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[[K-Pop]] Soundtrack from K-pop anime tops Billboard Hot 100 again A scene from "KPop Demon Hunters." Courtesy of Netflix SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - One of the main theme songs from Netflix's hit South Korean anime has returned to the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to Billboard on Monday, "Golden" from the soundtrack of "KPop Demon Hunters" reclaimed the top spot on the U.S. singles chart this week, after slipping to second place behind American singer Alex Warren's "Ordinary" last week. The song, performed by South Korean-American singer-songwriter Ejae together with American singers Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, is one of the smash hits featured on the soundtrack of the anime, which is about a story of fictional K-pop superstars having "secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats." Billboard hailed the album's success, saying it "becomes the first soundtrack to generate four simultaneous top 10s over the chart's 67-year archives." Three other songs from the soundtrack such as "How It's Done," "Soda Pop" and "Your Idol" were also included in the top 10 of the chart. 2025-08-26 15:16:39
South Korean consumer confidence reaches 8-year high SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - South Korean consumer confidence rose in August to its highest level in nearly eight years, buoyed by stronger household spending and robust exports, according to central bank data released Tuesday. The Bank of Korea’s Composite Consumer Sentiment Index edged up to 111.4 in August from 110.8 the previous month, the fifth straight monthly gain. The reading was the highest since January 2018, when the index stood at 111.6. A score above 100 signals optimism compared with the long-term average between 2003 and 2024. The rebound follows a steep 12.5-point drop last December, when the economy briefly froze during the political turmoil surrounding the martial law crisis. Since April, sentiment has steadily improved as financial conditions stabilized. Assessments of current economic conditions climbed seven points to 93, while views on present living standards rose two points to 96. But expectations for the broader economy declined six points to 100, suggesting lingering uncertainty. Housing market sentiment also ticked higher, with price expectations rebounding to 111 after a sharp decline in July, when government debt-control measures unsettled the market. Additional data underscored signs of a spending revival. Korea Credit Data, a financial services firm, reported that small business card sales rose 6.4 percent year-on-year in the four weeks after the government distributed consumer vouchers. 2025-08-26 15:08:11
Softbank sheds $1.6 billion stake in Coupang amid push into AI SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - SoftBank, the Japanese technology investment giant, has unloaded nearly $1.65 billion worth of shares in Coupang, South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform, as it continues to pare back its holdings in the company. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SoftBank sold 20 million Coupang shares on Aug. 20 at the New York Stock Exchange, raising about $576.8 million. The sale followed two earlier transactions this year: 30 million shares on May 8 for $798 million and 10 million shares on June 13 for $283.1 million. In total, the group has disposed of 60 million shares since May, a sell-off valued at roughly 2.3 trillion won. The moves mark a continued retreat by SoftBank from one of its most high-profile investments. The Tokyo-based group held 32.4 percent of Coupang at the end of 2021 but has cut that stake to 17.39 percent as of August. Industry analysts say the divestments appear aimed at freeing up capital for SoftBank’s ambitions in artificial intelligence. The company is a partner in what it has described as the $500 billion “Stargate Project,” a plan with OpenAI and Oracle to build large-scale AI data centers in the United States. 2025-08-26 14:20:37
Hyundai Motor to add $5 billion to US investment, bringing total to $26 billion SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group said on Tuesday it would commit an additional $5 billion to its U.S. operations, expanding its planned investment through 2028 to $26 billion. The announcement coincided with the South Korea–U.S. summit between Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump. Hyundai, which had already pledged $21 billion in March, said the new funds would be directed toward steel, automobiles and robotics. Chairman Chung Eui-sun outlined the plan as part of a broader effort to strengthen the company’s competitiveness in electric vehicles and other future industries while deepening economic cooperation with the United States. A centerpiece of the new investment is a 2.7 million-ton electric arc furnace steel mill in Louisiana, which will produce low-carbon, high-grade steel for U.S. industries, including automotive manufacturing. Once completed, the facility will create what Hyundai described as a fully localized value chain linking steelmaking, parts production and vehicle assembly. Hyundai also intends to significantly expand vehicle output at its U.S. plants. The company, which produced about 700,000 vehicles in the United States last year, plans to broaden its lineup to include more electric models alongside hybrids and internal combustion engine cars, with the aim of responding more flexibly to consumer demand. The company’s affiliates will ramp up investment in parts and logistics to raise local sourcing rates, particularly for batteries, in order to strengthen supply chain integration with assembly operations. Hyundai said it will also build a new robotics factory with an annual production capacity of 30,000 units, positioning it as a hub for its U.S. robotics business. The group will expand collaboration with American companies in autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and software-defined vehicles, while accelerating the work of its U.S. subsidiaries, including Boston Dynamics and Motional. 2025-08-26 13:32:13
