South Korea's SK Earthon acquires 34% stake in Indonesian offshore block SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - SK Earthon, a subsidiary of SK Innovation, has acquired a 34 percent stake in Indonesia’s North Ketapang offshore block as part of a broader push to expand its resource development portfolio in Southeast Asia. The company said Monday it purchased the stake from Petronas North Ketapang Ltd., without revealing the price. Under the new partnership structure, Petronas North Ketapang retains a 51 percent stake, while PT Pertamina Hulu Energi North Ketapang holds 15 percent. The three companies will jointly explore the block, located off northeast Java, an area regarded as highly promising following recent oil discoveries in deeper geological layers. SK Earthon said its decision reflects a detailed assessment of the block’s geological potential and commercial viability. Petronas brings more than three decades of project experience in the region, while Pertamina contributes extensive knowledge of Indonesia’s oil development landscape, creating what the companies describe as strong operational synergies. The consortium plans to drill an exploration well by the end of the year. The move further strengthens SK Earthon’s presence in Indonesia. In May, the company won government-led bids for the Serpang and Binaiya blocks, giving it stakes in three Indonesian assets. The geographical proximity of Serpang and North Ketapang to northeast Java is expected to enhance business integration and operational efficiency. “Securing the North Ketapang stake is part of our broader Southeast Asia resource development strategy,” SK Earthon said in a press release. “We aim to develop Indonesia into a global resource hub alongside our active projects in Vietnam, China and Malaysia.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 13:31:55

KAIST study finds red OLED light can reduce Alzheimer's protein and improve memory SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said on November 24 that its researchers have confirmed that a specific color of OLED light can reduce a key Alzheimer’s disease protein and improve memory in animal models, suggesting a possible new direction for non-drug treatment. The work was carried out with the Korea Brain Research Institute. The team tested three OLED colors, blue, green, and red, using a platform that keeps brightness even and avoids the heat and uneven light problems found in regular LEDs. They compared the lights under the same conditions, including brightness, exposure time, and a 40-hertz flicker rate. According to the researchers, the red 40 hertz light showed the clearest improvement in both Alzheimer's-related proteins and memory performance. To put it simply, the team shone the lights on early-stage Alzheimer’s model mice for one hour a day over two days. Even in that short period, red and white lights helped the animals remember better, and the harmful protein amyloid beta, often called plaque, decreased in key brain regions such as the hippocampus. Levels of ADAM17, an enzyme that helps clear plaque, increased as well. The red light also lowered IL-1 beta, a molecule linked to brain inflammation, which the researchers said indicates an anti-inflammatory effect. They added that animals showing a larger drop in plaque tended to show a bigger jump in memory performance, suggesting a direct link between the two. In mid-stage Alzheimer’s models, red light again showed a clearer pattern. After two weeks of exposure using the same frequency and brightness, only the red light produced a significant reduction in plaque, although both red and white improved memory. At the molecular level, the differences were more pronounced. Red light increased ADAM17 and decreased BACE1, an enzyme that helps create plaque. In other words, red light both reduced plaque production and boosted plaque removal. White light, by comparison, only lowered BACE1. To understand what happens in the brain when the light is applied, the team tracked c-Fos, a marker that switches on when neurons are active. They found that the visual cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus were all activated, indicating that the stimulation traveled through the brain’s visual and memory-related circuit. Because the OLED system delivers even brightness regardless of movement, the researchers said it offered consistent results and overcame the technical limits of LEDs. The platform also allows fine control of color, brightness, flicker, and exposure time, which they believe could be useful in future personalized treatment studies. Noh Byung-joo from the KAIST team said the study proves the importance of standardizing color in light-based brain stimulation and shows that red OLED produces key effects across disease stages. Professor Choi Kyung-cheol said the even brightness OLED platform makes it easier to evaluate safety and repeat results, adding that wearable red OLED devices may become a new treatment option in daily life. The findings were published online on October 25 in ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering. 2025-11-24 11:32:29

