[[K-Tech]] Shining light on brain cuts urge to drink, Korean researchers report SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korean researchers say they have found that shining near-infrared light on the brain can significantly ease alcohol cravings and dependency, opening a potential new path for addiction treatment. The Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) said Wednesday that, in a clinical study, patients who received the therapy showed measurable reductions in both their urge to drink and overall dependency levels. The research, conducted jointly with Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital, Samsung Medical Center and Seoul National University, tested a technique delivering light stimulation directly to brain tissue. Over a five-week period, participants were divided into three groups: one receiving brain light therapy, another undergoing vagus nerve electrical stimulation, and a third receiving both treatments. Patients self-administered the sessions for 15 minutes a day, five times a week. Those in the light therapy groups experienced what the researchers described as “meaningful” improvements, while participants receiving only vagus nerve stimulation showed no significant change. “We have proven for the first time that this method can simultaneously reduce both alcohol cravings and dependency,” said Chung Dong-il, a professor of biomedical engineering at UNIST. The findings come as the global market for alcohol addiction treatments, projected to reach $15 billion in 2025 and grow about 7 percent annually, searches for more effective solutions. The team said it plans to develop personalized digital therapeutic devices based on the technology. 2025-08-27 10:03:55

KAIST creates AI capable of detecting defects in smart factories with frequent machine replacements SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) have developed an artificial intelligence system that can keep detecting defective products in smart factories even when machines are replaced or production conditions change. The breakthrough solves a long-standing weakness in factory AI systems, which often fail when equipment or operating environments are altered. The research team, led by Professor Lee Jae-gil of KAIST's School of Computing, announced the results on August 26. The new method improves accuracy by up to 9.42 percent compared with existing approaches. The findings were presented earlier this month at KDD 2025, the world's leading academic conference on artificial intelligence and data science. In modern smart factories, sensors collect streams of data on things like machine vibration, temperature, pressure, or power use. This kind of information is called time-series data because it is recorded continuously over time. AI models trained on this data can spot signs of faulty production early. However, if a company switches to new machines or changes a production line, the data patterns change, and the AI accuracy drops sharply. In some cases, even the types of defects change. For example, in semiconductor manufacturing, one line might mostly produce circular defects, while another line may show more scratch defects. Lee’s team tackled this problem by developing time-series domain adaptation technology. In simple terms, this allows an AI model trained in one environment to keep working in another environment without being retrained. Normally, retraining requires a huge amount of time and cost because humans must label thousands of examples of defective and non-defective products. The new method avoids that step. The system works by breaking down sensor data into three parts: trend, which shows long-term changes like gradual heating; detrend, which shows short-term fluctuations such as sudden machine shakes; and frequency, which shows repeating cycles like the rotation of a motor. Looking at all three together allows the AI to understand whether changes in the data are normal or signs of trouble, much like a doctor checking pulse, temperature, and blood pressure together when diagnosing a patient. The researchers call their approach "TA4LS," short for Time-series domain Adaptation for mitigating Label Shifts. A label in AI means the category attached to data, such as whether a product is good or defective. A label shift happens when the balance of categories changes. For example, one type of defect might become much more common than another after equipment is changed. TA4LS automatically compares the predictions made by the old AI model with the patterns in the new data and adjusts the results to match the new conditions. A major advantage of the system is that it works like a plug-in module. Companies do not need to rebuild their AI from scratch. They can simply add this method to their existing systems, making it cheaper and easier to maintain. In experiments using four benchmark datasets that represent different kinds of sensor changes, the KAIST team achieved up to 9.42 percent higher accuracy than existing methods. The system was especially effective when defect patterns shifted significantly, proving that it could adapt itself without extra training. "This technology addresses one of the biggest obstacles to applying AI in manufacturing, which is the need to retrain models every time processes change," said Lee Jae-gil. "Once put into practice, it can reduce operating costs and improve defect detection rates, greatly supporting the wider adoption of smart factories." The study's first author is doctoral student Na Ji-hye. Doctoral student Nam Young-eun and LG AI researcher Kang Jun-hyuk also contributed. The work was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute of Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation as part of South Korea’s software computing technology development program. The researchers believe the technology could also be used in other fields that rely on sensor data. In healthcare, it could ensure that wearable devices provide accurate monitoring even if the device model changes. In smart cities, it could keep services stable when sensors are replaced or when environments shift. By lowering the costs of maintaining AI, the approach could make adoption easier across many industries. 2025-08-26 17:16:33

