Hundreds of fat cats at major businesses to face axe in 1st half SEOUL, February 9 (AJP) - Nearly half of outside directors at major businesses in South Korea will see their terms expire in the first half of this year, a study shows. Corporate tracker Korea CXO Institute surveyed the country's 50 largest companies and found they had around 1,235 outside directors as of this month. Of them, 543 or 44 percent are scheduled to have their terms end in the first half of this year. Among conglomerates, SK Group had the most with 85, followed by Lotte with 75, NongHyup with 74, Samsung and Hyundai Motor with 72 each, and KT with 52. About 100 serve at more than one company. Under relevant regulations, companies with assets over 2 trillion won can retain outside directors for up to six years, meaning about half will have to step down around their shareholders' meetings in March. Of these directors, about 103 who began their terms before June 2020 will no longer be eligible to serve. Around 40 of these fat cats are affiliated with the country's top 10 companies such as Samsung and SK hynix. Most had academic backgrounds, with 30 serving as university presidents, professors or researchers, followed by 27 bureaucrats and 20 from legal and financial institutions. "With selection criteria for outside directors becoming stricter, companies are expected to face growing concerns," said Oh Il-seon, head of the institute. 2026-02-09 14:43:37

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore posts 2025 operating profit of 3.9045 trillion won, up 172.3% HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore, the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding business, said Monday in a regulatory filing that its 2025 consolidated revenue rose 17.2% from a year earlier to 29.9332 trillion won, while operating profit jumped 172.3% to 3.9045 trillion won. Fourth-quarter revenue increased 13.8% to 8.1516 trillion won, and operating profit rose 108% to 1.0379 trillion won from the same period a year earlier, it said. By affiliate, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries posted 2025 revenue of 17.5806 trillion won and operating profit of 2.0375 trillion won. HD Hyundai Samho reported revenue of 8.0714 trillion won and operating profit of 1.3628 trillion won. HD Hyundai Mipo reported third-quarter cumulative revenue of 3.7186 trillion won and operating profit of 358.7 billion won. Ship-engine affiliate HD Hyundai Marine Engine reported revenue of 402.4 billion won and operating profit of 75.9 billion won, citing higher engine volumes and increased parts sales. Solar affiliate HD Hyundai Energy Solutions posted revenue of 492.7 billion won and operating profit of 41.2 billion won on higher domestic and overseas sales volumes and a recovery in selling prices. By business segment, the shipbuilding unit reported revenue up 13.4% to 25.0365 trillion won and operating profit up 119.9% to 3.3149 trillion won, driven by higher build volumes, a larger share of high-priced ship sales and continued productivity gains from process efficiency. The engine and machinery segment reported revenue of 4.2859 trillion won and operating profit of 774.6 billion won, supported by increased marine-engine sales, a higher share of eco-friendly, high value-added engines and improved results in engine parts. The offshore plant segment posted revenue of 1.2436 trillion won and operating profit of 137.9 billion won, returning to profit from a year earlier as work expanded on existing projects. “Solid performance is continuing across affiliates, including shipbuilding and engines, based on competitiveness in each business area,” a company official said. “With a stable order backlog, we will enhance profitability through a selective order strategy.” 2026-02-09 14:15:00

NH NongHyup Bank to Expand Venture Capital Investment in K-Food Startups NH NongHyup Bank said Monday it held a strategy meeting at its headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, chaired by its CEO, to boost venture capital investment in K-food. The meeting was aimed at moving beyond traditional loan-centered financing by expanding venture investment in promising agri-food startups and growth companies, strengthening what the bank called “productive finance.” The bank said it is developing strategic investment plans focused on key agricultural industries drawing global attention, including food tech and agtech, with support extending beyond funding to business expansion and market entry. NH NongHyup Bank said it is the country’s largest agri-food fund manager, operating eight funds totaling 344.1 billion won. It plans to expand assets under management to more than 500 billion won within three years to support the broader agri-food investment ecosystem. It also said it will link its efforts with an agtech youth entrepreneurship campus and the 2026 Agri-Food Tech Startup Expo (AFPRO), now in its fourth year, to build a cycle from identifying promising companies to attracting investment and supporting growth. “K-food venture capital investment is a key task for strengthening the future competitiveness of South Korea’s agriculture,” NH NongHyup Bank CEO Kang Tae Young said. “We will act as a responsible partner that helps shape industry trends, going beyond the role of finance, so bold venture investment can lead to real growth.” 2026-02-09 14:08:47

