Son Heung-min makes MLS debut for LAFC SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Striker Son Heung-min made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut for Los Angeles FC (LAFC) on Saturday, just days after finalizing his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur. Son's earlier-than-expected debut was anticipated after he was included among the substitutes for the MLS club's away match against Chicago Fire FC. At SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, Son came onto the pitch in the 61st minute to replace Venezuelan forward David Martínez, with LAFC trailing 2-1. About 20 minutes later, his burst of energy helped the team earn a crucial penalty that led to an equalizer, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw. MLS praised Son, calling him the "Tottenham and South Korean legend" who "came off the bench for LAFC and made an immediate impact." After ending his 10-year stint with Spurs in the English Premier League, Son signed a record MLS deal worth around US$26 million last Wednesday to join the American club. His contract runs through 2027, with two one-year renewal options. 2025-08-10 14:53:30

KAIST develops AI that designs optimal cancer-targeting drugs without prior molecular data SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - KAIST scientists have unveiled an artificial intelligence model that can automatically design potential drug molecules precisely tailored to disease-causing proteins, even when no prior information about suitable molecules is available. The breakthrough could speed up drug discovery and cut costs, especially for hard-to-treat cancers. Traditionally, drug development starts by identifying a target protein, such as a cancer cell receptor, then screening vast libraries of molecules to find one that binds effectively to block its harmful activity. This process is time-consuming, expensive, and has a low success rate. The new KAIST system, called "BInD" (Bond and Interaction-Generating Diffusion model), skips the trial-and-error search by generating both the molecular structure and the way it interacts with the target protein in a single step. The team, led by Kim Woo-youn of KAIST's Department of Chemistry, designed BInD to create molecules that satisfy multiple drug design requirements at once, such as stability, physical properties, and structural realism. Most existing AI models generate molecules separately and then evaluate how they might bind to proteins. BInD instead considers the protein–molecule binding process from the start, boosting the chances of producing effective and stable candidates. The AI uses a "diffusion model", the same approach that underpinned the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the AlphaFold3 system for protein–drug structure prediction. Unlike AlphaFold3, which predicts atomic positions directly, BInD integrates knowledge-based chemical guidelines, such as bond lengths and distances between atoms, to ensure its generated molecules follow real-world chemical laws. The researchers also developed an optimization strategy that reuses strong binding patterns found in earlier AI-generated results, enabling the system to improve output without additional training. Using this method, the team successfully designed molecules that selectively target mutant forms of EGFR, a protein linked to certain cancers. This work builds on the group's previous AI models, which required pre-defined information on how molecules should bind to proteins. BInD removes that dependency, learning the key binding factors on its own. "This AI can understand and learn the essential elements for binding to a target protein, enabling it to design optimal drug candidates without prior molecular information," said Kim. "It has the potential to transform drug discovery by making it faster, more precise, and more reliable." The findings, co-authored by doctoral candidates Lee Joong-won and Jeong Won-ho as first authors, were published on Jul. 11 in the journal Advanced Science under the title "BInD: Bond and Interaction-Generating Diffusion Model for Multi-Objective Structure-Based Drug Design." 2025-08-10 12:05:00

Washington demanded more defense spending from Seoul during tariff talks, 'leaked' document reveals SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - The U.S. pressed South Korea to raise its defense spending to 3.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) during tariff negotiations, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. Citing an internal draft for a tariff-related deal that was concluded late last month, the daily also said the Washington "wanted Seoul to boost defense spending to 3.8 percent of GDP, up from 2.6 percent last year, and to increase its $1 billion-plus contribution to cover the annual costs of basing the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea." It also said U.S. negotiators pushed Seoul to accept the "flexibility" of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in its changing posture and roles to “better deter China while continuing to deter Trump Administration is using reciprocal trade negotiations to benefit and fight for the American people." In any case, the deal, already effective from Aug. 7, is expected to be further adjusted with additional details later this month when President Lee Jae-myung travels to Washington for his first bilateral summit with Trump, who apparently wants to leverage tariffs for broader national interests under his "Make America Great Again" campaign. There is speculation that Trump might push Seoul for a steep increase in defense cost-sharing and other contributions, amid ongoing debates over "modernizing" the bilateral alliance, as he has consistently claimed South Korea pays "very little" for the upkeep of U.S. troops. 2025-08-10 11:10:40