Hardliner elected new PPP leader as party still grapples with Yoon's fallout SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - Hardline lawmaker Jang Dong-hyeok was elected as the new leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Tuesday. Jang garnered about 220,000 votes or 50.27 percent in a neck-and-neck runoff at the National Assembly in Seoul, narrowly defeating another staunch conservative and former presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, who earned about 217,000 votes. The two-term lawmaker's win comes as a surprise as he has been vehemently opposed to the impeachment of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, unlike two other candidates Cho Kyoung-tae and Ahn Cheol-soo, who dropped out of the early stage of the race while insisting on distancing the party from Yoon. Rejecting calls to apologize for Yoon's martial law debacle, Jang even openly expressed his intention to meet with Yoon, who has been detained at a remand prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. With Jang at the helm of the PPP, an even rockier road seems to lie ahead, making the already faltering party even more floundering. It remains to be seen whether he can unify the party, which is divided by deep internal rifts over Yoon's ouster, while also regaining public support ahead of next year's local elections. 2025-08-26 16:32:53

South Korea to introduce fast-track immigration lanes for foreign executives SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - South Korea will open expedited immigration lanes for foreign business executives at Incheon International Airport starting Aug. 31, in a pilot program aimed at strengthening the country’s appeal as a regional business hub. The lanes, which will operate through December, are intended to shorten wait times for foreign travelers using staffed immigration counters, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday. On average, foreigners spend 24 to 35 minutes clearing immigration at the Incheon airport, more than 10 times longer than the two minutes it typically takes South Korean nationals using automated gates. Under the program, six major business organizations — including the Federation of Korean Industries and the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea — will nominate executives eligible to use the new lanes. The initiative follows a June meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and business leaders who called for faster entry procedures. Incheon, South Korea’s main gateway, was ranked first globally for short immigration processing times in the first two quarters of 2025 by Airports Council International. But rising passenger numbers have eroded its competitiveness against regional rivals, notably Singapore’s Changi Airport, where wait times for foreign travelers are often under 10 minutes. The government said it will review the trial program before deciding whether to expand it to other international airports, including Gimpo and Gimhae. Officials are also weighing broader reforms, such as allowing general foreign visitors to use automated immigration gates now reserved for South Korean citizens and registered foreign residents. 2025-08-26 15:53:30

South Korean, US firms sign wide-ranging deals during Lee's Washington visit SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - South Korean and American companies signed 11 agreements and memorandums of understanding across shipbuilding, nuclear energy, aviation, liquefied natural gas and critical minerals during President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Washington. The agreements were announced at a Korea–U.S. Business Roundtable on Monday at Washington D.C. (local time), attended by South Korea’s Trade Minister, Kim Jung-kwan, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Six of the deals centered on investment and technology cooperation in shipbuilding and nuclear power, areas seen as strategically important to both countries. HD Hyundai, the Korea Development Bank and Cerberus Capital Management agreed to create a multibillion-dollar investment fund to strengthen maritime capabilities in the United States and its allies. The fund will target American shipbuilding, marine logistics infrastructure and advanced maritime technologies. HD Hyundai said it hoped to expand the partnership to include ship construction, technical support and workforce training. Samsung Heavy Industries signed a partnership with Vigor Marine Group to collaborate on shipbuilding, shipyard modernization and maintenance services for U.S. Navy support vessels. In nuclear energy, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Doosan Enerbility, U.S.-based reactor developer X-energy and Amazon Web Services signed a four-way pact to cooperate on small modular reactor projects, including design, construction and supply chain development. Doosan also reached an agreement with Fermi America, a U.S. private energy developer, to supply both large and small reactor components for an “AI Campus Project” in Texas. KHNP and Samsung C&T signed another memorandum with Fermi America to support the same project, while KHNP separately agreed with Centrus Energy, a U.S. uranium enrichment firm, to invest in expanding enrichment capacity. In aviation, Korean Air finalized two major agreements: a $36.2 billion deal with Boeing for 103 next-generation, fuel-efficient aircraft, and a $13.7 billion contract with GE Aerospace for engines and long-term maintenance. In energy, Korea Gas Corporation signed a contract with the global trader Trafigura to purchase 3.3 million tons of U.S.-sourced liquefied natural gas annually for 10 years beginning in 2028. Korea Zinc also signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin to secure supplies of germanium, a critical mineral, and to strengthen cooperation on supply chains. “The government will provide all necessary support to ensure Korea–U.S. manufacturing cooperation can usher in a new renaissance,” Minister Kim said. “We will do our best to create unlimited business opportunities for companies in both countries.” 2025-08-26 15:46:32

