Special envoys from Seoul meet Prabowo, vow closer bilateral ties SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - Special envoys sent to Jakarta this week pledged their readiness to enhance ties with Indonesia after talks with President Prabowo Subianto and senior officials, the foreign ministry said on Friday. Led by Cho Jeong-sik of the ruling Democratic Party, a handful group of lawmakers arrived in Jakarta on Monday for a four-day trip as part of President Lee Jae-myung’s broader diplomatic outreach to key Asian partners since taking office in early June. On Thursday, the group met Prabowo at his residence in Bogor, south of Jakarta. Discussions focused on boosting collaboration in high-tech and strategic industries while securing stronger support for South Korean businesses in Indonesia. They also delivered a letter from Lee outlining Seoul’s commitment to broadening cooperation across various sectors. Prabowo said he hoped to work with Lee to bring ties to "the highest level" and pledged closer cooperation. During the visit, the group also met senior officials in Jakarta, including Foreign Minister Sugiono, to present Seoul’s foreign policy priorities and explore ways to expand exchanges. They also met with Korean residents and toured the first battery cell plant that South Korea has built in Indonesia, built jointly by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution. 2025-08-15 16:53:05

Ex-justice minister Cho Kuk freed in Lee's Liberation Day pardon SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - Former justice minister and ex-leader of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party Cho Kuk was freed early Friday under President Lee Jae-myung’s first pardon. Lee's first amnesty, marking the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, pardoned some 836,687 individuals, including around 2,000 minor offenders convicted of livelihood-related crimes and about 20 business moguls, in a move aimed at "promoting unity in the country." Cho was pardoned less than a year after receiving a two-year prison sentence last December for corruption and document forgery related to his children's university admissions. After his release, Cho described the pardon as "a symbolic step toward ending the abuse of power." He argued that the investigation had stemmed from politically motivated investigations rather than solely from the charges against him. Cho thanked Lee, said he would "respectfully listen" to critics, and vowed to make a humble return to politics. Apart from Cho, several figures accused of irregularities and other wrongdoings, including Cho's wife Chung Kyung-shim, former lawmakers Choe Kang-wook and Yoon Mee-hyang, and former Seoul education chief Cho Hee-yeon, were also pardoned or had their rights reinstated. Meanwhile, main opposition People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo expressed opposition to Lee’s pardon of some figures including Cho during a Liberation Day ceremony on Friday morning. His party’s leadership also said they would not attend the president’s inauguration ceremony later in the day to protest Lee’s decision. 2025-08-15 15:09:06

Lee calls for peace and unity at 80th Liberation Day celebration SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung on Friday set out his vision in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation at a ceremony in central Seoul. Lee said the country had "overcome various difficulties, achieving rapid industrialization and democratization" since its liberation in 1945, saying it is now a time for more "dialogue and cooperation" and that the country should move beyond various conflicts. Lee also stressed the importance of honoring those who gave their lives during the liberation movement, noting that many of them had taken part in the movement abroad and have yet to be brought home. Lee said the government "will step up efforts to return the remains of activists who fought abroad and ensure those not yet recognized by the state are honored," he said. On North Korea, Lee said, "The South and the North are not enemies. We should respect each other’s differences and aim for peaceful unification," citing the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and the sending of leaflets critical of the North as steps to ease tensions since he took office in early June. "This year is a suitable time to pursue peace and end hostility," Lee said, noting it marks the 80th anniversary of liberation and expressing hope for Pyongyang to respond. Regarding the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue, Lee reaffirmed that denuclearization is the ultimate goal but acknowledged that it is "a complicated and difficult task" that will require talks between the two Koreas, U.S.-North Korea engagement, and cooperation with the international community. On Japan, Lee urged Tokyo to "acknowledge and address historical issues while seeking future-oriented cooperation," signaling issues likely to be discussed ahead of a summit with the Japanese prime minister later this month. Lee will also attend a large public event at Gwanghwamun Square in the evening. Eighty representatives, which symbolize the 80 years since Korea’s liberation, will present him with ceremonial letters of appointment. The event comes two months after he took office in early June. The event’s participants are expected to include former President Moon Jae-in, some relatives of former presidents, leaders and officials in various fields, foreign envoys, and about 3,500 citizens. Meanwhile, most opposition leaders are expected to be absent. 2025-08-15 11:54:07

