South Korea finds some 'goose down' jackets sold online contain mostly duck feathers SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) - Several padded jackets marketed as "goose down" on major South Korean fashion platforms were found to contain little or no goose feathers, with some products made almost entirely of duck down, the country's consumer watchdog said on Tuesday. The Korea Consumer Agency examined 24 goose down jackets sold on four online fashion platforms — W Concept, Musinsa, Ably and Zigzag — and discovered that five products failed to meet the industry standard requiring at least 80 percent goose feather content. Two additional products labeled as goose down online were actually tagged as duck down on their physical quality labels. Among the worst offenders, a jacket from Hiply contained just 6.6 percent goose feathers, while other products from Vellia and Jan Aheure had goose content as low as 1.9 percent and 4.7 percent respectively, despite being advertised as premium goose down items. Ably showed the highest rate of non-compliance, with four of its five tested products failing to meet standards. Zigzag had two out of five products fall short, while W Concept had one of six. All eight products from Musinsa passed the goose feather ratio test. The investigation also uncovered broader labeling issues, with 12 products missing mandatory quality information such as fabric composition, manufacturer details or contact information, or displaying labels only in Chinese or English. "Down products are particularly vulnerable to misrepresentation because consumers cannot directly verify the filling material," the agency said. "Online descriptions and actual product labels may differ, so buyers should always check quality tags upon delivery." The seven implicated brands have halted sales or corrected product information and agreed to offer refunds, while the platforms pledged to strengthen monitoring and impose penalties to prevent future violations. 2025-12-09 14:28:45

South Korea's growth could fall to near zero by 2040s: BOK governor SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) - South Korea’s potential economic growth rate could fall to near zero by the 2040s without major structural reforms, Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong warned on Tuesday. Speaking at a symposium co-hosted by the BOK and the Korean Finance Association, Rhee said the country’s potential growth rate has slowed sharply from around 5 percent in the early 2000s to below 2 percent in recent years. Rhee attributed the deceleration to a shrinking labor force driven by low birth rates and rapid population aging, as well as weak corporate investment and insufficient gains in productivity. He also pointed to inefficient resource allocation, with capital flowing into less productive sectors. “Finance plays a critical role in reallocating limited resources toward more efficient sectors, which in turn drives innovation and productivity,” Rhee said. Rhee cited an internal study by the central bank suggesting that redirecting credit toward more productive industries could raise South Korea’s long-term growth rate by around 0.2 percentage points. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-09 14:28:38

KAIST AI team wins top global paper award for group behavior prediction SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) - A research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has achieved a historic first for South Korean universities by winning the prestigious Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Data Mining (IEEE ICDM). This top honor, awarded to just one paper out of 785 global submissions, marks the first time a South Korean university research team has claimed the award in 23 years, underscoring KAIST's technology leadership on the world research stage. The award recognizes the team's development of a breakthrough AI technology capable of predicting complex social group behavior. The team is led by KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI Professor Shin Ki-jeong. On December 9, KAIST announced the development of the groundbreaking AI model, which predicts complex social group behavior by analyzing how individual characteristics, such as age and role, influence group relationships. Group interactions, spanning online communities, research collaborations, and large chat groups, are exploding in modern society. However, existing technology struggles to precisely explain the underlying structure of these group behaviors and how individual characteristics simultaneously influence them. To overcome this limitation, Professor Shin Ki-jeong's research team developed an AI model named "NoAH (Node Attribute-based Hypergraph Generator)." NoAH is a sophisticated artificial intelligence designed to accurately reproduce the dynamic interplay between individual characteristics and group structure. For example, it analyzes how people's specific attributes, like their interests or professional roles, combine to create collective group action, and then reproduces that behavior. By simultaneously reflecting human tendencies and relationships, NoAH creates remarkably "realistic group behavior." It was demonstrated to reproduce diverse real-world group behaviors, including purchase combinations in e-commerce, the spread of online discussions, and co-authorship networks among researchers, far more accurately than previous models. Professor Shin Ki-jeong said, "This research opens a new AI paradigm that allows for a three-dimensional understanding of complex interactions by considering not only the group's structure but also the characteristics of the individuals. This means the analysis of online communities, messengers, and social networks will become significantly more precise." The study was conducted by Professor Shin Ki-jeong and the research team from KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI, including Master's students Jeon Jae-wan and Yun Seok-beom, and Ph.D. students Choi Min-young and Lee Geon. The findings were presented at IEEE ICDM on November 18. The research received support from the AI Research Hub project, AI Graduate School Support (KAIST), and the Technology Development for Neural Network Variation and Intelligence Enhancement Based on AI Agent Collaboration. 2025-12-09 14:18:06