National Museum of Korean Literature chief pushes to broaden public access to K-literature "If a museum’s main work is collecting and researching materials, a literature museum is a place that should be shared with the public," Im Heon-young, director of the National Museum of Korean Literature, said. "I want to make it a space where everyone — not only writers — can enjoy literature." Im made the remarks on Feb. 9 at a news conference in Seoul’s Jongno district marking his first month in office, repeatedly stressing the goal of making literature more accessible to the public. Im took office in January as the museum’s third director. The National Museum of Korean Literature is scheduled to officially open in spring 2027, next to Jingwansa temple in Seoul’s Eunpyeong district, near where King Sejong is said to have set up a secret study room to create the Korean alphabet. Im said he has adopted the catchphrase, "Every citizen memorizes one poem," and argued that the concept of literature must broaden to help meet the Culture Ministry’s goal of building a 300 trillion won K-culture industry. He said literature can encompass history, philosophy and even parts of science, and pledged to create more opportunities for people to enjoy literature across politics, society and religion. As a first step, the museum will name an "Author of the Month" to highlight writers who left a major mark on Korean literary history and hold joint commemorative events with related organizations. The next month’s selection will be made around the 25th of each month. The museum also plans to develop a literary travel product, "Korean Literature Journey," with public agencies such as the Korea Tourism Organization, local governments and the travel industry. The program is intended to let readers experience literature by visiting writers’ birthplaces, places they worked and sites that served as settings for their works. It will be linked with literary festivals and regional tourism events nationwide. Im also said the museum is focusing on collecting original materials, with plans to gather works spanning 5,000 years of literary history from classical literature to modern and contemporary writing. The museum has built an archive of about 120,000 items. Its "Korean Literature Materials Management System" includes a chatbot and OCR tools that can convert visual materials into documents. The system will also link to author information to provide authoritative profiles. The museum plans to include Korean literature from all periods and in all formats, from handwritten manuscripts to typewritten pages. Designed from the start for shared use with literature museums nationwide, it is expected to be converted around 2030 into a "Korean Literature Heritage Portal" that anyone can use. "Our job is to spread literature widely to all citizens," Im said, adding that he would pursue popularization by applying what Minister Choi Hwi-young has called looking at things "15 degrees off-center." 2026-02-09 14:08:21

Military helicopter crashes in Gapyeong, killing two crew members SEOUL, February 9 (AJP) - A military helicopter crashed in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province on Monday, killing two crew members, according to military authorities. The South Korean Army said the AH-1S Cobra went down at about 11:04 a.m. during training, which involved practicing emergency landings in conditions similar to an abnormal situation without shutting down the engine. The exact reasons for the crash were not immediately known. Two officers on board were rushed to a hospital immediately after the crash but were pronounced dead. The Army said it has grounded all AH-1S Cobras and is conducting an investigation to determine the cause. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu Baek, who is visiting Saudi Arabia, instructed the Army to ensure "swift and thorough recovery and follow-up measures," the ministry said. 2026-02-09 13:49:41

