FM to visit Turkey, Belgium this week SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Turkey and Belgium later this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. "Cho will travel to Turkey on Wednesday for talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan," the ministry's deputy spokesperson Lee Moon-bae, said during a press briefing in Seoul. The meeting is part of follow-up steps after President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to Turkey in November last year. Cho is expected to discuss progress on key bilateral projects in nuclear energy, defense, biotechnology, and infrastructure. Cho will then head to Belgium the following day for talks with Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission. The two sides are expected to discuss key regional issues including Greenland, which has drawn international attention following U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated pressure over the Danish territory. Cho is also scheduled to meet with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval. The two are expected to discuss ways to expand cooperation and exchanges to mark the 125th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year. 2026-01-20 16:59:38

Korea Exchange cleans out zombie stocks as KOSPI rallies to new heights SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market is extending its red-hot rally into the new year while quietly pushing out near-defunct companies, using favorable market momentum to rationalize both its main and secondary bourses. According to data from the Korea Exchange (KRX) as of Tuesday, five companies — Pureunsonamu, Intromedic, Well Biotec, Kukbo and PharmAbcine — are currently undergoing delisting procedures. Of the five, Well Biotec and Kukbo are listed on the KOSPI, while the remaining three trade on the KOSDAQ. Including NKMAX, which was delisted earlier this month, and AMCG, which entered liquidation on the dormant KONEX board, the total number of exits from the Seoul bourse in January rises to seven. Such activity is highly unusual for January, traditionally considered a grace period as deadlines for annual audit reports typically fall in March. In the history of South Korea’s securities market, liquidation trading in January has occurred only twice — Seunghwa Pretech in 2016 and SL Energy in 2025. Outside of those exceptions, there have been no recorded cases of January liquidation trading. The cleanup reflects a broader government-led initiative to remove non-viable firms from the market. A year ago, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the KRX unveiled a sweeping reform plan covering initial public offerings and delisting procedures. The most notable change was a significant streamlining of the delisting review process. Under the revised framework, authorities eliminated the second stage of the traditional three-tier review system — which previously consisted of a Corporate Review Committee followed by two consecutive Market Committees. As a result, the maximum delisting review period has been cut in half, from four years to two. In addition, companies receiving a “disclaimer of opinion” from auditors for two consecutive years are now subject to immediate delisting without a grace period. From this year through 2028, listed companies must also meet progressively higher thresholds for market capitalization and revenue to retain their listings. KOSPI-listed firms are required to maintain a minimum market capitalization of 50 billion won ($33.8 million) and annual revenue of 20 billion won, while KOSDAQ-listed firms must meet thresholds of 30 billion won in market capitalization and 7.5 billion won in revenue to avoid delisting review. The primary driver behind the regulatory overhaul was the rapid deterioration of the tech-heavy KOSDAQ market. Data from the Bank of Korea and the KRX show that the proportion of so-called “marginal firms” — commonly referred to as zombie companies that fail to generate sufficient operating profit to cover interest expenses — on the KOSDAQ rose nearly 50 percent, from 16.5 percent in 2021 to about 24.5 percent in 2025. While the KOSPI has historically been subject to stricter oversight, the share of marginal firms on the main board also increased from 9.8 percent to an estimated 11.2 percent over the same period. The combined market average is now approaching the 20 percent threshold, a level exceeded only by U.S. markets. This trend contrasts sharply with regional peers: Japan’s Nikkei 225 maintains a marginal-firm ratio below 15 percent, while Taiwan’s TAIEX remains below 10 percent. The weak quality of listed firms has long been cited as a key driver of the so-called “Korea Discount,” discouraging foreign investor inflows and prompting the government’s more aggressive intervention. Market experts say tighter listing and delisting standards are likely to support the ongoing rally. “There is a clear expectation that stricter delisting criteria will restructure the market around healthier companies,” said Na Jeong-hwan, a researcher at NH Securities. “When the government unveiled its KOSDAQ support measures late last year, attention focused on the potential for market normalization through the exit of distressed firms.” Indeed, the KOSDAQ index rose about 10.3 percent in January last year following the initial announcement