Police raid e-commerce giant Coupang's Seoul offices in data breach probe SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) - Implying full-scale government scrutiny, South Korean police on Tuesday raided Coupang’s Seoul offices over the massive data breach that exposed the personal information of an estimated 33.7 million accounts. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Cyber Investigation Division began the search-and-seizure at around 11 a.m. at Coupang’s offices in Songpa-gu. A 17-member investigative team, led by a superintendent-level chief, was deployed to confiscate internal documents and server logs believed to be linked to the breach. The move suggests authorities are examining potential security negligence by the e-commerce giant. Police officials said the seizure was necessary to determine the full scope of the incident and track how the breach unfolded. Legal and public pressure on Coupang has mounted as consumer confidence deteriorates rapidly. Data from IGAWorks MobileIndex shows that Coupang’s daily active user count has dropped by more than 2.04 million since the company disclosed the breach, sliding into the mid-15-million range as of December 6. Analysts note that many users appear to have left the platform after checking whether their accounts were affected. The investigation, which began after Coupang filed an initial report on November 18, is increasingly centered on a former Chinese employee identified by the company as the primary suspect. Police, however, emphasize that the inquiry remains wide-ranging and that conclusions will depend on digital forensics and internal record analysis. Given the scale of Coupang’s systems, the raid is expected to continue beyond a single day to process the extensive volume of data. Authorities said no secondary crimes, such as phishing attempts or home break-ins, have been confirmed so far using the exposed information. The forced judicial intervention underscores the severity of the governance lapses facing South Korea’s dominant online retailer, as investigators probe not only the breach itself but the safeguards that failed to prevent it. 2025-12-09 14:11:52

