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SK Telecom Unveils 688B AI Model 'A.X K2' to Support Industrial AI Transition SK Telecom (SKT) has unveiled its proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model, A.X K2, aimed at supporting the transition to AI in various industries.On July 29, SKT announced the release of A.X K2, which features 688 billion parameters, on the open-source community platform Hugging Face. This new model enhances mathematical and scientific reasoning capabilities, as well as knowledge and long-text reasoning in Korean, compared to its predecessor, the 519 billion parameter A.X K1.According to SKT, A.X K2 shows an average performance improvement of 32.2 percentage points across 14 domestic and international benchmarks compared to A.X K1. Notably, it achieved an approximately 83.9 percentage point improvement in long-text comprehension and agent-related evaluations.This performance boost is supported by SKT's proprietary Sparse Gated Attention (SGA) architecture, designed to enhance accuracy and operational efficiency by selectively referencing relevant information when processing long contexts.A.X K2 has demonstrated benchmark results comparable to recent international AI models released within the last six months, including Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, DeepSeek-V4-Flash, GLM-5.1, and Kimi-K2.6.SKT plans to deploy A.X K2 across various sectors, including manufacturing, defense, and everyday life. In the manufacturing sector, SKT will apply A.X K2 to specialized AI agents for steel manufacturer KG Steel and automotive parts manufacturer Conec. A demo version of the manufacturing-focused AI agent will be tested in the cold rolling line at KG Steel's Dangjin plant and in Conec's casting and processing operations in the second half of the year.Additionally, SKT has collaborated with the Ministry of National Defense to develop three quantization models based on A.X K1. These models will be utilized by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.SKT is also exploring opportunities in the biotechnology sector. Currently, SKT is leveraging AI in collaboration with SK Biopharm to develop targeted therapies for hard-to-treat cancers. The application of SKT's AI technology has reduced the initial research period for new drug development from the typical 1-2 years to just 5 months.Furthermore, SKT plans to participate in the Ministry of Science and ICT's 'Everyone's AI' initiative. Leveraging its full-stack AI capabilities across models, services, and infrastructure, SKT aims to contribute to the widespread adoption of AI services that the public can experience.Looking ahead, SKT envisions expanding the parameter scale of future A.X K2 models to the trillion level to enhance global competitiveness. As major global models are increasingly adopting trillion-level parameters as a baseline for competitiveness, SKT aims to continuously advance the A.X model in terms of scale and performance to approach the level of big tech companies.Kim Tae-yoon, head of SKT's foundation model division, stated, "We will continue to apply and develop A.X K2 across various industries to contribute to enhancing national competitiveness."Meanwhile, the evaluation of the Ministry of Science and ICT's foundation model project is scheduled for next month.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-29 09:51:00 -
Walking, Running, and Yoga: 'Leisurely Morning' Course at Gwangjin Bridge The 'Leisurely Morning' program, which allows participants to walk and run at their own pace without competition or rankings, is expanding to Gwangjin Bridge.On July 29, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will operate the 'Leisurely Morning' Gwangjin Bridge course on August 2 and 9 at Gwangnaru Hangang Park and the surrounding area. This time, the program will diversify its offerings by incorporating yoga, cultural experiences, and relaxation into the existing exercise activities.The Gwangjin Bridge course is designed for participants to enjoy the scenic views of the Han River while walking at their own pace, starting from Gwangnaru Hangang Park. It is easily accessible by public transportation from Cheonho Station to Gwangjin Bridge.At the starting point, Gwangnaru Bicycle Park, participants can check their fitness levels at the Seoul Fitness Center.Notably, the 'Gwangjin Bridge 8th Street,' a multi-cultural space within the bridge's support structure, will offer programs that combine exercise with cultural and relaxation activities. A small yoga class will be held from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., accommodating 30 participants per session, with a total of seven sessions available on a first-come, first-served basis.Inside Gwangjin Bridge 8th Street, there will be photo zones and props for participants. Citizens who post photos taken on-site with a designated hashtag and tag the official account will have a chance to win souvenirs through a lottery.The city plans to continue expanding the 'Leisurely Morning' courses and content by utilizing the Han River, urban areas, and major attractions in different regions. The goal is to develop this program into a representative lifestyle sports initiative that allows citizens to experience various parts of Seoul in new ways, linking local scenery and cultural facilities.Cho Sung-ho, head of the Seoul Tourism and Sports Bureau, stated, "We have confirmed the potential for 'Leisurely Morning' to grow into a new weekend exercise culture, with 6,807 citizens participating in Yeouido and downtown Seoul. The third course at Gwangjin Bridge will provide a more diverse experience by combining walking over the Han River, yoga, and cultural experiences."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-29 09:48:00
