PHOTOS: Seoul turns white after the season's first snow SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Seoul woke up white after an overnight snowfall that began during the evening commute. The city saw its first snow of 2025 last night — two weeks later than average and eight days later than last year. Streets whitened quickly as cars crawled through Gwanghwamun and people walked with their shoulders tucked in against the cold. Snowfall reached 1 to 3 centimeters per hour, with bursts of more than 5 centimeters, coating palace roofs and drifting through the lights of the city. In just a short time, the first snow carried Seoul fully into winter. A heavy-snow alert was issued, and emergency warnings were sent across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Some areas saw more than 5 centimeters an hour, leading to traffic delays and icy roads. Many people slipped on frozen sidewalks, and cars slowed through streets where snow removal could not keep up. Morning temperatures fell to minus 6 degrees Celsius, turning much of the snow into packed ice. Even so, many stepped outside to enjoy the white scenery, choosing to face the cold to take in the first snow of the season. 2025-12-05 15:30:59

PHOTOS: Seoul's royal shrine caught in clash between history and modernization SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - On a frigid day in early December, a profound silence settles over the Jongmyo Shrine in the heart of Seoul, broken only by the crunch of footsteps on the stone paths. Though a steady stream of tourists, drawn by its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, still visits, the ancient royal sanctuary has been swept into a very modern controversy: a pitched battle over redevelopment and the city's skyline. The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s proposal to ease height restrictions in the adjacent Sewoon Commercial District has pitted preservationists against developers, making this solemn space for the spirit tablets of Joseon Dynasty royalty the frontline in a debate about South Korea's future. The stakes are immense: is Seoul willing to sacrifice a 600-year-old traditional scenic axis — the view lines stretching to Bugaksan and Namsan — for the sake of urban revitalization? For international visitors, Jongmyo is best known for the Jongmyo Jerye (Royal Ancestral Rite) and Jeryeak (Ritual Music), a performance tradition recognized globally. Yet, the shrine's true weight — its symbolic status in a Confucian-rooted nation — is often underappreciated. Founded in 1395, Jongmyo was not merely a memorial; it was the spiritual anchor of the Joseon royal legitimacy. Protecting this house of spirits was synonymous with guarding the nation's destiny. Its main hall, the Jeongjeon, stands as one of the world's longest single wooden structures, an architectural marvel whose restrained, simple lines perfectly capture the aesthetic principles of Joseon architecture. The entire precinct, with its forests and sacred stone walkways, remains a profound sanctuary. The current flashpoint lies where history and the metropolis converge. Advocates for development argue that relaxing height limits is essential to inject life into the aging Sewoon district. Preservationists counter that new high-rises will irrevocably harm the sanctuary's sightlines, desecrating a vital piece of the nation's heritage. The collision of a rapidly modernizing city and its deep historical roots is a problem unique to Seoul, and it’s now centered on the distance between Jongmyo and the Sewoon district. Despite enduring wars and fires across six centuries, the Jeongjeon architecture and the ancestral rites persist. Even though the dynasty vanished, the Jerye ceremonies continue today, held every May and November. As the colorful spectacle of K-Pop and K-dramas spreads globally, the world's fascination with South Korean culture only deepens. That global interest provides a timely opportunity to turn attention to Jongmyo from which modern Korean identity sprang. Jongmyo is a place of powerful, resonant silence, where the deep current of Joseon’s time still flows, challenging the city to remember its past. 2025-12-05 15:26:38