Record M2 fuels weak won structure, binds policy for Seoul authorities SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) - South Korea's broad money supply has ballooned to levels last seen during the pandemic stimulus peak, and the liquidity glut is weighing heavily on the won while narrowing policy maneuvering room for authorities. M2 money supply, which includes bonds, time and savings deposits, and equity-type deposits, grew 8.5 percent to a record 4,430.5 trillion won ($3.01 trillion) as of September, Bank of Korea (BOK) data showed. The growth far outpaces Korea’s sub-1 percent economic growth and is the steepest since November 2021, when fiscal and monetary stimulus was deployed at full scale to fight the pandemic recession. Twin fiscal and monetary easing, asset inflation driven by hectic stock and housing purchases, and a widening current-account surplus all contributed to the extraordinary liquidity build-up. Korea’s current-account surplus from January to October reached 89.58 billion dollars, the highest ever for the period and on track for an annual record of 115 billion dollars. The supplemental spending package approved in June added further liquidity, including 13.9 trillion won in consumption coupons across two rounds, according to the Korea Development Institute. Korea’s M2 also counts Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), unlike other countries. ETF balances swelled alongside the near 70-percent rally in the KOSPI so far this year. Even excluding ETFs, M2 growth stands at 6.3 percent, still sharply above the U.S.’s 4.6 percent and more than three times Japan’s 1.8 percent. BOK Governor Rhee Chang-yong acknowledged in a November rate briefing that “looking at the money flowing into the stock market, foreign exchange market, and real estate currently, it is true that a lot of liquidity has been released.” The classic rule of thumb is that too much money supply dilutes currency value. Experts argue the imbalance reflects policy failures, as radical stimulus inflated asset prices more than it strengthened the underlying economy. Former Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Seok-dong pointed to the world’s highest level of household debt as the structural outcome of this misalignment. Without remedying household leverage, which restricts both upward and downward policy flexibility, he said, the weak-won structure cannot be resolved. Household loans reached an all-time high of 1,845 trillion won as of September. The household debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 89.7 percent in the second quarter, the second-highest globally. Mortgage loans accounted for 1,159.6 trillion won, more than 60 percent of total household loans, underscoring persistent demand for housing. The stock boom added to the pressure: margin loan financing jumped to 27 trillion won as of December 5, up 68.5 percent from six months earlier, according to the Korea Financial Investment Association. Analysts warn that the rapid monetary expansion risks stoking inflation and strengthening the debt cycle, further undermining the currency. The won has hovered around 1,470 per dollar for about a month, roughly 8 percent weaker than in June. Prolonged fixation in the upper 1,400 range, or a move toward 1,500, would raise concern for an economy dependent on imported energy and materials. Inflation has remained above 2 percent for three consecutive months, rising 2.4 percent in October from a year earlier. Fuel prices have also jumped. The average gasoline price in Seoul reached 1,807 won per liter on December 7, up more than 80 won from early October, according to KNOC’s Opinet. Under textbook conditions, defending the currency would require raising the policy rate. But the BOK faces a bind: growth is crawling, prices remain elevated, and household leverage makes additional tightening risky. As pressure builds, excess domestic liquidity has begun to escape through foreign exchange markets. Korean nationals’ overseas stock purchases surged to 18 billion dollars in October, more than double September’s 8.5 billion and six times the 2.93 billion dollars foreign investors deployed into Korean stocks. Institutional outflows add structural pressure. The National Pension Service allocates 37.3 percent of its assets to overseas equities and 58 percent when including bonds and alternatives, creating chronic demand for foreign currency. Authorities warn that textbook metrics alone will not calm the market. KB Kookmin Bank economist Lee Min-hyuk noted that Korea’s ratio of short-term foreign debt to foreign reserves is 38.3 percent, far below the 286 percent recorded at the height of the 1997 crisis. But he cautioned that leaving the weak-won structure unattended risks unnecessary FX market spending and, eventually, erosion of foreign confidence. 2025-12-09 14:02:15

South Korea's single-person households top 8 million for first time SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) - The number of single-person households in South Korea surpassed 8 million for the first time last year, with people aged 70 and older accounting for the largest share, according to government data released on Tuesday. A report by the National Data Agency showed the country recorded 8.045 million one-person households, representing 36.1 percent of all households. The proportion has risen steadily since 2019. People aged 70 and above accounted for 19.8 percent of single-person households, overtaking those under 29, who made up 19.2 percent. The gap widened to 2 percentage points from 0.5 percentage points the previous year. Among elderly households living alone, women accounted for a significantly larger share. About 1.165 million women aged 70 and older lived alone, compared with 425,000 men. The agency said higher life expectancy among women was a key factor behind the gap. Regionally, nearly 40 percent of single-person households were concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area. Gyeonggi Province recorded the largest number at 1.775 million, followed by Seoul with 1.661 million. Busan and South Gyeongsang Province reported 548,000 and 502,000 households, respectively. Seoul recorded the highest proportion of single-person households at 39.9 percent. Average annual income for single-person households stood at 34.23 million won, up 6.2 percent from a year earlier, while average monthly spending was 1.689 million won, or 58.4 percent of spending by multi-person households. Their average assets were valued at 223.02 million won, equivalent to 39.3 percent of the national household average. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-09 13:55:36

BTS' Jungkook makes cover of Rolling Stone magazine SEOUL, December 9 (AJP) - Jungkook, a member of K-pop juggernaut BTS, has been featured on the cover of monthly magazine Rolling Stone. Jungkook became the first South Korean artist to appear on the cover of the British edition of the influential music industry trade magazine, with online versions also featuring him in China, France, India, the Philippines and the U.S. "This is a time where I can evaluate whether I can take another leap forward," he told the magazine. "Rather than doing the same kind of performances or similar songs repeatedly, I'm trying new things and continuing to evolve so I can show different sides of myself." He added, "I want to be an artist who doesn't get dragged by the flow, but creates the flow." Recently, his solo tracks surpassed a combined total of 10 billion streams on Spotify as of the end of November, making him the first K-pop solo artist to reach the milestone. His single "Seven" has also accumulated 2.6 billion streams since its release in July 2023. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-09 13:49:30

