Behind the buzz over K-Pop Demon Hunters, K-contents score meagerly this year SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Korean contents have enjoyed spectacular global exposure this year through major streaming platforms, but without the halo of K-Pop Demon Hunters — the rare breakout that dominated global charts — the industry can hardly claim meaningful wins amid a dearth of blockbuster titles, mounting production costs, and waning originality. The third-quarter results of CJ ENM, Korea’s largest entertainment and media group, offer a glimpse into this year’s K-drama performance. On Thursday, the company reported consolidated revenue of 1.12 trillion won ($830 million) and a modest operating profit of 17.6 billion won for the July–September period. Its media platform unit logged an operating loss of 3.3 billion won. The film and drama division returned to the black with a profit of 6.8 billion won, helped largely by additional distribution in Latin America and the Middle East. Industry data show that while Korean IP remakes overseas continue to grow — from 22 in 2020 to nearly 40 this year — profitability has narrowed as production budgets balloon and domestic platforms rely more heavily on global OTT partnerships. According to the Bank of Korea, the nation’s royalties balance swung to a deficit of $8.5 billion in September from $0.6 billion in August, reflecting rising payments for foreign IP. On the small screen, the pipeline has been thin and underwhelming. Average TV ratings for Studio Dragon — the flagship behind Queen of Tears and Castaway Diva — fell to 7.5 percent from 9.3 percent in 2023. The number of new titles achieving double-digit viewership dropped from six to three. The studio produced 19 new dramas this year, down from 31 last year and 28 in 2023. “On the surface, K-content still looks strong, but from an industrial standpoint the creative pipeline has weakened,” said Jin Lee, professor of cultural content studies at Hanyang University. “Korean studios are shifting toward co-productions with global OTTs, which help overseas expansion but reduce creative control and profit margins.” TVING, CJ ENM’s streaming arm, saw monthly active users rise 8.6 percent year on year, but its domestic market share remains below 10 percent — far behind Netflix’s 45 percent. “Consumers now watch what they want and leave,” Lee added. “For Korean platforms, sustaining loyalty and cumulative growth has become extremely difficult.” CJ ENM’s film business showed a similar pattern. Among roughly 24 theatrical releases between 2023 and 2024, only eight broke even. Mid-budget films such as Exhuma and The Escape significantly outperformed expectations. Film revenue rose 12 percent on year to 372.8 billion won, but operating margins narrowed to 1.8 percent from 3.2 percent a year earlier. Across the broader market, Korean films attracted 71 million theatergoers in 2024 — up 18 percent on year but still 46 percent below pre-COVID levels. Average terrestrial drama ratings fell to 6.7 percent this year from 8.2 percent in 2023, while cable shows excluding Queen of Tears averaged 4.9 percent, the lowest since 2020. Industry watchers cite complacency and idea fatigue for the slowdown. “Historical or fantasy series are considered safe because they ‘look Korean,’ but over-repetition risks a creativity deficit,” Lee said. CJ ENM said it will continue to deepen partnerships with global media groups while improving returns on content investment. A company official said it aims to “expand global influence through strategic collaboration” and enhance profitability across its content and platform businesses. 2025-11-07 14:31:06

OPINION: C5+1 Summit — A New Chapter for Central Asia's Growth and Partnership SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - On November 6, 2025, the C5+1 Summit between the United States and the five Central Asian nations convened in Washington, D.C., marking the 10th anniversary of the framework’s launch and opening a new chapter for regional cooperation. Currently, six major global partners — the United States, Japan, the European Union, China, India, and the Republic of Korea — have established similar C5+1 platforms with Central Asian states. This reflects their shared understanding of Central Asia’s strategic significance, not only as a vital geopolitical crossroads but also as a region endowed with abundant natural resources essential to sustaining modern economies. Korea, too, is preparing to host its first-ever C5+1 Summit next year, signifying its growing engagement with the region. Since their independence, the Central Asian republics have focused on nation-building based on social stability and, in recent years, have advanced toward modernization through reforms and openness. These efforts have yielded tangible progress — evidenced by the expanding network of C5+1 mechanisms established with leading global powers. Against this backdrop, the second U.S.–Central Asia Summit being held in Washington carries profound significance for the region’s political, economic, and strategic future. The world is undergoing transformation at a pace never before seen. For Central Asia, the early 1990s were already a period of tremendous change, yet today’s challenges represent something even greater — a civilizational transition confronting all humanity. As some now refer to a new era of “AI sapiens” beyond “Homo sapiens,” nations are compelled to adapt swiftly and wisely. Reflecting such global shifts, the Republic of Korea hosted the APEC Summit last week under the theme “Bridge. Business. Beyond.”, emphasizing connection, innovation, and prosperity. Kazakhstan, in particular, is accelerating institutional reforms to achieve economic diversification and enhance digital governance. Through timely policy measures — including improving the trade and investment environment, strengthening transportation connectivity, ensuring energy security, advancing digital transformation, and fostering high-tech industries such as AI and robotics — Kazakhstan is preparing for a new era in line with global dynamics. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stands out as a leader endowed with extensive domestic and international experience, a deep understanding of global trends, and the wisdom to translate these insights into national progress. His leadership ensures that Kazakhstan will continue to navigate change with vision and pragmatism. Just as the Republic of Korea, during its recent APEC engagements, achieved substantial cooperation outcomes with major partners such as the United States, China, and Japan, it is hoped that the U.S.–Central Asia Summit (C5+1) had yielded similarly meaningful results. This gathering has served as a catalyst for Central Asian nations to forge new paths of partnership, growth, and innovation amid the rapidly evolving global order. 2025-11-07 14:26:33

