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Hyundai Rotem opens first rail component plant in US SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - South Korean rail manufacturer Hyundai Rotem has opened its first American production facility, a move aimed at aligning with Washington’s push to localize infrastructure supply chains. The 8,500-square-meter plant, called Hyundai Rotem Smart Electric America, officially opened on Wednesday (local time) in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, the company said Friday. Demand for rail infrastructure in Southern California is likely to surge ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics, presenting a window of opportunity for new entrants. Hyundai Rotem, which has supplied trains to projects from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, is seeking to position itself as a reliable partner to U.S. transit authorities. The plant will manufacture and test propulsion control systems, traction motors and auxiliary power units — core components that power trains and manage their braking and electrical systems. “This is a crucial starting point for realizing our commitment to quality in the U.S.,” Lee Yong-bae, Hyundai Rotem’s chief executive, said at the opening ceremony. He added that the plant was expected to support job creation and local economic growth. The investment is also a strategic bet on the Trump administration’s “Buy America” rules, which require federally funded infrastructure projects to source a significant share of their materials and components domestically. For foreign suppliers like Hyundai Rotem, a U.S. manufacturing base is no longer optional but a prerequisite to compete for contracts. The Riverside plant will not only handle production but also provide maintenance support and training for American operators, a move the company hopes will strengthen ties with local communities and rail firms. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-09-19 09:38:25 -
Rosé's catchy song amasses over 2 billion views on YouTube SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - Rosé, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, continues to break records with her catchy song "APT." According to her management agency, the global hit, a collaboration with American pop star Bruno Mars, amassed over 2 billion views on YouTube in about a year after its release in October last year. With the latest feat, she now has another music video surpassing 2 billion views on the American streaming giant, adding to the quartet's previous hits like "DDU-DU DDU-DU" and "Kill This Love." Rosé's global recognition was further boosted as the song went viral worldwide, leading to her inclusion in TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People" list and her win of the "Song of the Year" award at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in the U.S. earlier this month. Meanwhile, Rosé is currently on a world tour with her fellow BLACKPINK members, which began with concerts in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province in early July. 2025-09-19 09:06:09 -
INTERVIEW: Climate expert urges Seoul's new climate ministry to finalize NDC SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea must commit to a long-term pathway to reduce carbon emissions now that it is set to launch a new ministry integrating energy, climate, and environmental functions, said a leading climate scientist. "The most urgent task for the ministry would be to finalize the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)," said Axel Timmermann, director of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Center for Climate Physics at Pusan National University, in an interview with AJP. "The government must have eyes on the future and design long-term climate policy for the world children will face 20 to 30 years from now," he said. He welcomed the new government’s plan to reorganize the Environment Ministry as the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, which would take over energy policymaking from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). "When energy policy is under MOTIE, growth and industrial competitiveness are the main priorities. But if a ministry dedicated to climate and environment also manages energy, it can focus more on the next generation and long-term sustainability," he said, urging concrete implementation plans, including a carbon tax and carbon tax dividends. Timmermann, a world-renowned climate physicist who trained under 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Klaus Hasselmann, has headed the IBS Center for Climate Physics since 2017. The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) is Korea’s most prestigious national research institute dedicated to basic science, headquartered in the science hub city of Daejeon’s Sin-dong research complex. His team in Busan uses supercomputer models and cave-based climate records to study Earth’s variability and make long-term projections. In explaining the extreme heat wave this year, he pointed to the country’s dense urbanization. "A large share of South Korea’s population lives in metropolitan areas such as Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, and in these cities the so-called urban heat island effect—where concrete and asphalt trap heat and make cities hotter than surrounding rural areas—intensifies the impact of heat waves," Timmermann said. "Concrete surfaces block natural cooling from evaporation, while the lack of vegetation makes the heat feel even more severe." The summer was the hottest on record, with the mercury averaging 25.7 degrees Celsius between June and August, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). But Koreans should get used to the intense