Hanwha Systems to supply cockpit displays for F-15 jets in deal with Boeing SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - South Korea's Hanwha Systems said on Thursday it has secured its first foothold in the U.S. defense market by winning a contract to export digital avionics equipment to Boeing. The South Korean defense company said it has signed a deal to supply Boeing with a large-area multifunction display, known as the enhanced large-area display (ELAD), for F-15K fighter jets and the U.S. Air Force’s F-15EX aircraft. The display integrates information that was previously shown across multiple cockpit instruments into a single large screen, allowing pilots to access critical flight and mission data more quickly and improving situational awareness and operational efficiency, the company said. Hanwha Systems said the initial deliveries and application of its avionics to the F-15K fleet are expected to support greater participation by South Korean technology providers in U.S.-led fighter jet upgrade programs. The company attributed the contract to government-backed industrial cooperation and defense sales diplomacy, including support from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and its aviation program office. DAPA signed an industrial cooperation memorandum of understanding with Boeing in November last year as part of efforts to upgrade South Korea’s F-15K fleet and expand the role of domestic companies in major overseas procurement programs. Hanwha Systems said being a supplier of the large cockpit display for the F-15 platform will open the door to further opportunities in the U.S. defense market. The company also supplies seven core avionics systems for South Korea’s domestically developed KF-21 fighter jet, including the mission computer, multifunction display, audio control and communication system, and terrain-following computer, all developed using domestic technology. In addition, Hanwha Systems provides the KF-21 with domestically produced systems such as an infrared search-and-track sensor and electro-optical targeting equipment. 2025-12-18 09:49:04

Samsung C&T advances Australian energy push with HVDC transmission deal SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Samsung C&T Corp.’s construction unit said on Thursday it has won a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project in Australia. The company said it signed a contract with Marinus Link, a government-backed company established by Australia’s federal government and the state governments of Victoria and Tasmania, for the Marinus Link HVDC project. The project involves the engineering, procurement and construction of a 750-megawatt HVDC transmission system connecting the Hazelwood area in Victoria with the Heybridge area in Tasmania. The system will comprise about 90 kilometers of underground cable and 255 kilometers of subsea cable, for a total length of 350 kilometers. Samsung C&T said it formed a joint venture with local infrastructure contractor DTI to carry out civil works related to underground cable installation and the construction of converter stations. Of the total project value of about 940 billion won ($680 million), Samsung C&T’s 50 percent share amounts to roughly 470 billion won. The company said it received strong evaluations from the client during the early contractor involvement process after presenting an optimized design and highlighting experience gained from its HVDC project in the United Arab Emirates. “The Marinus Link HVDC project demonstrates recognition of Samsung C&T’s technology and project execution capabilities in the Australian market,” said Kim Sung-jun, vice president and head of the company’s energy solutions sales division. “We will continue to expand our business in Australia and the global energy market.” Samsung C&T said it has secured around 1 trillion won in orders in Australia’s energy sector this year, including a battery energy storage system project in Victoria worth about 200 billion won won in July. Since entering the Australian market with the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub project in 2023, the company has been carrying out energy storage system projects totaling about 2.9 gigawatt-hours, it added. 2025-12-18 09:38:22

Naver seeks to complete acquisition of Spain's Wallapop, steps up European expansion SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - South Korean internet company Naver Corp. is entering the final stages of its acquisition of Wallapop, Spain’s largest consumer-to-consumer marketplace, accelerating its expansion into Europe, industry sources said on Thursday. Naver said the deal is aimed at strengthening its position in the global consumer market while enhancing services through the integration of its core artificial intelligence technologies. Naver said on Tuesday that it will acquire about 562.7 million shares of its Spain-based subsidiary, NW Holdings, for 972.7 billion won. The transaction converts funds previously lent by Naver to the local unit to finance the Wallapop purchase into equity. Once the share acquisition is completed on March 30 next year, NW Holdings will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Naver, effectively completing the financial procedures related to the Wallapop acquisition. Founded in Spain, Wallapop operates one of Europe’s largest secondhand marketplaces, with about 19 million monthly active users. The platform offers a wide range of listings, from daily necessities to electronics and automobiles, and has recently expanded beyond Spain into southern European markets, including Italy and Portugal. Naver has been building its stake in Wallapop in stages since 2021. The latest investment secures full control of the company, including management rights, Naver said. The company plans to integrate its search, advertising and payment solutions into Wallapop, while applying AI technologies to improve operational efficiency and profitability. A key part of the strategy is the deployment of an “AI agent.” At its DAN 25 conference in November, Naver unveiled plans for an AI agent capable of understanding user context and managing the entire transaction process — from product discovery and search to payment and delivery booking — through a single interface. Naver said its experience operating an end-to-end digital ecosystem could generate strong synergies when applied to a global platform such as Wallapop. The acquisition is also strategically important from a data perspective, the company said. As AI model performance becomes increasingly standardized, access to large volumes of proprietary data is emerging as a critical competitive advantage. Naver expects Wallapop’s extensive user community data and real-time insights into product trends to further strengthen its AI capabilities. “The acquisition of Wallapop is a strategic choice to secure data and sustain long-term growth in the consumer-to-consumer segment,” Chief Executive Choi Soo-yeon, said. “By combining Naver’s technology with a global platform, we aim to create new value.” 2025-12-18 09:26:54