[[K-Pop]] Soundtrack from K-pop anime tops Billboard Hot 100 again A scene from "KPop Demon Hunters." Courtesy of Netflix SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - One of the main theme songs from Netflix's hit South Korean anime has returned to the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to Billboard on Monday, "Golden" from the soundtrack of "KPop Demon Hunters" reclaimed the top spot on the U.S. singles chart this week, after slipping to second place behind American singer Alex Warren's "Ordinary" last week. The song, performed by South Korean-American singer-songwriter Ejae together with American singers Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, is one of the smash hits featured on the soundtrack of the anime, which is about a story of fictional K-pop superstars having "secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats." Billboard hailed the album's success, saying it "becomes the first soundtrack to generate four simultaneous top 10s over the chart's 67-year archives." Three other songs from the soundtrack such as "How It's Done," "Soda Pop" and "Your Idol" were also included in the top 10 of the chart. 2025-08-26 15:16:39

South Korean consumer confidence reaches 8-year high SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - South Korean consumer confidence rose in August to its highest level in nearly eight years, buoyed by stronger household spending and robust exports, according to central bank data released Tuesday. The Bank of Korea’s Composite Consumer Sentiment Index edged up to 111.4 in August from 110.8 the previous month, the fifth straight monthly gain. The reading was the highest since January 2018, when the index stood at 111.6. A score above 100 signals optimism compared with the long-term average between 2003 and 2024. The rebound follows a steep 12.5-point drop last December, when the economy briefly froze during the political turmoil surrounding the martial law crisis. Since April, sentiment has steadily improved as financial conditions stabilized. Assessments of current economic conditions climbed seven points to 93, while views on present living standards rose two points to 96. But expectations for the broader economy declined six points to 100, suggesting lingering uncertainty. Housing market sentiment also ticked higher, with price expectations rebounding to 111 after a sharp decline in July, when government debt-control measures unsettled the market. Additional data underscored signs of a spending revival. Korea Credit Data, a financial services firm, reported that small business card sales rose 6.4 percent year-on-year in the four weeks after the government distributed consumer vouchers. 2025-08-26 15:08:11

Softbank sheds $1.6 billion stake in Coupang amid push into AI SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - SoftBank, the Japanese technology investment giant, has unloaded nearly $1.65 billion worth of shares in Coupang, South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform, as it continues to pare back its holdings in the company. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SoftBank sold 20 million Coupang shares on Aug. 20 at the New York Stock Exchange, raising about $576.8 million. The sale followed two earlier transactions this year: 30 million shares on May 8 for $798 million and 10 million shares on June 13 for $283.1 million. In total, the group has disposed of 60 million shares since May, a sell-off valued at roughly 2.3 trillion won. The moves mark a continued retreat by SoftBank from one of its most high-profile investments. The Tokyo-based group held 32.4 percent of Coupang at the end of 2021 but has cut that stake to 17.39 percent as of August. Industry analysts say the divestments appear aimed at freeing up capital for SoftBank’s ambitions in artificial intelligence. The company is a partner in what it has described as the $500 billion “Stargate Project,” a plan with OpenAI and Oracle to build large-scale AI data centers in the United States. 2025-08-26 14:20:37

