Asia's largest cruise ship to sail from Incheon under Lotte Tour partnership SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - South Korea's Lotte Tour Development has partnered with global cruise operator MSC Cruises to operate a large cruise ship with South Korea as its home port. The company said on Wednesday it signed a strategic partnership agreement with MSC Cruises on Jan. 27 covering charter operations. Under the agreement, the 170,000-ton MSC Bellissima will begin sailings from Incheon Port in June 2027. Lotte Tour Development described the vessel as the largest cruise ship to operate from a South Korean home port. The MSC Bellissima is about 315 meters long, and can accommodate up to 5,600 passengers. Existing cruise ships used for charter operations in South Korea typically measure about 110,000 tons, the company said. The inaugural itinerary will be a six-night, seven-day voyage departing from Incheon, calling at Keelung in Taiwan and Sasebo in Japan, before returning to Incheon. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-01-28 10:14:37

EV battery materials maker Ecopro sets up European sales unit in Germany SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - South Korean battery materials maker Ecopro has established its first Europe-based sales unit. The company said on Wednesday it has set up a European sales unit in Germany and appointed Kimbal Virdi as director. Ecopro said the new unit will function as a European business hub, tasked with identifying growth opportunities in the region’s rapidly evolving electric vehicle and battery supply chain. Ecopro said regulatory changes, including the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act, are accelerating efforts by European automakers to secure key battery materials directly from suppliers within the region. The company said the sales unit will enable it to respond more quickly to customer demand and strengthen its competitiveness in winning orders. In November, Ecopro opened a cathode materials plant in Debrecen, Hungary. With the new unit in place, Ecopro said it plans to more closely link production, sales and marketing operations and expand cooperation with local battery cell makers and automakers. To align with Europe’s EV market, where smaller vehicles account for a large share of demand, the company said it will diversify its product lineup beyond high-nickel cathode materials to include high-voltage, mid-nickel products aimed at balancing performance and cost. The firm said it is stepping up partnerships with local recycling companies to build a network for securing stable supplies of end-of-life battery materials, positioning itself to play a larger role in Europe’s battery resource-circulation ecosystem. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-01-28 10:01:43

Trump says Washington will "work something out" with Korea over tariff issue SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) -U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to reinstate “reciprocal tariffs” on South Korean exports, hinted at a possible compromise on Tuesday before departing for Iowa on a campaign-style trip focused on the economy. “We’ll work something out with South Korea,” Trump said when asked about his earlier remarks suggesting tariffs on Korean products — including automobiles — could be raised to 25 percent from 15 percent. He had cited delays in South Korea’s legislative procedures to approve a trade framework tied to $350 billion in investment pledges from Korean companies. An anonymous White House official told The Wall Street Journal that Trump was frustrated by what he views as Seoul’s failure to deliver on its commitments. “While the president lowered tariffs on Korea, the Koreans have made no progress on fulfilling their end of the bargain,” the official said. “Other alleged issues in the U.S.-Korea relationship are not pertinent to the president’s decision here.” The report however said the Trump administration has warned Seoul against targeting U.S. technology companies through what it views as discriminatory regulations or investigations. Concerns over South Korea’s broad probe into Coupang — which brands itself as a U.S. tech company while providing platform services primarily to Korean consumers — were raised during a meeting last week between U.S. Vice President JD Vance and visiting South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. The latter had explained that the ongoing investigation probes a massive data breach, regardless of where it is based. 2026-01-28 09:27:30

North Korea 'tests upgraded multiple rocket launcher system' SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - North Korea has test-fired an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), state media reported on Wednesday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the test, conducted the previous day, was intended to "verify the effectiveness of a renewed large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system which employed new technology." With its leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, accompanied by key military officials, Tuesday's test of four MRLS rockets "hit a target in waters 358.5 kilometers away from the point of launch," KCNA said. KCNA quoted Kim as saying, "Today's test is of great significance in improving the effectiveness of our strategic deterrent." Boasting that "no other country would acquire such technology or possess such capability in a few years at least," he added, "Our artillerymen, possessed with the most precise, destructive and massive strike capability, will perform the responsible mission of deterring war." The Joint Chiefs of Staff here said the previous day it detected several short-range ballistic missiles launched about 3:50 p.m. the previous day from the area north of Pyongyang toward the East Sea, flying about 350 kilometers. The Joint Chiefs of Staff here said it detected several short-range ballistic missiles launched around 3:50 p.m. the previous day from an area north of Pyongyang toward the East Sea. They flew approximately 350 kilometers. It was the fourth such provocation since Lee took office in June last year and the second this year. Experts speculated that the latest test was aimed at highlighting the country's military arsenal ahead of its key party congress, expected early next month. 2026-01-28 09:19:52

