Annual report on North Korean human rights abuses to be kept under wraps SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - The Unification Ministry here said on Tuesday that it will continue compiling its annual report on human rights abuses in North Korea, though it will be published for internal use only. The report, mostly based on testimonies from North Korean defectors, documents their suffering and harrowing tortures during their escape from the isolated country. The ministry has published the report annually since 2018, although some previous governments had kept it under wraps. When asked why the report is kept confidential, a ministry official explained during a press briefing, "The disclosure of the report has had little effect on improving the human rights situation in North Korea," adding that merely naming and shaming the North may appear "confrontational." The latest decision was also due to the lack of fresh testimony. 2025-08-19 17:30:25

Mercedes-Benz faces sanctions in Korea over misleading claims on EV batteries SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korea’s antitrust regulator has begun sanction proceedings against Mercedes-Benz Korea over allegations that it misled consumers about the batteries used in its electric vehicles, an issue that has gained public attention after a high-profile apartment fire last year. Mercedes-Benz Korea is suspected of violating advertising and fair trade laws, according to sources from the Fair Trade Commission, Tuesday. Regulators allege that the Korean unit falsely claimed all of its electric models were equipped with batteries from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., or CATL, China’s leading battery supplier, when in fact some vehicles used lower-cost alternatives. The company is also accused of directing affiliated dealers to pass along those claims to customers, raising the prospect of deceptive consumer practices under Korean law. The matter gained urgency after a Mercedes EQE caught fire and exploded in the underground garage of an apartment complex in Incheon last August. Investigators later found that the car had been fitted with batteries from Farasis, a Chinese manufacturer considered less premium than CATL, despite Mercedes’ advertising to the contrary. The commission’s inspectors conducted on-site inspections at Mercedes-Benz Korea headquarters and dealerships in September and January. A hearing will be held to determine the severity of any penalties, with both regulators and company representatives participating. Separately, 24 plaintiffs, including Mercedes-Benz EV owners, filed a lawsuit last October at the Seoul Central District Court, seeking compensation over what they described as misrepresentation of battery suppliers and unresolved safety concerns. 2025-08-19 17:27:10

Two dead, several injured after train hits railway workers in Cheongdo SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - Two men were killed and five others were injured after a passenger train struck a group of railway workers on the tracks in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, police said on Tuesday. The accident occurred around 10:50 a.m. when a train bound for Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, that had departed from Dongdaegu, collided with seven workers inspecting railway damage caused by recent heavy rainfall. There were 89 passengers aboard the train, but no injuries among them have been reported so far. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation, and police are also examining whether the workers complied with safety regulations. 2025-08-19 16:58:44

North Korea condemns South Korea's joint exercise with US SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - North Korea on Tuesday denounced South Korea's ongoing joint military exercise with the U.S. which began the previous day, calling it a "clear expression" of its hostile stance toward Pyongyang, state media reported on Tuesday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim lambasted the exercise, saying it revealed the South's "intention to remain most hostile and confrontational" toward the North, despite the annual drill being scaled down amid President Lee Jae-myung's repeated overtures to engage with North Korea. Kim also accused Seoul and Washington of "destroying the peace and security environment in the region," leaving Pyongyang with no choice but to pursue a "rapid expansion of nuclearization." Expressing satisfaction with the country's ongoing naval modernization, Kim made the remarks while inspecting a new 5,000-ton naval destroyer at a shipyard in Nampo, South Pyongan Province, accompanied by senior military officials. Launched in April this year, the multipurpose destroyer, named after Choe Hyon, a comrade of the nation's founder Kim Il-sung during his days as a partisan fighter, is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, the annual exercise, involving some 18,000 South Korean troops and a similar number of U.S. personnel, runs until Aug. 28 and includes computer-simulated drills as well as field training to strengthen the two allies' combined defense posture against North Korean threats and other security challenges. 2025-08-19 16:43:17