Opposition parties push for independent probe into Unification Church scandal SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is working together with the minor centrist Reform Party (RP) to push for a probe by independent prosecutors into bribery allegations involving the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. After a meeting between the two parties' floor leaders Song Eon-seok and Cheon Ha-ram on Wednesday, they agreed to proceed with it as early as this week, although they need to resolve some differences including the scope of the probe. The development comes amid a snowballing scandal involving the church’s leader Han Hak-ja who allegedly bribed a slew of government officials and politicians from both the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and opposition parties. But a bill for the probe would face an uphill battle in the National Assembly, where the DP holds a majority of seats and has firmly opposed it. Meanwhile, the widow of the church's founder, Moon Sun-myung, has been held in a remand prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province since September on various corruption charges including bribery and embezzlement. 2025-12-18 09:23:15

Korea's Doosan Corp. named preferred bidder for wafer maker SK siltron SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Heavy-equipment-strong South Korean conglomerate Doosan Group has moved closer to the chipmaking segment after being named the preferred bidder to acquire SK siltron, the world’s third-largest maker of silicon wafers. SK Inc. said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that it had notified Doosan Corp. of its selection as the preferred negotiating partner for the sale of its stake in SK siltron. SK Inc. holds 70.6 percent in the wafer entity. Given the market-estimated valuation of around 5 trillion ($3.4 billion), the transaction is expected to be worth roughly 3 trillion to 4 trillion won, depending on final terms. It remains unclear whether the deal will involve remaining 29.4 percent stake held by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. “Details of the transaction will be determined through negotiations with the preferred bidder,” SK Inc. said, adding that a follow-up disclosure would be made once terms are finalized or within three months. SK siltron-held technology is labeled "national core technology" as it is the country's sole specialized producer of semiconductor wafers, a core base material for chip manufacturing, and ranks third globally by market share in 12-inch wafers. It supplies Samsung Electronics and SK hynix and has not posted a loss since joining SK Group. Its medium- to long-term outlook is viewed as relatively solid, supported by expanding AI-driven chip demand and rising utilization rates at major customers. The potential acquisition comes as Doosan accelerates a strategic pivot toward semiconductors as part of a broader portfolio reshuffle. The group has already expanded into the sector through the acquisition of semiconductor testing company Doosan Tesna and its subsidiary Enzion, while also strengthening its materials and equipment businesses. If the SK Siltron deal is completed, Doosan would build a vertically integrated semiconductor portfolio structured around three pillars: Doosan Tesna, which specializes in non-memory chip testing; Doosan Corp.’s Electronics BG unit, which produces copper-clad laminate (CCL) used in semiconductor substrates; and SK Siltron, which would supply customized wafers. Doosan Corp.’s Electronics BG unit posted standalone revenue of 439.9 billion won in the third quarter, with cumulative revenue through September reaching 1.319 trillion won — already surpassing last year’s full-year figure of 1.0072 trillion won. SK Group has sought to divest SK siltron since early this year as part of an ongoing restructuring aimed at reallocating resources toward core growth engines. Several domestic and overseas private equity funds conducted preliminary due diligence in the first half of the year, but talks stalled amid differences over valuation and deal terms. 2025-12-18 07:59:54