South Korea's Jinju National Museum beats National Museum of Korea in YouTube subscribers with war history content SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - The Jinju National Museum has nearly reached 100,000 YouTube subscribers, surpassing the National Museum of Korea's subscriber count through its popular historical warfare content series "Hwaryeok Joseon" (Firepower Joseon). The recent boom in Netflix's hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" portraying a duo of a tiger and a magpie from traditional Joseon Dynasty paintings has led to a surge of visitors to the National Museum of Korea, selling related goods. Despite numbers of foreigners and animation fans streamlining to the National Museum of Korea, Jinju's museum still stands up to their central counterpart through YouTube contents. The regional museum's YouTube channel had around 99,700 subscribers as of Saturday, exceeding the National Museum of Korea's roughly 61,700 subscribers. Contributing to the increasing popularity, Jinju Museum boasts its "Hwaryeok Joseon" series launched on September 27, 2020, transforming complex Joseon Dynasty military history into accessible video content. The series has accumulated over 30 million cumulative views since its debut. The content covers diverse historical periods across six seasons, from small firearms in Season 1 to comparative studies of East Asian weapons in the current Season 6. In a 113,000-view video uploaded on October 15 titled "So You Wanna Fire a Medium Mortar in Joseon?", skilled actors demonstrate how actual Joseon Dynasty mortars were loaded and fired. The museum's subscriber base has grown 245-fold since the content launch, while total views increased by 1,286 times compared to pre-series numbers. About 9.4 percent of last year's 323,759 museum visitors, roughly 30,292 people, cited the YouTube series as their motivation for visiting. Museum officials attributed their YouTube success in reinterpreting historical materials into digital content that the public can easily access and enjoy, rather than simple displays. 2025-08-09 15:24:09

[[K-Food]] South Korea showcases traditional liquor and cuisine at APEC food security meeting SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - South Korea is rolling out an elaborate display of traditional Korean food and beverages during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Food Security Ministerial Meeting (FSMM) in Incheon, which runs from Saturday to Sunday. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has selected Cheonbihyang Yakju, a 15-degree refined rice wine, as the toast drink for Saturday evening's ministerial dinner. The liquor, crafted by agricultural corporation Joeunsool Brewery, won this year's presidential award at South Korea's only government-sponsored traditional liquor competition. The premium rice wine, made from domestic rice, features subtle fruit aromas, delicate sweetness and a smooth finish. Officials will also serve cocktails made with Gamuchi Soju 25-degree, which also claimed a prize at the same competition. The Korean Food Promotion Institute is operating traditional tea service stations in ministerial waiting rooms and the chairperson's office, offering traditional sweets including gangjeong, which are traditional sweet rice puffs. Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation has set up agricultural food exhibition halls showcasing major export items including instant noodles, frozen kimbap and tteokbokki rice cakes. The traditional food section highlights premium products crafted by certified Korean food artisans, including fermented sauces, traditional teas and liquors. "Global food supply is growing more unstable, driven by climate crisis and global supply chain disruptions," Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung said at a press briefing Tuesday. "At this critical moment, it carries great significance for the Republic of Korea to have a valued opportunity to discuss the ways for food security cooperation with APEC economies." The two-day ministerial meeting brings together representatives from APEC's 21 member economies to discuss food security and agricultural system innovation across the Asia-Pacific region. South Korea, serving as the host nation, will present cooperation plans for artificial intelligence utilization in agriculture. The APEC FSMM, first held in 2010 Niigata, Japan, has since been the pinnacle summit for Asian-Pacific nations to discuss policy making for agricultural systems covering from production to consumption. 2025-08-09 12:57:59

