OPINION: Why China becomes more popular in 2025 SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - The year 2025 has entered its final month. This year, unilateralism and protectionism have injected greater uncertainty into the world. China, however, has charted a different course. China has remained proactive, winning greater global goodwill through increasing opening up, stronger momentum of innovation, and an ever more appealing culture. This year, surveys conducted by a range of international polling organizations, including Ipsos and Morning Consult, showed that China's global favorability continues to rise. China, once viewed as a "mysterious country in the East," is now perceived as a "cool" nation. More foreigners are visiting China visa-free. More believe that China's technological innovation and high-quality development are an unstoppable trend. More recognize the importance of China's proposals and initiatives to global development and progress. More view China as a stabilizing anchor in an uncertain world. The rising favorability stems from stability and progress. In the face of uncertainty driven by rising protectionism, China has consistently focused on "doing the right things." It has committed to advancing high-quality development and expanding high-level opening up. In the first three quarters of this year, China's GDP grew by 5.2 percent year-on-year. In the first 11 months, its total imports and exports of goods increased by 3.6 percent year-on-year. China remains steadfast in its commitment in response to external noise and short-term fluctuations. With strategic resolve and confidence, China continues to serve as a key engine of the world economy. To date, China has signed 23 free trade agreements with 30 countries and regions, implemented zero-tariff treatment to cover 100 percent of tariff lines for all 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with it, and announced that it will not seek new special and differential treatment in current or future World Trade Organization negotiations. Meanwhile, its "circle of friends" in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation continues to expand. The world is witnessing ever-growing "China opportunities." With both an inclusive mindset and concrete opening-up measures, Chinese modernization continues to empower global development. The rising favorability also reflects responsibility and commitment. Amid the turbulence and anxiety triggered by the resurgence of unilateralism, China adheres to the right path of peaceful development and win-win cooperation. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. In September, China held a grand military parade in Tiananmen Square, where a range of advanced weapons drew global attention. Chinese President Xi Jinping declared, "The Chinese people firmly stand on the right side of history and the progress of human civilization. We will remain committed to the path of peaceful development, and join hands with all peoples around the world in building a community with a shared future for humanity." At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit, China put forward the Global Governance Initiative, which has received support from more than 140 countries and international organizations. The initiative, together with another three advanced by China, namely the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilizations Initiative, is working to improve global governance, and promote world peace and development. "China has been a rational, strong and reliable partner," said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, adding that what China brings is not only stability, but also hope for a sustainable future. The rising favorability is driven by innovation and perseverance. After a month-long trip in China, a reporter from the UK's Daily Telegraph called China a society full of vitality and innovative spirit. By adhering to an innovation-driven development strategy and accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces, China has impressed the world with its advances in science and technology. A China committed to innovation is "future-oriented," with strong resilience. It has demonstrated to the world its resolve to face challenges and break new ground, and its unwavering determination to sustain effort, which has earned growing respect and recognition. By upholding openness and cooperation, and sharing the fruits of innovation, China is joining hands with other countries to pursue common development. The rising favorability also draws on China's profound heritage and approachability. 2025-12-12 17:40:20

