National Museum of Korea to light exterior pink in Blackpink collaboration starting Feb. 27 The National Museum of Korea said Wednesday it will light the museum’s exterior walls in pink as part of a global project in collaboration with K-pop group Blackpink. The collaboration, titled “National Museum of Korea X Blackpink,” will begin at 2 p.m. on Feb. 27 to coincide with the release of Blackpink’s new album and will run through March 8, for a total of 10 days. The outdoor lighting event will illuminate the museum’s Open Plaza and other exterior areas in pink, the group’s signature color. It will be open for anyone visiting the museum to view. Inside the museum, a listening zone will be set up in the “Path of History” area starting at 2 p.m. on Feb. 27, allowing visitors to hear music from the new album released at that time. The museum will also offer an audio docent program in which Blackpink introduce eight museum artifacts. The members took part in recording the audio, and visitors can access Korean and English versions by scanning QR codes at the exhibits. Jisoo and Jennie recorded in Korean, Rosé in English, and Lisa in Thai. The Thai audio guide will be released in March. Limited-quantity postcards featuring the artifacts and member photos will also be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. The museum said it expects Blackpink’s global recognition, backed by a fandom of about 100 million, to help introduce South Korea’s cultural heritage to international visitors. Director Yu Hong Jun said the collaboration is an effort to present the cultural heritage the museum has protected “in today’s language” so more people will visit and experience culture. He said the museum will continue to pursue collaborations to expand the possibilities of a “K-museum” as an open museum that communicates through culture across generations and borders. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 09:21:00

MMCA Names Christine Sun Kim for MMCA X LG OLED Series 2026 The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, said Wednesday it has selected Christine Sun Kim as the participating artist for “MMCA X LG OLED Series 2026.” Kim works across sound and language, drawing, performance and video to examine how communication is structured and how social relationships are formed. Her work treats sound as a social system closely tied to power, institutions and norms, and uses drawing and graphic notation — a system that translates sound into visual language — to explore the unseen rules of communication and how language functions. For “MMCA X LG OLED Series 2026,” she will present a new large-scale video installation based on animation. The exhibition runs from July 31 to Nov. 29 at MMCA Seoul. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 09:12:00

Geely Auto Group Reports January Sales of 270,167 Vehicles; Targets 3.45 Million in 2026 Geely Auto Group said Wednesday it sold 270,167 passenger vehicles worldwide in January, up 1% from a year earlier. New energy vehicles accounted for 124,252 of those sales, a 3% increase from the same period a year earlier. Sales outside China totaled 60,506 vehicles, up 121% year over year. Overseas NEV sales rose 76% from the previous month to 32,117. By brand, premium EV maker Zeekr sold 23,852 vehicles in January, up 99.7% from a year earlier. The company has officially launched its premium electric shooting brake, the 7GT, in 12 major European countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Geely, the group’s largest brand, sold 82,990 vehicles. Lynk & Co delivered 28,877 vehicles, up 12% from a year earlier, pushing its cumulative global sales past 1.71 million. Geely Auto Group attributed the results to Geely Holding Group’s “One Geely” strategy, which links brands including Zeekr, Geely and Lynk & Co, as well as Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. The plan is a five-year blueprint aimed at 2030 that focuses on tighter coordination among brands, stronger global cooperation and building strategic capabilities. Under the strategy, Geely Holding Group aims by 2030 to achieve: combined global sales of more than 6.5 million passenger and commercial vehicles; revenue of more than 1 trillion yuan (about 209 trillion won); a top-five global ranking by sales; a 75% share for NEVs; and raising the share of sales outside China to more than one-third. A Geely Auto Group official said the company has set a 2026 sales target of 3.45 million vehicles and plans to sell 640,000 vehicles in overseas markets, led by Zeekr and Lynk & Co. The official said the group will accelerate new-model launches, expand its global network and improve customer experience to support sustainable growth and long-term value worldwide.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 09:10:03

Arte Museum to Launch Moon Rabbit-Themed Special Exhibition Featuring Dara Immersive media art exhibition venue Arte Museum will open a moon rabbit-themed “Moon Rabbit Special Exhibition” starting Feb. 13. The limited-season event weaves the story of Dara (DARA), a moon rabbit character, into the museum’s signature media art works. Major exhibition areas at all locations — including Jeju, Yeosu, Gangneung and Busan — will be redesigned to match the moon rabbit narrative. This season’s featured character, Dara, is described as being born from people’s affectionate calls, with a backstory that its ears grew longer to better hear people’s wishes. To mark the event, Arte Museum will install large Dara-themed sculptures at the entrance, in the lobby and throughout key exhibition zones. In the “STAR” work, carrot-shaped lighting will be added to represent “stars the moon rabbit eats,” bringing a warmer tone to the piece. In “FLOWER,” visitors can see Dara playing with butterflies, and other major works, including “JUNGLE,” will be updated with special moon rabbit-themed versions. Visitors can interact with Dara throughout the venue and take photos at seasonal photo zones available only during this event. To celebrate the season opening, Arte Museum will also run participation events with prizes. A membership event for visitors will award prizes by drawing, including premium hotel stay vouchers and department store gift certificates. Additional events will be held on Arte Museum’s social media channels and on-site, with prizes ranging from department store gift certificates to Arte Museum limited-edition goods and gifticons for participants who leave comments, write wishes or share verification photos. The “Moon Rabbit Special Exhibition” will run at all locations through June, the museum said. Lee Sang Jin, Arte Museum’s vice president and creative director, said the special exhibition is a seasonal limited project that “adds the narrative of the moon rabbit ‘Dara’ on top of the visual beauty of Arte Museum works, newly varying the emotions and atmosphere of the space.” He added, “I hope visitors will discover and follow traces of the moon rabbit throughout the space and take time to reflect on their own precious wishes.” More information on the exhibition and events is available on Arte Museum’s official website. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 09:03:00

