[[K-Tech]] S. Korea selects 8 ESS sites totaling 563MW to support renewable energy expansion SEOUL, August 01 (AJP) - South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Power Exchange on Thursday confirmed plans to deploy 563 megawatts (MW) of energy storage systems (ESS) nationwide, a move aligned with the government's long-term strategy to bolster renewable energy infrastructure. The announcement followed a bidding committee meeting held on July 31. The centralized bidding system, introduced in 2023, initially covered three pilot sites on Jeju Island with a combined capacity of 68MW. Developed to address increasing grid instability and reduce the curtailment of solar and wind energy, the platform opened its first full-scale nationwide round this year, offering 540MW for allocation—500MW on the mainland and 40MW for Jeju. A total of 51 project proposals were submitted. Eight were selected: seven located in South Jeolla Province with a total capacity of 523MW, and one in Jeju with 40MW, bringing the total to 563MW. Under South Korea’s 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, the country is aiming for 2.22 gigawatts (GW) of ESS capacity by 2029. To put the scale into perspective, a 540MW facility, assuming a four-hour storage duration and an average daily consumption of 5 kilowatt-hours per household, could theoretically supply electricity to around 216,000 households for one day. Reaching the 2.22GW target would multiply that capacity nearly fourfold, reflecting the government's growing reliance on ESS to support its energy transition. Selected project developers are expected to secure power generation permits by January 2026, with installations scheduled for completion by the end of December 2026. A second round of bidding is expected to open in October to maintain momentum in meeting the government’s ESS targets. "Installing ESS near substations in the Honam region, where renewable generation is concentrated, will help stabilize the local grid," said Choi Yeon-woo, Director-General for Electricity Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. "Until new transmission lines are built to fully resolve output restrictions, ESS will play a key role in easing solar curtailment and expanding renewable energy production and consumption." 2025-08-01 14:47:36

Top diplomats from South Korea, US meet ahead of Lee's upcoming summit with Trump SEOUL, August 1 (AJP) - South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Thursday for their first talks since President Lee Jae-myung took office in early June. Stressing the unwavering alliance between the two countries, Cho and Rubio reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and expressed concern over the deepening military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. They also agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation with Japan to address various regional issues and challenges. But their meeting drew particular attention here as it came just ahead of Lee's impending trip to the U.S. for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming weeks. After finalizing a tariff-related deal the previous day, Trump said the scope of the agreement would be "announced within the next two weeks when comes to the White House for a bilateral meeting." Given these circumstances, Cho and Rubio are believed to have discussed a possible date for the first biliteral meeting between the two leaders, while fine-tuning the summit's agenda and making other arrangements. 2025-08-01 14:44:51

[[K-Pop]]  ILLIT drops new version of hit song 'jellyous' featuring singer-songwriter Sophie Powers SEOUL, August 01 (AJP) - K-pop group ILLIT released a new version of its hit track "jellyous" featuring Canadian singer-songwriter Sophie Powers on Thursday, August 1 at 1 p.m. The original version of "jellyous" appeared on ILLIT’s third mini album "BOMB," released in June. With its catchy melody and high-energy choreography, the track has drawn strong attention from fans. The newly unveiled version brings a different texture, combining ILLIT’s lively performance with Powers’ distinctive rap style. Sophie Powers did not just feature on the track but also wrote her own rap verse. Her straightforward, expressive lyrics added a fresh edge to the song’s message. Belift Lab described the collaboration as a balanced mix of the two artists' distinct styles. "jellyous (Feat. Sophie Powers)" is a collaboration that harmonizes the unique musical colors of ILLIT and Sophie Powers," the agency said. "We hope fans enjoy the featured version, which offers a different feel from the original." Powers, a Canadian singer-songwriter, gained attention earlier this year through her appearance on the twenty-third season of "American Idol." Her quirky and humorous approach to performance made a strong impression on viewers. Clips of her appearance quickly spread on TikTok and other short-form platforms. Since then, she has released a series of original songs that have resonated with Gen Z audiences around the world. Her collaboration with ILLIT follows previous signs of mutual fandom. Powers once posted a video of herself taking part in ILLIT’s "Tick-Tack" dance challenge on social media, and also appeared in a web video singing the group’s track "Magnetic." ILLIT later returned the gesture by joining the dance challenge for Powers’ single "move with me." ILLIT is scheduled to officially debut in Japan on Sunday, September 1 with its first Japanese-language single, "Toki Yo Tomare" (時よ止まれ). The group has also announced a special edition release in partnership with the Care Bears character brand. 2025-08-01 14:42:21