South Korea taps new envoys to Washington and Tokyo ahead of key summits this week SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung is expected to soon appoint new envoys to the U.S. and Japan, ahead of his summits with the leaders of both countries that begin later this week. According to government sources, former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has been named ambassador to Washington, and former envoy to Viet Nam Lee Hyuk has been tapped as ambassador to Tokyo, with their agrément procedures currently underway. Lee is scheduled to sit for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on Saturday, before flying to Washington for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, since taking office in June. Kang served as South Korea's first female foreign minister under former President Moon Jae-in, working with top U.S. officials during Trump's first term from 2017 to 2021. She also served as a senior adviser at the United Nations (UN) and currently heads New York-based think tank Asia Society, which fosters relations between the U.S. and Asian countries. Lee, who held ambassadorial posts in the Philippines and Viet Nam, is known to be well-versed in affairs with Japan. Meanwhile, Noh Kyu-duk, former chief negotiator in denuclearization talks with North Korea, has also been tapped as ambassador to the UN. 2025-08-19 15:58:09

Bank of Korea warns stablecoin proposal could shake bond market Image of cryptocurrencies/ Reuters-Yonhap SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korea’s central bank on Tuesday rejected a proposal to issue short-term treasury bonds to back a won-based stablecoin, cautioning that such a move could disrupt financial markets and distort government financing. In a written response to the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee, the Bank of Korea said treasury bonds should be issued strictly for their intended purpose — financing government operations — not to satisfy demand from specific sectors such as cryptocurrency. Stablecoins, digital tokens typically pegged to national currencies, require reserve assets that are both highly liquid and low-risk. The Korea Capital Market Institute, a government-backed think tank, recently suggested that short-term treasury bonds could meet that need for a Korean stablecoin. The central bank pushed back firmly. “Considering the issuance of short-term bonds to satisfy specific market demand like stablecoins is inappropriate,” it wrote. The bank argued that greater issuance of short-term bonds would increase refinancing risks and strain the market’s capacity to absorb additional supply, ultimately threatening fiscal stability. This is the latest in a series of warnings by the bank over the government’s push to accelerate stablecoin adoption, which it has repeatedly said could jeopardize monetary and financial stability if rushed. The think tank's senior research fellow, Kim Pil-kyu, cited U.S. and European regulatory frameworks that allow stablecoins to hold short-term government debt as reserve assets. The Bank of Korea countered that fluctuations in stablecoin issuance could create destabilizing imbalances in the treasury market, triggering swings in short-term interest rates and rippling into other funding markets, including commercial paper and certificates of deposit. Instead, the bank recommended its own monetary stabilization securities — particularly 91-day bonds issued on a regular basis — as a more suitable reserve asset. U.S. legislation, it noted, also restricts stablecoin reserves to securities with maturities of fewer than 93 days. 2025-08-19 14:45:30

[[K-Film]] Bong Joon-ho's early short available for screening next week SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's early short film is set for release at local theaters in Seoul next week, multi-screen chain Megabox said on Tuesday. "Incoherence" was chosen to launch the chain's monthly project showcasing renowned filmmakers' early works and short films by up-and-coming directors. The 30-minute short, made by Bong in 1994 as his graduation project for a film institute, is an omnibus with humorous satire of hypocritical elites. Despite having only a limited release at several Megabox theaters starting Aug. 27, the film is expected to attract his avid fans and film buffs eager to trace the early works of Bong, who has directed many acclaimed films including "Parasite," which won multiple Oscars in 2020. 2025-08-19 14:29:27