HBM4 production nears as Samsung, SK hynix vie for AI chip dominance SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are set to begin mass production of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) as early as next month, intensifying competition in the fast-growing market for artificial intelligence semiconductors. According to industry sources on Wednesday, the two South Korean companies plan to start HBM4 mass production in February, with Samsung operating lines at its Pyeongtaek campus and SK hynix at its Icheon facility. The move signals that quality validation by key customers, including Nvidia, is nearing completion and that large-volume supply orders are imminent. Analysts say the company that ramps up production first could secure an early advantage in the next phase of the AI chip race. Samsung is seeking to regain technological leadership by moving early with HBM4. The company has recently passed final HBM4 quality tests conducted by Nvidia and AMD and is preparing to begin formal deliveries next month. Samsung lost ground to SK hynix in earlier generations such as HBM3 and HBM3E but has expressed confidence in its technological edge for HBM4. Samsung’s HBM4 uses a 4-nanometer foundry process for the logic die and sixth-generation 10-nanometer-class DRAM, a combination designed to maximize processing speed and power efficiency. SK hynix, meanwhile, is aiming to defend its market lead by deepening ties with major technology firms beyond Nvidia. The company has been confirmed as the sole supplier of HBM3E for Microsoft’s in-house AI accelerator, the Maia 200, unveiled on Jan. 26. The chip uses six stacks of SK hynix’s 12-layer HBM3E products. The development underscores SK hynix’s expanding role not only in Nvidia’s supply chain but also among large technology companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft. SK hynix has said it expects to maintain more than a 50 percent share of the HBM4 market, citing cooperation with Nvidia from the development stage of its next-generation Rubin graphics processing unit. HBM4 is widely seen as a potential game-changer for AI accelerators from 2026, as it offers roughly double the bandwidth of current-generation products, significantly boosting AI computing performance. Bank of America forecasts the global HBM market will reach $54.6 billion this year, up 58 percent from a year earlier. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-01-28 09:03:29

Remembrance as obligation: where Koreans, Germans and Israelis find common ground SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - Skeletons dance across the ruins of civilization, fiddling among the wreckage of Western art, science and technology. Human life has vanished into ash and rubble. Only kites drifting overhead retain faint traces of emotion, their faces suspended between innocence and despair. Painted in hiding in Brussels and dated April 18, 1944, Death Triumphant is believed to be the final work of German-Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum. Often described as a modern danse macabre, the painting confronts the collapse of human values at a moment when the artist himself was living under constant threat. “If I perish, do not let my paintings die,” Nussbaum wrote. “Show them to the people.” “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness,” Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel would later say. More than eight decades on, Nussbaum’s works have traveled to an unlikely place to fulfill that charge: a museum dedicated to democracy in downtown Seoul. The exhibition, jointly organized by the Israeli and German embassies, presents his art not merely as historical record but as testimony — an insistence that memory endures beyond annihilation. In Self-Portrait with Jewish Identity Card (1943), Nussbaum depicts himself branded by the Star of David and an identification document imposed by Nazi authorities. While red lettering on the card defines him as Jewish under racial law, his birthplace, Osnabrück, is deliberately blurred, signaling the erasure of home and legal identity. Facing the viewer directly and wearing a bourgeois hat, Nussbaum clings to his identity as an artist even as persecution tightens. That intimate defiance expands in The Damned, completed on Jan. 5, 1944. The painting shows persecuted figures waiting in hiding, their gestures and expressions suspended between fear, resignation and quiet endurance. Nussbaum places himself among them, echoing earlier self-portraits while replacing symbols of autonomy with imagery that suggests the inevitability of death. Speaking at the opening ceremony, German Ambassador Georg Schmidt warned against reducing the Holocaust to abstraction. “The Holocaust is often reduced to numbers that defy comprehension,” Schmidt said. “Six million is a figure that goes beyond human imagination. It is much easier to connect with individuals. That is why we are telling the story of the German-Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum.” Schmidt pointed to Germany’s postwar constitutional commitment — that “human dignity shall be inviolable” — as a direct response to the crimes of the Nazi era, rooted in the recognition that unchecked nationalism and racial fanaticism lead to catastrophe. Israeli Ambassador Raphael Harpaz cautioned against treating the Holocaust as a closed chapter of history. “The Holocaust is not a tragedy of the past. It is painfully relevant today,” Harpaz said, pointing to the persistence of antisemitism and its amplification through social media and digital platforms. “Remembrance is not only a responsibility. It is an obligation.” The ceremony was held at the National Museum of Korean Democracy, formerly the Namyeong-dong Anti-Communist Investigation Office — a site once associated with torture, state violence and political repression during South Korea’s authoritarian period. Lee Jae-oh, chairman of the Korea Democracy Foundation, said the transformation of the site itself mirrors the purpose of remembrance. “This place was once deeply marked by the scars of state violence,” Lee said. “Today, it stands as a space where we record and reflect on that painful history in order to learn the value of human rights and democracy.” Lee stressed that the Holocaust offers a universal warning about the consequences of abandoning human dignity and failing to restrain state power. “When past suffering is ignored or erased, history regresses,” he said. “By examining Felix Nussbaum’s desperate artistic records and bearing witness to the tragedy of Auschwitz, we awaken our society’s awareness of human rights and strive to build a democratic community where discrimination and exclusion have no place.” Asked what message he hopes visitors will take from the exhibition, Harpaz emphasized the danger of silence. “The message is about refusing silence in the face of hatred directed at people for who they are,” he said. “Recent years have shown how easily antisemitism resurfaces when individuals are targeted not for their actions, but for their identity. There must be zero tolerance for such hatred.” Harpaz noted that the exhibition has drawn strong public interest in South Korea. Since 2017, the German and Israeli embassies have jointly marked International Holocaust Memorial Day in Seoul, pairing official ceremonies with exhibitions and educational programs aimed at younger generations. The exhibition, titled Remembering for the Future, runs from Jan. 27 to March 15, 2026. 2026-01-27 18:08:21