heat as a new norm, the scientist said. "There will be year-to-year variability, so some summers will be hotter and some cooler. But the long-term trend points to increasingly extreme summers," he added, calling for a joint inter-Korean response to common challenges from shared climate conditions. In his first year in Korea, he explored the possibility of joint research with North Korea, but abandoned the idea due to the complex approval procedures amid zero inter-Korean ties and sanctions related to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. The North has also been grappling with the fallout from extreme weather such as heat waves, droughts and floods. "I believe scientific cooperation across borders is essential and beneficial." "Science has no borders. When we think about the betterment and efficiency of scientific research, there’s every reason for greater collaboration with others," he added. 2025-09-18 17:59:09 -
Seoul opts for promotion-first and regulation-later approach on AI deployment SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea has chosen a middle path between Europe’s strict rules and U.S.’s hands-off stance in global race to govern artificial intelligence. The Ministry of Science and ICT this week detailed the criteria for high-impact AI systems pertinent to the Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and Establishment of Trust" dubbed as the AI Basic Act due to take effect next January. Seoul will be the second jurisdiction after the European Union to set statutory guidelines for AI, though with an emphasis on promotion over regulation during the early stage of the technology. AI systems trained with cumulative computing power of 10^26 floating-point operations or more will be classified as high-impact — a threshold aligned with U.S. standards but looser than the EU’s 10^25 level. Companies deploying such systems will be required to adopt risk management plans, disclose training data and supervisors online, and provide users with clear advance notices through terms of service or interfaces. Additional measures include watermarking AI-generated content, labeling deepfakes in ways easily recognizable to users, and marking outputs from generative AI for both human and machine readability. While the act empowers regulators to impose penalties for noncompliance, the ministry indicated enforcement will be delayed. Fines are expected to be deferred for at least a year after the enactment. “Promotion takes priority over regulation,” said Kim Kyung-man, AI policy director at the ministry. “We don’t intend to impose stricter rules ahead of other countries.” The U.S. has taken a far looser approach, passing the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in July to block state-level AI regulation for a decade. Europe, by contrast, set the global precedent when its AI Act came into force in August 2024, imposing strict transparency, accountability, and anti-discrimination requirements on companies. With its AI Basic Act, South Korea is seeking to balance light-touch regulation with global alignment as it pursues its ambition to become one of the world’s top three AI powers. 2025-09-18 17:48:21 -
The sky's the limit for K-ramyeon riding on Demon Hunters craze SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - The challenge of slurping fiery-hot ramyeon is nothing new. But when a chart-topping K-pop trio does it in a Netflix hit that becomes the platform's most-watched animated film, the sales surge – and stock rally – for Korean snack makers can be staggering. Instant noodle giant Nongshim, featured as a motif in "KPop Demon Hunters," closed Thursday at 481,500 won ($347), up 24.6 percent from a year ago. Nearly 30 percent of that jump came in just the past month. The windfall stems from the film's breakout success, where the girl group devours steaming bowls of Shin Ramyun and munches on shrimp snacks before rushing to battle demons and stage a stadium concert. Nongshim sold 6,000 limited-edition Shin Ramyun packs featuring film characters in just 100 seconds on its online store last month, while themed packaging for Shin Ramyun and Shrimp Crackers is now rolling out across North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. The halo effect has extended to Samyang Foods, maker of the viral "Hot Chicken" noodles. Its shares soared to 1,585,000 won this month, tripling from 517,000 won a year earlier, with a 15.1 percent gain in the last month alone as the "Spicy Noodle Challenge" found new life in the Demon Hunters craze. "Samyang has already been strong, but Nongshim was relatively weaker in marketing despite its overseas plants and distribution networks. The film did the magic," said Kim Jin-woo, analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities. "The real boost will come when the exact products shown in the film hit the shelves, not just character-branded packaging." The craze underscores how Korean instant noodles – once overshadowed by Japanese ramen – have become a cultural export in their own right. Korea's ramyeon exports hit $1.25 billion in 2024, surpassing the previous year's $952 million in just 10 months, according to the agriculture ministry. The U.S. is now the top buyer, with imports up 70 percent last year to $215.6 million, helping push total Korean agri-food exports to the U.S. to a record $1.59 billion, ahead of China and Japan. "The anime is packed with Korean cultural elements, which feed global interest and cravings for Korean products. This can only spark more demand for snacks," Kim added. 2025-09-18 17:45:10 -