K-literature pipeline filled with next Han Kang candidates SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Han Kang's 2024 Nobel Prize has helped revive an almost-dead reading, literature and publishing community. Bookstores have regained life, and this year’s pipeline is rich with hopes of sustaining the Han Kang momentum. AJP introduces three potential post-Han candidates whose translated works have drawn overseas attention after publication and gained critical acclaim through major awards. Chung Bora “My grandfather used to say, ‘When we make our cursed fetishes, it’s important that they’re pretty.’” – from “Cursed Bunny” by Chung Bora. A tale of a rabbit figurine made as a cursed object that brings ruin to three generations of a vicious business family. The revenge of a fox against the human who exploited her. A world consumed by a plague that drives people to eat human flesh. And a woman seeking the man who will become the father of her child conceived without sex. Known for her horror and fantasy fiction, Chung Bora’s work brims with a critical gaze toward gendered violence, capitalism, patriarchy and the social construction of normalcy, as well as inexhaustible imaginative power. Chung, who began publishing fiction in 1998, remained a relatively obscure figure in South Korea until “Cursed Bunny” gained international acclaim. She nonetheless continued to write steadily. Her background is unusual. Chung is both a novelist and a translator of Russian and Polish works into Korean, as well as a professor of Russian language and literature. She studied Russian and English literature at Yonsei University, earned her master’s degree in Russian and East European Studies at Yale University, and received her PhD in Slavic Literature from Indiana University. “Cursed Bunny” was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize and the 2022 National Book Award for Translated Literature. Rights to the collection have been sold in 22 countries. In 2024, Chung received the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in Germany for this book. The 2023 National Book Award judges called “Cursed Bunny” “eerie, unsettling, and wildly imaginative, delving into the crevices of the psyche and the fissures of society, excavating tales that range from the uncanny to the downright horrifying,” describing it further as “thrilling and thought-provoking.” Her 2024 work “Your Utopia” was shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick Award, one of the world’s three major science fiction honors. Chung became the first Korean writer to be nominated and the only translated work among the six finalists. “Your Utopia” was published in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and India, and was selected by Time magazine as one of its “Books of the Year” in 2024. Kim Choyeop An android, fitted with synthetic skin indistinguishable from that of a human, decides to replace it once again with metal. The story of a member of an alien species born with two distinct selves in one body. SF author Kim Choyeop, one of South Korea’s most prominent contemporary writers, also has a striking background. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), often called “the Caltech of Korea” and one of Asia’s top science and technology institutions. Kim is also hearing-impaired. She made her debut in 2017 at the age of 24, winning both the Grand Prize and a Special Award in the short and mid-length fiction categories at the Korean Science Literature Awards. Her short story collection “If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light” and her novel “The Greenhouse at the End of the Earth” have each sold over 200,000 copies in Korea. Rights to “If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light” have been sold to Japan, China, Taiwan and Spain, while “The Greenhouse at the End of the Earth” was acquired for over two million yen by major Japanese SF publisher Hayakawa at the time of release. The book has been sold to publishers in six countries and is set for film adaptation. Reports last year revealed she had signed a multimillion-dollar deal with a U.S. publisher. The short story “Spectrum”, from “If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light”, is being adapted into an SF film directed by “House of Hummingbird” filmmaker Kim Bora. Kim is a prolific writer. In 2021 alone, she published four books, including her second short story collection “The World We Just Left Behind”, the micro-fiction collection “Planetary Language Bookshop”, and the full-length novel “The Greenhouse at the End of the Earth”, which was first released as a limited edition for members before general publication the following year. She also wrote the nonfiction book “Becoming Cyborg”, exploring the relationship between disability and technology. Online bookstore Aladin named her “Author of the Year” in 2021 based on a poll of publishers. Cheon Seon-ran A romance between a lonely human and a vampire. A post-apocalyptic world ravaged after the invasion of an alien species, half-goat and half-demon. SF writer Cheon Seon-ran made her debut in 2019, winning the Grand Prize in the novel category of the Korean Science Literature Awards. Her best-known work, “A Thousand Blues” (2020), is a science fiction novel set in South Korea in 2035. In a near future where humanoid robots have become commonplace, a jockey robot named Coli — born with a cognition chip by chance — sacrifices itself for Today, a racehorse whose cartilage is crumbling. The story follows Coli as it meets three women and explores themes of friendship and coexistence among humans, robots and animals. Critics have praised the novel for its warmth and empathy. “A Thousand Blues” has sold more than 200,000 copies in Korea. Publishing rights have been sold to more than ten countries, including the United States (Penguin Random House), Germany, the UK, Japan, Taiwan and China. The novel is also being adapted into a Hollywood film. “A Thousand Blues” has been optioned by Warner Bros. Pictures, the global studio behind the “Harry Potter” and “Dune” series. While the precise value of the deal has not been disclosed, reports indicate that Cheon will receive between 600 million and 700 million won ($406,000–$474,000) for the adaptation rights. 2025-12-12 17:34:23