of tougher standards. After a renewed pledge on Dec. 19 to accelerate the removal of zombie firms, the index has gained more than 6 percent as of Tuesday’s close, suggesting that prolonged inaction on non-viable companies had been a major drag on investor sentiment. “Establishing clear guidelines for managing distressed firms could have a positive impact not only on the KOSDAQ but across the entire securities market, including the KOSPI,” Na added. Still, skepticism remains over whether the latest measures will translate into sustained enforcement. “The government has repeatedly announced plans to manage and clean up distressed firms, but those statements have rarely resulted in meaningful action,” said Kim Hak-kyun, head of research at Shinyoung Securities. “We need to watch closely whether this policy produces tangible results," said an official at the KRX, speaking on condition of anonymity. On Tuesday, the KOSPI closed at 4,885.75 and the KOSDAQ at 976.37. Compared with the same day a year earlier, the KOSPI has nearly doubled, posting a 94 percent gain, while the KOSDAQ has risen more than 34 percent. 2026-01-20 16:58:55

'Dancing, Dreaming, Enlightening' showcases Korean fashion art SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) The Seoul Museum of Craft Art is holding a special donation exhibition, "Dancing, Dreaming, Enlightening," showcasing the artistic world of Geum Key-sook, a pioneer of Korean fashion art, through March 15. The exhibition traces the creative journey of artist Geum Key-sook, who has built a unique domain of "fashion art" over 40 years by crossing boundaries between fashion and fine art, tradition and contemporary practice. Geum is recognized as a figure who established the concept of fashion art in Korea and spread it internationally by reinterpreting the concept of "art clothing" in a Korean context in the early 1990s. Geum also served as costume director for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, garnering attention for designing the "snow fairy" costumes worn by placcard bearers during the opening ceremony. The artist has built a distinctive body of work utilizing unconventional materials such as wire, beads, nobang (ramie fabric), sequins, and recycled materials. She is particularly credited with expanding the horizons of fashion art by extending clothing into both "Art to Wear" and sculptural art that composes space. The exhibited works present themes of artistic expansion, coexistence, and enlightenment in various formats, ranging from individual garments to large-scale spatial installations. Through this exhibition, artist Geum Key-sook has donated a total of 55 items (56 pieces) worth approximately 1.31 billion won(about 887,413 dollars) to the Seoul Museum of Craft Art. The donation includes early fashion art experimental works, signature wire dresses and hanbok sculptural pieces, recent upcycling projects, and archival materials. 2026-01-20 16:57:19

Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" emerges as Korea's biggest U.S. box-office hit SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice has become the highest-grossing Korean film ever released in the United States, surpassing the box-office record set by Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite and reinforcing the commercial viability of Korean noir among American audiences. After more than three decades of shaping South Korean cinema for global viewers, Park is registering his first major North American box-office breakthrough. No Other Choice, a dark comedy centered on a laid-off paper factory manager who systematically eliminates his rivals, is not only the director’s most successful release in South Korea but is now posting record results in the U.S. market. The achievement marks a new commercial milestone for the filmmaker best known for Oldboy and The Handmaiden. Distributed by Neon — which also handled Parasite — the film expanded nationwide to 695 U.S. theaters on January 16 following a limited Christmas release in five major cities. According to Box Office Mojo, it earned an estimated $888,000 on its first day of wide release, placing it in the national top ten. It is the first Korean film to do so since Parasite six years ago. In South Korea, No Other Choice has already surpassed all of Park’s previous works, grossing $4.2 million and exceeding Oldboy’s lifetime domestic total. Strong word of mouth among urban audiences and select IMAX screenings suggest the film may represent Park’s first sustained crossover with mainstream viewers. “Every A-list filmmaker I know talks about Director Park as someone who inspired them,” said Neon CEO Tom Quinn. “Oldboy changed my entire career. I’ve been waiting twenty years to work with him again.” “A Parasite for the AI Era” Despite its dark humor and satirical edge, Park has emphasized that the film’s core concern is the erosion of identity in an age of automation and economic displacement. “Everything in this film has to do with the loss of confidence of a man who has been fired,” Park told the Financial Times following the premiere. “This is a person who has maintained his self-worth only as someone who has a job. When such a person loses his profession, it leads to a complete loss of confidence. He feels like he is no longer a man.” The film stars Lee Byung-hun as a middle-aged manager