OPINION: The costs of 'cartel eradication' politics and martial law A year has passed since the declaration and swift lifting of martial law on Dec. 3, and eight months since former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office by the Constitutional Court’s impeachment ruling on April 4. Yet the political reckoning is far from complete. That unresolved mood was reflected in a Gallup Korea survey released on Nov. 28 assessing the achievements and failures of 11 former presidents. Yoon recorded the highest negative ratings and the lowest positive ones. The martial law episode weighed heavily, but respondents also pointed to early personnel decisions that placed many former prosecutors in key posts, policy missteps such as the abrupt expansion of medical school admissions and deep cuts to the national R&D budget, and what critics described as a closed and stubborn response to allegations involving the first lady. When the Yoon administration took office in 2022, it advanced three major reform agendas — labor, education and pensions — alongside a broader campaign to eradicate what it called “cartels.” The rhetoric intensified in July 2023 and again in Yoon’s 2024 New Year’s address, where he warned against “clique cartels.” He cited alleged collusion involving labor unions, research funding allocations, CSAT exam writers and improper ties between pharmaceutical firms and medical professionals. In principle, dismantling cartels — closed systems of collusion for private gain — is a goal few would dispute. History shows that such crackdowns can succeed. In 1993, President Kim Young-sam abruptly dismantled Hanahoe, a secretive military faction that had dominated senior posts and helped propel Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae -woo to power after the Dec. 12 coup. Its dissolution widened the pool of military leadership and weakened entrenched networks. The Yoon administration also moved against what it labeled a “construction union cartel,” accusing unions of coercive hiring practices, forced equipment use and extortion. Over time, privileged clauses in collective bargaining agreements — including preferential hiring for union members’ children and special leave provisions abolished under labor law — have been gradually revised across administrations. Other initiatives, however, produced damaging consequences. One was the attack on what Yoon called a “research funding cartel,” arguing that national R&D resources had been “shared out” and “split up.” Following his call for a “zero-base” review, the 2024 R&D budget was slashed by 16.6 percent, or 5.2 trillion won. The cut dealt a severe blow to South Korea’s research ecosystem, one that could take more than a decade to repair. Because science and engineering research is conducted primarily through university laboratories, funding cuts immediately disrupt scholarships, wages and ongoing projects. The decision was especially ill-timed as South Korea seeks to become a global leader in artificial intelligence amid intensifying competition for talent. Another controversy arose from the government’s handling of the so-called “private education cartel” in CSAT test writing. A small number of teachers who had sold exam questions to private tutoring firms were used to justify branding thousands of committee members as cartel participants. Claims that CSAT writers are monopolized by graduates of a few universities were also disputed. From parents’ perspective, what matters most is exam difficulty — measured by correct-answer rates — rather than abstract assurances of validity. Ensuring appropriate difficulty requires experienced writers, and committees cannot function if staffed solely with newcomers. Beyond these reform agendas, two deeper tasks demand attention. The first is dismantling a “prosecutors’ cartel” — cases in which authority is abused or allegations are selectively ignored. Prosecutors swear to uphold justice and human rights as guardians of the public interest. Those who conducted investigations or indictments to suit political power must be held accountable. The second is confronting a “political cartel” shaped by outdated military and prosecutorial thinking. In a democracy, a president and ruling party must secure public support and parliamentary majorities to implement policy. Attempting to overcome political resistance through martial law belongs to another era. The People Power Party, which produced Yoon, bears responsibility for failing to apologize for a declaration made in circumstances far removed from war or national emergency, instead attributing blame to the opposition’s legislative tactics. The lesson is broader. It is undesirable for individuals trained to view society primarily through the lens of criminal investigation to move directly into politics. Prosecutors and judges must remain politically neutral, and those who choose a political path should first resign their posts. At the same time, sweeping institutional abolition or the creation of vague new crimes risks overreach when existing laws already allow for prosecution or impeachment of wrongdoing. As South Korea approaches 2026, it would do well to return to the Constitution’s first principle: the Republic of Korea is a democratic republic, and sovereignty resides in the people. The task ahead is not to amplify slogans — “cartel eradication,” “clearing deep-rooted evils,” “ending insurrection” — but to build a political culture in which democracy and popular sovereignty operate quietly, consistently and without coercion. About the author ▷Graduated from Seoul National University, College of Education, English Education ▷Ph.D. in education, Seoul National University ▷Senior researcher, Korea Educational Development Institute ▷Research professor, University of Texas at Austin ▷President, Korean Association of Primary English Education ▷Sixth president, Gyeongin National University of Education ▷President, International Graduate School of Language Education * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-18 07:27:54