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ELN&F Signs Long-Term Supply Agreement for LFP Cathodes with CoreShell Technology Global battery materials company ELN&F announced on July 29 that it has signed a long-term supply agreement for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes with U.S. battery technology firm CoreShell Technology.This agreement comes amid a market environment where the origin, supply chain, and regulatory requirements for battery materials are increasingly stringent in the United States.ELN&F successfully secured this contract based on its capability to supply LFP cathodes that comply with U.S. supply chain and origin regulations, including the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). The company has also established a non-China supply chain that meets the strict standards required in defense and strategic industries, such as those outlined in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).CoreShell, headquartered in California, is developing next-generation battery platforms utilizing domestically sourced metal silicon. The company has been conducting technology validation and sample supply activities for global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and is expanding its business into electric vehicles, energy storage systems for power grids, and defense.With this agreement, CoreShell aims to establish a battery supply system that excludes Chinese minerals and components from anode to cathode while ensuring compliance with U.S. production and regulatory standards. The company has secured a large-scale production base capable of meeting supply chain standards for key demand sectors, including defense, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems for power grids.Jonathan Tan, CEO of CoreShell, stated, "This agreement is a significant milestone in realizing our strategy of a battery supply chain based on non-China sources. We have established a foundation to reliably supply batteries that meet the highest regulatory compliance standards demanded by our customers."This contract with CoreShell is seen as a continuation of ELN&F's expansion, demonstrating that its LFP cathodes have been recognized for both technological capability and competitiveness in a non-China supply chain in the North American market. ELN&F noted, "We have built a supply system that meets the stability, regulatory responsiveness, and procurement readiness required by North American customers."Ryu Seung-heon, CFO of ELN&F, remarked, "Based on a two-track strategy encompassing ultra-high nickel NCM and LFP, we will respond broadly from premium electric vehicles to the affordable market, contributing to the establishment of a stable and competitive non-China supply chain that global customers demand."Meanwhile, ELN&F announced on July 21 that it would begin its NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) and LFP battery recycling business based on strategic cooperation with CIS Chemical. 2026-07-29 09:48:00
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Algal blooms speed plastic breakdown into microplastics SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - The algal blooms that turn rivers and lakes green every summer do more than cloud the water. They also make discarded plastic crumble faster, accelerating the point at which a plastic bag or wrapper starts shedding microplastics, according to research from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. The finding matters because the two problems have been managed as separate ones. Water authorities treat blooms as a nutrient pollution issue and plastic waste as a solid waste issue, and the research shows the first speeds up the damage caused by the second. Blooms are also becoming more frequent worldwide as warming water and fertilizer runoff push more nutrients into freshwater systems. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced the results Wednesday. The work was led by Myung Jae-wook, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with doctoral student Kim Young-ju as first author, and was carried out with three researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Plastic that ends up in a river does not sit there inertly. Within days, bacteria and algae colonize its surface and build a living film, an environment researchers call the plastisphere. Scientists already knew this film influences how pathogens spread and how microplastics travel through water. What nobody had established was what happens to that film when a serious bloom hits. To find out, the team built miniature ecosystems in the laboratory using freshwater collected from a pond on the KAIST campus in Daejeon, then added low-density polyethylene film, the flexible plastic used in shopping bags. Blooms were induced by seeding the water with Microcystis aeruginosa, a cyanobacterium commonly used as a model for harmful freshwater blooms, and by adjusting light and nutrient levels. The team then tracked the plastic surfaces for 42 days, analyzing the microbial film, the makeup of the community living in it and the genes those