Netflix Unveils Main Poster for BTS Comeback Live Stream Netflix has released the main poster for the group BTS’ comeback live show, fueling anticipation among fans worldwide. The poster for “BTS Comeback Live: Arirang,” unveiled by Netflix on the 15th, highlights the group’s presence and adds to expectations for a full-group return. Netflix has said it will exclusively livestream “BTS Comeback Live: Arirang” from the area around Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, delivering the event to fans around the world in real time. The company said the broadcast is also its first live event and music performance transmitted from South Korea to a global audience. Netflix, known for films, series and unscripted programming tailored to members’ tastes, said the livestream will expand its entertainment offerings by presenting a way for viewers worldwide to experience the same stage at the same time. The show will be overseen by director Hamish Hamilton, described as a leading live-event director whose credits include the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, the U.S. Super Bowl halftime show, the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, and performances by Madonna, Beyonce and Rihanna. Netflix said the production aims to offer a new way to watch a live concert, beyond a standard broadcast. The event will be exclusively livestreamed worldwide on Netflix at 8 p.m. on the 21st.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-15 10:24:14

Uber Riders in Las Vegas Can Now Request Motional Ioniq 5 Robotaxis Hyundai Motor Co.’s Ioniq 5-based robotaxis will be available to hail through the Uber app in Las Vegas. For now, a vehicle operator will ride in the driver’s seat, but the service is set to move to fully driverless operation at SAE Level 4 by the end of this year. Motional, the autonomous driving joint venture of Hyundai Motor Group, said March 15 that it has launched a pilot robotaxi service with Uber in Las Vegas. The service area includes Resorts World Las Vegas, hotels around the Las Vegas Strip, downtown and the Town Square shopping district. Motional said the coverage area will be expanded over time as it begins autonomous service within designated zones in the city’s complex road environment. Riders can request a trip as usual through the Uber app. If the route falls within the pilot zone, an Ioniq 5 robotaxi will be automatically dispatched. Riders can also ask to be reassigned to a standard vehicle. Fares are the same as regular Uber rides. When the robotaxi arrives, passengers unlock the doors through the app and get in. After boarding, audio messages provide a welcome and reminders such as fastening seat belts. Riders can connect to a support agent through the app if they need help during the trip. Motional said its Ioniq 5 robotaxi is an SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle certified under U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, meaning it can handle all driving within set areas and conditions without driver intervention. During the pilot phase, a vehicle operator will ride in the driver’s seat to help ensure safe operation. Motional said it plans to use user feedback to refine the service and begin fully driverless robotaxi operations by the end of this year. “Through AI-based autonomous driving technology, Motional can safely and smoothly drive the wide range of routes requested by Uber users,” said David Carroll, Motional’s vice president of commercialization. Motional and Uber are working to broaden access to autonomous driving services under a 10-year strategic partnership signed in 2022. Earlier that year, they ran a pilot Uber Eats delivery service in Los Angeles, and later conducted a ride-hailing pilot program in Las Vegas. Hyundai said it plans to apply the Level 4 operating know-how and safety validation systems accumulated through the Las Vegas commercialization process to advance the group’s software-defined vehicle development. 2026-03-15 10:15:16

Shinhan Bank to Open Regional Finance Support Hubs in Busan and Gwangju Shinhan Bank said Sunday it will set up a regional finance-support platform, the Shinhan SOL Cluster, in Busan and Gwangju as it aligns with the government’s national balanced-growth strategy. The Shinhan SOL Cluster is the bank’s regional hub designed to provide both growth-oriented and inclusive finance tied to local specialized industries. It consolidates corporate screening, consulting and financing functions into a headquarters-level support unit and assigns staff with expertise tailored to each region’s industries. In the southwest, Shinhan will establish the “Gwangju AI Specialized Cluster” to support artificial intelligence and convergence-focused industries. The bank plans to place specialized staff for screening and business development and to provide customized lending to meet companies’ funding needs. In the southeast, it will set up the “Busan Naval Vessel MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) Cluster” to support the shipbuilding and defense value chain. Shinhan said it will strengthen financing linked to the naval vessel MRO industry and expand supply-chain finance for regional anchor companies and their partner small and midsize firms. Shinhan also said it will expand consumer protection and community support alongside the regional hubs, including a customer counseling center to help prevent voice-phishing scams and a hiring preference for local talent. It plans to broaden digital financial education by creating a new “Haki-jae” site in Gwangju and upgrading existing programs, and to expand support for local small businesses and regional universities through its delivery app “Ttaenggyeoyo” and the student platform “HeyYoung Campus.” A Shinhan Bank official said the bank will build on the group’s financial hub in Jeonbuk Innovation City and the new southwest and southeast hubs to gradually expand support to areas with relatively limited access to financial services, including Gangwon and Jeju, to promote industrial growth and revitalize local economies. 2026-03-15 10:06:00

