South Korea forms council to speed up development of next-generation aircraft engine SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - South Korea is accelerating efforts to develop next-generation aircraft engines. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday it, together with related government bodies, inaugurated a council to review development plans for advanced propulsion systems for future fighter jets and streamline cooperation across ministries. Only a handful of countries — including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia — possess homegrown aircraft engine technology. The sector requires heavy investment, long development timelines and strict regulatory oversight, making it one of the most strategically sensitive areas in defense manufacturing. Officials say domestic development could significantly cut maintenance costs currently paid to overseas suppliers and strengthen the export competitiveness of Korean-built fighter aircraft. In January, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) set out a preliminary roadmap for the program, outlining priorities such as workforce training and the establishment of core infrastructure. The newly formed council will work to avoid budget duplication among agencies and will hold regular discussions on major R&D challenges. Lee Sun-hye, a senior official at the trade ministry, said technological self-reliance and supply-chain stability were essential for the program’s success. Choi Seung-wook of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stressed that securing proper certification would be crucial for both domestic deployment and overseas sales. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-28 10:17:57

PHOTOS: Seoul Station marks 100 years of history SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Seoul Station is marking its 100th anniversary this year with a commemorative exhibition that revisits the landmark’s century-long transformation and its role in Korea’s modern history. First opened in 1925 as Gyeongseong Station, the building has borne witness to some of the most significant chapters of the nation’s past — from Japanese colonial rule and the push for modernization to liberation, national division, industrialization and democratization. The old station building was closed in 2004 and later reopened in 2011 as a cultural complex now known as Culture Station Seoul 284. The anniversary exhibition, held inside the historic structure where personal memories and national history converge, runs through Nov. 30. It traces the evolution of the original station over the past century and is organized around three themes: past, present and future. One highlight is the display of an original manuscript of the Great Dictionary of the Korean Language, discovered in a station warehouse shortly after Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule in 1945. Curators say the artifact adds historical resonance to the exhibition’s broader look at the station’s enduring legacy. 2025-11-28 10:07:10

Korea's Oct factory output dips steepest in 5 years on chipmaking cutback SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - South Korea’s industrial output shrank at the steepest rate in five years in October on a sharp contraction in semiconductor activity that again underscored the economy’s heavy dependence on chipmaking, government data showed Friday. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics Industrial Output data, mining and manufacturing output declined 4 percent on month, the steepest drop since 7.5 percent in May 2020, and 8.1 percent on year, the sharpest since 8.3 percent in April 2023 amid global supply disruptions. The slump was led by semiconductors, where output plunged 26.5 percent on year — the biggest contraction in 43 years. The fall reflects a tightening supply of legacy chips as Korean foundries divert capacity toward long-term AI and data-center clients and higher-performance semiconductor lines. Weakness extended beyond manufacturing. Service-sector output slipped 0.6 percent on month, contributing to a 2.5-percent overall industry-wide decline, the largest drop since February 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. 2025-11-28 09:27:25