South Korea survey urges fixes to overly polite public language and common errors The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of Korean Language on Wednesday released results of a public survey on “public language that needs improvement.” The survey was conducted from Dec. 24-30, 2025, of 3,000 people nationwide ages 14 to 79. It was based on 30 difficult words and incorrect expressions frequently encountered in media that influence everyday language use, including broadcasting, news outlets and social media. The item most respondents said should be changed was excessive honorific wording, such as “That product is sold out” phrased with an honorific ending and “Your coffee has come out,” another over-polite service expression. A total of 93.3% said such wording should be replaced. Many also said confusion between the Korean forms equivalent to “do” and “does” should be corrected (90.2%). Other items cited as needing improvement included misuse of the expression meaning “keep in mind” (74.8%) and confusion between two similar verbs meaning “to guess correctly” (71.2%). More than 70% also said hateful or discriminatory expressions should be improved, including the derogatory suffix “-chung” (87.1%) and the phrase “suffer from a disability” (78.7%). More information on the selected expressions and recommended usage is available on the National Institute of Korean Language website and the “Let’s Use Easy Korean” website. The ministry and the institute said they will launch a public awareness campaign based on the “30 public-language items that need improvement,” including producing and distributing short-form videos such as Shorts and Reels to promote proper Korean usage, especially among younger people. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 08:57:00

Hyundai Motor offers up to 1 million won coupon bonus for certified used-car sellers Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it will continue a customer promotion starting this month that offers “The Dream” coupons to users of Hyundai Certified Used Cars. The coupon can be used when customers use the platform’s “sell my car” service. Eligible models will change each month and can be checked on the Hyundai Certified Used Cars website. Depending on the vehicle, the coupon can raise the final appraisal price by up to 1 million won when selling to Hyundai Certified Used Cars. Eligible vehicles are accident-free Hyundai and Genesis models that meet both requirements: one to four years in service and 5,000 to 100,000 kilometers (about 3,100 to 62,100 miles) of mileage. For February, Hyundai will provide 500,000 won for the Avante, Sonata, Grandeur, Casper, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. Genesis will provide 1 million won for the GV60, the electrified GV70 and the electrified G80. Hyundai also launched an “All-in-One Care” service that links the full process from used-car purchase to resale and provides integrated guidance on customer benefits. The company said it will notify customers of available benefits at each stage — purchase, use and resale — through text messages and other methods. Hyundai said customers will be able to more easily track benefits including converting 0.1% of the purchase amount into membership points, a one-year/20,000-kilometer warranty, and a “trade-in” discount when buying a new Hyundai vehicle after selling a used car. A Hyundai official said Hyundai Certified Used Cars is working to provide a used-car experience customers can trust, based on a philosophy that “the maker cares for it to the end,” and said the company will continue to run customer support programs to improve the customer experience.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 08:48:00

Korean Air Says It Successfully Tested 5-Meter Satellite Antenna Deployment System Korean Air said Wednesday it has successfully completed a development test of a large, satellite-mounted antenna deployment system in partnership with the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology in Defense. The company said it plans to expand the work into a core technology for next-generation satellites tied to national security, aiming to strengthen competitiveness in the space industry. Korean Air said it carried out a successful test last month at the CAMTIC Institute of Technology in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, involving a 5-meter-class antenna deployment system. The test was conducted as part of a defense core-technology project led by the defense technology institute, titled “Deployable large satellite-mounted antenna deployment system,” with participants from the institute, CAMTIC, Steplab and Korea Aerospace University, among others. The key to the technology is minimizing volume at launch by storing the large antenna folded inside the launch vehicle, then deploying it to full size after reaching the target orbit. Because the antenna must deploy precisely without error in the space environment, the system is considered a major factor in determining satellite performance. Korean Air said the test confirmed that a 5-meter satellite antenna deployment device operated as designed. The company said the results showed stable deployment while maintaining the antenna’s shape in extreme space conditions, resolved mechanical interference in the complex deployment structure, and maintained high precision through repeated deployment cycles. Korean Air said the outcome also validated the effectiveness of its independently designed and manufactured “antenna deployment mechanism.” The company said it will use the test data to accelerate development of its final goal: a large antenna deployment system. Korean Air said it will continue pursuing technologies for the future space era, including ultra-high-resolution Earth observation satellites capable of distinguishing objects as small as 10 centimeters on the ground and 6G satellite communications technology, and that it aims to play a key role in next-generation satellite development linked to national security. “As a leading company in South Korea’s aerospace industry, we will continue to do our best to advance national space assets and help the country move toward becoming a major space power, based on the technological capabilities we have built,” a Korean Air official said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 08:42:49