[[K-Pop]] LE SSERAFIM sells out Manila concert, drawing rare response in Philippines SEOUL, August 01 (AJP) - SEOUL, Jul. 25 (AJP) – South Korean girl group LE SSERAFIM has sold out its upcoming Manila concert in a matter of moments, a rare outcome even in the increasingly active K-pop scene in the Philippines. The five-member group, Kim Chaewon, Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae, is set to perform on Aug. 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena as part of its 2025 "EASY CRAZY HOT" Asia tour. The local promoter Applewood said in a statement, "It is uncommon for K-pop concerts to completely sell out in the Philippines. LE SSERAFIM received strong attention from the start, with numerous inquiries coming in even before the concert was confirmed. After ticket sales opened, seats were gone in no time, showing just how high the local interest was." While more than ten K-pop acts typically hold solo concerts in the Philippines each year, full sellouts remain rare. LE SSERAFIM's performance has stood out as an exception, signaling the group's growing traction in Southeast Asia. Local media also took notice. Billboard Philippines, ABS-CBN, The Manila Times, and the Manila Standard all covered the concert announcement, adding to the wave of attention around the event. Following the Manila concert, LE SSERAFIM will perform in Bangkok on August 9 and 10, then in Singapore on August 16. The group will head to North America in September, where all six scheduled shows have already sold out. An encore concert is planned for November at Tokyo Dome. 2025-08-01 14:27:58

South Korea to decide on Google's high-precision map export request next month SEOUL, August 1 (AJP) - South Korea will decide next month whether to approve Google's request to export high-precision maps overseas, with security concerns likely to weigh heavily on the government's final decision. Because South Korea remains technically in a state of ceasefire with North Korea, the country imposes strict regulations on domestic map service providers to conceal the exact locations of military bases and facilities. Many of these sites are either blurred, unsearchable, or altered to appear as ordinary terrains such as hills, forests, or rice paddies in satellite image-based services. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will convene a committee on September 11 comprising ministers from eight government agencies and the National Intelligence Service chief to review Google's application to transfer 1:5,000 scale domestic maps to its overseas data centers. Google submitted the request in February, marking its third attempt since 2007 and 2016 to obtain approval for exporting the detailed maps. The U.S. tech giant previously faced rejections due to national security concerns raised by Seoul. The timing coincides with recent South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, where Washington had criticized Seoul's digital regulations as one of the non-tariff barriers. However, the map export issue was notably absent from the final trade agreement reached between the two allies. "High-precision maps were among the earliest topics discussed, but as trade negotiations progressed rapidly, we defended that position," said policy chief Kim Yong-beom of the presidential office, during a presidential briefing following the tariff talks. "There will be no additional concessions on that front." Kim indicated the security-related matter would likely be addressed during upcoming summit talks between the two countries, separating it from trade discussions. Members of the Lee administration have expressed cautious positions on the map export request. Land Minister Kim Yun-duk said during his confirmation hearing that while trade considerations merit "forward-looking review," national defense and public safety take precedence. Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young similarly emphasized the need for "careful consideration of comprehensive impacts on national security and domestic industry." 2025-08-01 13:37:17