organisms carried. Under bloom conditions, cyanobacteria and a wide range of ordinary bacteria multiplied together and produced a thicker, more complex film than in normal water. Organisms that secrete exopolysaccharides, the sticky substances that bind microbes to each other and to surfaces, increased sharply. The film held on tighter and grew heavier. That shift changed what the plastic itself went through. Bacteria carrying genes for enzymes involved in oxidizing and breaking down plastic, including alkane hydroxylase, copper oxidase and esterase, became more abundant under bloom conditions. Infrared spectroscopy showed a rise in oxidized chemical groups on the plastic surface, and scanning electron microscopy revealed a denser pattern of fine cracks. Both are signs that the material was becoming brittle, the stage before it fragments into microplastic particles. No single plastic-eating microbe was responsible. The researchers attributed the acceleration to the whole community, photosynthetic bacteria and ordinary bacteria working as a layered network, which widens the picture of how plastic degrades in real water bodies rather than in controlled tests with one strain. The study also compared polyethylene with polylactic acid, a plant-based plastic marketed as biodegradable, and found different bacterial groups dominating on each surface. "This research is meaningful in that it looked at plastic pollution and algal blooms not as separate problems but as one environmental problem in which each affects the other," Myung said. "As climate change makes blooms more frequent, I expect this will serve as important evidence for building integrated environmental management strategies that consider water quality management and waste plastic management together." The paper appeared in the journal Water Research on May 25. (Reference Information) Journal: Water Research Title: Eutrophication drives taxonomic and functional trajectories in plastic-associated biofilms DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2026.126183 2026-07-29 09:47:16 -
Gyeonggi Province Launches Free AI Training Program for Job Seekers The Gyeonggi Job Foundation is launching a tiered vocational training program aimed at helping young people and job seekers in northern Gyeonggi Province move beyond using generative artificial intelligence as a simple information retrieval tool. The program will enable participants to analyze public data and produce solutions to social issues, which can be included in their employment portfolios and relevant qualifications.According to the foundation, the "2026 Northern Gyeonggi Vocational Training AI Talent Development Project" consists of three courses: an introductory course on generative AI and data analysis, a team project utilizing public financial data, and an advanced course supporting the acquisition of AI prompt skills. The official recruitment announcement indicates that the practical introductory course is open to young people and job seekers interested in AI and data analysis.Participants can sequentially engage in the basic and advanced courses to enhance their skills, or they can apply for specific courses based on their data analysis experience or job preparation status. The foundation plans to connect learning, practice, projects, and qualification acquisition into a single process to support participants in their actual job search activities.The first stage, "Practical Introduction to Data Analysis Using AI," teaches participants how to apply generative AI in their work, covering the basic principles of data organization, analysis, and visualization. It also includes practical exercises using public financial data and the preparation of problem-solving proposals. The training is designed to accommodate participants with no prior experience, starting from the basics.The core course, "Public Financial Data Problem-Solving Project," allows participants to form teams to analyze financial data from national and local governments. They will identify the causes of issues in the community and policy areas and develop concrete proposals for solutions. The official announcement also states that mentoring from current professionals and mock interviews will be provided, with a total prize of 3 million won awarded to outstanding teams.The project will progress through stages including topic selection, data selection, analysis method establishment, solution proposal development, presentation material preparation, and final presentations. At each stage, current professionals will review the analysis direction and the quality of the results. Participating teams will gain experience not only in organizing data but also in connecting identified issues to policy or service improvement proposals.The data analysis results, problem-solving proposals, and presentation materials created during the training can be organized for use in resumes and employment portfolios, alongside mock interviews and job support programs. Other organizations have also introduced this project as a course linking data analysis, practical projects, qualification acquisition, and portfolio creation.Outstanding projects will receive a total of 3 million won in prizes, including 1 million won for the best team, 800,000 won for an excellent team, and 600,000 won each for two teams receiving encouragement awards, incentivizing the feasibility and completeness of the results. Participants will also gain experience