OPINION: How Korean semiconductor firms can navigate uncertainty amid U.S. tariff bombshells (This opinion article was contributed by Per Stenius, the founder and CEO of Finnish management consulting firm Reddal.) SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - With the recent tariff deal with the United States reducing the duty burden on South Korean exports to 15% from the initially envisioned 25%, President Lee Jae Myung celebrated the agreement as overcoming “a significant hurdle.” Various voices from the Bank of Korea to local analysts also praised the deal for reducing uncertainty. Yet, we also await the possibility of expanded U.S. tariffs on specific items. In particular, we are watching closely to see what Washington’s policy will be towards semiconductor imports. While Seoul’s presidential office insists South Korea will be treated as a most-favored-nation (MFN) regarding semiconductor shipments, U.S. President Donald Trump just announced a tariff of around 100% on this valuable trade item. The sector’s value to South Korea is underscored by the fact that it makes up around 20% of the nation’s total export value. The importance of semiconductor chips is only going to grow from here because they are critical to the ongoing advancement of almost all modern technologies, from smartphones and IT products to cloud computing and AI. Amid fierce competition with semiconductor suppliers in Taiwan and China, Korean firms will be hoping for any kind of edge they can find from the U.S. But they do not need to simply sit and wait passively while they await further announcements from Washington and the outcome of this month’s summit meeting between President Trump and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung. Instead, one of the most effective ways to be prepared for divergent trajectories is scenario analysis, in which we ask “what if?” Don’t put all your chips in one place By moving beyond linear forecasting, companies can use scenario analysis to strategically plan and explore what-if futures, rather than betting on a single forecast. It involves various steps, including identifying key variables, before constructing a scenario framework, and assessing implications and strategic options. While this analysis can be applied to various other sectors, we can present semiconductors as an important example. Given the ongoing uncertainty driven by the U.S., two critical variables can help frame scenarios for Korean semiconductor companies: the severity and duration of U.S. tariffs, and the degree of flexibility within global semiconductor supply chains. These two variables can capture both external pressures and internal adaptability, helping Korean semiconductor firms shape plausible futures for strategic decision making. The most optimistic scenario would be the “open pathway,” in which tariffs are rolled back through negotiations and the supply chain becomes more flexible and interconnected. This then allows extended partnerships and collaboration with vendors and customers across regions. In such a scenario, Korean semiconductor companies should reinforce their current strategic positioning by strengthening global partnerships, optimizing production and logistics, and scaling operations efficiently. There is another scenario, the “false calm,” in which tariffs are still rolled back but the underlying supply chain is inflexible and highly concentrated in a few regions. Korean semiconductor players need to be wary of complacency despite short-term relief from tariffs, with topline growth supported by a temporary improvement in margins. Continued investment in much-needed areas such as supply chain resilience and risk management is essential to prepare for future uncertainties and potential disruptions. A further “adaptive diversification” scenario can be defined as a situation where tariffs persist, but the degree of supply chain flexibility is high. In such a scenario, Korean firms can respond by shifting and adjusting their supply chains in order to reduce geographical risks. For instance, they may shift a part of their production to Southeast Asia, expand packaging or testing operations to countries such as Vietnam or India, and source critical materials from alternative suppliers outside high-risk regions like China. The worst-case scenario is “geopolitical gridlock,” where tariffs widen and global trade becomes increasingly inflexible along geopolitical lines. This environment would require semiconductor companies to localize go-to-market strategies by adapting customer engagement to regional needs and regulations. Their activities and operations need to align with trade blocs and account for potential export controls and subsidies. Also, in this scenario, decentralization becomes a long-term strategy, calling for sustained investments in local manufacturing, packaging, and compliance. Not a game of chance Scenario analysis is not about making predictions, but “adaptive diversification” appears to be the most likely scenario for Korean semiconductor companies based on our observation of recent developments in the market and policy landscape. “Adaptive diversification” gains traction as that recent 15% tariff agreement indicates that tariff measures are likely to remain in place, even among close allies. Following the promise of MFN treatment, Korean semiconductors may face a significantly smaller tariff than the 100% rate cited by President Trump, but we await confirmation. Meanwhile, with the ongoing development of Southeast Asian countries as emerging manufacturing hubs, along with U.S. efforts to reshore semiconductor production capacity back to its own territory for national security reasons, the global semiconductor supply chain is beginning to show signs of increasing flexibility. While “adaptive diversification” seems most probable, we can also consider the possibility of the “false calm” scenario. Despite ongoing trade tensions, the U.S. remains heavily reliant on Korean semiconductors, particularly those supporting next-generation technologies such as AI and high-bandwidth memory. Even though South Korea’s overall exports to the U.S. fell in the first half of this year, its shipments of semiconductors to America grew at a double-digit rate. Additionally, Washington has shown interest in Seoul’s proposal for manufacturing cooperation, still suggesting potential strategic and diplomatic measures for easing tariffs. In parallel, China continues to expand its role within the global semiconductor supply chain, and the concentration could remain in this region leaving the structural inflexibility largely intact. China is still negotiating a trade deal with the U.S., the outcome of which may have wider geopolitical implications. Korean semiconductor firms must translate scenario insights into concrete actions to respond effectively to identified scenarios. This can be done by stress-testing current strategies under each scenario and identifying vulnerabilities, as well as “no-regrets” moves, such as supplier diversification, that deliver value across all possible futures. Scenario planning should be embedded into a company’s annual strategic planning process to ensure organizational resilience and long-term agility. While recognizing the erosion of long-stable assumptions about global trade, they can still take their own initiative to more effectively navigate these shifting geopolitical dynamics and trade disruptions. 2025-08-09 12:12:45