Heat wave to return on Liberation Day after torrential rains lash central regions SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - A sweltering heat wave is expected to return on Friday, when the country marks the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, after torrential rain swept through Seoul and other central regions earlier this week. With sporadic showers lingering in some parts of the country until early Friday morning, daytime highs are forecast to soar to 34 degrees Celsius, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Many parts of the capital area and central South Chungcheong Province saw heavy rains of up to 300 mm over two days starting Wednesday, causing flooding and road disruptions. Paju in Gyeonggi Province was hit particularly hard, with a record 316 mm of rain. A total of 410 damages were reported nationwide, including one death in Incheon. 2025-08-14 17:28:55

South Korean display makers to get boost as ITC's impending ban on Chinese BOE panels SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - Display maker Samsung Display is expected to benefit from a ruling that would ban U.S. imports of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels from China’s BOE Technology for more than a decade. In a preliminary ruling last month, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) barred the Chinese display maker and its seven subsidiaries from importing OLED panels into the U.S. for 14 years and 8 months, industry sources said Wednesday. The ruling followed Samsung Display's complaint over trade secret theft in October 2023, with a final decision expected sometime in November. The ITC found that BOE violated Section 337, which applies to the importation or sale of products made abroad, by illegally obtaining trade secrets through the hiring of former employees or via supplier contracts to access Samsung Display's proprietary OLED technology. Samsung Display alleged that BOE acquired the technology without independent research and development, despite being a latecomer, some 16 years after Samsung began producing OLEDs in 1997. The ruling's unprecedented penalty length was calculated by combining the development timelines of multiple OLED technologies that Samsung Display created over decades, with a massive investment of hundreds of millions of dollars. The ITC also imposed restrictions on BOE's marketing and advertising activities in the U.S, effectively halting all its business operations. Industry observers described such bans as "unprecedented in severity," as part of broader strategies amid the U.S.’ heated competition with China, making it virtually impossible for BOE to acquire new U.S. customers." BOE held 22.7 percent of share for small OLED panel markets for Apple's iPhone in the second quarter of this year, surpassing LG Display's 21.3 percent, according to industry data. BOE's rival market players like Samsung Display and LG Display, which have served as Apple's primary and secondary suppliers, are expected to get a boost, once the ruling is finalized in November. 2025-08-14 17:00:25

[[K-Tech]] KAI delivers AI-based air combat training system to Air Force SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has delivered an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tactical simulation and training system to the South Korean Air Force, the company said on Wednesday. The system, designed for tactical development and pilot training, is part of a contract valued at 35.5 billion won (about $26 million) and incorporates reinforcement learning–based AI, making it the first of its kind in the country. It allows virtual aircraft to learn from real-world combat data and autonomously adapt their tactics over time. The Air Force has faced challenges in conducting large-scale flight training due to restricted airspace and noise complaints from civilians. The new system, however, enables combat simulations in a fully virtual environment, helping to overcome these constraints. As part of the project, KAI also developed Level D simulators for the KF-16 and FA-50 fighter jets, incorporating virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies. Level D represents the highest certification standard for flight simulations. The system also integrates a range of advanced technologies, including AI-controlled virtual aircraft that act as both friendly and adversary forces, high-difficulty mission scenarios based on real-world tactics, and voice recognition features that enable pilots to issue and respond to spoken commands. "The latest achievement sets a new standard for next-generation military training," a KAI official said. "We aim to lead the development of future Modeling & Simulation (M&S) technologies, including manned-unmanned integrated systems and Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) training platforms, contributing to the modernization of our armed forces." 2025-08-14 16:19:40

Netflix tops most popular streaming platform among South Koreans SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - Global streaming giant Netflix was voted the most popular streaming platform among South Koreans, a survey reveals. According to a survey of 1,500 users conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency and released on Thursday, participants were asked to express their satisfaction levels, with Netflix taking the top spot with an average score of 3.75 out of a possible 5 points. It was followed by Tving with 3.66 points, Coupang Play with 3.64 points, Wavve with 3.62 points, and Disney Plus with 3.51 points. About 20.3 percent of respondents cited the availability of diverse programs as their main reason for choosing a platform, while slightly fewer users ticked subscription fees. Netflix earned the highest score of 4.07 points for content diversity, while Coupang Play scored 3.74 points for its relatively affordable subscription fees. But some 12.2 percent of respondents said they experienced service disruptions due to server and connection problems. 2025-08-14 16:01:35