in role division, collaboration, and data-driven presentations through team projects.The final stage, "Advanced Practical Skills Using AI-POT," will deepen participants' ability to structurally design work instructions for generative AI and verify and improve results, supporting the acquisition of AI-POT Level 2 certification. The entire project is structured into three phases: introductory, project-based, and qualification acquisition with portfolio completion.The foundation also offers a specialized AI-POT certification course, fully covering training costs and materials, as well as supporting exam fees for practical tests upon qualification. The foundation's educational direction aims to enable job seekers to demonstrate their actual job competencies by linking AI-related training and qualification acquisition.Previously, the Gyeonggi Job Foundation has expanded vocational training to respond to digital transformation, operating AI-based software automation, data utilization competitions, and AI prompt skills qualification courses. This project further strengthens practical and project-based education, allowing job seekers in northern Gyeonggi to complete tangible results after basic training.Park Jong-man, head of the Northern Business Division at the Gyeonggi Job Foundation, stated, "The practical skills that companies can verify depend more on what data has been analyzed and what solutions have been proposed than on whether the training has been completed. We will help participants concretize their completed projects and qualification results into job-specific portfolios, linking them to mock interviews and job support to enhance their actual hiring competitiveness."Meanwhile, all three training courses are offered free of charge. Details on the target audience, training schedule, and application methods can be found on the Jababa Apply app. The foundation is also running a promotional event until August 9, where participants who share promotional materials on their personal social media accounts will be entered into a draw to receive convenience store mobile coupons worth 3,000 won, with 100 winners selected. Information about this event and the public financial data project recruitment is available on the foundation's website.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-29 09:42:00
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Hanwha Galleria W Surges After Hitting Lower Limit the Previous Day Hanwha Galleria W rebounded sharply to hit the upper limit after recording a lower limit the previous trading day. However, experts caution about the stock's inherent volatility, as significant price movements can occur with limited trading volume. On July 29, at 9:25 a.m., Hanwha Galleria W traded at 3,565 won, up 820 won (29.87%) from the previous day, reaching the upper limit. The day before, the stock had plummeted by 1,175 won (29.97%) to hit the lower limit, but it surged back to the maximum increase allowed within just one day. However, the trading volume was limited to 5,760 shares. The previous day, during the lower limit, the trading volume was around 5,006 shares. Over the past month, the average daily trading volume has mostly remained in the thousands, indicating that the stock has a limited supply. This month, Hanwha Galleria W's daily trading volume has not exceeded 10,000 shares even once. Assuming a stock price of around 4,000 won, the daily trading value would be only about 40 million won. Particularly, due to the characteristics of preferred stocks, Hanwha Galleria W has a small market capitalization and a limited number of participants, which means that even a few trades can lead to significant price fluctuations. Throughout this month, the stock has shown high volatility, fluctuating around 4,000 won. On July 15, it rose by 6.81%, only to fall by 4.69% the following day. Preferred stocks have fewer shares in circulation, so if buying and selling pressure skews in one direction, the price volatility can be greater than that of common stocks. Analysts advise that for stocks experiencing sharp increases without substantial trading volume, it is essential to closely examine the reasons behind the rise and the trading structure.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-29 09:42:00
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Korean Won Falls to 1450 Against US Dollar Amid Market Optimism The won-dollar exchange rate has dropped to the 1450 range.On July 29, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the exchange rate stood at 1456.3 won per US dollar as of 9:29 AM.This decline appears to be linked to the ongoing cessation of U.S. airstrikes against Iran and growing optimism for renewed dialogue. However, uncertainty remains following Iran's surprise attack on U.S. military bases in the Middle East on July 28.International oil prices continued to plummet. September futures for Brent crude fell 4.83% to $84.09 per barrel, while September futures for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped 4.06% to $79.26 per barrel.At the same time, the dollar index, which measures the value of the dollar against six major currencies, was at 101.41, down 0.01 from the previous day.In the domestic stock market, foreign investors shifted to a buying position, net purchasing 198.3 billion won in the securities market.The exchange rate is expected to attempt to stabilize in the 1450 range. Min Kyung-won, an economist at Woori Bank, stated, "As favorable external factors accumulate for the won, and with the month-end approaching, if dollar selling pressure continues, particularly from exporters, the exchange rate may decline further." 2026-07-29 09:42:00