Trump's tariff threat jolts Seoul politics but leaves markets largely unruffled SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - President Donald Trump’s renewed tariff threat against South Korea rattled the political establishment in Seoul but stopped short of derailing financial markets, underscoring investors’ view that the dispute is more political theater than an imminent economic shock. Washington’s displeasure over what it sees as Seoul’s slow follow-through on investment commitments tied to tariff relief had been telegraphed in advance. According to government sources, the U.S. government sent a letter to Seoul about two weeks ago urging South Korea to fulfill follow-up obligations under the trade-related section of a bilateral “Joint Fact Sheet” agreed last November. The correspondence was reportedly addressed to Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Fair Trade Commission Chair Ju Biung-ghi, and appears to have served as a prelude to Trump’s latest move. In a post Monday on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump accused South Korea’s National Assembly of failing to complete the legal procedures required to implement the trade commitments. He announced that tariffs on Korean automobiles, timber, pharmaceuticals and “all other reciprocal TARIFFS” would be raised from 15 percent to 25 percent, without specifying an effective date. Industry Minister Kim, who was in Ottawa to support a Korean consortium bidding for Canada’s submarine procurement project, cut short his schedule and headed to Washington to engage U.S. officials. U.S. observers noted that Seoul has become the latest target in what they described as a broader Trumpian tariff offensive that has also swept in the European Union and Canada, all accused of foot-dragging on trade or investment pledges. The overnight threat had an immediate wake-up effect on the political front in Seoul. President Lee Jae Myung, presiding over a cabinet meeting, criticized the National Assembly for moving “too slowly” on legislation, without explicitly referencing the special bill related to U.S. investment commitments. Rep. Kim Han-kyu of the ruling Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee, said lawmakers were already advancing the necessary bills and budget measures. “Despite President Trump’s remarks, the National Assembly will proceed calmly according to the planned schedule,” Kim said, adding that tariff-related commitments “are being carried out as agreed.” Financial markets, however, appeared largely unfazed. The benchmark KOSPI rose 2.73 percent to close at a record 5,084.85, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ gained 1.71 percent to 1,082.59. The Korean won weakened only marginally, with the U.S. dollar rising 0.20 won to 1,448.2 won. “The market rally shows that investors trust the government’s composed response and are not shaken by President Trump’s actions,” the ruling party lawmaker said. Opposition figures were less sanguine. Rep. Choi Eun-seok of the main opposition People Power Party argued that the administration had downplayed the need for parliamentary ratification of the trade deal. “The government’s complacency has given the U.S. an excuse to act unilaterally,” Choi said, calling for a parliamentary hearing with Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yoon-cheol to determine “what went wrong.” The blame game quickly escalated. Democratic Party Rep. Cho In-chul countered that opposition lawmakers themselves had slowed legislative progress. “The agreement clearly states that ratification is not required,” Cho said. “All that’s needed is supporting legislation. The Strategy and Finance Committee is chaired by the opposition, yet they accuse us of inaction.” U.S. scholars were broadly critical of Trump’s tariff posture toward allies. Jeffrey Frankel, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School, said Trump was not singling out South Korea. “He is imposing tariffs that are illegal, illogical and harmful on almost all U.S. trading partners,” Frankel said. Matthew Bunn, also of Harvard, said Trump’s actions were difficult to explain. “I have no idea what has caused President Trump to suddenly do this — along with so many other things that undermine the interests of American allies,” Bunn said. Erik A. Gartzke, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, described Trump’s behavior as “bullying.” “Don’t worry — the Republic of Korea is nothing special,” Gartzke said. “People around the world are learning that Trump is a bully. Accommodate him and he will come back for more. Stand up to him and he usually chickens out.” John Dunn, professor emeritus at the University of Cambridge, called Trump “a very impatient bully,” arguing that his approach reflects “a minimalist conception of a contract — it binds others but not him unless they have a means to enforce it.” Trump, Dunn added, “rightly supposes that South Korea is more dependent on the U.S. than the U.S. is on South Korea, and therefore cannot enforce the agreement.” “This is a completely general pattern of behavior,” Dunn said. “He has only really backed off in the case of China. The South Korean legislative process, meanwhile, is seldom brisk.” 2026-01-27 17:44:38