Breakout success of ARC Raiders paves the way for Korean style extraction shooting SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Nexon's ARC Raiders has crossed 7 million global sales just over a month after launch, spawning the rise of what industry watchers are calling a new "K-extraction shooter" genre defined by communal play, lower violence and robot-target gun-down. Developed by Nexon subsidiary Embark Studios, ARC Raiders logged 400,000 cumulative sales within two weeks of its Oct. 30 release. Steam concurrency rose from 350,000 in the first weekend to 480,000 by week three, signaling durable demand rather than an early-launch spike. The extraction shooter format—where players risk losing all collected items upon death—has traditionally remained a niche, high-pressure genre. The brutal penalty system attracted dedicated enthusiasts but deterred broader audiences. ARC Raiders dismantles that barrier with a free-loadout system giving all players basic weapons and recovery items at no cost, softening the sting of failure and encouraging experimentation. The shift to a third-person perspective—rare in extraction shooters dominated by first-person modes—creates a wider field of view suited to its heavy PvE structure, where squads or solo raiders fight imposing AI-trained robotic enemies called Arcs. Just as notable is the community culture reshaping the game. Instead of the cutthroat PvP typical of the genre, players increasingly signal truces with in-game emotes and form spontaneous alliances to fight towering robot bosses. "It's more psychologically layered than your typical run-and-gun shooter," said Lee Jae-hyeong, a 27-year-old player. "Do I pull the trigger, or do we haul the loot together? The satisfaction comes from playing the long game." Steam forums brim with stories of strangers forming temporary groups of three to five to tackle high-tier enemies. Solo lobbies, players say, are filled with "overly friendly" raiders who naturally lean toward cooperation. The official Discord server has surged to roughly 683,000 members, generating faction groups and informal codes of conduct. One faction, the "Civilians of Speranza," drafted internal rules prohibiting PvP, requiring members to revive downed players, and mandating a uniform. Steam achievement data shows about 17 percent of PC players have never knocked out another raider, and more than half engage in minimal PvP—opting instead for robot hunting and resource gathering. The community's unofficial mantra, "It's us against the clankers, gentlemen," captures the game's human-versus-robot ethos. Critical reception has been equally strong. IGN awarded ARC Raiders a score of nine out of ten, calling it the new standard for extraction shooters, while GameSpot praised it as "totally unpredictable, immersive, thrilling." On Steam, about 209,000 user reviews show an 89 percent positive rating. The title topped Steam sales charts across Asian markets including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. "We are delighted that many players have praised ARC Raiders for its accessible design that lowers entry barriers and its high level of immersion," a Nexon spokesperson told AJP. "It is truly meaningful that the game earned a nomination for The Game Awards less than a month after launch. We will continue to do our best to deliver quality service." The breakout success is fueling broader interest in Korean-made extraction shooters. Krafton will run the first closed alpha test for PUBG: Black Budget on Dec. 12–14 and Dec. 19–21. The first-person extraction title is set on an island permeated with supernatural phenomena, leveraging Battlegrounds intellectual property to draw global fans. Kakao Games subsidiary XL Games will roll out The Cube, Save Us in the first quarter of next year. The large-scale extraction action game supports up to 63 players competing to gather resources inside a massive alien-made cube while battling monsters and rival players. WemadeMax is preparing a January early-access launch on Steam for Midnight Walkers, a zombie-apocalypse extraction shooter that has already accumulated around 300,000 wishlists, emphasizing night exploration and high-tension survival. The cluster of upcoming releases points to a fast-forming K-extraction shooter ecosystem—one that blends Korean-style cooperative culture with hardcore genre mechanics, widening the appeal of a once-exclusive category for global audiences. 2025-12-05 15:12:39

Coupang sees drop in daily users after massive data breach SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - Coupang, South Korea's leading e-commerce giant, has been seeing a drop in daily users after a massive data breach was detected late last month. According to an analysis by market researcher IGAWorks on Thursday, Coupang's daily active users fell to 17.80 million last Tuesday, down from a record 17.98 million the previous day. This marks the first decline after three consecutive days of increase since last Saturday, despite the breach. With daily users still above 17 million, many customers appear to continue using the platform, either overlooking the risk of a data leak for convenience or finding it difficult to switch to alternative platforms for daily necessities. But industry observers believe many users will gradually leave the platform, attributing last week's initial surge in logins to those rushing to change their passwords or close their accounts following the breach. Meanwhile, many users have been complaining about difficulties terminating their accounts, which involves a lengthy process including verification of personal information. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) is investigating whether the process may infringe on users' rights to discontinue services. The breach was initially believed to affect around 4,500 users but was later revealed to impact more than 33.70 million. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-05 15:06:58