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SK Hynix Expects Investment to Reach Nearly 40 Trillion Won This Year SK Hynix announced during its second-quarter earnings conference call on July 29 that it expects its investment this year to reach nearly 40 trillion won. The company stated, "In the medium to long term, we plan to proactively build infrastructure to secure future supply capabilities based on discussions with customers and market demand forecasts."The company added, "We are accelerating the mass production schedule for M15X and are also investing to quickly expand production capacity following the opening of the clean room at the Yongin Phase 1 fab in early 2027." It explained that long-term investment plans, including the advanced packaging plant P&T7, the NAND production base M17, and the establishment of a new semiconductor cluster, will be implemented gradually, considering customer demand and investment efficiency.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-07-29 09:36:00
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One in Five Immigrants in the U.S. is from Mexico, Making Up 40% of Unauthorized Residents More than one in five immigrants living in the United States is from Mexico, which accounts for 40% of unauthorized immigrants. According to a report by the Mexican daily La Jornada, citing an analysis from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), there were approximately 11.1 million Mexican-born immigrants residing in the U.S. as of 2024.This figure represents 22% of the total 50.2 million immigrants in the country, making it the largest group by country of origin.The number of Mexican immigrants has increased more than fivefold from 2.2 million in 1980 to 11.1 million in 2024. However, it has slightly declined since peaking at over 11.7 million in 2007.A significant portion of these immigrants have settled in the U.S. for a long time, with 77% having moved before 2010. The rate of U.S. citizenship among Mexican immigrants stands at 34%, lower than the 51% rate for all immigrants.In terms of income, the median household income for Mexican immigrant households in 2024 was $68,700, which is below the overall median of $82,400 for all immigrant households. The median income refers to the income of the household that falls in the middle when all households are arranged in order.Among employed Mexican immigrants, 26% work in the service sector, while 25% are engaged in construction, maintenance, and resource extraction jobs.Geographically, Mexican immigrants are concentrated in California and Texas. Between 2020 and 2024, 35% of Mexican-born immigrants lived in California, and 22% resided in Texas. Including Illinois, Arizona, and Florida, these five states account for 70% of the total.Mexico is also the leading country of origin for unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. MPI estimates that as of mid-2023, there are about 5.5 million unauthorized immigrants from Mexico, representing 40% of the total 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants in the country. 2026-07-29 09:36:00
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Krafton unveils voice AI model topping Korean-language benchmarks SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - South Korean game developer Krafton said it had released a voice artificial-intelligence foundation model, A.X K2 Raon-Speech, on the global platform Hugging Face, deepening its push into the technology it views as central to the future of gaming. The model, announced by Krafton on Wednesday, was developed under a government-led "sovereign AI foundation model" project overseen by the Ministry of Science and ICT, in which Krafton leads next-generation multimodal research as part of an elite team assembled by SK Telecom. It emerged as one of the results of the project's second phase. Built with about 21 billion parameters, A.X K2 Raon-Speech ranked first in overall Korean-language performance and third in English among openly released voice models below the 30-billion-parameter class, according to Krafton. The company said it evaluated the model across six areas — from speech recognition and synthesis to tool-calling — using 46 benchmarks spanning Korean and English. The model pairs a compact language model based on SK Telecom's A.X K2 with a speech encoder and codec that Krafton trained in-house, allowing it to interpret a speaker's voice and answer in fluent, natural-sounding speech. Conventional voice systems, which convert speech to text and back again, often strip away emotion and intonation along the way; Krafton said its model preserves those cues to craft more lifelike replies. The release builds on Raon, the AI brand Krafton launched in April with four open-source models, refining the earlier speech model's training approach with the company's own encoder and codec. "A.X K2 Raon-Speech is the fruit of Krafton's steady research into and refinement of AI foundation technology," said Lee Kang-wook, the company's chief AI officer, adding that the firm would keep advancing the foundations needed to build new gaming experiences, including AI-driven characters that understand a player's voice and respond in kind. 2026-07-29 09:34:13