whose position at a Busan paper factory is eliminated by its U.S. owners. In an effort to reclaim dignity and purpose, he redirects his managerial discipline toward murder. “The intensity of Man-su’s confidence, both as a father and a husband, is proportional to the number of successful murders he commits,” Park said. “That progression as a man goes hand in hand with the growth of his talent as a murderer.” Park describes this moral inversion with what he calls “mathematician’s precision,” though the film itself is marked by restraint rather than excess. He has characterized No Other Choice as “brutally, comically straightforward,” a departure from the complex narrative structures of his earlier work. The film is adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax, a project Park had considered for nearly two decades. Initially developed as a U.S.-based production — at one point for Netflix — the film was relocated to Korea following the success of Decision to Leave. “Because I began writing the script as an American film, much of the preparation focused on that version,” Park said. “But the story proved universal. Whenever I shared it abroad, people responded the same way: ‘This is our story.’” Global Resonance and Industry Reflection Premiering at the Venice Film Festival to a nine-minute standing ovation and later winning the International People’s Choice Award in Toronto, No Other Choice has come to symbolize a tentative revival for Korean cinema amid prolonged domestic uncertainty. “Due to the pandemic, audiences forgot about movie theatres,” Park said. “Korean culture peaked with Parasite and Squid Game, and immediately afterward we saw a steep decline in our industry.” Now shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Award for Best International Feature, the film’s trajectory from Venice to Hollywood challenges prevailing pessimism about Korea’s box-office slump. Actor Park Hee-soon captured the mood bluntly at a press conference, remarking, “Now it seems like if you only do film work, you’ll starve to death.” Park views the film’s success with measured unease. Its final image — a factory operating entirely without workers — points toward a future shaped by automation. He describes it as “a possible artificial intelligence filmmaker directing AI-generated actors.” “At the moment, it’s still abstract,” he said. “But I do believe it will become a danger for filmmakers as well. And I’m quite certain it’s approaching at remarkable speed.” 2026-01-20 16:56:52

AI memory becomes security concern in Korea as HBM leaks to China rise SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - High-bandwidth memory (HBM), a critical component powering artificial intelligence chips, is emerging as a national security concern in South Korea as technology leaks involving advanced semiconductors increasingly flow to China amid intensifying global competition in AI. The National Police Agency said industrial espionage investigations last year led to the arrest of 378 suspects, including six detentions, in cases involving advanced technologies such as AI-related semiconductors. According to data released by the National Office of Investigation, authorities detected 179 technology-leakage cases in 2025, including 33 involving overseas transfers. More than half of those overseas cases — 18 incidents, or 54.5 percent — were linked to China, followed by Vietnam, Indonesia and the United States. Among overseas leakage cases, semiconductors accounted for the largest share of strategically sensitive technologies, alongside displays and secondary batteries. Several incidents involved memory-related technologies designated as “national core technologies” under South Korean law. HBM, which stacks multiple DRAM chips to sharply boost data-processing speed, has become indispensable for AI accelerators used in data centers operated by global technology firms such as Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Unlike conventional memory used in smartphones and personal computers, HBM is tightly integrated with graphics processing units (GPUs) through advanced packaging processes, making it difficult to substitute and leaving production highly concentrated among a small group of suppliers. South Korea is home to the world’s two dominant HBM producers — Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — positioning the country at the center of the global AI memory supply chain while also exposing it to heightened security risks. “The scale and frequency of recent technology leaks have raised serious concerns within the industry,” said a Samsung Electronics industry official. “HBM is no longer just a memory product but a core infrastructure technology that determines the performance of AI systems,” said Kim Ki-duk, a professor of semiconductor engineering at Sejong University. Kim said China has made sustained efforts to narrow the technology gap by recruiting experienced engineers with long careers in memory development, adding that accumulated know-how is difficult to contain once engineers cross borders. “Even without physically transferring documents, engineers inevitably carry knowledge acquired through years of work,” he said. Industry officials said the strategic value of HBM has risen sharply as artificial intelligence becomes embedded not only in corporate systems but also in