Amazon executive, South Korea's AI officials explore cooperation SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korea’s AI Strategy Committee said Friday that David Zapolsky, Amazon’s senior vice president for global public policy and legal affairs, has visited the committee's vice chairman, Lim Moon-young, to discuss cooperation on artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. During the meeting, Amazon outlined its ongoing investments in AI and cloud services in South Korea and discussed potential collaboration on the government’s “AI highway” project and building data infrastructure. The company also highlighted its commitment to supporting local businesses with advanced computing capacity and cloud-based AI development. The two sides also reviewed plans Amazon announced at the APEC CEO Summit in October to invest 7 trillion won ($5.3 billion) in AI data centers and cloud infrastructure between 2025 and 2031, with a focus on deepening ties with South Korea’s AI ecosystem. “Building an AI highway is essential to fostering an innovation ecosystem,” Lim said, stressing that Amazon’s large-scale investment could help position South Korea as a global hub for AI infrastructure. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-05 14:51:08

Korea to up crackdown on drug trafficking on record smuggling SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korean authorities will up border control and crack down on drug trafficking after seizing a record 3,000 kilograms of illicit substances this year, mostly brought in through smuggling channels. The Korea Customs Service (KCS) said Friday it confiscated 2,913 kilograms of illegal drugs between January and October, nearly quadruple the volume seized during the same period last year. The surge underscores what officials describe as the sharpest escalation in smuggling attempts in recent years. Air travelers accounted for the most cases, with 505 detected attempts, while substantial quantities were also intercepted in express cargo shipments and international mail. Southeast Asia remained the dominant source of inflows, with Cambodia and Laos emerging as fast-growing hubs for trafficking routes targeting Korea. “Because most illegal drugs distributed domestically originate from overseas smuggling, we will move quickly to strengthen pre-emptive border-control measures,” KCS Commissioner Lee Myeong-ku said. To bolster enforcement, the KCS will launch joint operations with 10 countries where trafficking activity has been most pronounced. Korea’s existing cooperation with Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States and the Netherlands will now expand to include Cambodia, Laos, Canada, Germany and France. Under the plan, participating nations will station customs officers in each other’s airports and border offices to jointly screen high-risk travelers and cargo. The agency said it has also agreed with Cambodia to conduct coordinated anti-smuggling operations following an emergency meeting between the two sides, amid mounting concerns over organized criminal networks operating across the region. Korea recently imposed a travel ban and raised advisories for several Cambodian cities after a spike in online scam syndicates and drug-related crimes involving Korean nationals. *This article, published by Economic Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-05 14:35:47

Hancom Lifecare to supply K5 gas masks to Korean military SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Hancom Lifecare, a safety equipment subsidiary of Hancom Group, said Friday it has secured a major contract to supply gas masks to the South Korean armed forces. The company said it signed a 185 billion won ($13.8 million) agreement with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to deliver about 80,000 K5 gas masks by 2026. The K5 model, developed between 2010 and 2014, features a single-lens visor for improved visibility and dual filters designed to lower breathing resistance. It is built to withstand extreme operating environments. Hancom Lifecare began mass production of the K5 in 2015 and has since secured a steady stream of orders. The Ministry of National Defense plans to replace older masks with K5 units by 2030 under a 2.9 trillion won procurement program. The company has also been broadening its defense portfolio beyond fire and safety equipment to include laser target designators and various training systems. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-05 14:25:16