KAIST Professor receives AIBN Medal for translational research SEOUL, February 09 (AJP) - Lee Sang-yeop, a distinguished professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and vice president of research at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology was awarded the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Translational Research Award in Brisbane, Australia, on February 3, the South Korean institute said in a statement on Monday. The Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) Medal is a prestigious global recognition reserved for scientists who bridge the gap between academic discovery and industrial application. Unlike traditional academic honors that prioritize citation volume, this award evaluates a researcher’s impact on technology dissemination, international cooperation, and social value. Sue Harrison, the University of Queensland’s deputy vice-chancellor of research, personally delivered the medal to Professor Lee. Professor Lee has spent more than three decades at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) leading the development of systems metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. His career includes the publication of 798 academic papers and the filing of 868 patents. Beyond his individual research, AIBN credited Professor Lee with playing a foundational role in shaping the institute’s research strategy during its formative years between 2006 and 2007. The collaboration between Professor Lee and Australian researchers began with sugar-based bio-manufacturing and evolved into high-impact projects involving sustainable aviation fuel and waste gas fermentation. This partnership eventually expanded into a global network including the University of California, Berkeley, and industry leaders such as Amyris, LanzaTech, and SkyNRG. These efforts helped establish the University of Queensland as a premier research hub for bio-manufacturing in Australia. Professor Lee currently holds international memberships in the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society in the United Kingdom, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He also previously served as co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biotechnology. "This AIBN Medal is more than a personal achievement; it is the culmination of long-standing cooperation between KAIST, the University of Queensland, and researchers across South Korea and Australia," Professor Lee said. "It proves that systems metabolic engineering and synthetic biology can provide tangible solutions for sustainable industry and global social issues." KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung noted that the award reflects the university’s commitment to research that moves beyond the laboratory. He stated that the institution will continue to prioritize global partnerships that translate biotechnological breakthroughs into real-world value. Although Professor Lee was named the inaugural recipient of the AIBN Medal in 2016, the formal ceremony was delayed by nearly a decade due to scheduling conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026-02-09 13:46:30

OPINION: Takaichi's sweeping win in a high-ground gamble - and democracy's test Politics has always been war by other means. Weapons have been replaced by language, battlefields by parliaments and social media. But the logic of victory has changed far less than we like to believe. In this sense, the most enduring manual for understanding modern politics remains The Art of War. Sun Tzu located victory not in manpower or tactics, but in shi—the configuration of power, momentum, and terrain. The decisive battle, he argued, is often won before it is fought. The landslide victory of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the 2026 general election offers a textbook example of this ancient insight in the age of algorithms. This was not an election about weighing competing policy platforms. It was framed as a single, binary question: Takaichi, or not Takaichi. Voters were not choosing a government. They were choosing a figure. It was a high-ground strategy—rare in postwar Japanese politics. Rather than expanding cautiously toward the center, Takaichi simplified the battlefield, accepted polarization, and forced a decision. In Sun Tzu’s terms, she did not refine her tactics. She changed the terrain. Once the high ground is seized, every subsequent battle is fought on its terms. Opposition parties offered rational arguments and moderate appeals. They were safe. They were also irrelevant. Politics that avoids being disliked preserves stability, but it rarely generates momentum. Politics that risks unpopularity is dangerous—but it can dominate the field. This election did not judge moral virtue. It tested which strategies survive in today’s information environment. “Sanakatsu”: Fandom Politics in the Algorithm Age The key to understanding this election lies in a single word: sanakatsu. Derived from oshikatsu—the culture of idol fandom—it describes the fervent, organized following around Takaichi. Campaign rallies became concerts. Badges and posters became merchandise. Online communities outperformed traditional party machinery. Politicians became brands. Voters became fans. This was no accident. Sun Tzu’s shi—momentum—now appears as “high-energy support” in digital form. Platforms do not reward moderation. They do not amplify compromise. They favor clarity, emotion, and repetition. Average messages do not spread. Strong ones do. Takaichi’s slogan, “A Strong and Prosperous Japanese Archipelago,” fit the logic perfectly. It was simple, repeatable, emotionally resonant. It belongs to the same lineage as Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again”: language that needs no explanation and leaves little room for ambiguity. Personal narrative reinforced the message. In a political culture dominated by dynasties, Takaichi’s story—daughter of a factory worker and a police officer who rose through effort—created identification, especially among younger voters. Their support was less about policy preference than identity choice. In military terms, she offered not wages, but meaning. An army that fights for meaning does not disperse easily. “Strong Japan” and the Power of National Narrative In war, legitimacy matters more than numbers. Soldiers who do not understand why they fight will not fight long. Takaichi presented Japan with a powerful national story: Strong Japan. Between Xi Jinping’s China and Trump’s America, she argued, Japan should no longer be a cautious manager of decline. It should be an autonomous actor—choosing, deciding, and bearing responsibility. The message struck a nerve. Decades of stagnation, demographic decline, and geopolitical uncertainty had left Japan suspended between past greatness and present anxiety. Takaichi did not offer comfort. She offered dignity. In strategic terms, this is the most effective form of mobilization. Politics that explains failure attracts few followers. Politics that declares possibility attracts many. But legitimacy is always double-edged. “Strong Japan” leads naturally to constitutional revision, military expansion, and renewed debates over historical memory. For South Korea and China, it raises concerns. Within Japan, weakened institutional restraints could accelerate ideological hardening. Her shift toward a more assertive governing coalition has only intensified these anxieties. High ground creates vision. It also creates exposure. Sun Tzu warned that holding high ground is harder than capturing it. Support built on clarity and emotion must eventually be justified by results. Otherwise, it evaporates. “Strong Japan” works as a slogan. As policy, it faces the hard fronts of fiscal limits, demographic decline, and diplomatic constraints. In East Asian terms, Takaichi’s victory may reshape regional dynamics—from Korea-Japan relations to trilateral coordination with the United States, to ties with China. A clear Japan may be abrasive, but it is predictable. Diplomacy is management, not sentiment. Sometimes a firm counterpart is easier to deal with than an ambiguous one. The real question is whether clarity becomes managed competition—or unmanaged confrontation. At this point, the lens naturally turns to South Korea. Fandom politics, weakened opposition, generational polarization, and emotion-driven voting are not uniquely Japanese phenomena. Algorithm-amplified outrage, loyalty over verification, and “vote first, think later” behavior erode democratic capital at speed. Japan’s present may well resemble Korea’s future. Sun Tzu’s final warning is worth recalling: generals intoxicated by momentum prepare their own defeat. When political victory is not followed by responsibility, high ground becomes a trap. Takaichi’s landslide reflects an acute reading of her era. Whether it represents a victory for democracy remains undecided. Politics, unlike war, does not end with triumph. It must lead to governance. It must prove itself in outcomes. History is now asking a single question: After capturing the high ground, how will it be defended? That question confronts not only Japan, but South Korea and East Asia as a whole. *The author is a columnist for AJP. 2026-02-09 13:44:18