consumer-facing services, driving rapid growth in GPU-based computing. As a result, memory chips are increasingly viewed not merely as electronic components but as infrastructure assets critical to national competitiveness and security. Police data showed that small and mid-sized firms accounted for nearly 87 percent of technology-leakage victims, underscoring vulnerabilities in supply-chain security as advanced semiconductor ecosystems expand. Kim cautioned that while stricter regulations and tougher penalties may slow technology leakage, they are unlikely to halt China’s catch-up efforts entirely. “China’s progress can be delayed, but it will continue,” he said, adding that sustained investment in next-generation memory technologies would be essential for South Korea to maintain its lead. The issue is adding pressure on policymakers and chipmakers as South Korea navigates tightening U.S. export controls, intensifying U.S.-China technology rivalry and growing demands to protect core technologies underpinning its AI-era growth. “Rather than focusing solely on punitive measures, companies and policymakers need to address the root causes driving skilled engineers to leave, including incentives and research environments,” said Lee Soo-jun, a professor of business administration at Sejong University. 2026-01-20 16:53:00

Independent prosecutors allowed to conduct further probes into martial law debacle SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung approved a special bill at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday allowing further investigation into allegations related to disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle, as well as a slew of suspicions involving his wife. The approval came after the bill was spearheaded and passed last week by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), which holds a majority of seats in the National Assembly. Independent prosecutors will now be allowed to investigate parts not covered, newly discovered, or insufficiently probed in their previous investigations for up to 170 days. Their probes will cover Yoon's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law in 2024 as well as multiple charges against his wife Kim Keon Hee including accepting bribes such as a luxury handbag and jewelry, involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, and interference in candidate nominations during the 2022 by-elections. After parliamentary nomination, the president will appoint a special prosecutor along with five assistant prosecutors, who can form a team of 15 investigators and up to 130 officials from relevant agencies. After a 20-day preparation period, prosecutors have 90 days to complete their probes. But they may extend them twice by 30 days each, meaning the investigations could last until local elections scheduled for June 3, which some see as a move to sway voters for political gain. 2026-01-20 15:57:03

The birth of humanoid robots (1) Robo Sapiens: EVs with brains Editor's Note: This is the first installment in AJP's series on humanoid robotics, examining the anatomy, technologies and economic logic behind one of the most hyped industries of the decade. SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - Humanoid robots have become a buzzword at CES and beyond, captivating both technology and stock markets as artificial intelligence converges with China's formidable manufacturing power. This emerging breed of "robo sapiens" joining humanity — at least in its first generation — is, in essence, a two-legged electric vehicle with a brain. That reframing is not rhetorical. As humanoids move from laboratories toward commercialization, engineers, investors and policymakers are increasingly abandoning the idea of robots as walking computers and instead treating them as mechanical systems: complex assemblies of motors, joints and power units governed by AI. This shift helps explain why automakers have emerged as the industry's most promising producers — and why Hyundai Motor Group's humanoid robot Atlas captured the Best Robot title at CES 2026. "When you break down a humanoid by hardware, you have the head and neck, the torso, the upper body including the arm system, and then the hands at the end," said Park Dong-il, director of the Advanced Robotics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials. "It's essentially the same anatomy as a human, and each part requires its own actuators, sensors and control mechanisms." The EV connection The overlap between humanoid robots and electric vehicles is not merely conceptual. It is physical, financial and increasingly strategic. Both industries depend on high-density lithium-ion batteries, precision actuators and advanced motor technology. Both face supply-chain constraints around rare-earth elements required for permanent magnets. And both are racing to reduce costs through economies of scale. Hyundai Motor Group, which acquired Boston Dynamics for $880 million in 2021, plans to have affiliate Hyundai Mobis supply actuators for the Atlas humanoid robot. The group aims to produce 30,000 robots annually by 2028, leveraging the same manufacturing infrastructure and supplier networks that underpin its vehicle business. Tesla, meanwhile, has promised to unveil the third generation of its Optimus humanoid robot early this year. Elon Musk has