More South Koreans airlifted from Saudi Arabia amid escalating Middle East conflict SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) - More than 200 South Korean nationals are on their way home from Saudi Arabia after being evacuated amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East. A multipurpose aerial tanker and transport aircraft carrying 204 South Koreans and seven foreigners departed from Riyadh on Saturday and is expected to arrive at a military air base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday afternoon, according to the foreign and defense ministries. They had been staying in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia before boarding the KC-330 Cygnus in Riyadh. Though some commercial flights are still operating to and from Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region, the unprecedented move comes after President Lee Jae Myung instructed in a cabinet meeting earlier this week that military aircraft should be "considered" to safely evacuate South Korean nationals stranded there. The Air Force operates four Cygnus aircraft, and this marks the seventh time one has been used to transport South Koreans overseas. The most recent mission was in 2024, when a Cygnus flew to Lebanon during Israel's ground operation against Hezbollah, evacuating 96 South Koreans and others. Earlier this month many South Koreans returned home from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar on chartered flights, amid thousands of others who still remain in the Middle East. The Middle East conflict, which began on Feb. 28 with joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, has escalated into a broader regional war. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for roughly one‑fifth of the world's oil supply, to vessels it deems hostile. As U.S.-led strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks continue, U.S. President Donald Trump has called on countries "affected" by the closure of the strategically vital waterway to dispatch warships to keep it open, singling out China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, while also threatening to bomb Iran's shoreline and target Iranian vessels. 2026-03-15 09:10:59

Hyundai Steel, Hyundai E&C to Develop Floating Offshore Wind Platform Model Hyundai Steel is teaming up with Hyundai Engineering & Construction to strengthen competitiveness by expanding its presence in the steel market for offshore wind power. Hyundai Steel said March 15 that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai E&C on March 13 at its training center in Dangjin to jointly develop a proprietary model for floating offshore wind power. Under the agreement, the companies will jointly pursue development of a proprietary hybrid floating structure combining steel and concrete and aim to obtain approval in principle, or AIP, certification from Norwegian classification society DNV in 2027. Floating offshore wind power generates electricity using structures that float on the sea rather than being fixed to the seabed, allowing installation in deeper waters farther offshore and making it easier to build large-scale wind farms. The hybrid floater the companies plan to develop will apply Hyundai Steel’s high-strength, corrosion-resistant steel along with concrete, a combination they said can improve durability while also enhancing cost efficiency. Hyundai Steel said it has already begun joint research with Hyundai E&C to build competitiveness in the next-generation offshore wind market and has filed joint patent applications related to the proprietary model. A Hyundai Steel official said the company will "successfully develop the proprietary model" and expand its share of the offshore wind market based on its experience supplying steel for offshore wind projects at home and abroad. 2026-03-15 09:09:15