Seoul included among world's most attractive cities SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - Seoul has been included among the world's ten most attractive cities, according to an annual survey by data analytics company Euromonitor International released this week. The survey evaluates cities around the world based on several factors including "economic and business activity, tourism performance, infrastructure, tourism policy and appeal, health and safety, and sustainability." Seoul ranked 10th, making it into the top ten for the first time this year, having steadily improved from 16th in 2016 to 24th in 2018 and rising to 12th last year. Paris maintained the top spot for the fifth consecutive year, partly boosted by the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in December last year. Madrid ranked second, followed by Tokyo, the highest-ranked Asian city. Rome and Milan placed fourth and fifth, with New York coming in sixth as the only U.S. city in the top 10. Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Singapore rounded out the remaining top-tier rankings. London, which dropped out of the top 10 last year, slid further to 18th. Meanwhile, Bangkok attracted the most tourists, with 30.3 million visitors, followed by Hong Kong, London, and Macau. * This article, published by Economic Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-05 14:18:22

AI race to be defined by entrepreneurial spirit The global artificial intelligence market is exploding in size. Precedence Research projects that AI will swell from $757.6 billion to $3.7 trillion by 2034. An annualized growth of 19.2 percent is pronounced: AI is not just another fast-growing technology. It will reshape the very structure of the world economy. But in this era of relentless innovation, the decisive factor is no longer the technology itself. AI is becoming widely accessible—almost a public good. What will truly separate winners from laggards is the ability to turn that technology into new business models, new industries, and new value. In other words, the entrepreneurial spirit. Entrepreneurship is often reduced to the romantic image of a lone founder with a great idea. But the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor defines it differently: as a behavioral capacity that combines opportunity recognition, risk-taking, innovativeness, and the power to execute. It is the ability to see what others overlook, accept that failure is part of progress, and move boldly when uncertainty is high. My own research across 16 metropolitan regions confirms this. Regions that scored higher in opportunity perception, risk tolerance, self-belief, and innovativeness did not simply produce more startups. They produced more economic growth. What mattered was not the rate of new business creation, but the mindset that turns ideas into impact. Growth, in other words, was driven less by technology and capital than by human intention and action. This is why the real battleground of the AI race will not be technical capability alone. The differentiator will be entrepreneurial leadership powerful enough to reshape markets using the tools of AI. OpenAI is a case in point. The company did not win global attention merely because it built a sophisticated model. It reoriented the investment landscape, reorganized industrial ecosystems, and triggered a rethinking of how economies will function in an AI-first era. “Technology + capital + execution” is the formula that defined its rise. That is entrepreneurship in its purest form. Countries and companies hoping to lead the AI era need to understand this shift. Investing in AI research is necessary, but insufficient. Without systems that reward risk-taking, channels that move ideas from laboratory benches into commercial use, and a culture that respects and protects innovators, AI spending becomes little more than a pile of capital stacked on fragile ground. Only with such foundations, AI becomes transformative—not only advancing technology, but accelerating national competitiveness. AI is sweeping the world with the force of a storm. Yet its direction will not be dictated by algorithms or machines. It will be shaped by the people daring enough to wield them. In the AI age, advantage will not belong to those who merely possess technology. It will belong to those who spot the opening first—and seize it. The author is a columnist of Aju Media Corporation. 2025-12-05 14:12:04

Kia marks 80th anniversary with pledge to lead future mobility SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Kia President Song Ho-sung pledged to accelerate innovation across electric and purpose-built vehicles as the automaker marked its 80th anniversary on Friday. “We will continue to innovate with various electric and purpose-built vehicle models to become a centennial company,” Song said at a commemorative event held in Yongin, south of Seoul. Reflecting on Kia’s evolution to a global brand, Song credited the company’s resilience to founder Kim Chul-ho’s vision of advancing national industrial capability through technology. He noted that Kia endured multiple crises by introducing new models and pursuing fresh business directions. Since joining Hyundai Motor Group, Kia has expanded its global presence under successive leadership. Song highlighted Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo’s emphasis on quality and Chairman Chung Eui-sun’s focus on design and innovation as key drivers of growth. He also underscored the company’s efforts to strengthen organizational culture and lead in next-generation mobility solutions. Song cited ongoing challenges, including shifting global trade policies, supply-chain disruptions, rapid advances in AI-based mobility technology, and rising competition from Chinese automakers. Kia, he said, plans to address these pressures by doubling down on its core mission of providing innovative mobility solutions. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-05 13:57:39