Gov't launches task force to tackle US visa issues after Georgia immigration raid SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - The government launched an interagency task force to address issues related to U.S. visas. The task force, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, aims to ensure that the concerns raised by South Korean businesses are reflected during negotiations with the U.S. The move follows the weeklong detention of hundreds of South Korean workers during a sweeping immigration raid in Georgia earlier this month. The task force will also work with business lobbies such as the Korea Enterprises Federation and the Korea Federation of SMEs, with plans to hold regular meetings to tackle strategies for streamlining visa processes and easing U.S. entry for South Korean businesspeople. During his meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun proposed forming a "working group" to discuss visa-related issues and prevent similar incidents from recurring. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-09-18 17:24:17 -
KB Financial pivots to artificial intelligence to lead Asian banking Editor's Note: This article is the 36th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest financial group is making a high-stakes wager on artificial intelligence, betting that the technology will reshape the future of banking in Asia and cement its dominance in the region’s fast-changing financial industry. “People should say that if you want to do financial AI, you have to go to KB,” Yang Jong-hee, chairman of KB Financial Group, told employees at a workshop early this year. The remark has since become a kind of rallying cry for a company determined to lead what it sees as a digital revolution in finance. KB reported a net profit of 3.44 trillion won, or about $2.5 billion, in the first half of 2025, a 23.8 percent jump from the year before. The results, executives say, underscore the strength of its new AI-first strategy, which they believe will transform how customers across Asia use financial services — from loans and insurance to wealth management and payments. Founded in 2008 when Kookmin Bank reorganized into a holding company, KB has grown into a sprawling financial conglomerate with 13 subsidiaries in banking, securities, insurance, credit cards and asset management. Its origins stretch back to the 1960s, when South Korea created state-backed lenders like Housing & Commercial Bank to fuel industrial growth. A merger in 2001 gave rise to modern Kookmin Bank, the core of today’s KB Financial. Expansion has long been central to KB’s strategy. Over the past decade, it has spent billions acquiring rivals and pushing into Southeast Asia. It bought LIG Insurance in 2015, Hyundai Securities a year later, and Prudential Life Insurance Korea in 2020 for 2.3 trillion won. In 2021, it acquired Indonesia’s Bank Bukopin, now KB Bukopin, which returned to profitability this year. Banking remains KB’s bread and butter, but fee-based services are becoming increasingly important. In 2025, non-interest income topped 1 trillion won in a single quarter for the first time. The company’s KB Star Banking app, which combines more than 70 services ranging from mortgages to credit cards, has helped cement its reputation as one of South Korea’s most digitally advanced lenders. Last year, regulators designated eight KB subsidiaries as “innovative financial services” for their use of generative AI — the most of any financial group. “Through the designation, KB will be able to stay one step ahead in the AI-centered financial innovation race,” a company spokesman said. Even as it invests heavily in digital technology, KB has maintained a focus on rewarding shareholders. This year it announced 850 billion won in stock buybacks and a cash dividend of 920 won per share, moves that will bring total shareholder returns to 3.01 trillion won — the highest in its history, according to chief financial officer Na Sang-rok. The group has retained strong credit ratings — A1 from Moody’s and A from both S&P and Fitch — and has been listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World for seven consecutive years, signaling to investors that it sees environmental and governance concerns as inseparable from financial performance. With operations spanning South Korea, the United States, China, Britain and Southeast Asia, KB now wants to leverage its AI edge in pursuit of a larger goal: transforming itself from a national banking champion into a regional powerhouse. 2025-09-18 17:12:54 -
Georgia immigration raid prompts calls for special visa program for South Korean workers SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Despite Seoul's massive $350 billion investment pledge to Washington, a sweeping U.S. immigration raid early this month led to the detention of hundreds of South Koreans working at a joint electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Georgia. The incident severely disrupted South Korean companies' plans to send skilled workers to the U.S. for productivity and quality control. The raid underscores the need for clear and consistent visa policies for business travelers amid U.S. President Donald Trump's strict immigration stance. Many business travelers here commonly obtain the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to visit the U.S., as it allows them to stay for up to 90 days for non-commercial activities such as attending meetings and conferences. However, frequent instances of travelers overstaying their visas or remaining in the country illegally appear to have led to the implementation of stricter controls and legal enforcement. For business travel, visas like B1/B2, H1B, L1, and E2 are typically required, but their complicated and lengthy procedures make them difficult and slow to obtain. But each visa type comes with its own set of hurdles. B1/B2 visas, for instance, can take weeks to process and do not allow paid work in the U.S. H1B visas are subject