Analysis: Iran war puts Korea and US allies to test as Trump asks for warship support SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) -As the war with Iran enters its third week, the conflict is no longer a distant geopolitical crisis for South Korea as it is rapidly becoming a test of alliance politics, energy security and the limits of Seoul’s willingness to project military power far beyond the Korean Peninsula. The shift came after Donald Trump on Saturday openly urged energy-dependent countries — including South Korea — to send naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz to secure global shipping lanes threatened by Iran. The remark signals a potential change in Washington’s wartime strategy. While the United States escalates air and missile strikes against Iranian military infrastructure, the responsibility for safeguarding maritime energy routes may increasingly fall on U.S. allies whose economies depend on those supply lines. In a social-media post Saturday, Trump named several countries he believes should contribute naval assets. “Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships,” he wrote, citing China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain. “The countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — a lot.” For Seoul, the message underscores how quickly a Middle East war could spill into the strategic calculations of U.S. allies in East Asia. Little sign of the war ending soon The conflict began when U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Feb. 28. Since then, the confrontation has steadily escalated. U.S. forces have reportedly struck more than 90 Iranian military targets, including infrastructure on Kharg Island, the terminal responsible for roughly 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports. Iran has responded by tightening its grip on the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil shipments normally pass. Shipping traffic has plunged to a fraction of normal levels as tankers avoid the area amid drone, missile and mine threats. Oil prices have already approached $100 per barrel, reviving fears of a new inflation shock across energy-importing economies. Washington appears reluctant to commit large ground forces. Instead, the emerging strategy emphasizes airpower and coalition maritime security. That framework inevitably places pressure on countries like South Korea. South Korea imports roughly 70 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East, much of it transported through the Strait of Hormuz. From Washington’s perspective, this creates a straightforward argument: the economies most dependent on Gulf energy should help secure the shipping routes that sustain them. But for Seoul, the question is far more complicated. Sending South Korean naval vessels into the Persian Gulf would represent not only a military decision but also a diplomatic and domestic political calculation — one shaped by history, law and geography. South Korea, having received international support during its own war, is no stranger to overseas military missions. The country’s largest foreign deployment occurred during the Vietnam War, when more than 300,000 South Korean troops served alongside U.S. forces between 1964 and 1973. Since democratization in the late 1980s, however, Seoul has adopted a more cautious approach. Overseas missions have generally been framed as peacekeeping, reconstruction or maritime security operations. South Korean forces have participated in operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon, while the navy has maintained a permanent presence in the Gulf of Aden through the Cheonghae Unit since 2009. The Cheonghae Unit was originally deployed to combat piracy near Somalia, escorting commercial vessels through one of the world’s most dangerous shipping corridors. In 2020, during an earlier confrontation between Washington and Tehran, Seoul quietly expanded the unit’s operational zone to include waters near the Strait of Hormuz. Rather than joining the U.S.-led International Maritime Security Construct coalition directly, South Korea opted for an independent mission focused on protecting its own shipping. The arrangement allowed Seoul to support maritime security while avoiding the appearance of participating in a military coalition targeting Iran. Any new deployment would face domestic legal hurdles. Under South Korean law, overseas troop deployments typically require approval from the National Assembly unless they fall under narrowly defined missions such as peacekeeping or anti-piracy operations. Even when legally feasible, foreign deployments remain politically sensitive. Public opinion in South Korea has historically been cautious about involvement in distant conflicts — particularly wars perceived as being driven by the strategic priorities of larger powers. Sending naval escorts to protect shipping could potentially be framed as a defensive maritime security mission. Direct participation in combat operations against Iran, however, would almost certainly trigger a much deeper domestic debate. Perhaps the most significant strategic constraint lies much closer to home. South Korea remains technically at war with Kim Jong Un’s regime following the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953. Maintaining deterrence against North Korea remains the central priority of the South Korean military. If U.S. forces are drawn deeper into a prolonged Middle East war, questions could emerge about the availability of American assets traditionally deployed on the Korean Peninsula — including missile defense systems and airpower. For that reason, analysts say Washington is unlikely to encourage large-scale participation by Northeast Asian allies in the Middle East theater. “The United States does not want to create vulnerabilities in East Asia while concentrating on Iran,” said Yasuyuki Matsunaga of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Still, even limited maritime missions could create political and strategic ripple effects. The situation highlights a classic challenge in alliance politics: the risk of entrapment as the country relies heavily on the U.S. security umbrella to deter North Korea. Yet policymakers have long worried that alliance obligations could eventually draw the country into conflicts far from the Korean Peninsula. The Hormuz crisis may represent precisely such a scenario. While the war itself is unfolding thousands of kilometers away, the globalized nature of energy markets and alliance networks means its consequences are already reaching East Asia. And for Seoul, the decision may ultimately hinge less on military necessity than on economic survival. If the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted and energy markets tighten further, protecting oil supply routes could become a national security issue in its own right. 2026-03-15 07:28:15

