KOSPI soars above 4,800 for first time while Nikkei tumbles SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Asian stock markets opened mixed in early trading on Friday, with South Korea's KOSPI hitting a fresh record high, while Japanese shares retreated on profit-taking. In Seoul, the benchmark index rose 0.95 percent to 4,841.81, surpassing the 4,800 level for the first time on record, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ lagged, slipping 0.43 percent to 947.06 shortly after the day's trading began. Strong U.S. labor data kept the dollar firm, pushing the exchange rate for the South Korean currency to around 1,470 won per dollar. With the won under pressure, market attention is shifting to exporters in growth sectors like semiconductors and autos, while banks and insurers face potential volatility. Foreign investors offloaded shares in morning trading, while institutional and retail investors snapped them up. Among large-cap stocks, Samsung Electronics jumped 3.61 percent to 149,100 won ($101.2), buoyed by improved investor sentiment following TSMC's record earnings, which showed a sharp rise in revenue and strong profit growth, while SK Hynix rose 1.20 percent to 758,000 won. Samsung Life Insurance surged 6.64 percent to 171,800 won after hitting an intraday record high of 176,400 won, as expectations of additional legislative revisions to strengthen protections for retail investors boosted market sentiment. LG Energy Solution edged up 0.51 percent to 394,000 won, while Samsung Biologics fell 3.31 percent to 1.90 million won. Automakers showed mixed performance, with Hyundai Motor rising 0.12 percent to 422,500 won, while Kia gained 2.75 percent to 156,700 won. Defense and aerospace stocks traded near flat, with Hanwha Aerospace up 0.08 percent at 1.30 million won. Shipbuilding and heavy industry shares weakened, as HD Hyundai Heavy Industries fell 2.06 percent to 618,000 won and Hanwha Ocean declined 1.88 percent to 146,100 won. Japanese shares pulled back, with the Nikkei 225 Index down 0.69 percent at 53,738.18 in intraday trading, as profit-taking following a three-day rally combined with weakness in U.S. technology stocks and renewed yen strength. Elsewhere in Asia, China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.25 percent to 3,242.62. 2026-01-16 11:33:06

Advance train tickets for Lunar New Year now on sale SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Sales of advance train tickets for the Lunar New Year break began this week. According to railway operator KORAIL, tickets are available online for about a week starting Thursday, about a month in advance, for trains running during the weeklong holiday from Feb. 13 to 18. The first two days of pre-booking will be reserved for senior citizens aged 65 and older, people with disabilities, and recipients of national merit honors. Ordinary citizens can book tickets from next Monday to Jan. 21. However, booking dates may vary by destination. 2026-01-16 11:09:37

Lee to meet residents in Ulsan as part of regional growth initiative SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung will visit Ulsan next week to meet residents and hear about the issues facing the industrial city. Lee, who stressed regional growth in his New Year's address, wrote on Facebook Thursday that he will hold his first town hall-style meeting of the year on Jan. 13, describing the southern city as “the heart of South Korea's industry. "Over the past 60 years, Ulsan has led our manufacturing industries including automobiles, petrochemicals, and shipbuilding, and has stood at the center of South Korea's economic growth," he wrote. "Now is the time to move forward on a new path, beyond being an industrial capital, to lead in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in manufacturing and green industries." Lee said the government will make this year the "first year of a great leap through a major transformation," promoting growth beyond Seoul to boost regional development. He added that Ulsan, the leading city in the country's southeastern manufacturing belt, will help drive South Korea's industrial transformation. He urged residents to share their views, saying he wants to map out Ulsan's future and the country's next leap forward using citizens' collective wisdom. About 200 residents will be selected from those who apply by next Monday to attend the meeting. The meeting comes after Lee earlier outlined a vision for regional growth, with Seoul as the economic capital, the central region as the administrative capital, and the southern region as the maritime capital. 2026-01-16 10:56:12

Hyundai Motor brings in Tesla veteran to accelerate robotics ambitions SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group has recruited Milan Kovac, a former Tesla executive who led development of projects including the humanoid robot Optimus, in a move aimed at strengthening its push for artificial intelligence and robotics. Hyundai said Kovac has been appointed as an adviser to the group and is expected to be named an outside director at Boston Dynamics, a robotics company owned by Hyundai Motor Group. Kovac brings nearly two decades of experience spanning software, hardware and AI-driven robotics systems, the company said. Most recently at Tesla, he oversaw development of the Optimus humanoid robot and a camera-based, vision-centered autonomous-driving system, playing a key role in the firm's push toward AI-centric mobility and automation. Hyundai said the appointment is intended to accelerate AI-based robotics innovation at Boston Dynamics and to advance the group’s mid- to long-term strategy and commercialization plans for its robot portfolio, which includes Spot, Stretch and Atlas. In his advisory role, Kovac will provide guidance on AI and engineering strategy and explore how advanced robotics technologies can be applied across Hyundai Motor Group’s industrial footprint, including manufacturing, logistics and service operations, the company said. “Boston Dynamics is a core company in the robotics ecosystem and an iconic organization that has inspired countless engineers,” Kovac said in a press release. “Combined with Hyundai Motor Group’s strong industrial base, it has a unique competitive advantage to lead the robotics industry, and I look forward to the journey of innovation.” 2026-01-16 10:17:03