After APEC glow, Korean businesses confront hard reality of 'regulatory bomb' SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Just days after South Korea wrapped up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and concluded tariff negotiations with the United States, the nation’s business community is facing a surge of new domestic regulations — a shift that many executives describe as abrupt and burdensome. The government and the ruling party are moving quickly to advance legislation that would raise the retirement age to 65, accelerate national greenhouse gas reduction targets, and curb industrial energy consumption. Business groups say the measures could stifle competitiveness and investment. “It’s like a regulatory bomb has been dropped right after the APEC summit,” said one executive at a major conglomerate on condition of anonymity. “The mood changed overnight.” During the APEC summit, some of South Korea’s largest corporations — including Samsung, Hyundai, SK, and LG — played visible roles in supporting President Lee Jae Myung’s diplomatic agenda. Executives joined U.S. investment discussions and shipbuilding cooperation talks, aligning their business strategies with the government’s foreign policy push. But less than a week after the summit, many are now grappling with proposals that they say could weigh heavily on growth. The ruling Democratic Party’s plan to finalize the legislation for the retirement age extension by the end of the year has drawn particular criticism. Companies warn that such a move could further strain hiring for younger workers and deepen labor market polarization. The government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 60 percent by 2035 has also raised alarm among manufacturers, who argue that the target overlooks worsening economic conditions, including oversupply from China and sluggish domestic demand. Adding to the unease is a proposal to cut industrial energy consumption by 0.1 percent over the next five years — a goal businesses say clashes with the surging electricity needs of data centers, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor plants. “Rather than simply extending the retirement age, it would be more effective to strengthen reemployment systems tied to wage and productivity adjustments,” said Kim Sang-bong, an economics professor at Hansung University. “The government should listen to industry concerns and refine these policies through cooperation, not confrontation.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-07 14:09:04

North Korea launches ballistic missile into East Sea SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile into the East Sea, military authorities said on Friday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected suspicious activities at around noon, shortly before the missile was fired from North Pyongan Province. According to JCS, the missile, believed to be short-range, flew 700 kilometers before splashing into the sea near Kilju in North Hyanggyong Province. Friday's launch is the seventh this year and comes about two weeks after the previous provocation on Oct. 22, when North Korea fired several short-range missiles, just ahead of last week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju. The previous day, the North denounced the latest U.S. sanctions on eight North Korean individuals and two entities allegedly involved in cyber fraud and other illicit money-laundering schemes. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-07 13:46:25

Samsung Heavy secures $199 million order to build two crude oil tankers SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Samsung Heavy Industries said on Friday that it had secured an order worth about $199 million to build two crude oil tankers for a North American client, with delivery scheduled by January 2029. The deal brings the company’s total orders this year to $5.6 billion, or about 83 percent of its $5.8 billion target for merchant ships. “Following an $800 million preliminary order for offshore production facilities and a recent letter of intent from Delfin in the United States, we expect to meet our annual goals,” the company said in a statement. So far this year, Samsung Heavy’s orders include seven liquefied natural gas carriers, nine shuttle tankers, two container ships, two ethane carriers, and 11 crude oil tankers, totaling 32 vessels. Its current order backlog stands at $26.9 billion, covering 125 ships. A company spokesperson said Samsung Heavy expects steady demand for replacing aging crude oil tankers. “We will continue to respond proactively to market conditions by building a flexible production system in cooperation with domestic and international shipyards,” the spokesperson said. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-07 13:44:19

