HD Hyundai Infracore secures deal to supply engines for K2 battle tanks SEOUL, July 08 (AJP) - HD Hyundai Infracore has signed a 92.3 billion won (approximately $66.5 million) contract with South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration to supply engines for the K2 main battle tank. The deal covers phased deliveries of DV27K engines through 2028. The DV27K is a domestically developed 1,500-horsepower powerplant capable of propelling the 56-ton K2 tank at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. It features a high-efficiency combustion system that compresses and recirculates exhaust gases, enhancing both fuel efficiency and engine performance. HD Hyundai Infracore emphasized the DV27K’s structural design, which reduces vibration and ensures stable power delivery under battlefield conditions — traits essential for the next generation of South Korean armored forces. The company has been the exclusive supplier of engines for the K2 since 2019, following a decade-long development program that led to full localization of the tank’s powertrain in 2014. The deal comes amid growing international interest in South Korea’s next-generation armored platforms. On July 2, Poland’s Ministry of National Defence announced it had concluded negotiations with Hyundai Rotem — a separate Hyundai affiliate and manufacturer of the K2 tank — for the second phase of a multibillion-dollar tank procurement deal. The agreement is expected to include additional K2 units. 2025-07-08 16:25:07

South Korea's economy stalls despite stimulus, KDI warns SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - South Korea’s economy continues to lose steam despite the rollout of a supplementary budget earlier this year, the state-run Korea Development Institute said in its latest monthly report, highlighting persistent weakness in the construction sector and mounting external pressures. In its July economic trends report released Tuesday, the institute offered a downbeat assessment of the economy’s trajectory, stating that growth indicators remained “at a similarly subdued level as in the previous month.” “The Korean economy remains at a similarly subdued level as in the previous month, due to continued weakness in the construction sector and worsening external conditions,” the report said. The KDI’s gloomy appraisal marks the third consecutive month it has flagged a slowdown, underscoring concerns that May’s supplementary budget — which prioritized disaster recovery efforts — has failed to generate a significant rebound. The warning comes at a fraught moment for Asia’s fourth-largest economy. With exports under mounting strain, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all South Korean goods starting Aug. 1 — a move that would strike at the heart of the nation’s trade-driven growth model. At home, the government is preparing a second supplementary budget, this time centered on direct stimulus measures, including unprecedented “cash-like” coupon distributions to households. While the KDI acknowledged continued strength in semiconductor exports — a bright spot amid otherwise softening manufacturing activity — it noted that overall production momentum had slowed. In particular, auto exports, already under pressure from U.S. tariff threats, have declined for a second straight month. Manufacturing output fell 3.0 percent month-over-month in May, with automotive production slipping 2.0 percent. Construction, which has been a persistent drag, showed little sign of recovery. Despite the weak indicators, the report pointed to a rebound in consumer sentiment as a potential source of near-term support. The consumer sentiment index jumped to 108.7 in June, up sharply from 101.8 in May, suggesting a possible turnaround in domestic demand as the government readies further stimulus. The KDI expressed cautious optimism that the second supplementary budget — unlike the first, which was narrowly targeted — may help stabilize momentum in the months ahead. Still, analysts warn that without a resolution to external risks, including the trade tensions with the Trump administration, any domestic recovery may prove fragile. 2025-07-08 15:14:00

Kim Jong-un visits mausoleum on his grandfather's death anniversary SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the mausoleum of his grandfather and regime founder Kim Il-sung to mark the 31st anniversary of his death, state media reported on Tuesday. Kim junior visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang around midnight, accompanied by senior party officials, according to the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He "paid high tribute to the statues of the great leaders" and made "a deep bow of best wishes for immortality to the great leaders," KCNA said. He has made customary visits almost every year to the mausoleum, where the embalmed bodies of his late father and grandfather lie in state. But unlike last year's large-scale commemorative ceremonies, this year's were marked by low-key events, with no mention of mass gatherings or other festivities. 2025-07-08 15:05:04