Seoul taps sovereign funds to bankroll AI and next-generation tech SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - South Korea launching three-digit-billion-dollar government-sponsored growth fund investing AI and next-gen technology companies through equity and projecting financing is working on a separate wealth fund to systematically groom non-listed unicorn darlings. During a televised policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol outlined plans for a fund modeled on Singapore’s Temasek and Australia’s Future Fund. The vehicle, he said, would support large-scale projects in AI and semiconductors and pursue more aggressive equity investments than traditional policy funds. “By benchmarking Singapore’s Temasek, we aim to expand into proactive equity investment,” Koo said, signaling a shift from Korea’s long-standing preference for indirect or credit-based industrial support. In theory, South Korea already has a sovereign wealth fund. The Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), established in 2005 under former President Roh Moo-hyun and modeled on Singapore’s GIC, manages part of the country’s foreign-exchange reserves. Born out of lessons from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, KIC’s mandate has been conservative by design: to safeguard and reinforce foreign-currency assets through overseas investment. Koo’s proposal would mark a clear departure. The envisioned fund would add a domestic investment portfolio, channeling capital directly into Korean AI, chip and next-generation technology companies — a role KIC has never played. Uncertainty over execution Despite the political signaling, the contours of the new fund remain opaque. Its scope, target investments, funding sources and staffing have yet to be clearly defined, and even within the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF), clarity appears limited. “We can only confirm that the New Growth Policy Division is currently responsible for the fund’s composition,” a MOEF official said on condition of anonymity. KIC, for its part, has not been consulted. A KIC official said the institution has received no notice of any expanded mandate or involvement. One idea floated by Koo involves allowing majority shareholders to pay inheritance taxes with listed shares rather than cash. The approach would ease liquidity pressure on business heirs while enabling the state to accumulate and actively manage equity assets. How such shares would be pooled, governed or deployed, however, has yet to be spelled out. Governance remains another unresolved issue. Unlike Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wields direct authority, or Temasek, which operates under Singapore’s Ministry of Finance with a clear legal and managerial structure, it is still unclear where a Korean sovereign growth fund would sit within the bureaucracy — or how insulated it would be from political cycles. Sustainability is a further concern. Previous administrations launched policy funds that were later dismantled or downsized. The Lee Myung-bak government’s “Resource Diplomacy Fund,” aimed at securing overseas energy and natural resources, was wound down after heavy losses. The Park Geun-hye administration’s “Unification Fund” and the Moon Jae-in government’s “K-New Deal Fund” were likewise shelved as political priorities shifted. The latest proposal also overlaps with initiatives already underway. Earlier Thursday, the Financial Services Commission launched the National Growth Fund, appointing FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon, Mirae Asset Group Chairman Park Hyun-joo and Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin as co-chairs of its steering committee. Formed hastily in mid-December, the fund is set to reach 150 trillion won ($101.8 billion) over five years, split evenly between government-guaranteed bonds and private capital. Of that total, 30 trillion won is earmarked for AI and 21 trillion won for semiconductors. A deliberation committee is expected to finalize next year’s operational plan later this year. Whether Seoul’s renewed interest in sovereign-style investing results in a durable Temasek-like institution — or becomes another short-lived policy experiment — will hinge on governance, continuity and the government’s ability to clearly define how this new vehicle fits into Korea’s already crowded landscape of growth funds. 2025-12-12 17:33:53

PHOTOS: Get early taste of Lunar New Year holiday at COEX SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Festive Gift Fair opened on December 10 at COEX in Seoul, running through December 13. Organized by Messe E&D and Korea Food Service News, the fair features diverse gift sets including health products, agricultural and marine products, household goods, and food and beverages. Visitors can purchase items directly at the event, and various sampling opportunities make the experience particularly engaging for attendees. This year's fair emphasizes value-for-money products in response to prolonged inflation. NH Nonghyup Hanaro Mart participated with premium fruit, Korean beef, seafood, and food gift sets, with many exhibitors offering special discounts up to 67% off. Admission is 10,000 won, with free entry for advance registration. Operating hours are 11:00-18:00 daily, closing at 17:00 on the final day. 2025-12-12 17:27:58

PHOTOS: Pet fair underway in Seoul SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - The three-day "Christmas Seoul Pet Show" opened in Seoul on Dec. 12, showcasing a rapidly expanding companion animal market driven by the trend of "pet humanization" in South Korea. The event, which runs through Dec. 14, aims to promote the respect of companion animals, emphasizing their growing status as full-fledged family members in the country. This shift in perception — where pets are increasingly treated like human children — is accelerating demand across the pet care economy. The fair features a comprehensive range of products and technologies from across the pet-related industry, including premium feed and treats, essential household goods, furniture, fashion, and various services. Many attendees brought their pets to the venue. Visitors were seen testing specialized feeds and treats to match their pets' specific preferences and trying on bespoke clothing and accessories. Interactive areas, including experience zones and event spaces for photo opportunities with pets, were also a highlight for the pet-owning families. 2025-12-12 17:26:21