Lee vows to work with Trump to resume talks with North Korea in first bilateral summit in Washington SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to work together to resume dialogue with North Korea during their first summit in Washington on Monday. Lee, who reportedly read the U.S. leader's book "The Art of the Deal" as part of preps for the summit, opened talks with lavish praise for his past efforts to engage with Pyongyang "I hope you can bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, the only divided nation in the world, so that you can meet with at the appropriate time," raising prospects for rapprochement with the North, in line with Lee's recent series of conciliatory gestures toward Pyongyang since taking office in early June. Trump also said he would "come" to South Korea for the upcoming APEC summit, scheduled this fall in the historic southern city of Gyeongju, which could pave the way for another meeting with Kim, possibly at the truce village of Panmunjom or elsewhere, although it remains uncertain whether Kim will want to talk with either Trump or Lee. Among the key topics on the summit's agenda, Lee expressed his willingness to increase defense spending for the evolving posture of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), while embracing greater "flexibility" in its role for broader regional security and other challenges, in line with Washington's push to "modernize" the bilateral alliance. But Trump unexpectedly implied that Washington wants to own the "land where we have the big fort," likely referring to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province here, the largest U.S. overseas military base. He declined to provide further details, only hinting at possible adjustments by saying, "I don't want to say that now." Regarding the two countries' tariff-related deal, agreed last month to lower reciprocal tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent in return for massive investment and wider market opening, Trump said, "I think we have a deal done. They had some problems with it, but we stuck to our guns." "They want to renegotiate the deal, but that's okay," he further explained. "That doesn't mean they get anything, but I don't mind, but we're going to have some very serious discussions about different things, including trade," suggesting that additional demands may come later, as specific details of some sticking points in the trade deal as well as key defense issues were largely unaddressed or unsettled. However, Presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung later clarified in a press briefing that there was no discussion or request regarding further opening of agricultural products and other produces, a contentious issue due to strong opposition from farmers and manufacturers here. After the summit at the White House, which lasted about 140 minutes, Lee attended a business forum with senior U.S. officials, mingling with business leaders and other executives from major companies including Boeing and Nvidia. Later in the evening, he delivered a keynote speech at Washington-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he presented his vision for the bilateral alliance between Seoul and Washington. On Tuesday, Lee is scheduled to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, then travel to Pennsylvania to visit a memorial hall dedicated to independence fighter Seo Jae-pil, also known as Philip Jaisohn, and tour a Hanwha-owned shipyard before returning to Seoul. 2025-08-26 11:06:11
President Lee eases Trump's pre-summit doubts after sharp remarks on South Korea SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - Hours before his first summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, United States President Donald Trump unsettled Seoul on Monday (local time) with blunt social media remarks about the political situation in South Korea. Posting on American social media platform Truth Social about two and a half hours before the meeting in Washington, Trump wrote, "WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there. I am seeing the new President today at the White House." Minutes before the two leaders met, he added to the tension during a signing ceremony, saying he had heard South Korea's government had "raided churches" and "collected information at our bases." The comments rattled Lee's delegation. Aides worried Trump was signaling he might use the Oval Office session to press the new president on domestic affairs. When the two leaders sat down with reporters present, Trump returned to the subject. He said he had been told there were church raids in South Korea, and "If true, that would be unfortunate." Lee responded directly. He explained that a special prosecutor appointed by South Korea's National Assembly was handling