KOSPI defies Trumpian tantrums to scale record high SEOUL, January 27 (AJP)-Korean Exchange staff beam before an electronic board at the main bourse in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Monday, as the benchmark KOSPI flashes past the 5,000 mark on a closing basis for the first time. The index ended the session at a historic 5,084.85, jumping 135.26 points, or 2.73 percent, from the previous trading day, shrugging off renewed tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ also advanced, gaining 18.18 points, or 1.71 percent, to close at 1,082.59. The scene captured a moment of quiet defiance, as markets pressed higher while political noise echoed beyond the trading floor. 2026-01-27 17:42:43

North Korea fires projectiles toward East Sea SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - North Korea fired what is believed to be ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Tuesday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected "unidentified projectiles" launched by North Korea later in the day but did not provide further details. The JCS is currently analyzing them. The North's provocation came about a month after it ushered in the New Year with a missile launch on Jan. 4. as South President Lee Jae Myung was set to leave for Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Tuesday's launch was the fourth such provocation since Lee took office in June last year and the second this year. 2026-01-27 17:06:36

KOSPI, unfazed by Trump's antics, closes above 5,000 points SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI closed above 5,000 points on Tuesday, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's sudden threat to raise tariffs again. The index closed at 5,084.85, up 2.73 percent from the previous session, and the junior KOSDAQ also rose 1.71 percent to 1,082.59 after reaching a milestone of 1,000 points the previous day for the first time in about four years. Shares of Samsung Electronics rose 4.87 percent to 159,500 won, while SK hynix surged a whopping 8.70 percent to 800,000 won, further boosted by news that it was chosen as the exclusive supplier of HBM3E high-bandwidth memory for Microsoft's next-generation, artificial intelligence (AI) chip dubbed Maia 200. Other large-cap stocks were mixed, with Samsung Biologics dropping 0.94 percent to 1,790,000 won, Samsung Life Insurance rising 2.69 percent to 187,100 won, and LG Energy Solution falling 1.8 percent to 408,500 won. Shipbuilding-related shares were also mixed, with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries falling 2.81 percent to 588,000 won and Hanwha Ocean up 0.5 percent to 140,500 won. Trump's threat somewhat affected auto-related stocks, as Hyundai Motor closed down 0.81 percent at 488,500 won, which was a slight recovery after falling nearly 5 percent in earlier trading. Kia also dropped 1.1 percent to 153,500 won. Defense and aerospace stocks also traded lower, with Hanwha Aerospace down 2.54 percent at 1,230,000 won. Individuals sold a net 1.02 trillion won ($705 million), while foreigners and institutional investors snapped up a net 850.8 billion won and 232.7 billion won, respectively. The won remained stable against the greenback, trading at 1,444.60 per dollar. Elsewhere in Asia, Japanese shares edged higher after opening lower, with the Nikkei 225 Index up 0.85 percent at 53,333.54. 2026-01-27 16:47:41