Hyundai Motor to add $5 billion to US investment, bringing total to $26 billion SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group said on Tuesday it would commit an additional $5 billion to its U.S. operations, expanding its planned investment through 2028 to $26 billion. The announcement coincided with the South Korea–U.S. summit between Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump. Hyundai, which had already pledged $21 billion in March, said the new funds would be directed toward steel, automobiles and robotics. Chairman Chung Eui-sun outlined the plan as part of a broader effort to strengthen the company’s competitiveness in electric vehicles and other future industries while deepening economic cooperation with the United States. A centerpiece of the new investment is a 2.7 million-ton electric arc furnace steel mill in Louisiana, which will produce low-carbon, high-grade steel for U.S. industries, including automotive manufacturing. Once completed, the facility will create what Hyundai described as a fully localized value chain linking steelmaking, parts production and vehicle assembly. Hyundai also intends to significantly expand vehicle output at its U.S. plants. The company, which produced about 700,000 vehicles in the United States last year, plans to broaden its lineup to include more electric models alongside hybrids and internal combustion engine cars, with the aim of responding more flexibly to consumer demand. The company’s affiliates will ramp up investment in parts and logistics to raise local sourcing rates, particularly for batteries, in order to strengthen supply chain integration with assembly operations. Hyundai said it will also build a new robotics factory with an annual production capacity of 30,000 units, positioning it as a hub for its U.S. robotics business. The group will expand collaboration with American companies in autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and software-defined vehicles, while accelerating the work of its U.S. subsidiaries, including Boston Dynamics and Motional. 2025-08-26 13:32:13

Lee vows to work with Trump to resume talks with North Korea in first bilateral summit in Washington SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to work together to resume dialogue with North Korea during their first summit in Washington on Monday. Lee, who reportedly read the U.S. leader's book "The Art of the Deal" as part of preps for the summit, opened talks with lavish praise for his past efforts to engage with Pyongyang "I hope you can bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, the only divided nation in the world, so that you can meet with at the appropriate time," raising prospects for rapprochement with the North, in line with Lee's recent series of conciliatory gestures toward Pyongyang since taking office in early June. Trump also said he would "come" to South Korea for the upcoming APEC summit, scheduled this fall in the historic southern city of Gyeongju, which could pave the way for another meeting with Kim, possibly at the truce village of Panmunjom or elsewhere, although it remains uncertain whether Kim will want to talk with either Trump or Lee. Among the key topics on the summit's agenda, Lee expressed his willingness to increase defense spending for the evolving posture of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), while embracing greater "flexibility" in its role for broader regional security and other challenges, in line with Washington's push to "modernize" the bilateral alliance. But Trump unexpectedly implied that Washington wants to own the "land where we have the big fort," likely referring to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province here, the largest U.S. overseas military base. He declined to provide further details, only hinting at possible adjustments by saying, "I don't want to say that now." Regarding the two countries' tariff-related deal, agreed last month to lower reciprocal tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent in return for massive investment and wider market opening, Trump said, "I think we have a deal done. They had some problems with it, but we stuck to our guns." "They want to renegotiate the deal, but that's okay," he further explained. "That doesn't mean they get anything, but I don't mind, but we're going to have some very serious discussions about different things, including trade," suggesting that additional demands may come later, as specific details of some sticking points in the trade deal as well as key defense issues were largely unaddressed or unsettled. However, Presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung later clarified in a press briefing that there was no discussion or request regarding further opening of agricultural products and other produces, a contentious issue due to strong opposition from farmers and manufacturers here. After the summit at the White House, which lasted about 140 minutes, Lee attended a business forum with senior U.S. officials, mingling with business leaders and other executives from major companies including Boeing and Nvidia. Later in the evening, he delivered a keynote speech at Washington-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he presented his vision for the bilateral alliance between Seoul and Washington. On Tuesday, Lee is scheduled to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, then travel to Pennsylvania to visit a memorial hall dedicated to independence fighter Seo Jae-pil, also known as Philip Jaisohn, and tour a Hanwha-owned shipyard before returning to Seoul. 2025-08-26 11:06:11