S.Korea braces for torrential rains as powerful storm system targets flood-hit regions SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - South Korea's southern provinces face another deluge this weekend as meteorologists warn of intense rainfall reaching 70mm per hour in coastal areas, threatening regions still reeling from recent flooding. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Saturday that thunderstorms packing strong winds would pummel the southern half of the peninsula through Sunday afternoon, with some areas expecting more than 200mm of precipitation. The heaviest downpours will concentrate between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Coastal areas of South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces face the most severe conditions, with rainfall rates potentially exceeding 70mm per hour. The capital Seoul and northern Gyeonggi Province will see minimal accumulation under 5mm, while central regions including Daejeon and parts of Chungcheong Province expect 10 to 60mm. Southern metropolitan areas of Busan, Ulsan and Daegu anticipate 30 to 100mm, with isolated pockets receiving up to 150mm. The storm system arrives as South Korea grapples with oppressive humidity that has pushed the heat index above 31 degrees Celsius. Saturday's temperatures will range from 27 to 30 degrees, climbing to 28 to 33 degrees on Sunday despite temporary cooling in rain-affected areas. Jeju Island, the country's southernmost territory, expects 30 to 80mm of rainfall with localized totals exceeding 100mm. The precipitation will begin along the southern coast Saturday morning before expanding northward throughout the day. Most areas north of Seoul will see rainfall taper off by Saturday night, though scattered showers may persist in central regions through early Sunday. 2025-08-09 10:24:09