suggested the bipedal robot could even become "an incredible surgeon." "Imagine if everyone had access to an incredible surgeon," Musk said. "Of course, we need to make sure Optimus is safe and everything. But I do think we're headed for a world of sustainable abundance." Industry experts identify Hyundai, Tesla and China's XPeng Motors as the current frontrunners among automakers entering robotics. While Xiaomi, BYD and Li Auto have also announced humanoid ambitions — often using autonomous driving data to train AI models — the top three are seen as the only players capable of near-complete in-house robot production. "Google and Nvidia chose Boston Dynamics as a partner for a reason," said Yim Eun-young, an analyst at Samsung Securities. "Hyundai's factories generate real-world behavioral data, continuous datasets that adapt to changing environments, and actual production and logistics sites where robots can be deployed and validated." "Most other robotics firms are startups," she added, "and they lack the infrastructure to accumulate large-scale behavioral data or test machines in real-world conditions." A definition still in flux Despite more than half a century of development, no international standard defines what constitutes a humanoid robot. Nvidia, whose processors power the vast majority of humanoids currently under development, offers a working definition: "Humanoids are general-purpose, bipedal robots modeled after the human form factor and designed to work alongside humans to augment productivity." Yet in practice, the term encompasses machines with widely divergent designs — from full bipedal bodies to human-like torsos mounted on wheeled bases — many of which do not neatly fit Nvidia's description. "The definition of 'humanoid' itself is still unclear," Park said. "There's no ISO standard. We call robots with only an upper body humanoids, and we also call robots with both upper and lower bodies humanoids." The ambiguity extends further. Must a humanoid have five-fingered hands? Boston Dynamics' production Atlas uses a three-fingered gripper. Must it walk on two legs? Several robots showcased at CES 2026, including LG Electronics' CLOiD, used wheeled bases. And what about the face? From Unitree's G1 to UnixAI's Wanda series, most humanoids opt to remain faceless. Yet companies such as Realbotix and Engineered Arts argue that facial expressions are essential for natural human-robot interaction. According to discussions at the 2025 Humanoids Summit in London, industry groups are now debating whether the term "humanoid" should be replaced altogether with classifications based on capability rather than appearance. Two ways to map the machine Korean engineers and social scientists have proposed different frameworks for understanding humanoid technology. The mechanical approach breaks humanoids into physical subsystems — head and neck, torso, arms, hands, waist, legs and feet — each requiring dedicated actuators, sensors and control systems. The logic mirrors how an EV is analyzed through its battery pack, motor, inverter and chassis. Lee Jun-yong, a senior researcher at the Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT), adopted a different perspective when authoring a government report on humanoid R&D in February 2025. His team consulted futurists, economists and social scientists to envision how humanoids might integrate into society by 2040, then worked backward to identify the technologies required to make those scenarios viable. The framework identified 10 core technologies across four domains: motion control, sensing, human-robot interaction and drive/control systems. "We started by envisioning future society and then identified the technologies needed to reach it," Lee said. "Deciding whether the government should directly lead humanoid development or support private-sector R&D is complicated, because robotics spans so many industries. Household robots that truly help people are still far off, which is why we felt a top-down approach was essential." The market acceleration Goldman Sachs Research projected in 2024 that the global humanoid robot market could reach $38 billion by 2035 — more than six times its previous estimate of $6 billion. Manufacturing costs have already fallen by about 40 percent in a single year. Elon Musk offered a far bolder forecast at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Saudi Arabia in October 2024, predicting 10 billion humanoid robots by 2040 at prices between $20,000 and $25,000 each. Many robotics researchers remain skeptical, noting that a single universally capable robot is unlikely within that time frame. Cost remains a major constraint. Investment banks including J.P. Morgan estimate that Boston Dynamics' Atlas will cost at least $130,000 per unit when mass production begins around 2030. The prototype currently costs about $300,000 to build, with the commercial target set at less than half that figure. That remains five to six times higher than Tesla's stated goal of producing Optimus robots at $20,000 to $30,000 each. Still, the industrial logic is taking hold. If humanoid robots are indeed EVs with brains, then the automotive playbook — mass production, supply-chain integration and incremental cost reduction — applies directly. Park cautioned that the field is evolving too rapidly for fixed definitions or confident