Fire breaks out in Seoul's last remaining shantytown SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - A fire broke out in a shantytown in southern Seoul early Friday morning, forcing residents to evacuate. The fire occurred at around 5 a.m. in Guryong Village, the last remaining slum of makeshift homes and shoddy tents in Seoul's affluent district of Gangnam. Over 200 firefighters were dispatched shortly after receiving a report that the fire had started in an empty home. Hours later, smoke and flames are still engulfing the area despite efforts to extinguish them, raising concerns that they could spread to nearby wooded hills. No injuries have been reported so far. Dozens of residents reportedly evacuated on their own. The village has just about 30 households, as it is slated for redevelopment, with plans to transform the area into a high-rise apartment complex that will accommodate 3,500 households, although some residents are refusing to leave. 2026-01-16 10:03:13

HMM to deploy AI navigation system on 40 ships in HD Hyundai tie-up SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - HMM said Friday it will deploy an artificial intelligence–based autonomous navigation system across 40 vessels, stepping up efforts to improve efficiency and cut emissions through advanced maritime technology. The South Korean shipping company will introduce the system through a technical partnership with HD Hyundai affiliates HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Avikus, a developer of autonomous navigation solutions. A contract-signing ceremony was recently held at HD Hyundai’s global research and development center in Pangyo, attended by senior executives from the three companies. Under the agreement, HMM will equip 40 ships with Avikus’s autonomous navigation technology. Unlike conventional systems that provide navigational assistance, the AI-based platform is designed to independently calculate optimal routes, with the aim of enhancing operational safety, improving fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, the company said. HMM said it plans to consider a broader rollout across its fleet based on performance results. The partnership also includes joint research to further develop autonomous navigation technology. HMM will apply the system in commercial operations and share operating data, Avikus will supply and upgrade the navigation software, and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering will provide ship platforms and technical support, the companies said. “AI-based technology is a core tool for strengthening competitiveness in a digital and environmentally sustainable shipping ecosystem,” HMM said in a press release. The firm said autonomous navigation represents a potential “game changer” for both shipbuilding and shipping. 2026-01-16 09:54:50

Impeached president faces first verdict on martial law-related charges SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol will be sentenced on Friday for one of several charges related to his botched martial law debacle. In a nationwide televised trial scheduled for 2 p.m., the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul is set to deliver its ruling on whether Yoon obstructed law enforcement by blocking investigators and other officials who attempted to detain him following his abrupt late-night declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. It will be Yoon's first sentencing among his eight cases related to the debacle including the main charges of insurrection and abuse of power, whose verdict is likely to be handed down next month. At the case's final hearing in December last year, prosecutors sought 10 years in prison for Yoon - five years for obstruction of official duties, three years for abuse of power, and two years for fabricating official documents, calling it "a serious crime in which the defendant privatized state institutions to conceal and justify his wrongdoing." They said a heavy sentence is necessary "to restore constitutional order and the rule of law, and to prevent a recurrence." 2026-01-16 09:18:28

S. Korea leans on semiconductors as non-IT exports lose ground: BOK SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - South Korea’s exports remain resilient, but the country is steadily losing ground in global competitiveness in some sectors, according to a report released Friday by the Bank of Korea. While headline export figures have held up, shipments of major non-IT goods — excluding semiconductors — have been largely stagnant for years, deepening performance gaps across industries. South Korea’s share of the global export market has been on a downward trajectory since 2018, as competition intensifies, particularly from China. Export growth since the COVID-19 pandemic has been concentrated in a handful of sectors, most notably semiconductors, while non-IT exports have effectively stalled since the mid-2010s, according to the report. Overall exports are expected to rise this year, supported by strong semiconductor demand. But persistent weakness in non-IT sectors could further widen disparities among products, highlighting structural vulnerabilities in the export base. By sector, the bank said steel and machinery have suffered a broad decline in competitiveness as global demand slows and both product quality and market positioning weaken. Expanded Chinese supply has intensified competition, weighing on South Korea’s presence in key markets such as Southeast Asia. Automakers strengthened competitiveness through brand premiumization and the development of dedicated electric-vehicle platforms, while semiconductor makers maintained a technological edge in high value-added memory chips and benefited from rising demand linked to artificial intelligence. Still, risks are mounting. The bank warned that global automakers are expanding local production in major export markets, potentially eroding South Korea’s market access. In semiconductors, China’s rapid progress could weaken competitiveness in general-purpose, lower-spec memory chips, the BOK said. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-01-16 08:45:30