Seoul's top security adviser in Washington to arrange summit between two countries SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, who is visiting Washington, met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday to arrange a summit between the leaders of the two countries. Wi told Rubio that Seoul hopes to hold a summit between President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump "at the earliest possible," the presidential office here said on Tuesday. He also stressed the importance of close cooperation between the two countries to strengthen the bilateral alliance, adding that the summit is necessary to reach mutually beneficial outcomes on various pending issues including tariff-related dialogues. Their talks coincided with Trump's announcement of steep tariffs on some 14 countries including Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, and South Korea. According to his letters sent to each country, South Korea is set to face a 25 percent tariff taking effect on Aug. 1, which could "perhaps" be adjusted "depending on our relationship with your country," allowing Seoul about three more weeks from an initial July 8 deadline to reach a deal. Earlier last month, Lee and Trump missed a couple of occasions to sit down for talks on the sidelines of international gatherings such as the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada and the NATO summit in the Hague, the Netherlands. If the two are unable to set a date before the end of August, their first meeting may be delayed until September when the high-level session of the U.N. General Assembly takes place in New York or until the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for the country's southern historic city of Gyeongju at the end of October. Meanwhile, Lee is reportedly considering sending veteran politician Kim Chong-in to Washington as a special envoy to the U.S., along with about a dozen others who are expected to be dispatched to Asian and European countries. The move is apparently aimed at signaling the country's diplomatic restoration with his inauguration last month, after a political turmoil caused by former disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched Dec. 3 declaration of martial law last year. 2025-07-08 14:29:13

TRAVEL: The still lake in the sky: A journey to Baekdu Mountain's Heaven Lake Baekdu Mountain, July 07 (AJP) - Surrounded by steep cliffs streaked with greens and reds, Heaven Lake at the top of Baekdu Mountain appears like a pool painted with deep blue and navy ink. Not a ripple disturbs its surface. From the western and northern slopes, the lake mirrors the jagged ridgelines and the fractured walls that encircle it, an untouched reflection resting in complete silence. In late June, I visited both the North and West Slopes of Baekdu Mountain, located in China’s Jilin Province. The surrounding peaks were mostly rocky, and in the few flat patches, bright green moss and white wildflowers had just begun to bloom. Snow and ice still clung to the corners of the trail. The light shifted constantly, filtering through swift, breaking clouds that raced across the sky. Beneath the cliffs, large gray boulders lay scattered, as if frozen in mid-collapse. To reach Heaven Lake, visitors must transit twice. First, they board a 48-seat tour bus from the departure point, then a nine-seater van that snakes upward for about 40 minutes. From there, it is another 15-minute climb on foot. The sight of people ascending the final stretch resembles a solemn procession. Lined up like pilgrims on a hillside path too vast to measure, it is only when you see the scale of the human figures against the mountain that the full size of Baekdu becomes real. The scene is breathtaking from every angle. Tranquil water is embraced by monumental peaks, and behind you, bizarre rock formations spread endlessly across the skyline. No matter where you stand, Baekdu offers a kind of magnificence that defies comparison. Despite the mountain’s remoteness, the route to Heaven Lake is packed with visitors. Families, elderly hikers with canes, and brightly dressed tourists all move in colorful waves up the serpentine staircase. Though the weather was mild during my visit, many came bundled in layers, some even carrying heat packs, prepared for the mountain’s famously unpredictable weather. Everyone had a phone in hand, stopping every few steps for a picture. The narrow stairs leading to the lake were clogged with people trying to capture the view. Many jostled to move forward, squeezing between shoulders. Others climbed the wooden safety barriers to snap their photos. The ropes lining the stairs felt too loose for comfort, and with sheer cliffs on either side, any misstep could be dangerous. As a photojournalist, my goal was not just to see the lake but to photograph it fully and clearly. Finding the right spot was difficult in the crowd, and time was limited. I waited for a less crowded section and got lucky. Someone stepped away, and I slipped into the gap. I positioned my feet through the fence rails, leaned forward on tiptoe, and raised my arms high to frame the shot without heads or hands intruding. Without this effort, getting a clear photo of Heaven Lake, one without someone else's selfie, would have been nearly impossible. Though Baekdu Mountain offers three routes, North, West, and South, I only visited the North and West during this trip. The South Slope is only open for a few months each summer, with strict daily entry limits. The North Slope is the more accessible of the two. From the parking lot, it is only a 15-minute walk to the lake. The terrain there feels lunar, barren, almost Martian. When you turn around mid-climb, the surreal rock formations cascade behind you, layer after layer, like a dreamscape. The West Slope takes about an hour to hike and has steeper stairs. But the landscape is lush and green, dotted with wildflowers, evoking the feeling of walking across a high alpine meadow. From the top, the open plateau stretches toward the sky. From the North Slope, you can take a 30-minute bus ride followed by a walk to reach Changbai Waterfall. The lake’s waters flow out through a break in the crater wall and plunge 68 meters down in a spectacular vertical fall. Surrounded by sheer stone walls, the waterfall roars from a hollowed basin and leaves a lasting impression of scale and awe. Heaven Lake, located at the summit of Baekdu Mountain, is a volcanic crater lake that straddles the border between North Korea and China. Its surface sits at an elevation of 2,267 meters above sea level. The lake covers an area of 9.165 square kilometers, with a circumference of 14.4 kilometers, an average depth of 213.43 meters, and a maximum depth of 384 meters. Holding approximately 1.955 billion cubic meters of water, it is the deepest lake not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in all of China. It is rare to find a lake formed at the peak of a mountain like this. Heaven Lake was created by water collecting in the caldera of Baekdu Mountain. About 61 percent of its water comes from underground springs and glacial melt, 30 percent from rain and snow, and the remaining 9 percent from surrounding runoff. Even though water flows out through the waterfall, the lake remains full thanks to this continuous replenishment. Still, Heaven Lake is not something you can see every day. On average, it is visible only around 100 days a year. For more than 265 days, it is shrouded in fog, rain, or snow. Locals say it takes the virtue of three generations to be blessed with a clear view. And even then, a full day of uninterrupted clear skies is exceedingly rare. 2025-07-08 14:12:37