forecasts. "Research produced a year ago may already be outdated," he said. "The technology changes almost daily. What counts as state-of-the-art depends entirely on who you ask." For now, the working definition remains broad: machines with human-like form designed to operate in environments built for people. Whether that form requires legs, fingers or a recognizable face may ultimately be decided not by standards committees, but by the factories — automotive and otherwise — that build them. Lee's KEIT report ends with a provocative question: will humanoids one day demand labor rights as they replace human workers with tireless, uninterrupted productivity? "Our futurists raised the possibility that robots could eventually replace low-cost labor entirely," Lee said. "If overworked, they might malfunction — or even terminate their own digital existence. Who knows what the future holds?" 2026-01-20 15:48:01

K-webtoon exhibition to open in Tokyo to court Japanese readers SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) will -co-host a K-webtoon exhibition in Tokyo aimed at promoting Korean digital comics to Japanese audiences. The event will run from Jan. 30 to Feb. 28 at Gallery MI inside the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo, the organizers said on Tuesday. The exhibition will feature around 20 major webtoon titles, including 11 winners from the World Webtoon Awards 2025. Globally recognized works such as “Hell,” “Yumi’s Cells” and “If I Don’t Debut, I’ll Die” will be on display. The exhibition is designed to help Japanese visitors better understand the webtoon format by highlighting storytelling structures, character design and directing techniques unique to vertically read digital comics. A dedicated section for World Webtoon Awards 2025 winners will be set up, alongside key milestones and records that have drawn attention to K-webtoons in global markets. An opening-day program on Jan. 30 will feature a talk by webtoon creator Choi Kyu-seok, known for works such as “Hell” and “Awl.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-01-20 15:38:10

South Korea's LIG Nex1 pitches air defense systems to Middle Eastern customers SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - South Korean defense contractor LIG Nex1 is making its first appearance at the Middle East’s largest maritime defense exhibition, stepping up efforts to expand its presence in the region. The company said on Tuesday it is participating in the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition & Conference (DIMDEX) 2026, which runs from Jan. 19 to 22 in Doha, Qatar, where it is showcasing integrated air-defense and precision-strike solutions tailored to Middle Eastern customers. Held every two years, DIMDEX is the region’s largest maritime defense exhibition and marks its 10th edition this year. At the event, LIG Nex1 is highlighting its “K-air defense network,” a layered air-defense system designed to counter threats across low- to high-altitude ranges. The system includes the Cheongung-II medium-range, medium-altitude interceptor; the L-SAM long-range, high-altitude interceptor; and the Shingung man-portable air-defense system. The company is also presenting precision-strike and surveillance assets for ground and maritime operations, including the Hyungung anti-tank guided weapon, the 2.75-inch guided rocket Bigung, which has passed U.S. fire control testing, and the Counter-Battery Radar-II for counter-artillery missions. LIG Nex1 said this marks its first participation at DIMDEX. The company has expanded its local presence in the Middle East since August and has intensified region-specific marketing and business development efforts. The company has previously secured export contracts for medium-range surface-to-air guided weapons with key Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. 2026-01-20 14:41:09

South Korean violinist in wheelchair wins top prize at US competition SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - Violinist Lim Hyun-jae won the triennial Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition (EOIVC) in Boca Raton, Florida last weekend. At last Sunday's finals at Lynn University Conservatory of Music, Lim, 28, performed Jean Sibelius' "Violin Concerto in D minor" while seated in a wheelchair and won the top prize among four finalists. She also won two special prizes awarded to the best performers of the EOIVC's commissioned work. Lim received US$30,000 in prize money and an additional $20,000 for special awards, along with the opportunity to perform more than 30 times over the next three years on international stages including Boston and New York, as well as Cremona, Italy. The graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia began playing the violin at the age of seven. She returned to Seoul during the coronavirus pandemic while studying in the U.S., but a traffic accident in May 2020 forced her to stop performing for more than four years. After undergoing surgery six times and a lengthy rehabilitation, she returned to the stage in June 2024. Founded in 2017 by American violinist and winner of Moscow's prestigious Tchaikovsky International Competition Elmar Oliveira, the EOIVC aims to help young musicians build independent careers. The competition is held every three years for those aged 18 to 30. 2026-01-20 14:40:26