BTS Comeback D-40: Seoul readies an army to protect ARMY on concert day SEOUL, February 09 (AJP) -South Korea’s elite counterterrorism units are preparing for a mission unlike any other this spring: protecting not a summit, not a visiting head of state, but the global fan base of BTS. On March 21, Gwanghwamun Square — framed by royal palaces and glass towers — will host the group’s first full-member comeback concert in nearly four years. Police expect up to 260,000 people to converge on the historic plaza for what is already being billed online as “a royal return” and “the concert of the century", live-streamed worldwide through Netflix. Separate from the worldwide tour, ticketing for the first-ever comeback show has been split to accommodate both the general public and dedicated fans, with free general-admission seats available on a first-come, first-served basis via Nol Ticket at 8 p.m. on Feb. 23. Official fan club members can enter a global raffle through Weverse tied to purchases of the group’s fifth studio album, “ARIRANG.” Detailed booking instructions will be released on Feb. 20, with raffle guidelines due on Feb. 10. Expecting an exceptional turnout for the unprecedented event, Seoul’s police force is mobilizing at near-national-event level, with bomb squads, special forces, cybercrime units and crowd-control commanders deployed across downtown. It is deploying security infrastructure usually reserved for major diplomatic summits for K-pop. With attendance projections rivaling major political rallies, police have divided the area into four layers: core, hot, warm and cold zones, further subdivided into 15 sections. Each zone will be overseen by a senior commander. Special assault teams will be stationed nearby. Explosive-detection units will sweep the venue. Thirteen rapid-response crime squads from nine precincts will be on standby. The free outdoor show, titled “THE COMEBACK LIVE: ARIRANG,” is being designed as more than a performance. It is emerging as a hybrid of concert, civic ceremony and global media event — staged at Gwanghwamun Square, with Gyeongbokgung Palace as its backdrop. Rather than returning through a stadium tour, BTS has chosen the symbolic heart of Seoul — where royal processions once passed, presidents give speeches, and protesters gather. According to officials and industry sources, organizers are considering a ceremonial entrance that traces the palace’s historic axis — beginning inside the royal compound and moving outward into public space — effectively transforming centuries-old protocol into modern stagecraft. Event organizer and BTS agency HYBE has pledged to deploy more than 3,500 private security staff, but authorities have warned that more may be required under Korea’s “beneficiary pays” safety principle. Large-scale gatherings in Korea have become politically and socially sensitive since the 2022 Itaewon tragedy. Crowd management is now treated as a matter of institutional credibility. For BTS’s return, there will be no margin for error, said Park Jeong-bo, Seoul Metropolitan Police agency chief during a briefing Monday. The police vowed to watch over online threats and ticketing fraud in real time. 2026-02-09 13:27:01