PHOTOS: South Korean Navy launches new high-speed patrol vessels SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) -The Republic of Korea Navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held an integrated launching ceremony on December 8, 2025, for four new high-speed patrol vessels (Patrol Killer Medium, Rocket – PKMR Batch-II). These vessels, named Chamsuri-231, 232, 233, and 235, represent a significant upgrade to South Korea's naval capabilities, designed to bolster coastal defense and rapidly respond to maritime threats. 2025-12-09 13:41:38

Asian markets remain reserved in FOMC week SEOUL, December 09 (AJP) - Asian equity markets remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting this week, with investors bracing for any signal that may accompany the widely expected interest-rate cut. Despite Seoul’s show of resolve — underscored most recently by a rare meeting between the prime minister and the Bank of Korea governor — the dollar ended its brief decline and turned upward, gaining 1.4 won to 1,470.90 won per dollar. South Korea’s KOSPI is trading 0.6 percent lower at 4,128.6 as of 10 a.m. Foreign investors are selling 183.9 billion won versus retail investors’ net buying of 117.7 billion won and institutional buying of 51.3 billion won. Blue-chip names are under pressure. Samsung Electronics is down 0.65 percent at 108,800 won, a relatively mild decline thanks to rising prices in legacy semiconductors, particularly conventional DRAMs. SK hynix, more exposed to external sentiment given its concentration in high-value chips such as HBM, is trading 2.25 percent lower at 564,000 won. LG Energy Solution, which jumped the previous day after securing a 2 trillion won electric-vehicle battery deal, is 2 percent lower at 442,000 won. Rival Samsung SDI is down 1.59 percent at 309,000 won. Among the day’s gainers is HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, rising 6.45 percent to 579,000 won, buoyed by news of its planned shipyard project in India’s Tamil Nadu region and expectations that it could gain an edge in the Korea Destroyer Next-Generation (KDDX) program. Japan’s Nikkei 225 is little changed at 50,532.07, stabilizing as U.S. semiconductor stocks rose overnight. Nvidia partner Ibiden is 3.4 percent higher at 13,175 yen (84.51 dollars), while Tokyo Electron is up 1.36 percent at 33,700 yen. But the yen carry-trade pressure persists: Mitsubishi Estate is down 2.4 percent at 3,728 yen, and Tokyu Fudosan Holdings is down 2.45 percent at 1,416 yen. Taiwan’s TAIEX is 0.3 percent lower at 28,210. TSMC is down 0.3 percent at 1,490 Taiwan dollars (47.75 dollars) on profit-taking, and MediaTek is 0.35 percent lower at 1,435 Taiwan dollars. On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index is steady at 3,920, while the Shenzhen Component is 0.3 percent lower at 13,291. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is trading 0.2 percent lower at 25,702. 2025-12-09 11:32:42

Latest song by SM founder's rookie girl band makes US radio chart SEOUL, December 9 (AJP) -Multinational girl band A20 MAY's latest song has been included in this week's top 40 chart compiled by U.S. Mediabase. Their song "PAPARAZZI ARRIVE" reached No. 39 on the chart released on Sunday, which is calculated based on the most played songs on radio stations in North America. The quintet with Mandarin-speaking and Chinese-American members, groomed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment who later left his namesake company amid allegations including tax evasion and unfair business practices, have already made multiple entries on the chart with their debut single "Under My Skin" in April and their follow-up song "BOSS" in June and July. The girls are set to perform at iHeartRadio Z100's annual holiday concert Jingle Ball in New York slated for Dec. 12, along with big names like Ed Sheeran, MONSTA X, and Nelly. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-09 11:06:55