Insulin pump maker Sooil inks $21.6 million deal with Mediq SEOUL, July 08 (AJP) - Sooil Development, a South Korean medical device company known for portable insulin pumps, says it has signed a four-year, 30 billion won (approximately $21.6 million) supply agreement with Mediq, Europe’s largest medical device distributor. The deal marks a significant step in Sooil’s effort to expand its footprint in Europe’s diabetes care market. Under the agreement, Sooil will supply Mediq with its Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) system — a next-generation diabetes management platform developed in partnership with the French health-tech firm Diabeloop. The AID system integrates Sooil’s insulin pump technology with Diabeloop’s artificial intelligence algorithm, which automatically adjusts insulin delivery in response to a patient’s glucose levels. The system, which is aimed at improving blood sugar control in people with diabetes, is widely seen as a step toward the development of a fully artificial pancreas. The first shipment under the contract — worth 2 billion won — was completed on June 25. The system is expected to be gradually introduced across six European countries, including the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom, Sooil said. 2025-07-08 14:08:57

Trump says will impose 25 percent tariffs on all Korean goods starting August SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to impose 25 percent tariffs on all South Korean goods starting Aug. 1, unless Seoul agrees to a new trade deal with the United States. In a letter posted to his social media platform, Trump gave the government of President Lee Jae Myung just three weeks to reach an agreement before the sweeping duties take effect. The announcement comes as his previous tariff measures are set to expire on Tuesday, heightening pressure on Seoul to make concessions or face far-reaching consequences for its export-driven economy. “Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal,” Trump wrote, criticizing what he described as an imbalanced trading relationship. “Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge Korea a tariff of only 25 percent on any and all Korean products sent into the United States, separate from all sectoral tariff.” The proposed tariff, Trump argued, is a corrective measure aimed at reducing what he characterized as a "significant trade deficit" with South Korea. However, he acknowledged that the 25 percent rate would still fall “far less than what is needed” to eliminate the disparity. The letter also included a veiled warning: if Seoul retaliates with countermeasures, Washington would match those actions with additional tariffs “on top of the base 25 percent rate.” Despite the combative tone, the president appeared to leave a door open for negotiation. He suggested that the tariffs could be adjusted — “upward or downward” — depending on future talks and Seoul’s willingness to remove what he described as “trade barriers.” In a gesture aimed at encouraging foreign direct investment, Trump said that South Korean companies that manufacture in the United States would benefit from fast-tracked regulatory approvals, processed “quickly, professionally, and routinely — in other words, in a matter of weeks.” The ultimatum to South Korea was one of two issued Monday. In a separate statement, Trump said the United States would impose 25 percent tariffs on all Japanese imports, raising the rate from a previously established 24 percent as part of a parallel campaign to “rebalance” trade relationships in the Asia-Pacific region. Trump's new timeline is likely to intensify diplomatic and economic discussions in Seoul, where the export-heavy economy is deeply intertwined with American markets. 2025-07-08 10:49:49