Asian shares make mild rebound early Mon after last week's AI tantrums SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Asian markets showed a mild recovery from last week's AI bubble tantrums with key indices pointing to north in early Monday session. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI was trading 1 percent higher at 3,890 as of 10:30 a.m., recovering part of Friday's near 4-percent dive. Further rises were constrained by expectations of the Bank of Korea signaling extended pause in easing at its final Monetary Policy Board meeting of the year amid jump in the dollar-won rate that has sent the Korean currency at its cheapest level since the 2009 global financial crisis. Institutional investors continued to support the market, buying 187.5 billion won ($127 million). Foreign investors — who dumped 2.4 trillion won on Nov. 21 alone — turned net buyers, picking up 120 billion won so far today. Retail investors sold 302.1 billion won to net profits amid volatile market. The won remained weak. The dollar was trading at 1,471 won at 10:15 a.m., down only 0.9 won from the Friday close despite speculated intervention from authorities. Semiconductor stocks saw another sharp swing. Samsung Electronics climbed 4.2 percent to 99,000 won ($67.2), and SK hynix rose 3.26 percent to 538,000 won. Battery heavyweights, however, struggled to gain traction. LG Energy Solution fell 2.12 percent to 416,500 won, and Samsung SDI slipped 0.6 percent to 286,500 won. Despite strong performance in the energy storage system (ESS) segment, concerns over slowing EV demand and intensifying competition from Chinese battery-makers CATL and BYD weighed on shares. Bio stocks were also weak. Samsung Biologics fell 4 percent to 1,725,000 won following its spin-off of Samsung Bioepis. Shares of Samsung Epis Holdings — newly listed after the spin-off — plunged 21.1 percent to 482,000 won. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was closed on Monday for the substitute holiday for Labor Thanksgiving Day. Taiwan’s TAIEX rose 0.6 percent to 26,588. Chip stocks were largely subdued. TSMC traded at 1,385 Taiwan dollars ($44.1), little changed from last week. MediaTek was also steady at 1,145 Taiwan dollars. Hon Hai Precision Industry slipped 0.9 percent to 223 Taiwan dollars as concerns over an AI bubble persisted. Component makers fared better. Delta Electronics — a major supplier of power electronics and power conversion systems — rose 0.67 percent to 901 Taiwan dollars. Across Greater China, markets were mixed. The Shanghai Composite Index edged down 0.1 percent to 3,830, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 1 percent to 25,487, supported by a rebound in tech shares. Xiaomi climbed 2 percent to 39 Hong Kong dollars ($5). 2025-11-24 11:22:26

Lee heads to Turkey for final leg of overseas trip SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday headed to Turkey, the final stop of his 10-day overseas trip after wrapping up his attendance at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa. While attending a series of sessions at the G20 in Johannesburg over the weekend after visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt earlier in the week, Lee proposed easing debt burdens for developing countries and normalizing multilateral trade systems. He also emphasized international cooperation to address climate change and artificial intelligence-led technologies and challenges. On the sidelines of the multilateral gathering, Lee held a slew of bilateral talks with leaders from Brazil, France, Germany, and India. He also met with leaders of the cross-regional consultative group known as MIKTA, which includes Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia to expand diplomatic ties. In Turkey, Lee is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss various areas of cooperation with a focus on defense and nuclear energy. Lee is scheduled to return home on Wednesday. * This article, published by Economic Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 11:14:59

Victims of Belgian real estate fund mis-selling at brokerages will get compensation SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Korea Investment & Securities will compensate investors in more than 450 cases linked to the mis-selling of a Belgian real estate fund, industry sources said Monday. The brokerage concluded that 458 of 883 complaints constituted mis-selling, equivalent to 24.1 percent of the 1,897 total fund sales. The fund, launched in June 2019, was designed to invest in office leases for Belgian government agencies and generate profits after a five-year holding period. Instead, surging interest rates and a sharp downturn in Europe’s real estate market left investors with losses. Korea Investment & Securities has set a base compensation range of 30 to 60 percent, with payouts rising to as high as 80 percent for vulnerable investors. Of the confirmed cases, 232 will receive 30–35 percent and 172 will receive 40–45 percent. KB Kookmin Bank, another seller of the fund, is also offering 40–80 percent compensation. As of Nov. 17, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) had received 372 dispute cases tied to the two firms, with 90 resolved through voluntary settlements. The FSS is currently investigating three sales companies for potential mis-selling, a process that could push compensation rates even higher. “If internal control violations related to mis-selling are confirmed, we may readjust compensation standards for all disputes, including previously settled cases,” FSS Governor Lee Chan-jin said. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 10:51:56

Record number of 30-somethings in Seoul unable to afford their own homes SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - A triple whammy of soaring home prices, an increase in single-person households, and tighter loan regulations has pushed the number of households in their 30s without their own homes in Seoul to a record high. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the figure rose by 17,215 from the previous year to 527,729, the highest since relevant statistics began in 2015. After a slight dip from 475,606 in 2015 to 456,461 in 2018, the number of households in their 30s without their own homes began climbing in 2019, rising by about 3,000 in 2021 and reaching 17,000 in 2023. Homeownership among 30-somethings has fallen for three consecutive years, with 193,456 households owning homes in 2024, down 7,893 from the previous year, and 2.9 times fewer than those in the same age group without homes. In Seoul, just 25.8 percent of people in their 30s owned homes in 2024, compared to 33.3 percent in 2015 and 30.9 percent in 2020. Across the country, the proportion fell to 36 percent for its sixth consecutive year, though it remains 10 percentage points higher than in Seoul, suggesting that soaring home prices in Seoul make it difficult for young people to afford their own homes. Delays in employment and marriage are also pushing back home purchases, while Seoul's high proportion of single-person households is seen as another factor lowering homeownership among young people. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 10:38:41