[[TRAVEL]] How cabbages in Gangwon's mountainous areas beat summer heat TAEBACK, GANGNEUNG, August 14 (AJP) - Kimchi, the traditional fermented vegetable dish, is a staple in everyday meals in South Korea. Whether served with a steaming bowl of rice or paired with noodle soups, few consider a meal complete without it. Many people customarily prepare large quantities of kimchi to last through the cold winter months when fresh vegetables become relatively scarce. The traditional practice of making the spicy dish, known as "kimjang," is recognized on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, although fewer and fewer households bother to make their own these days. With improvements in greenhouse cultivation and crop varieties, many types of cabbages are now available all year round, catering to a growing demand for dining out, delivery services, and ready-to-eat meals. But the culture of collective kimchi-making usually begins in early winter, when chilly winds start to blow. The most common variety is cabbage kimchi, made from cabbages planted in late summer and harvested around mid to late autumn. High temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius make cultivating cabbages difficult, as they grow best at around 20 degrees. For this reason, during the sweltering, muggy summer, cabbages are grown only in certain high-altitude areas with cooler temperatures, particularly in the geographically unique terrain of the mountainous areas of Gangwon Province such as Maebongsan in the Taebaek Mountains, Yukbaekmajigi in Pyeongchang, and Anbandegi in Gangneung. The areas' mild, autumn-like weather even in summer provides ideal conditions for cabbages, making them a local specialty known for their crisp texture and sweet taste. Cabbages there were once cultivated at elevations of around 700 meters above sea level, but rising temperatures from global warming now force farmers to grow them at altitudes above 1,000 meters. Known locally as the "Hill of Wind," Maebongsan in the Taebaek Mountains is home to one of the country's largest clusters of cabbage farms, thanks to its pleasant mid-summer temperatures of around 24 degrees, more than six degrees cooler than lower lands, and cool breezes sweeping across the hills. That is why most of the farmlands there, barren in winter, turns into picturesque green fields during the cabbage-growing season. But farmers there, often with the help of migrant foreign workers these days, cultivate different varieties of cabbage in rotation each year to prevent pests and to avoid soil exhaustion. Cabbage cultivation there began in the mid-to-late 1960s, when farmers and other locals started planting cabbages on unused or abandoned plots and paddies to make a living and gradually settled there. At the time, their quality was often considered low in terms of density and firmness, but they soon became sought-after among consumers in southern areas such as Busan and Daegu, where fresh vegetables were in short supply during the hot summer season. Their demand soared and became widespread nationwide in the 1970s and '80s, as increasing numbers of people left rural areas for major cities like Seoul amid the country's rapid industrialization and urbanization. Another such cluster can be seen in Anbandegi in Gangneung, where splendid cabbage fields stretch across the slopes and ridges of Mt. Gorupogi (1,238 meters) and Oknyeobong Peak (1,146 meters), offering a breathtaking panoramic view dotted with scattered wind turbines. Situated at about 1,100 meters above sea level, cabbage farms there span larger areas than those in Maebongsan, which look more vast at a glance though. Anbandegi is also famous as a stargazing site, attracting photographers and enthusiasts from across the country who want to capture starlit nocturnal scenes. Free from city lights and blessed with clean air, it offers stunning night skies filled with countless stars, giving visitors the chance to observe the Milky Way on one clear, cloudless evening. The area's unique beautiful scenery attracts many tourists and other visitors every year, but the influx sometimes causes some inconveniences for locals, particularly during the peak harvest season in autumn. Visitors should be mindful of this and take care not to damage carefully cultivated cabbages while taking photos or otherwise. 2025-08-14 15:30:38

Pyongyang denies removal of propaganda loudspeakers along border SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - North Korea on Thursday reiterated that it has no intention of restoring ties with South Korea. "We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with the withdraws its loudspeakers or not, stops broadcasting or not, postpones its military exercises or not and downscales them or not, we do not care about them and are not interested in them." 2025-08-14 14:04:08

Washington sends congratulatory message to Seoul ahead of Liberation Day SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - The U.S. sent a congratulatory message to South Korea on Wednesday, just days ahead of the country's 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, which falls on Friday. In a press statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the have forged an alliance based on shared values and mutual interests," he said, vowing to "stand with" South Korea which "has flourished as a resilient democracy and valued economic partner." He also expressed his expectations for "collaborating" with President Lee Jae-myung to strengthen the bilateral alliance. Meanwhile, a large-scale event is set to take place in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, marking the country's independence from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, along with a series of other events in celebration of Lee's inauguration in early June. The event comes about two months after Lee took office with a low-key ceremony on June 4, as he had no time to spare for a full transition period as he was elected through a snap election to replace former disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol who was impeached over his botched Dec. 3 declaration of martial law last year. Former presidents and their widows except Yoon and his wife Kim Keon-hee were invited to the event, but only former President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook, along with Kwon Yang-sook, the wife of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, are expected to attend. To create a festive mood, a slew of singers and performers is set to take the stage at a pre-event on the lawn of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on Thursday night. 2025-08-14 13:16:25