[[K-Pop]] Time magazine praises Netflix's 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' as a breakout global hit SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - Netflix's animated feature K-Pop Demon Hunters has earned high praise from Time magazine, which recently featured the film in an article titled "How KPop Demon Hunters Conquered the World." The magazine described the title as a "breakout phenomenon" that has transcended cultural boundaries, winning both critical and popular acclaim. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the film blends supernatural adventure with the vivid aesthetics of Korean pop culture. According to Time, the production stands out for its richly layered storytelling and visually distinct design. "As people who work in animation and storytelling, we're trained to layer things on and create something as entertaining as possible," Kang told the magazine. Since its release, the film has topped global streaming charts. Netflix's own platform, Tudum, reports that the movie has been viewed over 210 million times. Time also noted the film's soundtrack has become a sensation in its own right. Three original songs from the film have reached the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100. One of them, "Golden," is currently the most streamed song in the United States. The article highlights that this is the first time a film has achieved such musical success since Waiting to Exhale in 1995. Kang emphasized that the movie's emotional resonance comes from its deep cultural grounding. "Everything was seen through this Korean lens," she said. From the way sidewalks in Seoul are drawn to how napkins are wrapped around chopsticks, the team paid close attention to everyday Korean details. Even the film's demons are inspired by jeoseung saja, the grim-reaper-like figures from traditional Korean folklore. "This is dark, but I'm not going to be afraid of it," Kang said, recalling how her niece's love for Maleficent revealed how children can engage with layered, even frightening, stories. Kang also credited K-pop for shaping the film's scale and spectacle. "K-pop brought spectacle and scale, all the pizzazz that is kind of needed to sell it," she said. Time praised the film's ability to marry cultural authenticity with broad global appeal, underscoring its unique position as a creative and commercial success on the world stage. 2025-08-22 15:40:29

PHOTOS: One Dance, a modern reinterpretation of Joseon royal ritual dance (3) SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - A media showcase for One Dance, a contemporary Korean dance performance, was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. The performance reimagines Ilmu, the ritual dance from Jongmyo Jeryeak, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Jongmyo Jeryeak refers to the music, song, and dance performed during ancestral rites at Jongmyo, a royal shrine honoring the spirit tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty. Among them, the dance segment is called Ilmu, meaning “line dance,” as dancers move in coordinated rows. On stage, up to 49 performers present a powerful group choreography, allowing audiences to experience Korea’s cultural richness through synchronized visuals and sound. The performance runs for 70 minutes. 2025-08-22 15:38:33

PHOTOS: One Dance, a modern reinterpretation of Joseon royal ritual dance (2) SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - A media showcase for One Dance, a contemporary Korean dance performance, was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul.The performance reimagines Ilmu, the ritual dance from Jongmyo Jeryeak, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Jongmyo Jeryeak refers to the music, song, and dance performed during ancestral rites at Jongmyo, a royal shrine honoring the spirit tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty. Among them, the dance segment is called Ilmu, meaning “line dance,” as dancers move in coordinated rows. On stage, up to 49 performers present a powerful group choreography, allowing audiences to experience Korea’s cultural richness through synchronized visuals and sound. The performance runs for 70 minutes. 2025-08-22 15:18:33