Cost overruns push S. Korea's nuclear project in UAE into the red SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korea’s flagship nuclear power venture in the United Arab Emirates has slipped into the red for the first time, underscoring the financial strains of the multibillion-dollar project once heralded as a cornerstone of Seoul’s ambitions to export nuclear technology. According to Korea Electric Power Corporation’s first-half 2025 financial disclosures released Tuesday, the Barakah nuclear plant posted a cumulative loss of 34.9 billion won, or about $25 million, with its rate of return dipping to negative 0.2 percent. Cumulative profit for the project, which had stood at 435 billion won at the end of 2023, fell to 72.2 billion won late last year before tipping into negative territory this summer. Returns slid from 2 percent in 2023 to 0.3 percent in 2024, before turning negative. The four-reactor complex, South Korea’s first nuclear export project and one of its largest overseas construction contracts at roughly 22.6 trillion won ($16.6 billion), was originally slated for completion in 2020. But repeated delays pushed back full commercial operations until 2024, when the fourth and final unit came online. The setbacks drove up costs and eroded profitability. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a KEPCO subsidiary responsible for providing operational support, has sought $1 billion in compensation for cost overruns tied to the delays and extra work orders. In May, the company filed an arbitration case with the London Court of International Arbitration to recover part of those expenses. KEPCO, for its part, has stressed that the Barakah project should not be judged solely on immediate financial results. Executives argue that the venture has bolstered South Korea’s reputation as a nuclear exporter and reinforced its domestic nuclear industry, while promising decades of future revenue through dividends from electricity sales over the plant’s 60-year lifespan. Still, the dispute between KEPCO and Korea Hydro highlights unresolved tensions over who will absorb the additional construction costs, estimated at 1.4 trillion won. KEPCO has set aside about 170 billion won in provisions — roughly 10 percent of the disputed sum — as negotiations with Emirati authorities continue. 2025-08-19 14:03:21

[[K-Pop]] YOUNG POSSE's "Freestyle" video tops 10 million views in about three days SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - YOUNG POSSE's music video for "Freestyle" crossed 10 million views on Tuesday, roughly three days after it premiered. The track fronts the group's fourth EP "Growing Pain pt.1 : FREE", released on August 14. "Freestyle" is a punk hip hop track with hints of jazz and metal. The lyrics say they will ignore outside noise and make the music they want. All five members helped write them. The video keeps that idea front and center. It switches between a car wash and a party. Playful CG adds a light, fun touch. The five perform with confidence and attitude. The group dance is loose and lively, and it hits hard with the beat. On streaming charts, "Freestyle" entered at No. 7 on South Korea's YouTube Music Daily Top Songs chart shortly after release. YOUNG POSSE, made up of Jeong Sunhye, Wi Yeonjeong, Jiana, Doeun, and Han Jieun, will continue promotions on music shows and radio, alongside web content "YOUNG POSSE Is On The Move" and the weekly self-fandom project "YOUNG POSSE And Kids" on the ENA K-POP YouTube channel every Saturday at 8 p.m. 2025-08-19 11:23:12

[[K-Tech]] Korean game makers bring big bets to Gamescom 2025 SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - When Gamescom, the world’s largest video game convention, opens its doors on Wednesday, the cavernous exhibition halls of Cologne will once again fill with flashing screens, long lines and hundreds of thousands of fans eager for the next big title. This year, South Korea’s biggest gaming companies are arriving in force. Krafton, the publisher behind “PUBG: Battlegrounds,” is mounting one of the flashiest presences at the five-day expo, with a booth split between two major releases: “inZOI,” a life-simulation game, and “PUBG: Blindspot,” a new top-down tactical shooter rooted in the PUBG universe. Pearl Abyss, meanwhile, is returning with its ambitious open-world adventure “Crimson Desert.” After focusing last year on combat mechanics, the studio plans this year to highlight the game’s expansive exploration systems, with a release targeted for early 2026. Other Korean firms are also using the Cologne stage to woo global audiences. Netmarble will unveil trailers for its anime-inspired role-playing game, “The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin,” and, in partnership with Samsung Electronics, will demo “Mongil: Star Dive” on the company’s glasses-free 3D monitors. Kakao Games’ subsidiary, Ocean Drive Studio, is bringing back “God Save Birmingham,” a zombie survival title set in plague-stricken 14th-century England, with a new pre-alpha build. Smaller developers are not being left behind. Backed by the government-run Korea Creative Content Agency, a “Korea Pavilion” will showcase projects from independent studios hoping to break into the European market. The Korean contingent will share the spotlight with industry giants from around the world. Microsoft is emphasizing its new portable ROG Xbox Ally, developed with MSI, while offering hands-on play for about 20 titles. Nintendo plans to highlight “Pokémon Legends: Z-A” and a slate of games for its recently launched Switch 2 console. For Korean game makers, Cologne offers both visibility and validation. While domestic gaming remains a robust market, the global stage has become increasingly critical, with blockbuster development costs rising and international fandom dictating success or failure. 2025-08-19 11:00:46