OPINION: Lessons from the fall of the western Roman empire for Trump's 'America First' policy SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - Romulus Augustulus is known as the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, deposed in 476 AD by Germanic warrior Odoacer who became the first barbarian king of Italy. Historians do not hold him directly responsible for the empire's fall, as he was a puppet emperor placed by his father. Responsibility for the fall Germanic military leader Odoacer rose to power in Rome. His father Edeco was close to Attila the Hun. Odoacer's rise and Romulus's deposition marked a painful yet intriguing chapter for Rome. If Odoacer had Roman lineage, he might have restored Rome, but he pledged allegiance to the Eastern Roman emperor and ruled Italy as king. The fall of the Western Roman Empire has long been debated. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, it didn’t collapse overnight. Emperor Valentinian III (reigned 425-455) is often blamed for weakening the empire. He assassinated Flavius Aetius, the "last Roman," who had defeated Attila, leading to chaos and Odoacer's rise. The concept of "foederati" emerged during Odoacer's time. These were tribes that provided military support to Rome in exchange for land and resources. The practice grew as Romans avoided military service, and Rome struggled with defense costs. The movement of Germanic tribes due to the Huns also contributed to this need. Comparisons with the U.S. Is it too much to compare Trump's "America First" mantra with the fall of the Western Roman Empire? Aetius's death ended competent leadership in the Roman army, similar to the perceived decline in U.S. leadership. The U.S. faces internal and external challenges, and Trump's policies reflect a response to these threats. However, like Rome, the U.S. may struggle to overcome these issues alone. Climate crisis as a greater threat A declaration on the climate crisis was adopted at the recent Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa, despite opposition from the U.S. The declaration emphasized climate change, an issue U.S. President Donald Trump administration frequently downplayed. Trump, who did not attend the summit, later announced that South Africa would not be invited to the next G20 meeting in Florida. The U.S. also skipped the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, with only three other countries absent. This absence signals a lack of U.S. leadership on climate issues, as the country is a major greenhouse gas emitter. The final agreement at COP30 omitted key fossil fuel reduction language, highlighting political retreat. ProPublica and The Guardian reported that Trump's policies could lead to 1.3 million additional heat-related deaths globally, mostly in poorer regions. The study was based on projected emissions under Trump's policies. As the Western Roman Empire fell due to external pressures, the 21st-century climate crisis poses a similar threat. Trump's actions resemble those of Valentinian III, undermining leadership when it's most needed. If the U.S. decline is inevitable, it may be time to consider a post-empire world. A cooperative approach could offer a constructive path forward, learning from the mistakes of Trump and Valentinian III. An Chi-yong, the director of the ESG Research Institute and a professor at Ajou University. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI. 2025-11-28 09:00:06

Hanwha Ocean shifts focus to Canada after losing Polish submarine deal SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - Hanwha Ocean said on Friday it will pivot toward future defense export opportunities after losing out on Poland’s next-generation submarine program. “Despite strong support from the South Korean government and the public, we were unable to secure the Polish contract,” the company said in a press release. The shipbuilder said it will now redirect its focus to Canada, where the government is preparing one of the world’s largest conventional submarine procurement programs. Ottawa plans to replace its aging Victoria-class fleet with 12 diesel-electric submarines of about 3,000 tons, with deliveries expected from the mid-2030s. The project is valued at up to 60 trillion won ($44 billion) and could become South Korea’s biggest-ever defense export deal if a domestic bidder prevails. Hanwha Ocean and rival HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are competing against Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) for the contract. Canada is expected to make a decision by May, after proposals are submitted in March. “We are determined to deliver results that reflect South Korea’s global standing in maritime defense,” Hanwha Ocean said, thanking the government and the public for “unwavering support” as it seeks its next major export win. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-28 08:55:04

South Korea's Daum portal to spin off as AXZ after 11 years under Kakao SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - South Korea’s No. 2 portal site Daum will be spun off into a standalone company named AXZ on Dec. 1, marking its first legal separation from Kakao in 11 years in a bid to revive competitiveness in the portal business, industry officials said Friday. Kakao will transfer Daum’s service rights to AXZ, a subsidiary established in May to prepare for the split. The move ends a decade-long integration following Kakao’s 2014 merger with Daum Communications. Starting next month, AXZ will operate Daum’s key services, including search, news, shopping, online communities and email. Tistory, the long-running blogging platform, will also be overseen by AXZ under a plan announced last month. The spin-off is designed to restore agility at Daum, whose development pace slowed under Kakao’s sprawling corporate structure. “The separation will strengthen our portal expertise and create a more flexible environment for experimentation, enabling swift, independent decision-making and new value creation,” a Kakao official said. Ahead of the transfer, Kakao updated its privacy policy on Nov. 24, removing Daum from its list of data-processing services and deleting related data-collection provisions across Daum pages and customer centers. Despite the legal separation, the two companies will continue to share certain user data. AXZ will supply Kakao with information from Daum’s integrated search, news consumption patterns and Tistory logs, which Kakao plans to use to improve personalized recommendations and advertising within KakaoTalk. Industry analysts say this reflects the continued need for data synergies across the broader Kakao ecosystem. Users will also see changes to the login procedure for Daum Games, which is operated by Kakao Games. The unified Daum-Kakao account login system will be revised following the split. * This article, published by Economic Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-28 08:43:21