LG Energy Solution ends $6.5 bn deal with Ford amid EV slowdown SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) -South Korea's LG Energy Solution said Wednesday it has terminated an electric vehicle battery supply contract with Ford Motor worth an estimated 9.6 trillion won ($6.5 billion), after the U.S. automaker decided to halt production of some EV models amid shifting policy conditions and a softer demand outlook. In a regulatory filing after the stock market closure, the South Korean battery maker said the termination followed formal notice from Ford, which recently reassessed its EV production plans in response to changes in the policy environment and cooling expectations for electric vehicle demand. The contract, originally disclosed on Oct. 15, 2024, was signed on Oct. 14 and covered battery supplies for multiple Ford EV models. LG Energy Solution said the disclosed termination amount was calculated by applying battery prices at the time of contract signing to the originally agreed supply volume, making the figure an estimate rather than a realized loss. The company added that the reference to recent sales in the filing was based on its consolidated financial statements as of the end of 2023, while the termination date reflects the day it received the cancellation notice from Ford. Ford has been scaling back its EV ambitions as costs rise and demand growth proves slower than initially expected. The automaker recently canceled or delayed several EV models, signaling a more cautious rollout strategy amid weaker consumer uptake, margin pressure and lingering infrastructure constraints. Shares of LG Energy Solution closed Wednesday, mildly down 0.6 percent at 415,500 won after a 6-percent slide on the previous day. LG Energy Solution, one of the world’s largest EV battery suppliers with clients spanning North America, Europe and Asia, has recently emphasized efforts to protect its intellectual property and diversify its customer base as competition intensifies and growth expectations moderate. 2025-12-17 18:20:05

Asian stocks edge higher ahead of BOJ rate decision SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - Asian equities closed modestly higher on Wednesday, with South Korean stocks rebounding as heavyweight chipmakers led gains, while investors across the region remained cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting later this week. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI rose 1.4 percent to 4,056.41, recovering above the 4,000 mark after two consecutive sessions of losses. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ slipped 0.6 percent to 911.07. Samsung Electronics jumped 5 percent to 107,900 won ($72.9), while SK hynix gained 4 percent to 551,000 won, lifting the broader market. The rally in memory chip stocks came as investors positioned for Micron Technology’s quarterly earnings due Thursday, widely viewed as a bellwether for the global memory cycle. By contrast, Samsung Biologics fell 2.2 percent to 1.75 million won, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries slid 1 percent to 519,000 won. Stock-specific moves were also driven by President Lee Jae Myung’s remarks during a series of televised government briefings. During a health ministry briefing on Tuesday, Lee said hair-loss treatment — long categorized as cosmetic — was increasingly viewed as a medical necessity, adding that the government could consider caps on reimbursements or overall spending if fiscal burdens grew. The comments triggered a sharp rally in related stocks. Metalabs surged 29.7 percent to 2,205 won, TS Trillion jumped 29.8 percent to 340 won, and Innosin climbed 29.9 percent to 2,255 won, all hitting their daily upper limits. Metalabs and Innosin operate in hair-loss treatment, while TS Trillion sells anti-hair-loss shampoo. Casino stocks, meanwhile, came under pressure after Lee said during a culture ministry briefing that “foreigners-only casinos are, after all, gambling houses.” Paradise fell 7 percent to 16,260 won, and Lotte Tour Development slid 6.8 percent to 21,800 won. Entertainment stocks posted broad gains. SM Entertainment rose 5.8 percent to 118,200 won, JYP Entertainment climbed 4.1 percent to 70,800 won, Hybe advanced 2.7 percent to 304,000 won, and YG Entertainment added 1.7 percent to 64,700 won. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 edged up 0.3 percent to 49,512.28 as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the Bank of Japan’s interest-rate decision expected on Friday. Toyota Motor rose 0.6 percent to 3,349 yen ($21.5), SoftBank Group gained 1.3 percent to 16,755 yen, and Hitachi advanced 2.1 percent to 4,959 yen. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group fell 1 percent to 2,453 yen, while Sony slipped 0.8 percent to 4,039 yen. China’s Shanghai Composite Index outperformed the region, climbing 1.2 percent to 3,870.28. 2025-12-17 17:54:46