IVF without spousal consent sparks legal debate over parental rights SEOUL, August 8 (AJP) - When South Korean actress Lee Si-young revealed last month that she was pregnant with her second child, using a frozen embryo created with her ex-husband and implanted after their divorce, it sparked a heated debate over the legal and ethical implications of in vitro fertilization (IVF). While the law has not apparently been violated in a technical sense, experts say, the ethical furor suggests that it is ambiguous and that some kind of amendment may be necessary. South Korea's bioethics and safety law has a "withdrawal of consent" clause that allows either party to revoke their prior consent clearly to the medical institution, said Um Kyong Chon, a lawyer at Law Firm Family. "The implantation likely would not have proceeded if the ex-husband had formally expressed his objection," he said. Lee's pregnancy does not violate the law, Um said, but it may raise legal responsibilities for her ex-husband once a child is born. Kim Jae-yeon, president of the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, also emphasized the complicated legal consequences that could arise after the child's birth. "An embryo represents potential life, and both parties should have equal responsibility in how it is used," he said. "If a child is born through implanting after the couple has separated, it could lead to complex legal issues involving parental duties and inheritance." There is no precedent that allows us to judge this issue, Kim said. However, parental responsibilities regarding embryos may persist even if the marriage is legally dissolved, he said. "If one party proceeds with implantation without the other's consent, it could create unwanted legal ties, along with accompanying obligations such as child support," he added. He also said one party may even seek civil damages for emotional distress or losses stemming from a birth that had not been consented to. Similar legal uncertainties have surfaced in the U.S. The Michigan Supreme Court earlier this year declined to hear a case involving a divorced couple in their 40s who disagreed over the use of a frozen embryo created during their marriage. Sarah Markiewicz wanted to implant the remaining embryo, but David Markiewicz opposed it. The court decided not to judge the case, as it raises "significant policy questions" that are "most appropriately resolved" by lawmakers, regarding how the law should treat embryos. Meanwhile, nearly 800,000 embryos were newly created through IVF in South Korea last year, an 83.2 percent increase from 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Over 380,000 frozen embryos were being stored nationwide, while more than 530,000 were discarded due to expiration, medical unsuitability, or at the request of the legal consent holder. Calls are growing for clearer regulations regarding the use and disposition of frozen embryos. But still, there is no clear social consensus on the legal status of embryos, whether they are considered life or disposable medical material. 2025-08-08 20:57:05

[[K-Pop]] Former VCHA members form new girl band, set to release single later this month SEOUL, August 8 (AJP) - K-pop girl band GIRLSET, formerly of VCHA, will release an album later this month, their agency JYP Entertainment said on Friday. Their single, slated for release on Aug. 29, was created by American songwriter Theron Thomas, who previously worked on K-pop juggernaut BTS' member Jungkook's "Seven" and girl group BLACKPINK member Rosé's viral hit song "APT." The quartet consists of Camila, Kendall, Lexi, and Savanna, who newly teamed up after two members left the former six-member group VCHA. VCHA made their debut in Sept. 2023 after being recruited through "America 2 Korea (A2K)," a reality audition show as part of a joint project between JYP and U.S. label Republic Records to create an American version of a K-pop girl group. 2025-08-08 17:32:20

Joint exercise with US to be scaled down, with field training postponed SEOUL, August 8 (AJP) - South Korea will conduct its annual joint defense exercise with the U.S. later this month, with half of some key field drills postponed until September due to this summer's unprecedented heat wave. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) here said Thursday that the exercise, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), will kick off its 10-day run on Aug. 18, involving some 18,000 South Korean troops and a similar number of U.S. personnel. The exercise consists of computer-simulated drills along with field training to strengthen the two allies' combined defense posture against North Korean threats and other security challenges. However, the first such exercise since President Lee Jae-myung took office in early June is likely to be scaled down, as roughly 20 out of 40 field drills will be postponed until September. The JCS cited sweltering heat as the reason for the postponement, but some speculate it may also be part of the Lee administration's recent conciliatory gestures toward North Korea, such as the halt of loudspeaker broadcasts along the border. The JCS' press announcement about the upcoming exercise also omitted any mention of North Korean threats, as an apparent appeasement not to provoke the North, which has long condemned the drills as "war games." 2025-08-08 16:44:57