Turbine shuts down again at Shin Hanul nuclear reactor, causing safety concern SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) said on Monday that the turbine generator at Shin Hanul Unit 1, a 1.4 million-kilowatt reactor, shut down automatically while the plant was ramping up output. At around 6:11 p.m., Sunday, the company reported that an “exciter” device had failed, cutting off the supply of current to the generator’s electromagnet — a component crucial for power generation. The exciter shutdown forced the turbine to stop, even though the reactor continued operating. The plant is currently running at about 50 percent capacity, KHNP said. Officials at the headquarters have launched an investigation into the cause of the exciter failure and are preparing remedial measures. Shin Hanul Unit 1 recently came back online on Nov. 21 after a scheduled maintenance period that began on Aug. 25. The reactor had experienced a similar turbine shutdown in August of the previous year. A KHNP spokesperson emphasized that, while the issue caused a shutdown of the turbine, it did not directly implicate safety-critical systems, and steps are being taken to prevent recurrence. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 10:15:55

Homegrown space rocket ready for nighttime launch this week SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri is set for liftoff later this week after completing final rehearsals and technical checks, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said on Monday. The rocket, dubbed KSLV-II, is scheduled for launch at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province on Thursday. If any unexpected issues arise, additional launch windows are available from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4. The rocket will be moved to the launch pad on Tuesday, with final preparations underway. The liftoff has been tentatively set for between 12:54 a.m. and 1:14 a.m., with the exact time to be decided the previous day. Hanwha Aerospace, which participated in the rocket's production from the beginning, oversaw Nuri's assembly, which started in early October, with the first- and second-stage engines completed over the following weeks without any hitches. The first civilian-led mission is to put a next-generation medium-sized satellite into orbit approximately 600 km above Earth's surface to observe the planet's magnetic field and auroras. Along with the main satellite, the launch vehicle will also carry 12 smaller satellites. 2025-11-24 09:40:55

K-beauty under pressure as Chinese, Japanese brands gain ground in Korea SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Chinese e-commerce platforms and beauty brands are rapidly expanding their presence in South Korea, intensifying competition in markets long dominated by domestic players. Platforms such as TEMU and AliExpress are leaning heavily on social media influencers to reach South Korean consumers, while Chinese cosmetics companies are capitalizing on TikTok-driven trends to grow both at home and abroad. TEMU recently hired an influencer marketing manager in South Korea to build a local promotional team, while AliExpress and SHEIN are ramping up affiliate marketing programs. The surge in activity has helped popularize phrases like “TEMU haul” among South Korean users. “Chinese platforms are moving beyond low-price competition to integrate sophisticated marketing strategies,” an industry source said on condition of anonymity. The strength of these e-commerce platforms is feeding momentum for Chinese beauty brands. Flower Knows drew more than 2,000 visitors on the opening day of its Seoul pop-up store last month, and Judydoll is preparing to launch on Coupang. YoYoSo — often described as “China’s Daiso” — opened its first South Korean store in Gunsan and plans to unveil a large beauty-focused outlet in Seoul next year. Much of the surge is tied to the “Douyin makeup” craze among Gen Z, characterized by bold colors and highly visible transformations. Chinese beauty brands have benefited from this shift, bolstered by low production costs that give them a significant price advantage. The competition is increasingly global. Data from the Korea International Trade Association shows China’s cosmetics exports rose 9.1 percent to roughly $5.4 billion between January and September, while South Korea’s exports to China fell 18.7 percent, slipping behind the United States in export rankings. In color cosmetics, South Korea’s lip product exports totaled $466.68 million — well below China’s $645.93 million — while its eye makeup exports were only one-third of China’s. Google search trends in September also showed C-beauty overtaking K-beauty. At home, the market is becoming more complicated. With anti-Japanese sentiment easing, Japanese beauty brands are returning to South Korea. Canmake has re-entered the market through retail chain Olive Young after a 2019 exit, while Chinese lifestyle brands are pushing low-cost beauty lines, intensifying pressure on domestic brands from both China and Japan. Experts say K-beauty needs to strengthen its color cosmetics capabilities, moving beyond the skincare-heavy structure that has defined its global success. With ODM technologies narrowing quality gaps, price, storytelling, and community-building are becoming decisive factors. “Being ‘Made in Korea’ is no longer enough,” said another industry source. “Brands need stronger narratives, experiential content, and loyal communities to sustain growth as C-beauty surges.” * This article, published by Economic Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 09:37:06

Samsung Fire & Marine launches English, Chinese support for insurance claims SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance has introduced new English and Chinese-language services to help foreign customers file insurance claims, the company said on Monday. The services are now available on the insurer’s mobile app and website. The company said an internal analysis showed that 58.3 percent of its foreign customers used the claims function most frequently, followed by premium payments at 14 percent and certificate issuance at 9.5 percent. Chinese speakers accounted for 68.6 percent of foreign users, while English speakers made up 8.4 percent. Samsung Fire & Marine said it conducted usability tests with both groups to improve the interface and streamline procedures ahead of the launch. “Foreign customers can now access insurance services more accurately and conveniently,” the company said in a press release. “We plan to gradually expand language options and service coverage to strengthen our digital offerings for global clients.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 09:25:53