Much ado about nothing: Korea's "Hwandan Gogi" controversy winds down SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - Claims that Korean ancestry dates back to the Stone Age and that an ancient polity called Hwan-guk once spanned territories stretching from western Europe to China resurfaced briefly in South Korea’s political spotlight this month — before being swiftly dismissed by historians. The claims originate from Hwandan Gogi, a book published in 1979 by Yi Yu-rip, founder of the religious group Taebaekgyo. The text asserts that Hwan-guk had a population of 180 million around 1600 B.C., exceeding the populations of present-day Bangladesh or Russia. Long regarded by scholars as pseudohistory, the obscure book drew renewed attention after President Lee Jae Myung raised the issue during a televised government briefing last Friday. During a round of briefings with state-run agencies, Lee asked Park Ji-hyang, chair of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, whether the government-funded think tank had examined the validity of Hwandan Gogi. The president’s public reference to what mainstream historians consider a forgery triggered immediate backlash from the academic community. On Friday, 48 academic associations in history and archaeology, including the Korean Ancient History Society, issued a joint statement rejecting the premise outright. “There is no academic debate between historians and pseudo-historians,” the statement said. “What exists are only one-sided defamation and absurd claims from pseudo-history directed at academia.” The scholars noted that no verified 1911 edition of the text — as claimed by its proponents — has ever been found, and that the book contains numerous modern terms that could not have existed in pre-modern Korea. Many of those terms were coined in Japan during the late 19th century following the Meiji Restoration, when Japanese intellectuals created new Sino-Japanese vocabulary to translate Western political and philosophical concepts such as “civilization” and “enlightenment.” Their presence in Hwandan Gogi is widely cited as evidence of modern fabrication. Although the book purports to be a compilation of texts from the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, historians overwhelmingly agree that it was written by Yi himself and published in 1979. Yoo Hong-jun, director of the National Museum of Korea, described Hwandan Gogi as “a fantasy born from a sense of national inferiority and a form of self-consolation,” during a lecture Tuesday at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. Yoo said the president’s remarks should not be interpreted as an endorsement. “The reference was not to validate its historical claims,” he said, “but to question how the Foundation is dealing with blind followers of such views.” Opposition politicians nevertheless seized on the controversy. Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party and former head of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook: “If Hwandan Gogi is history, then The Lord of the Rings is history too.” He added that calling it a matter of interpretation was “like saying flat-earth theory is just another scientific opinion.” The presidential office moved quickly to contain the fallout. Spokesperson Lee Kyu-yeon said the president was merely encouraging public interest in ancient history research and “was not offering any positive evaluation of Hwandan Gogi or lending it legitimacy.” Lee Jeong-bin, a history professor at Kyung Hee University, bluntly summed up: “Discussing the text itself is a waste of time,” he said. “It only reconfirms that Hwandan Gogi is a complete fantasy — not history.” 2025-12-17 17:47:46

SHINee's Key leaves TV shows amid alleged improper medical treatment controversy SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - K-pop boy band SHINee member Key belatedly admitted to receiving improper medical treatment and issued an apology, announcing his departure from all the shows he had been appearing on. According to a statement released by his agency, SM Entertainment on Wednesday, Key had received treatment at a hospital in Gangnam, southern Seoul after being referred by a circle of his acquaintances and believed the hospital's practitioner, known by her last name Lee, to be a licensed doctor. While continuing to receive treatment from her, he sometimes requested house calls when hospital visits were difficult. The controversy arose after Lee posted photos of Key's pet on social media. Lee is also alleged to have treated comedian Park Na-rae, who recently stepped down from all her shows following multiple allegations involving her former managers including verbal abuse and physical assault. Key, who recently toured U.S. cities for his solo concerts, had remained silent on the allegations, with suspicions growing among fans. SM apologized for the delayed response, citing the need to coordinate with various parties involved in the overseas tour, adding that Key was shocked to learn Lee lacked a medical license. Key regularly appeared on MBC's popular reality show "I Live Alone" and cable channel tvN's "Amazing Saturday." 2025-12-17 17:26:14