Asian markets fall, KRW breaches crisis-linked 1,450 per USD SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Asian shares fell sharply in early Friday trading as investors reacted to overnight losses on Wall Street, sending South Korea’s benchmark indices below key thresholds and pushing the Korean won past a psychologically critical level historically associated with periods of upheavals. The won weakened rapidly in morning trade, with the dollar rising to 1,454.8 won as of 10:20 a.m. in Seoul. The breaches of the 1,450 level have typically coincided with extraordinary events — including the presidential impeachment in April, the martial law crisis in December, and stress periods following the 2009 global financial crisis. The currency’s slide came alongside a broad selloff in equities. The KOSPI dropped 2 percent, falling back below the 4,000 mark, while the KOSDAQ slipped under 900, reflecting deteriorating sentiment across risk assets. The downturn followed steep losses in the United States, where all three major indices declined on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8 percent, the S&P 500 dropped 1.12 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 1.9 percent to 23,053.99, weighed down by a pullback in semiconductor and AI-linked names. Nvidia lost 3.7 percent, AMD slumped 7.3 percent and Palantir shed 6.8 percent. Qualcomm retreated 3.6 percent despite reporting stronger-than-expected earnings, amid speculation that Apple could reduce future chip orders. Investor nerves were further rattled after David Sacks, the White House’s AI policy chief and colloquially known as the administration’s “AI czar,” posted on X that there would be “no federal bailout for AI.” His comment fueled worries that the sector may not receive government support if market volatility deepens. Adding to the unease, new labor data pointed to rising job losses tied to restructuring across the tech sector. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, U.S. employers cut 153,074 positions in October, marking the largest October layoffs since 2003. So far this year, 218 technology companies have eliminated more than 112,000 jobs, including staff reductions at Intel, Microsoft and Amazon. Nearly 300,000 public-sector workers have also been laid off. Tesla, which closed down 3.5 percent at $445.91 on Thursday, rose more than 2 percent in after-hours trading after shareholders approved CEO Elon Musk’s long-debated compensation package. The plan could award Musk stock options worth up to $1 trillion if Tesla meets a set of market-value and operational milestones totaling $8.5 trillion. Still, the relief did not extend to Korean battery suppliers with exposure to Tesla. Samsung SDI slid 4.2 percent to 308,500 won, Ecopro dropped 2.9 percent, Ecopro BM declined 3.3 percent and LG Energy Solution shed 1.3 percent. Analysts said lingering fears over an AI-driven bubble overshadowed any optimism from Tesla’s governance developments. Markets elsewhere in Asia also retreated. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.5 percent to 50,117.88, with Toyota down 0.9 percent and Sony 1.6 percent lower. AI- and chip-equipment names bore the heaviest losses, with Advantest tumbling 5.9 percent and SoftBank dropping 7.9 percent. SoftBank briefly plunged more than 8 percent in morning trade, erasing most of Thursday’s rebound after a volatile week in which shares fell 10 percent on Wednesday, rose 3 percent Thursday and then reversed sharply again. In Greater China, the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.2 percent to 4,000.62, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index declined 0.7 percent to 26,314.37, extending weakness from the previous session. 2025-11-07 11:33:26

Korea's Kakao posts record Q3 earnings, eyes AI-driven boost in Q4 SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Kakao reported its strongest quarterly earnings ever in the third quarter, with operating profit surpassing 200 billion won ($138 million) for the first time since its founding and expects the rollout of ChatGPT-powered services to offer meaningful boost to the chat platform most Koreans use starting fourth quarter. According to its regulatory filing Friday, Kakao’s consolidated revenue reached 2.087 trillion won in the July–September period, up 9 percent from a year earlier. Operating profit jumped 59 percent on year and 12 percent on quarter to 208 billion won — the highest in company history. As of 11:20 a.m., shares of Kakao were trading at 62,900 won, up 3.46 percent. The platform division generated 1.06 trillion won in revenue, up 12 percent on year. Advertising led the gains with an 11 percent rise to 325 billion won. Within ads, business-message services climbed 22 percent, while display advertising returned to growth — up 0.5 percent after five consecutive quarters of decline. Platform subsidiaries also delivered solid results, with combined revenue rising 24 percent on year to 453 billion won. Kakao Pay reported record operating profit, while Kakao Mobility posted steady gains. The commerce unit underperformed, recording 209 billion won in sales — down 0.1 percent on year and 6 percent on quarter. Still, Kakao said total transaction volume increased 4 percent to 2.5 trillion won as self-purchases rose. Some sales delayed by Chuseok-related logistics will be reflected in fourth-quarter results, it added. Revenue from Kakao’s portal business, led by Daum, fell 5 percent. To improve efficiency, Kakao plans to spin off Daum into a company-in-company (CIC). The content division posted 1.03 trillion won in revenue, up 5 percent on year. The games segment remained weak, with revenue tumbling 34 percent to 154 billion won due to delayed and canceled releases — a trend the company expects to continue for at least the next six months until new titles launch. In contrast, the music business grew 20 percent to 565 billion won, driven by new album launches and concert activity. The entertainment unit booked 84 billion won in revenue, down 11 percent on year due to postponed intellectual property releases. Meanwhile, the media division surged 75 percent to 96 billion won thanks to a robust slate of new film releases. Piccoma, the Japanese distribution arm of Kakao Webtoon, generated 127 billion won in revenue, up 2 percent on year. It remained Japan’s top-grossing app in 2025, and its operating profit doubled from a year earlier. Responding to questions about user engagement, a Kakao official said: “Average daily time spent on KakaoTalk has rebounded from 24 minutes to 26 minutes after the update, meeting our initial targets.” The redesign increased both session duration and advertising efficiency, the company added. Kakao expects double-digit growth in Talk Biz ad revenue, boosted by its new services Kanana, on-device AI – and ChatGPT deployment. 2025-11-07 11:29:53