Boston Dynamics Releases New Video of Atlas Doing Cartwheel and Back Tumbles Hyundai Motor Group robotics unit Boston Dynamics said Monday that it posted a new video to its YouTube channel on Feb. 7 (local time) showing its humanoid robot Atlas performing a cartwheel followed by back tumbles. In the video, Atlas links the two moves smoothly, like a gymnast, and lands the final flip without wobbling. Boston Dynamics said the footage shows Atlas has reached a more stable stage of continuous full-body control, covering takeoff, midair posture control, impact absorption on landing and recovery. The company has also drawn attention for video of Atlas walking on icy ground without falling. YouTube users reacted with comments such as, “It’s the most humanlike walking motion I’ve seen,” and, “It’s really cool that they also show the failures.” A comment calling the video “amazingly impressive” received more than 2,000 likes. Boston Dynamics said the video includes parts of its research process, including failed tumbling attempts. It said Atlas is building full-body mobility through repeated learning that allows continuous performance and repeated verification, and that it plans to systematically train Atlas in Hyundai Motor Group manufacturing environments. A Boston Dynamics official said, “Now that Atlas’ enterprise platform is up and running, performance testing of the research version is coming to an end,” adding, “With help from the RAI (Robotics and AI) Institute, our researchers conducted final tests to push the limits of full-body control and mobility.” Hyundai Motor Group previously said at CES that it plans to deploy a next-generation electric Atlas development model at production sites including Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, and to expand adoption step by step after process-level verification. Starting in 2028, the group plans to introduce Atlas at HMGMA first in processes with clearly verified safety and quality benefits, such as sequencing work for parts classification. From 2030, it plans to expand the scope to parts assembly. Atlas won CNET’s Best of CES 2026 award for best robot at CES 2026.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-09 13:24:40

iM Financial Chairman Hwang Byung-woo Holds Town Hall With Employees iM Financial Group said Monday it held a town hall meeting at iM Bank’s second headquarters to strengthen communication with holding company employees. The event, titled “iM PRO Donation Challenge with the CEO,” combined an open discussion with a participatory giving program run by the iM Social Contribution Foundation. Chairman Hwang Byung-woo has promoted employee communication as an ongoing part of corporate culture since taking office. The group held town halls last year on themes including “COFFEE with CEO,” which featured a barista experience, and “Talk & ART.” This year’s session paired donations for vulnerable groups with a candid Q&A between Hwang and employees. The meeting focused on the group’s new way of working, “iM P.R.O (W.O.W ver.2).” “iM P.R.O,” proposed by Hwang, is built around five core keywords: creativity, performance, responsibility, cooperation and autonomy, and is intended to guide professional work practices. Hwang and employees exchanged unfiltered questions and answers on topics including his reflections after ending his concurrent role as bank president, the link between individual achievement and company growth, and insights from attending CES 2026. The group also recognized “iM PRO outstanding employees” selected through a pre-event survey, underscoring a performance- and behavior-focused culture. “Communication between the CEO and employees, without being bound by formality, is the foundation of an organization’s competitiveness,” Hwang said. “We will build a corporate culture where enjoyable communication like today leads to enjoyable work and an enjoyable workplace.” 2026-02-09 13:21:18