Asian markets rally on US optimism; Korean won volatile amid yen carry trade concerns SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Asian equity markets rallied across the board on Friday, lifted by optimism from Wall Street after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s hawkish rate cut was interpreted as a signal that the American economy may avoid a recession. Despite the market rebound, currency volatility persisted. The Korean won closed at 1,476.3 per dollar as of 4 p.m., up 3.8 won from the previous session, amid concerns that it could again test the 1,480 level. Fears of a potential unwind of yen carry trades continued to weigh on foreign exchange markets. Government bond yields were mixed. The three-year Korean Treasury yield fell 8 basis points to 3.093 percent following the Fed decision, while the 10-year yield rose 3.1 basis points to 3.409 percent after the government formally announced plans to establish a sovereign wealth fund. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI gained 1.38 percent to close at 4,167.16. Institutional investors drove the rally, net buying 1.42 trillion won ($962 million). Foreign investors also supported the market with net purchases of 41.3 billion won, while retail investors took profits, selling 1.46 trillion won. Blue-chip stocks advanced broadly. Samsung Electronics rose 1.49 percent to 108,900 won, while SK hynix added 1.06 percent to 571,000 won. Hyundai Motor Group shares also strengthened as investors bet on resilient U.S. economic conditions and consumer demand. Hyundai Motor climbed 2.03 percent to 301,500 won, Hyundai Mobis gained 4.72 percent to 377,500 won, and Hyundai Engineering & Construction posted one of the day’s sharpest gains, jumping 5.98 percent to 78,000 won. Defense stocks traded higher on persistent geopolitical risks and expectations that a weaker won would bolster export competitiveness. Hanwha Aerospace surged 6.31 percent to 961,000 won, Hyundai Rotem rose 4.02 percent to 186,400 won, and LIG Nex1 gained 2.82 percent to 383,000 won. Japan’s Nikkei 225 also advanced, closing 1.37 percent higher at 50,836.55. Export-oriented Japanese stocks were among the strongest performers. Toyota, the market capitalization leader, climbed 4.82 percent to 3,260 yen (20 dollars and 90 cents), while Honda rose 1.78 percent to 1,600 yen. AI power grid-related shares also tracked higher. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) gained 5.54 percent to 661 yen, and Hitachi closed 4.24 percent higher at 5,010 yen. Taiwan’s TAIEX posted a more moderate rise, closing 0.62 percent higher at 28,198.02. TSMC gained 0.68 percent to 1,480 Taiwan dollars (47 dollars and 43 cents), while MediaTek rose 0.72 percent to 1,405 Taiwan dollars. Greater China markets also finished higher. The Shanghai Composite Index edged up 0.41 percent to 3,889.35, while the Shenzhen Component rose 0.84 percent to 13,258.33. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, which is sensitive to U.S. market moves, outperformed the region, climbing 1.64 percent to 25,950 as of 4:40 p.m. 2025-12-12 17:05:42

Ballet en Grand Jeté in Korea, blending graceful workout and fashion SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Once confined to the cultural elite, ballet in South Korea is stepping firmly into the mainstream — embraced as both a graceful workout and a fashion-forward lifestyle, propelled by star dancers, celebrities and social media. The shift is visible on major stages and smartphone screens alike. Leading male principals such as Kim Ki-min of the Mariinsky Ballet and Jeon Min-chul have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram, recasting ballet as aspirational rather than exclusive. Celebrities including Bae Suzy, Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun, Apink’s Son Na-eun and actress Park Ji-hyun have further fueled the trend by openly sharing their ballet training routines and studio looks, normalizing ballet as a hobby rather than a professional pursuit. That cultural momentum is translating directly into consumer demand. According to data released this week by Kakao Style’s fashion platform ZigZag, searches for “ballet” surged more than threefold in November, while transactions for “leotards” jumped 32-fold from a year earlier. Sales of ballet shorts rose 13-fold, leg warmers more than sixfold and ballet bags nearly tenfold. Roughly 80 percent of customers searching for ballet-related items were women in their 20s and 30s, highlighting the trend’s strong resonance with MZ consumers. The boom reflects a broader shift in how young Koreans think about health, aesthetics and movement. “Interest in health and body shape has grown significantly, and many people now see ballet as a way to correct posture and improve physique,” said Kim Mi-sook, a professor of dance at Sungshin Women’s University. “Media stories about body transformation through ballet, along with celebrities taking it up as a hobby, have lowered psychological barriers. Ballet used to seem like something only majors did, but that perception is changing quickly.” Kim added that ballet’s appeal goes beyond refinement or beauty standards. “Unlike gym workouts or Pilates, ballet stimulates directionality, musicality and spatial awareness,” she said. “Repetitive exercises can become boring, but ballet offers continuous challenge — that’s what keeps people engaged.” Studios are feeling the impact firsthand. “In the past few months, the number of students attending my ballet classes has more than doubled,” said So Hyun-ah, director of a ballet academy in Seoul. “Other studio owners around me say the same. We can clearly feel that ballet is trending.” Retail data supports that observation. Layered items worn over leotards — wrap skirts, cropped cardigans and warm-up pieces — have become bestseller categories, while niche balletwear brands report rapid growth. ZigZag said stores such as Freya saw November transaction volumes rise more than 450 percent, with lifestyle-activewear labels like Formative and Debby Wear also posting strong gains. With winter driving demand for indoor fitness and balletwear increasingly crossing over into everyday fashion, retailers expect the trend to remain strong into early 2026 — suggesting that ballet, once a niche art form, may be leaping into its role as Korea’s next major lifestyle category. 2025-12-12 16:58:04

