhances our competitiveness in AI-enabled NAND solutions and establish ourselves as a full-stack AI memory provider.” 2025-05-22 14:06:17

Job creation in South Korea falls to record low SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s job market has continued its downward spiral, with the number of new positions falling to the lowest level, highlighting the deepening strain on the country's economy and labor force. According to data released Thursday by the Korean Statistical Information Service, only 2.44 million new jobs were created in the fourth quarter of 2024 — down from 2.55 million in the same period a year earlier. The decline marks the 11th consecutive quarter of contraction and the weakest quarterly figure since the agency began compiling such data in 2018. New jobs, defined as positions generated through corporate expansion or the launch of new businesses, have slowed dramatically as sluggish economic growth and persistent uncertainty have discouraged firms from hiring and investing in new capacity. The construction and manufacturing sectors, historically considered pillars of stable employment, suffered the steepest losses. The construction industry shed approximately 58,000 new jobs in the fourth quarter, bringing the sector’s total to 453,000 — its seventh straight quarter of decline. Manufacturing saw a similar contraction, losing around 38,000 new positions and extending its own losing streak to 11 quarters. As of early 2025, manufacturing accounts for just 15.5 percent of total employment, a record low. Economists attribute the manufacturing slump to a lopsided recovery centered on semiconductor production, a capital-intensive industry that generates relatively few jobs compared to its output. “Semiconductor exports have buoyed headline figures, but they don’t translate into broader employment gains,” said Lee Ji-hoon, a labor economist at Korea University. “The ripple effect on the job market is minimal.” The downturn has also rippled into other industries. Accommodation and food services lost 13,000 new jobs, falling to 231,000 positions, while wholesale and retail trade contracted by 16,000. Economists cite stagnant consumer confidence and restrained household spending as key headwinds. 2025-05-22 14:00:13

New Zealand Embassy in Seoul and EAAFP celebrate World Migratory Bird Day SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - A small seabird that flies thousands of kilometers each year received the spotlight in Seoul this week, as the New Zealand Embassy in the Republic of Korea hosted a reception on Tuesday to mark World Migratory Bird Day. The event, jointly organized by the embassy and the East-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) was held at the ambassador’s residence bringing together diplomats, scientists, and civil society to highlight the shared responsibility of protecting migratory bird habitats. The East Asian–Australasian Flyway spans 22 countries, linking ecosystems from Alaska to New Zealand. Along this vast route, the Korean peninsula serves as a vital stopover. In her opening speech, New Zealand Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Dawn Bennet spoke about the kuaka, the bar-tailed godwit, and the ancient connection it symbolizes between New Zealand and the Korean Peninsula. The kuaka, revered in Māori culture, completes one of the longest known migratory flights in the animal kingdom, traveling from Alaska to New Zealand in a non-stop journey spanning 11,000 kilometers (6,835 miles). “According to Māori tradition, it was the flight of the kuaka that actually prompted the discovery of our country by ancient Polynesian explorers as they sailed through the Pacific Ocean,” said the ambassador. “They set sail southwards as well, following the kuaka toward the land beyond the horizon.” The birds’ return trip in March takes them along the western and southern coasts of Korea, where they rest and refuel in tidal flats, areas now under threat from development, climate change, and habitat loss. “The kuaka and other migratory birds provide a poignant reminder of the connections between our countries,” Bennet said. “Those connections span biodiversity and ecosystems as well as the trade, cultural and people-to-people links that we often talk about in diplomacy.” Jennifer George, Chief Executive of EAAFP, compared the Yellow Sea to Seoul Station, a busy transit hub where migratory birds converge before continuing their flight to breeding grounds. “They need to stop here for two months on their way north,” she said, warning that without protected wetlands, many birds won’t survive the journey. George illustrated the stakes with the story about a godwit with a tag name “ZRM” that arrived in Korea exhausted and died before completing its migration. Researchers found ZRM’s leg near the mud flats in the southwestern area of the Korean Peninsula. “It is a quiet and a very powerful reminder of everything that they have to go through on that journey,” she said. But not all stories end in loss. George also spoke of “AJD,” a godwit that has made the same journey for 17 years and has become something of a local legend in his New Zealand hometown. Children write about him in school, local leaders track his movements, and indigenous communities consider him part of their stewardship. “He's a local hero,” she said. “He's part of their story. He's part of their guardianship.” George challenged guests from universities, local government, and international organizations to consider what role they could play in supporting the ecosystems birds depend on. “What small thing can you do?” she asked. 2025-05-22 11:13:28