Seoul apartment transactions surge in October ahead of new housing curbs SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - Apartment sales in Seoul saw a dramatic jump in October, fueled by a wave of last-minute purchases ahead of sweeping government real-estate curbs, official data and policy documents show. Nationally, housing transactions — including apartments and other types of residences — reached 69,718 last month, up 10 percent from September and 23.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the October housing statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. According to analysts, this frenzied pace was driven by apprehension over newly announced curbs. On Oct. 15, the government unveiled its most aggressive housing regulation package yet: all 25 districts of Seoul and 12 municipalities in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province were designated as regulated zones. In the capital region, transactions surged. The Seoul metropolitan area recorded 39,644 deals — a 26.7 percent rise from September and 58.5 percent increase compared with October 2024. Within that, the city of Seoul alone logged 15,531 transactions, up 41.3 percent month-on-month and 116.8 percent year-on-year. By contrast, outside the metropolitan region non-metro areas saw a decline: transactions fell 6.2 percent from September and 4.7 percent from the same month last year. On the apartment market, the trend was even more pronounced: nationwide apartment sales reached 56,363 — up 13.5 percent from the prior month and 31.3 percent from a year earlier. Apartment transactions in Seoul soared by 62.5 percent month-on-month and an extraordinary 176 percent year-on-year. In the broader metropolitan zone, apartment deals rose 35.5 percent from September and 79.4 percent compared with last October. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-28 08:33:36

Samsung Electronics moves HBM team back under DRAM division after one year SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics announced on Thursday it is dissolving its standalone high bandwidth memory development team created last year and moving related personnel back under the DRAM development division. The HBM development team will be absorbed into the design team under the DRAM development division, with Vice President Son Young-soo, who led the HBM team, appointed as head of the design team. Samsung created the dedicated HBM development team in July 2024, about a month after Executive Vice President Jun Young-hyun was appointed head of the Device Solutions division. The move came as Samsung lost ground to SK Hynix in the HBM market. The reorganization after about one year suggests confidence in securing technology for next-generation HBM products including HBM4. HBM team personnel will continue developing HBM4 and HBM4E products under the design team. Samsung has recently built partnerships with major tech companies including Nvidia, AMD, OpenAI and Broadcom in HBM. The company ranked third in the HBM market in the second quarter this year. Market research firm TrendForce expects Samsung to achieve more than 30 percent market share in the global HBM market in 2026 based on expanded HBM4 supply. Samsung plans to complete the reorganization this week and hold a global strategy meeting in early December to review next year's business plans. 2025-11-27 17:38:07

National Assembly passes arrest motion for PPP's former floor leader SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - The National Assembly on Thursday passed a motion to arrest Choo Kyung-ho, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP)'s former floor leader over his alleged involvement in disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle in December last year. The motion, proposed by independent prosecutors investigating the debacle, comfortably passed with 172 votes in favor, four against, two abstentions, and two invalid votes at the parliamentary session, with the ruling Democratic Party (DP) holding the majority of seats. All PPP lawmakers including Choo boycotted the vote. Choo has been accused of interfering with parliamentary efforts to lift the martial law declared by Yoon on Dec. 3. By law, sitting lawmakers are immune from arrest while parliament is in session and can only be arrested with a majority vote from the National Assembly. A court is now set to hold a hearing to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for Choo. 2025-11-27 17:35:50

LG Chem replaces CEO, taps materials chief Kim Dong-chun to lead next phase SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - LG Chem has appointed Kim Dong-chun, head of its advanced materials division, as its new chief executive officer, marking the first leadership change in seven years. Kim succeeds Shin Hak-cheol. The board approved Kim’s promotion to president and CEO on Thursday. Kim is credited with boosting profitability within the advanced materials division and broadening the company’s global customer base, particularly in high-tech sectors. “Kim is the right person to lead innovation and refine our business portfolio amid uncertain conditions,” LG Chem said in a statement, adding that it plans to continue reinforcing its competitiveness across core businesses. Born in 1968, Kim studied industrial chemistry at Hanyang University and later obtained an MBA from the University of Washington. He joined LG Chem in 1996 and has since held key roles across semiconductor and electronic materials, as well as in group-level strategy and new business development. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-27 17:22:55