Seoul sees record number of sleepless nights in July SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - With unbearable, scorching heat showing no sign of abating, Seoul saw a record number of tropical nights this summer, when the mercury refuses to fall below 25 degrees Celsius after dark. Tropical nights in Seoul have persisted for 22 days this month, the longest stretch of sleepless nights for July since weather observations began in 1908, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Thursday. The previous record was 21 days set in July 1994. Seoul is not alone in enduring hot temperatures, as a heat wave warning or advisory has also been issued for most parts of the country, with daytime highs hovering between 31 and 37 degrees Celsius almost every day, causing heat-related casualties. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), nearly 2,800 people have been taken to emergency rooms nationwide with heatstroke, dehydration, or exhaustion since mid-May. Among them, 13 patients have died, more than triple the number recorded during the same period last year. 2025-07-31 17:10:07

Reliance Industries bets big on deep-tech, reshapes India's digital future Editor's Note: This article is the 29th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - Reliance Industries, India's largest private-sector company, is navigating a complex energy and geopolitical landscape while accelerating its transformation into a deep-tech and advanced manufacturing leader. Once known primarily for its dominance in oil refining and petrochemicals, the Mumbai-based conglomerate is now positioning itself at the forefront of India's digital and industrial transition. The shift comes as new sanctions pressure the company's long-standing energy procurement strategy. On July 18, the European Union announced its 18th sanctions package against Russia, further reducing the price cap on Russian crude. Reliance, which had benefited from discounted Russian oil following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, began adjusting course. That same week, the company made an unusual move by purchasing Murban crude from Abu Dhabi, signaling a strategic pivot away from its traditional reliance on Russian Urals. Reliance is also broadening its upstream footprint. On July 29, the company announced a joint operation agreement with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and BP Exploration to explore hydrocarbon reserves in the Saurashtra basin in northwestern India. While oil remains a pillar of the business, Reliance's transformation has touched nearly every major sector of the Indian economy. The company's evolution from modest beginnings to industrial heavyweight traces back to 1957, when founder Dhirubhai H. Ambani began a yarn trading business in Mumbai with seed capital of around 300 dollars. In 1966, he formally established Reliance Commercial Corporation, focusing on importing polyester yarn and exporting spices. The company rebranded as Reliance Textiles Industries in 1973 and went public in 1977. From there, it systematically expanded across sectors, entering petrochemicals in 1980, oil refining in 2000, telecommunications in 2002, and retail in 2006. In 2010, it launched Reliance Foundation, which has since grown into India's largest non-profit organization. The pace of change quickened in 2016 with the launch of Reliance Jio, the company's telecom arm that reshaped India's data market. Starting in 2020, Reliance began forging partnerships with global tech firms to advance India's digital infrastructure. Today, the group operates across four core sectors: energy, retail, digital services, and media and entertainment. Reliance's financial performance has remained strong despite external headwinds. For the first quarter of 2025, the company reported consolidated revenue of 2,73,252 crore rupees, or 32.9 billion dollars, up 6 percent year-on-year. Net profit rose 78 percent to 26,994 crore rupees, or 3.3 billion dollars, largely driven by gains from the sale of its stake in Asian Paints. Reliance Jio posted 24 percent earnings growth, supported by an increase in average revenue per user to nearly 2.50 dollars. The retail division reported revenue of 84,171 crore rupees, or 10.1 billion dollars, up 11.3 percent. JioStar, its media venture, recorded revenue of 9,904 crore rupees, or 1.2 billion dollars, following a strong Indian Premier League season. Leadership remains firmly in the hands of the Ambani family. Chairman Mukesh D. Ambani, son of the company's founder, leads the group alongside his wife Nita Ambani, chair of Reliance Foundation. Their three children also play key roles. Akash Ambani chairs Reliance Jio Infocomm. Isha Ambani serves on executive boards. Anant Ambani leads the company's green energy initiatives. In a June 25 interview with McKinsey and Company, Mukesh Ambani spoke openly about the group's next chapter. "I used to push my leaders by saying, 'We have to be owners of technology. We must be innovators,'" he said. Regarding the ongoing AI competition, Asia's richest man emphasized that Reliance doesn't need to "go into the high-risk GPU game" but should focus on everything "downstream," attracting bright minds for digital transformation. As Reliance navigates sanctions-driven supply chain shifts while pursuing technological evolution, the conglomerate's ability to adapt and innovate positions it not just as India's industrial champion, but as a bellwether for how traditional energy giants can reinvent themselves in an era of digital disruption and geopolitical realignment. 2025-07-31 16:30:51