K-food exports surge in Middle East, North America SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - South Korea’s exports of food and agricultural products climbed 5.7 percent to $11.24 billion this year, buoyed by strong demand for ramen, beverages, and other Korean food products across global markets, the government said on Friday. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, agricultural and food exports rose 5 percent to $8.56 billion, while exports in the broader agricultural industry — including animal medicines, fertilizers, and seeds — increased 7.8 percent to $2.64 billion. Growth was strongest in the Middle East, where shipments surged 20.4 percent from a year earlier, followed by North America at 13.9 percent and the European Union at 4.8 percent. Between July and October, demand from the Middle East focused on ice cream, beverages, and sauces, while exports to Greater China grew on the strength of ramen, processed foods, and table grapes. Popular items overall included ramen, kimchi, coffee products, grapes, and ice cream. Exports of ramen — one of South Korea’s most recognizable global products — continued to soar, fueled by the global popularity of spicy noodle dishes and the rise of “K-content” marketing linked to Korean pop culture. Grape exports benefited from expanded cultivation and the introduction of a new product registration system in Taiwan. “Despite external uncertainties, K-food exports has achieved strong growth so far this year,” said Kim Jeong-wook, director of agricultural innovation policy at the ministry. “Korean food products have become a key part of the country’s soft power and an increasingly important source of trade growth. The government will continue to support exporters to reach the $14 billion target by year-end.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-07 11:07:31

PHOTOS: Enjoy autumnal foliage before winter sets in SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - Mild, warm weather is expected with daytime highs hovering above 20 degrees across the country on Friday, a day known as Ipdong or the beginning of winter in the lunar calendar. As unseasonably warm temperatures persisted through September and October, with fickle weather bringing occasional cold chills, this year's autumn arrived late and is likely to recede soon before people can fully enjoy the season. With many trees and leaves yet to turn into their flaming colors, winter seems to be arriving suddenly. Even before the autumnal foliage reaches its peak, winter descends without warning, a pattern that has repeated in recent years, meaning that the autumn season is getting shorter and shorter. In fact, unpredictable seasonal changes and abnormal weather are now becoming the norm in a country once known for its four distinct seasons, bringing prolonged summers largely due to global warming. While trees once turned red and other brilliant autumn colors from late October to early November, many now remain green through mid-November, creating an unusual seasonal mix. On the cusp of winter, many people gather in parks, strolling trails, hiking paths, and other scenic spots to enjoy the brief moments of seasonal change. They may be aware that this beautiful season could fade even faster or appear in entirely different shades and colors just a few decades from now. 2025-11-07 10:45:28

Hyundai Motor signs strategic partnership with UK AI startup SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday that it has formed a strategic partnership with CuspAI, a British artificial intelligence startup, to accelerate the development of next-generation materials for mobility applications. The agreement was signed on Nov. 6 at CuspAI’s headquarters in Cambridge, England, where researchers are pioneering the use of generative AI, deep learning, and molecular simulation to design new materials with specific performance characteristics. Through the partnership, Hyundai said in a press release that it plans to apply CuspAI’s technology to improve the efficiency, durability, and safety of materials used in vehicles and future mobility platforms. “Hyundai Motor is pursuing material innovation from multiple directions to advance future mobility,” said Park Cheol, the company’s director of new business strategy. “This partnership will help address scientific challenges that conventional approaches could not solve and secure next-generation materials to strengthen our competitiveness.” Chad Edwards, chief executive of CuspAI, said the collaboration would unite AI research and large-scale manufacturing capabilities. “Next-generation materials are the only path to a sustainable future,” he said. “Our partnership with Hyundai, a global leader in engineering and manufacturing, will accelerate the building of that future.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-07 09:50:49