Kookmin University researchers turn cancer's hunger against itself to treat drug-resistant tumors SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Researchers at Kookmin University have developed a drug delivery platform that bypasses the defenses of hard-to-treat colorectal cancer by exploiting the tumor's own aggressive metabolism. Kookmin University announced on January 15 that the team, led by Professor Kim Ha-rin of the Department of Biopharmaceutical Science, successfully treated KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer in animal models using the new system. The findings were published in the January 2026 issue of the Journal of Controlled Release. KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer is notorious for being difficult to treat. It responds poorly to targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors because the tumors create an immunosuppressive environment that blocks immune cells from attacking. To break through these defenses, Professor Kim's team engineered a delivery platform that effectively acts as a "Trojan horse." The system takes advantage of the fact that cancer cells consume nutrients much more aggressively than healthy cells. The drug is designed to be absorbed by the hungry tumor cells and accumulates selectively within the cancer tissue. Crucially, the drug remains dormant until the cancer cell begins to die, at which point it activates. When combined with immunotherapy, this selective activation did more than just kill the cancer cells; it remodeled the tumor environment, allowing the immune system to recognize and destroy the tumor. In tests using animal models, the treatment led to a significant increase in the rate of complete tumor disappearance. The researchers also observed a strong "immune memory" effect. When cancer cells were reintroduced to the cured subjects, the immune system immediately recognized and eliminated them, preventing recurrence. "This study proves that we can restore sensitivity to immunotherapy by precisely controlling the timing and location of drug activation within the tumor, rather than simply increasing the dosage," Professor Kim Ha-rin said. "We have presented a strategy to convert refractory cancers into a treatable state using clinically applicable drug combinations." The team expects this design principle to be applicable to other solid tumors that have previously shown low response rates to immunotherapy. 2026-01-16 08:35:33

Researchers use laser light to sharpen radio telescope images of black holes SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - A joint research team led by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed a technology to significantly improve the resolution of radio telescopes using laser optics. By applying an "optical frequency comb" directly to telescope receivers, the researchers aim to capture sharper images of black holes and enhance precision in deep space exploration. KAIST announced on January 15 that the team, led by Professor Kim Jung-won of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, successfully implemented the technology in collaboration with the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Germany. Radio telescopes are designed to capture faint radio signals from space and convert them into images of celestial bodies. To observe distant objects like black holes with high clarity, astronomers use a technique called Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). This method connects multiple radio telescopes located far apart so they function as a single, massive telescope. For VLBI to work effectively, the signals captured by each telescope must be synchronized with extreme precision. The telescopes must align the "phase" of the received waves as if they were measured against a single, precise ruler. However, conventional electronic reference signals used for this synchronization face limitations. As observation frequencies increase, the electronic reference signals become unstable, introducing noise or "jitter" that makes precise phase calibration difficult. The research team solved this problem by introducing an optical frequency comb—a laser source that acts as a "ruler made of light." Unlike a standard laser that emits a single color (frequency), an optical frequency comb emits hundreds of thousands of precise frequency modes spaced at exact intervals, resembling the teeth of a comb. The team developed a method to transmit this laser light directly into the radio telescope's receiver. This creates a reference signal that is far more stable than traditional electronic methods. "If the existing method was like using a ruler with trembling markings, this new technology is comparable to establishing a standard using a ruler of light that is extremely stable," the researchers explained. This allows distant telescopes to be linked with much higher precision. The technology was validated through test observations at the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) Yonsei Radio Telescope. The team successfully detected stable interference patterns, known as fringes, between telescope signals, proving that precise phase calibration is possible using the optical system. The system has also been installed at the KVN Seoul National University Pyeongchang Radio Telescope for expanded experiments involving multiple observatories. Professor Kim Jung-won said, "This study overcomes the limitations of existing electronic signal generation technology by directly applying the optical frequency comb laser to radio telescopes. It will contribute to increasing the precision of next-generation black hole observations and advancing the fields of frequency metrology and time standards." Beyond astronomy, the researchers anticipate the technology will be applied to other fields requiring precise time and space measurements, such as intercontinental atomic clock comparisons, space geodesy, and the tracking of deep space probes. The research was supported by the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST), the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), and the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP). (Paper information) Journal: Light: Science & Applications (Impact Factor 23.4) Title: Optical frequency comb integration in radio telescopes: advancing signal generation and phase calibration DOI: http://bit.ly/4qYCFi5 2026-01-16 08:22:58