Musinsa partners with government agency to boost K-fashion exports SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Korean fashion platform Musinsa signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seoul Regional Small and Medium Business Administration on Wednesday to support Seoul-based fashion brands' overseas expansion. The partnership aims to enhance export activities and provide practical support for small and medium-sized fashion companies seeking global market entry. Under the agreement, Musinsa will leverage its platform operations experience and global network to identify promising Seoul-area fashion brands with growth potential. The company will create dedicated promotional sections on its global store platform and provide discount coupon promotions to increase international customer exposure to participating brands. The collaboration will connect with the Seoul SMBA's existing "Legend 50+ Project," which focuses on strengthening global competitiveness of Seoul's fashion small and medium enterprises. Both organizations plan to develop synergies through coordinated support programs targeting regional fashion companies with export ambitions. Starting in the second half of 2025, participating brands will receive mentoring programs and customized education services designed to strengthen brand management capabilities. Musinsa will also implement sales and marketing enhancement initiatives through its global store infrastructure to facilitate international market penetration. Lee Byung-kwon, head of Seoul SMBA, said the partnership represents an exemplary case of combining Korea's leading fashion platform capabilities with government policy resources. The agreement comes amid heightened global interest in K-fashion, with both parties aiming to expand export opportunities for competitive Seoul fashion brands in international markets. 2025-07-31 16:09:56

[[K-Tech]] LG AI model EXAONE 4.0 ranks 11th globally in intelligence index SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - LG AI Research's artificial intelligence model EXAONE 4.0 secured 11th place globally in the Intelligence Index evaluation by AI performance analysis firm Artificial Analysis, according to results announced Wednesday. The model ranked first among Korean AI models and fourth among publicly available open-weight models. The ranking was based on seven high-difficulty performance metrics including reasoning and knowledge capabilities, expert-level scientific problem solving, coding abilities, and mathematical problem resolution. EXAONE 4.0 achieved seventh place in coding and 10th place in mathematics, earning an overall score of 64 points alongside Anthropic's Claude 4 Opus. The model achieved these rankings despite being significantly smaller than many competing frontier AI models from global companies. LG AI Research ranked eighth among AI model development companies in the evaluation, which measures models against tasks such as MMLU-Pro, GPQA Diamond, LiveCodeBench, and AIME 2024. EXAONE 4.0, released on the Hugging Face platform on July 15 for research and educational purposes, reached 500,000 downloads within two weeks of its public release. The 32B parameter model has since exceeded 550,000 downloads, setting a record for Korean AI models in terms of fastest adoption rate. Both EXAONE Deep, released in March as Korea's first reasoning AI model, and EXAONE 4.0 have been included in Epoch AI's Notable AI Models list. This designation is used by Stanford University's annual AI report for comparing national and corporate AI competitiveness globally. 2025-07-31 16:09:42

Prosecutors set to force Yoon to appear for questioning as court issues arrest warrant SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Independent prosecutors are set to forcibly bring in disgraced former President Yoon Seuk-youl for questioning, as he continues to stall and refuse to cooperate with investigations. His impending arrest comes after the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday issued a warrant for Yoon, who has been detained at a remand prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province since early this month on charges related to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. Prosecutors led by Min Jung-ki, who are conducting a probe involving Yoon's wife and former first lady Kim Keon Hee, are expected to visit the prison on Friday morning to try to bring him in for questioning, although it is doubtful they will succeed. According to Yoon's lawyers, Yoon has been suffering from deteriorating health, making him unable to comply with questioning. Kim, who has also been summoned for questioning next week, is embroiled in a slew of allegations including the acceptance of a luxury handbag, involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, election-related meddling in candidate nominations, and several other accusations. 2025-07-31 16:03:22