Samsung Electronics reports 55.9 percent drop in Q2 operating profit SEOUL, July 08 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics forecast a steep decline in its second-quarter operating profit, highlighting persistent challenges in the global tech industry despite signs of recovery in the semiconductor sector. The South Korean tech giant on Tuesday said it expects an operating profit of 4.6 trillion won, or approximately $3.5 billion, for the April to June period — down 55.9 percent from a year earlier. Revenue is projected to total 74 trillion won, a marginal 0.09 percent decline from the same quarter in 2024. The earnings guidance, released ahead of final audited results, also reflected a quarterly slowdown. Operating profit dropped 31.2 percent from the previous quarter, while revenue slid 6.5 percent, according to preliminary figures based on Korean International Financial Reporting Standards. The company attributed the figures to investor disclosure obligations, noting that the estimates are subject to change following external audits of its headquarters and affiliated entities. Samsung, which began offering quarterly guidance in 2009, emphasized its continued commitment to transparency and global accounting standards by adopting IFRS in 2010. Samsung said it plans to hold a conference call to discuss the final earnings later this month, where executives are expected to field questions from shareholders and analysts about the company’s performance, ongoing industry pressures, and future outlook. 2025-07-08 10:36:50

South Korea to repatriate six North Koreans rescued at sea SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - Six North Koreans who were rescued after drifting into South Korean waters earlier this year are expected to be repatriated to North Korea soon. The Ministry of Unification here said on Monday that it plans to send them back to the North as early as this week, as they have expressed their willingness to return to their country. "They have expressed their strong desire to return to North Korea, so we decided to repatriate them promptly from a humanitarian perspective," said Koo Byung-sam, a spokesperson for the ministry. In March, two North Koreans were rescued by South Korean coast guards after drifting across the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border with South Korea, followed about two months later by four more North Koreans rescued in the East Sea aboard a wooden boat. Despite their wishes to return, their repatriation has been delayed because North Korea has ignored South Korea's repeated requests through the United Nations Command (UNC). The ministry is reportedly considering sending them back using the boats they boarded, after making some repairs. 2025-07-07 17:26:15

Ex-President to face another arrest as prosecutors seek detention with new charges SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - A hearing to determine whether to re-arrest former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law debacle last year is set to be held later this week. The Seoul Central District Court said Monday that the hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, following a request by independent prosecutors seeking Yoon's arrest on fresh charges related to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. Yoon is expected to attend the hearing to defend himself against the charges. Independent prosecutors, who took over the case about a week after President Lee Jae-myung took office early last month, filed the request after summoning Yoon twice for questioning on June 28 and last Saturday. Yoon, who was arrested in January on charges of insurrection and abuse of power before being released in March, cannot be arrested again on the same charges, so prosecutors are now seeking to detain him on new charges of falsification of official documents, obstruction of official duties and other accusations such as attempts to evade questioning. They allege that Yoon ordered officials to destroy martial law–related documents and reportedly called only the minimum number of cabinet members required for quorum, likely preventing any objections from being raised. Yoon reportedly denies all these allegations, citing the illegality of his detention. 2025-07-07 16:54:14