Kazakhstan prepares for national constitutional referendum ASTANA, March 14 (AJP) - Kazakhstan stands on the threshold of a truly historic stage in its development as citizens prepare to vote in a national referendum on a new draft of the Constitution. Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov stated that the new draft serves as a foundation for the long-term stability of the state and a timely response to global challenges. The reform process involved a Constitutional Commission of 130 members that reviewed more than 12,000 proposals submitted by citizens through state digital platforms. Issetov emphasized that the amendments affected 84 percent of the text, creating a document that is new in terms of its substance and meaning. The strategic goal of the reform is to strengthen statehood and independence and to improve the well-being of citizens. Under the concept of a listening state, the new Constitution establishes that the state exists for the individual, not the individual for the state. New legal protections, including the Miranda rule and the guaranteed right to privacy and personal data protection, have been elevated to the constitutional level. Issetov noted that the section devoted to the protection of human rights and freedoms has become the most extensive, comprising almost one-third of the Constitution. Economic growth remains a pillar of the national strategy, with the GDP reaching 306 billion US dollars last year. This performance allowed the country to enter the list of the 50 largest economies in the world this year. To accelerate growth capabilities, the development of science, education, culture and innovation is defined as a constitutional principle of state activity for the first time. This ambition is reinforced by the transition toward comprehensive digitalization and the development of artificial intelligence, supported by specialized legislation enacted in January. Issetov stated that these measures will create a stable and predictable legal and investment environment in which citizens are protected. The international community has deployed 359 international observers and 206 foreign journalists to monitor the proceedings. Beyond the domestic borders, 71 election commissions have been established at Kazakhstan's diplomatic missions in 54 countries to facilitate the participation of citizens abroad. The deputy foreign minister expressed high confidence that the new Basic Law will become the principal document of a Just, Strong, Safe and Clean Kazakhstan. 2026-03-15 03:51:50

Trump calls on Korea, allies to send warship as Hormuz tensions rise SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) - United States President Donald Trump said Saturday (local time) that countries affected by Iran’s attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz should send warships alongside the United States to help keep the key oil shipping route open. Writing on Truth Social, the social media platform Donald Trump launched after leaving the Oval Office in 2021, nations affected by the attempted closure of the waterway would be "sending war ships" alongside the U.S. to keep the strait open and safe. Trump specifically named China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain. "Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others that are affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area," Trump wrote. Trump also warned that despite heavy damage to Iran's military capability, the country could still threaten the waterway by launching drones, deploying mines or firing short-range missiles. "The United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water," Trump wrote, adding that Washington would ensure the strait becomes "open, safe and free." The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, carrying roughly one-fifth of global seaborne oil shipments. 2026-03-15 01:40:11

Actress Nahyun Says She Is Pregnant, Plans Wedding in About a Year Actress Nahyun, 30, said she is pregnant. On the 14th, Nahyun wrote on social media that “while we were preparing for marriage, a precious gift came to us first.” She said she had been “carefully” spending time and was now sharing the news because she had reached a stable stage. “The order changed a bit, but it feels like an even more special start for us,” she added. Nahyun said she plans to take more time to prepare the wedding and expects it will be held in about a year. “I would appreciate your warm blessings,” she said. The photos she posted included a baby ultrasound image and pictures of baby clothes. Nahyun debuted in 2013 through the music video for Secret’s “I Do I Do.” In 2015, she debuted in the group Sonamoo, performing as a lead dancer and vocalist.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-14 20:27:13

Hyundai halts sales of some Palisade models after U.S. fatal accident, plans recall SEOUL, March 14 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor has suspended sales of certain versions of its large sport utility vehicle (SUV), the All-New Palisade, after identifying a potential safety issue. Hyundai said Saturday that the power-folding function of the second- and third-row seats may fail to detect contact with occupants or objects under certain conditions, prompting the company to temporarily halt sales of vehicles equipped with the feature. According to Reuters, a two-year-old girl died in Ohio on March 7 in an incident related to the Palisade’s power seat mechanism. Hyundai said it plans to resume sales after improving the vehicle’s anti-pinch safety function. For vehicles already sold, the automaker plans to carry out a voluntary recall and will report the measure next week to South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The company said it will strengthen overall system safety by increasing the sensitivity of the occupant and object detection system and limiting the power-folding seat function to situations when the tailgate is open. The exact number of vehicles subject to recall is still being calculated, but the measure is expected to cover models produced through March 11 this year. The affected vehicles are estimated at 57,474 units in South Korea and 74,965 units in North America. The All-New Palisade exported about 100,000 units worldwide last year, while 59,506 units were sold in South Korea, according to the company. Hyundai apologized for the inconvenience caused to customers, saying it will continue to prioritize safety and thoroughly review all related issues to maintain customer trust. 2026-03-14 15:42:22