Wolves held 0-0 at Nottingham Forest as Hwang Hee-chan sits out, winless streak hits six Wolverhampton Wanderers, without key forward Hwang Hee-chan, drew 0-0 at Nottingham Forest. Wolves and Nottingham played to a scoreless draw in a 2025-2026 English Premier League Round 26 match at the City Ground in Nottingham, England, on Wednesday. The result extended Wolves’ winless run to six league matches. Wolves added one point but stayed bottom of the table with nine points. Hwang was left out of the matchday squad after he was substituted with calf pain in a loss to Chelsea on Feb. 8. Nottingham controlled the game, outshooting Wolves 35-7. But Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa made several standout saves to preserve the draw. Nottingham, despite dominating, collected only one point and remained on 27 points, failing to build momentum to move clear of the relegation zone. 2026-02-12 08:39:00

Kakao's profit jumps 48 percent in record year, plans AI push in 2026 SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - South Korea’s Kakao Corp. said Thursday its annual revenue exceeded 8 trillion won for the first time last year, with operating profit surging on stronger platform performance and improved cost efficiency. In a regulatory filing, the company said consolidated revenue for 2025 rose 3 percent from a year earlier to a record 8.1 trillion won, while operating profit jumped 48 percent to an all-time high of 732 billion won. Fourth-quarter revenue increased 9 percent year-on-year to 2.13 trillion won, marking the highest quarterly sales in the company’s history. Operating profit more than doubled, rising 136 percent to 203.4 billion won, exceeding 200 billion won for a second consecutive quarter. Platform revenue in the October–December period climbed 17 percent from a year earlier to 1.22 trillion won. Within the segment, Talk Biz revenue grew 13 percent to 627.1 billion won, driven by a 16 percent increase in advertising sales to 373.4 billion won and a 19 percent rise in business messaging revenue. Display advertising revenue advanced 18 percent. Other platform revenue, including mobility and payment services, jumped 30 percent to 523.9 billion won. Kakao said its mobility unit recorded double-digit growth as taxi operations remained stable while parking and quick-delivery services expanded. Kakao Pay also posted balanced growth across payments, financial and platform services. Content revenue totaled 910.6 billion won in the fourth quarter, largely unchanged from a year earlier. Music and media revenue rose 12 percent and 30 percent to 525.1 billion won and 95.8 billion won, respectively, while story content revenue slipped 5 percent to 191.8 billion won. This year, Kakao said it will focus on artificial intelligence and KakaoTalk to drive growth. In the first quarter, the company plans to launch its on-device AI service, “Kanana in KakaoTalk,” on both Android and iOS, while continuing development of its in-house large language model. Chief Executive Jeong Shin-a said restructuring efforts to concentrate resources on core businesses were reflected in the company’s performance. “We will demonstrate progress through improved earnings and deliver tangible results that support Kakao’s mid- to long-term growth outlook,” Jeong said. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-02-12 08:36:58

Hyundai Glovis to Use AI to Plan Car-Carrier Loading, Cutting Time in Half Hyundai Glovis said Wednesday it will introduce its in-house “AI-based ship loading plan” technology on its car carriers. A loading plan is a pre-departure design for where cargo should be placed to improve transport efficiency and safety. Hyundai Glovis said its AI algorithm automatically generates optimized loading positions after users enter information such as the types and number of vehicles to be loaded and the ports for loading and unloading. The system considers port-call order as well as cargo weight and height. A single car carrier typically transports thousands of vehicles bound for multiple destinations. If the plan is wrong, vehicles that must be unloaded at an intermediate port can be blocked by vehicles headed to later destinations. That can force crews to unload large numbers of vehicles and reload them, causing delays and additional costs. The company said the AI-based planning can prevent such inefficiencies in advance, reducing wasted time and expense. For heavy, oversized cargo such as construction equipment, planners must also account for each deck’s height and load limits and place cargo lower in the ship to distribute weight evenly. Seaworthiness — the ability to maintain safe balance while sailing — is a key factor in loading plans. Hyundai Glovis said the algorithm runs on its proprietary data-design technology, for which it has completed a patent application. The company said it created a data model that breaks a car carrier’s interior into detailed decks and zones to represent structural characteristics and possible movement routes, allowing the AI to judge vehicle paths and feasible placement locations. Because car carriers differ in internal structure and cargo mixes change each voyage, the company said it has been difficult to apply a single standard. It also said more than 6,000 vehicles can be loaded for one trip, requiring many specialists and significant time to produce a plan. A Hyundai Glovis official said loading and unloading based on the AI-generated plan showed safety and efficiency similar to plans designed by specialists, while planning time fell by about half from the previous level of about 27 hours. The official said the company expects the reduction to exceed 90% as the technology advances. Hyundai Glovis said it will apply the technology sequentially across all of its car carriers in operation.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-12 08:36:00