to annual quotas, while L1 and E2 visas often require burdensome paperwork, which can be an obstacle especially for smaller companies. To address these issues, many experts are proposing a special visa for South Korean workers, similar to Australia's E-3 or Singapore's H-1B1, visa programs that allow professionals in specialty occupations to work temporarily in the U.S. By simplifying visa issuance procedures and reducing processing times, such a visa could further strengthen the bilateral alliance by enhancing economic cooperation and facilitating professional exchanges between the two countries. Although immediate adjustments to visa and immigration policies may be difficult, the recent Georgia incident highlights the urgent need for practical solutions to ensure that South Korean companies do not suffer similar incidents or face disruptions to their U.S. operations due to visa issues. * This article, contributed by Lee Won-gu, CEO of Prime Immigration in Seoul, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-09-18 16:40:56 -
Korea's drug crisis spikes, treatment gap widens SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea, once hailed as drug-free, is confronting a fast-rising drug crisis with young adults most affected and treatment systems lagging to raise long-term public health concerns. From January through August, authorities confiscated 2,810 kilograms of illegal drugs — 3.5 times the 787 kilograms seized in all of 2024, Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Il-young said Thursday, citing data from the Korea Customs Service. The haul, equivalent to about 76 million doses based on a typical use of 0.03 grams, spanned a wide range of substances. "South Korean ports are emerging as a new hub for international drug cartels, and this danger is already materializing," Chung said. "The fact that 56.1 percent of drug offenders arrested over the past five years are in their 20s and 30s is a grave warning that threatens the very fabric of society." Despite Korea's no-tolerance for drug crimes, police and prosecutors are struggling to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks. "Young people today use cryptocurrency and false-name bank accounts to buy illegal drugs," said Yoon Heung-hee, professor of global addiction rehabilitation counseling at Namseoul University. Dealers have shifted from simple package drops to organized relay points, and long-term ties between sellers and buyers often frustrate investigators. The problem has spread to teenagers, though arrests of offenders in their teens dropped to 649 in 2024 — down 56.1 percent from the previous year after the government crackdown that followed the notorious "attention drink" case. Still, a pilot survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last year found that 23 of 1,800 respondents aged 14 to 24 admitted to drug use, or 1.3 percent. Experts believe the true figure is far higher, given the clandestine nature of drug crimes. "Drugs are easily accessed through illegal websites, free webtoons, and social media," said Lee Hae-kook, psychiatry professor at the Catholic University of Korea. "Teenagers without money sometimes sell amphetamine-based appetite suppressants without knowing what they are, only to end up hospitalized after arrest." Specialists are calling for a paradigm shift from criminal enforcement to public health. At a National Assembly seminar co-hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday, Kim Ju-hee, chief executive of biotech firm Inventage Lab, warned that "drug addiction can no longer be dismissed as an individual failing but must be treated as a national public health crisis." Compared with countries such as the United States and France, Korea lacks insurance coverage, treatment programs, and access to proven therapies. Experts urged the government to fund long-acting injectable medications that improve compliance and reduce relapse, and to integrate prevention into schools. "Education should begin early, teaching students both which acts are illegal and how specific drug components affect the brain," Lee said. "Without proactive attention from both government and private sector, the crisis will only deepen." 2025-09-18 15:56:03 -
Samsung Electronics will receive $250 million grant from Texas SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics will receive a $250 million grant from the state of Texas to support its semiconductor expansion, Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday (local time). The funds, allocated from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund, are separate from the $4.7 billion in federal aid Samsung secured last year under the CHIPS Act. The new grant was announced after Abbott met with Kyung Kye-hyun, Samsung’s vice chairman, in Austin on Sept. 17. Abbott praised Samsung for its $40 billion investment in the state, which he said has created thousands of high-paying jobs and cemented Texas as a hub for semiconductor manufacturing. The award is tied to Samsung’s $4.73 billion capital investment in its chip fabrication facility in Taylor, northeast of Austin. The plant, scheduled for completion by year’s end, will manufacture cutting-edge 2-nanometer semiconductors for applications in 5G, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Samsung said production of its AI6 chips — part of a $23 billion supply agreement with Tesla — will begin at the Taylor site in late 2026. The grant highlights Texas’s active role in courting semiconductor investment, setting it apart from federal-level initiatives. Abbott visited Samsung’s massive Pyeongtaek campus in South Korea in July 2024 and previously awarded $27 million in state funds for the Taylor fab in 2021. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-09-18 15:39:50