Soaring arms prices, spurred by tariffs, complicate helicopter deal for South Korea SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s military is moving to acquire a new fleet of heavy-lift helicopters for its special operations forces, but rising costs for American defense systems, exacerbated by tariffs, are emerging as a major challenge. According to defense industry sources, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) initiated a foreign military purchase program on June 25. The project aims to procure new large transport helicopters for both the Army and Air Force. Companies have been invited to submit bids by the end of August, after which a proposal review and performance evaluation will be conducted. A final selection is expected by the close of the year. The program, which runs from 2026 to 2033, has a total budget of $2.355 billion, or about 3.29 trillion won. The Defense Project Promotion Committee approved the basic acquisition strategy in April 2024. While South Korea has developed the Surion utility helicopter domestically, it lacks the necessary engine and rotor blade technologies for a heavy-lift platform. Domestic development was deemed too time-consuming, prompting the military to opt for a foreign acquisition. However, the significant increase in prices for U.S. defense systems has raised alarm. The F-35 fighter jet provides a stark example. The aircraft sources components from more than 1,900 suppliers across about a dozen countries. Denmark alone supplies more than 80 parts, many of which are now subject to tariffs. Industry analysts warn that the cumulative effect of component-level tariffs and disruptions in the global supply chain has created unpredictable price volatility. If the final costs for the new helicopters exceed initial estimates, South Korea may be forced to scale back its planned procurement quantity. Two American manufacturers are seen as the leading contenders for the contract: Boeing, with its CH-47F, and Lockheed Martin, with the CH-53K. Boeing is expected to offer the CH-47F Block II, an upgraded variant currently being fielded by the U.S. Army. The helicopter boasts extended range and increased lift capacity. Germany has already committed to purchasing 60 units, and Poland is also considering the model. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom already operate earlier versions of the CH-47F. Lockheed Martin is likely to propose the CH-53K, which is in service with the U.S. Marine Corps. Israel signed a deal in 2022 for 12 of the aircraft in a contract valued at $2.4 billion, or about 3.3 trillion won, with deliveries pending. In 2023, the U.S. Navy awarded a contract for 35 additional helicopters for the Marines, part of a broader plan to acquire about 200 of the aircraft. 2025-08-22 15:10:50

PHOTOS: One Dance, a modern reinterpretation of Joseon royal ritual dance (1) SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - A media showcase for "One Dance", a contemporary Korean dance performance, was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. The performance reimagines Ilmu, the ritual dance from Jongmyo Jeryeak, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Jongmyo Jeryeak refers to the music, song, and dance performed during ancestral rites at Jongmyo, a royal shrine honoring the spirit tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty. Among them, the dance segment is called Ilmu, meaning “line dance,” as dancers move in coordinated rows. On stage, up to 49 performers present a powerful group choreography, allowing audiences to experience Korea’s cultural richness through synchronized visuals and sound. The performance runs for 70 minutes. 2025-08-22 15:05:09

South Korea pushes for consolidation in ailing petrochemical sector SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - Faced with a deep-seated crisis in its petrochemical industry, the South Korean government has set a firm deadline for a major restructuring, a move that is expected to accelerate the vertical integration of refiners and chemical producers. The government's push for consolidation comes as the sector grapples with years of overexpansion and intense market pressures. Industry experts say the sector's current woes are not only the result of global oversupply, particularly from China, and weak demand but also of domestic firms' own aggressive capacity expansions. Many companies continued to build new facilities even as profit margins shrank, creating a glut that now threatens the industry's long-term viability. South Korea currently operates 10 naphtha crackers (NCCs) — four each in Yeosu and Daesan and two in Ulsan — which are central to producing key chemicals like ethylene and propylene. With an annual ethylene capacity of about 13 million tons, South Korea ranks fourth globally, trailing only China, the U.S., and Saudi Arabia. This capacity is projected to increase to nearly 14.7 million tons once the S-Oil Shaheen project is completed in late 2026, further exacerbating the oversupply issue. To combat the crisis, the government has requested a voluntary industry agreement to reduce domestic NCC output by 2.7 to 3.7 million tons, an amount equivalent to up to 25 percent of total capacity. This targeted reduction aims to align production with actual local demand. Vertical integration has emerged as the most viable path forward. By merging with refiners, which produce naphtha, chemical manufacturers can significantly lower their production costs while strategically shedding excess capacity. Discussions are underway for several major deals, including one in Daesan, where Lotte Chemical may transfer its NCC facilities to HD Hyundai Chemical in exchange for cash or other assets from its affiliate, HD Hyundai Oilbank. At the Yeosu complex, the largest industrial site in South Korea, a large-scale restructuring involving key players like GS Caltex, LG Chem, and Lotte Chemical is now considered almost unavoidable, especially given the government's ambitious reduction targets. 2025-08-22 15:02:46

Pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan touts 'Made-in-Pyongyang' smartphones SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - A report in the Choson Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper based in Japan, claims that North Korea's Jindallae Mobile Phone Factory is capable of producing hundreds of thousands of smartphones annually. The factory, located in Pyongyang's Mangyongdae district, was reportedly established in March 2018 and has a total floor area of 6,087 square meters. The report, published Aug. 20, highlights the facility’s output of dozens of types of smart and feature phones, beginning with the domestically designed Jindallae 3 model. North Korean officials described the factory’s precision and productivity as being "very high level," with claims of maintaining Class 10 dust-free conditions for the assembly of LCD touchscreens. The production lines are said to be integrated, covering everything from LCD manufacturing and mainboard assembly to packaging and quality inspection. The factory's production capacity, according to the North Korean e-commerce site Manmulsang, is in the hundreds of thousands of units per year. Despite Pyongyang’s assertions, experts are skeptical about the country's claims of independent smartphone design and production. A 2024 report by Martin Williams of the Crimson Center think tank, published in 38 North, suggested that all smartphones sold in North Korea are manufactured by Chinese companies under original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreements. The report details how Chinese firms handle the basic design and production based on North Korean specifications. The finished products are then branded with North Korean names, suggesting that the country’s domestic production claims are likely exaggerated. North Korea, the report concludes, appears to function more as an assembly and rebranding operation than a full-scale independent manufacturer. 2025-08-22 14:55:13

South Korean officials in Washington to finalize tariff talks before Lee-Trump summit SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - South Korea's top trade officials met with their U.S. counterparts in Washington on Thursday, just four days ahead of the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to fine-tune key trade issues, particularly those tied to last month's tariff agreement. Yeo returned to the U.S. less than a month after concluding a deal on July 30, narrowly beating the deadline set by Trump to avoid a 25 percent tariff hike. While the two countries have agreed to reduce reciprocal tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent, Thursday’s talks focused on finalizing the technical details to be addressed during Monday’s summit at the White House. After his July visit, Yeo told reporters, "further negotiations would continue," explaining that only the tariff rate had been agreed upon at that stage. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan is also scheduled to arrive in Washington on Friday. He is expected to meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, along with other senior officials. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the early arrival of key trade and industry ministers is intended to “thoroughly prepare” for the upcoming summit on August 25. 2025-08-22 14:48:20

Hyundai Motor Group pours billions into US robotics venture SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group has injected nearly 6 trillion won, or about $4.3 billion, into HMG Global, an intermediate holding company in the United States that oversees the group’s robotics and new business ventures, including Boston Dynamics. The consistent capital infusions reflect Hyundai’s aggressive push into robotics and future technologies, even as the U.S. subsidiary continues to operate at a loss. According to Hyundai Motor’s latest semiannual report, the company made its most recent investment on Aug. 8, injecting 218.9 billion won into HMG Global through a paid-in capital increase. Established in Delaware as a limited liability company in 2022, HMG Global acts as the main shareholder of Boston Dynamics and is tasked with scouting new technologies and startups for the group. The entity is wholly owned by the Hyundai Motor Group, with Hyundai Motor holding a 49.5 percent stake, Kia 30.5 percent, and Hyundai Mobis 20 percent. Despite the sizable funding, HMG Global has yet to turn a profit. It reported comprehensive losses of 338.7 billion won in 2023, 163 billion won in 2024, and 344.1 billion won in the first half of 2025. The company’s revenues for the same periods were 84.4 billion won, 116.1 billion won, and 66.8 billion won, respectively. A key driver behind Hyundai's financial commitment is its strategic focus on robotics. The group acquired Boston Dynamics in 2021 and has since funneled significant funding into the company through HMG Global. In addition to the holding company, Hyundai Motor Group also established the Boston Dynamics AI Institute in 2022, with a total investment of 566.7 billion won from Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Hyundai Mobis. 2025-08-22 11:16:01

PHOTOS: Kim Jong-un honors troops sent to fight in Ukraine with lavish event SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hosted a lavish ceremony in Pyongyang for commanders of units deployed to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine, state media reported on Friday. The event, held in his office compound, included an elaborate banquet and performances, as well as what was described as one of Kim’s highest personal gestures of respect: sharing cigarettes with the visiting commanders. During the ceremony, Kim delivered a speech praising the troops for their “distinguished feats” in battle. He personally awarded state commendations and conferred the title of "Hero of the Republic" on several soldiers. For fallen fighters, he affixed Hero of the Republic medals to their portraits. Kim also laid flowers at a newly built “wall of remembrance,” observed a moment of silence and met with the families of the dead to offer condolences. 2025-08-22 11:09:17