Seoul, Beijing resume high-level trade talks after 7-year hiatus SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - South Korea’s Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan met Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing on Friday, marking the first bilateral ministerial trade meeting between the two countries in seven years. The talks followed the recent South Korea–China summit and focused on restoring trade momentum. The ministers agreed to resume regular high-level consultations to strengthen economic cooperation. Seeking to expand economic engagement beyond goods, the two sides agreed to build on the service-trade cooperation memorandum signed at last month’s summit. They also committed to convene the FTA Joint Committee soon to review implementation progress and accelerate phase-two negotiations covering services and investment. South Korea expressed interest in deepening cooperation with Chinese provinces such as Guangdong and Jiangsu, while China said it would dispatch investment delegations to South Korea’s Saemangeum region, the ministry said. Supply-chain stability — including the trade of rare earths and other key minerals — was a key agenda item. Both ministers agreed to maintain close communication to ensure uninterrupted flows of critical materials. Following the meeting, Kim and Wang signed a document outlining priority cooperation areas for 2026, including facilitating trade and investment events and strengthening engagement in multilateral forums. Ahead of the talks, Kim met South Korean business leaders operating in China to discuss challenges facing Korean firms. He also visited Xiaomi’s electric vehicle plant to examine recent developments in China’s manufacturing and technology sectors. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-12 16:55:59

Two workers still missing after construction site collapse in Gwangju SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Rescue workers have been searching for missing workers on Friday after a steel structure collapsed at a construction site in the southwestern city of Gwangju the previous day. The collapse occurred at the site for a library, leaving four workers trapped under the debris. Two of them were found dead and two others remain missing. Authorities believe the collapse started while concrete was being poured on the second-floor roof, burying the workers under debris. They plan to investigate the exact cause of the accident after completing rescue operations, looking into whether any flaws were involved in attempts to shorten the construction period. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-12 16:48:14

USFK chief warns against rushing wartime control transfer SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), on Friday stressed the importance of meeting conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control to Seoul from Washington rather than rushing to it. Speaking at an online seminar hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and the Korea Defense Veterans Association, Brunson said, "We cannot say we're going to slide away from the conditions just so that we can get this done in time." He further explained, "The conditions were written for a reason, but we also have to make sure that those conditions are contemporary conditions because things change," adding "We got to start having these conversations now before we get into conflict." His comments came after President Lee Jae Myung earlier expressed his wish to bring back wartime operational control from the U.S. by the end of his five-year term. Brunson also emphasized that regular exercises between the allies are "absolutely" necessary to maintain security and peace on the Korean Peninsula, opposing ideas raised by some to adjust joint drills to engage with North Korea. "Russian-collaboration is real. It is not a quid pro quo relationship. It is real," he pointed out. "Whenever someone talks about, I don't care who it is, talks about exercising less or exercising differently, and they need to understand that there are two times in a year where we absolutely need some support." He also reaffirmed that the U.S. troop presence in South Korea will remain at the current 28,500, dismissing speculation by some about a possible reduction or withdrawal. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-12 16:14:40