investigations related to former president Yoon Suk Yeol, and that no U.S. military facilities were searched. "The prosecutors were only checking South Korean systems inside bases," Lee said. Trump quickly shifted tone. "I think it is a misunderstanding," he replied, adding that he was "convinced it was an error" after hearing Lee's explanation. The tense prelude gave way to a friendlier atmosphere once the summit began. The Oval Office session proceeded without further dispute. The raids that caught Trump’s attention are part of a wide-ranging probe by a special prosecutor into alleged abuse of power under Yoon’s administration. In July, investigators searched the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, tied to claims that senior military officials lobbied religious and political contacts to avoid responsibility after the death of a young Marine. The probe also included searches at Far East Broadcasting Company and parts of Osan Air Base. Officials said the base searches were limited to South Korean-controlled areas. The investigation traces back to the 2023 death of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun, who drowned during a flood rescue mission after allegedly being sent out without proper safety equipment or procedures. His death sparked public anger, accusations of negligence and a cover-up, and the appointment of the special prosecutor now at the center of Trump’s remarks. 2025-08-26 10:53:32
Trump pushes arms sales, energy exports to Seoul SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump pressed South Korea on defense spending, energy imports and industrial cooperation during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House on Monday, underscoring his emphasis on weapons sales and American energy exports. Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, cast South Korea as a reliable buyer of U.S. military hardware and suggested that expanding defense sales would be a central focus of the partnership. “They understand that we make the best military equipment in the world, and South Korea is a big buyer of military equipment,” Trump told reporters, pointing to flagship systems such as the B-2 stealth bomber, aerial refueling tankers and advanced fighter jets. Energy was another pillar of Trump’s remarks, as he highlighted what he described as a “reciprocal dependency” between the two allies. “We have more oil and gas and coal than any other nation in the world, by far, and we’re going to use it,” he said. “And that’s the thing that South Korea, I think most wants from us.” He singled out Alaska’s oil and natural gas reserves as key to expanding exports to Asia. 2025-08-26 10:17:27
Lee, Trump will strengthen shipbuilding cooperation under 'MASGA' initiative SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump and on Monday (local time) pledged to expand cooperation in shipbuilding, with Trump endorsing a sweeping South Korean proposal aimed at reviving America’s long-declining industry. At their first summit meeting at the White House, Trump voiced support for what Seoul has branded the “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again” initiative, or MASGA — a $150 billion plan advanced by South Korea during trade negotiations in July. The proposal calls for direct U.S. purchases of Korean-built vessels and expanded South Korean investment to rebuild America’s shipyard capacity. “We’re going to be buying ships from South Korea. We’re also going to have them make ships here with our people, using our people, and we’re going to go back into the shipbuilding business again,” Trump said. “We love their ships.” While calling the project promising, Trump cautioned that results would take time. “Shipbuilding is a tough one to start,” he said. “You know, it takes a while.” The plan underscores how far the U.S. has fallen behind in an industry it once dominated. Economists point to the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the Jones Act, as a key factor in the sector’s decline, entrenching monopolies and driving up costs. China, by contrast, has rapidly expanded its capacity, surpassing the United States in fleet size last year with 234 vessels to America’s 219, according to defense data. Some Republican lawmakers have pushed to roll back parts of the Jones Act, and analysts say Trump could seek executive measures to ease restrictions. But the scope of potential changes remains unclear. On the sidelines of the summit, South Korea’s HD Hyundai moved quickly to position itself as the project’s anchor partner, signing a memorandum of understanding on U.S. maritime investment. The company said it would help strengthen American shipbuilding, marine logistics and advanced maritime technology as part of the MASGA initiative. 2025-08-26 10:10:46
[[K-Pop]] Multinational units of K-pop girl group BlingOne meet fans in Seoul SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - K-pop girl group BlingOne, which has no South Korean members at all, held a fan event in Seoul on Monday as its Chinese and Peruvian unit members came together. Formed through the World K-Pop Center's global audition project "Click the Star," which aims to discover and nurture aspiring K-pop stars from 32 countries across the world, BlingOne began their journey with three Peruvian members in June last year and six Chinese members in February this year, while their Indonesia and South Korea units are expected to debut soon. The Chinese unit has since undergone some changes in its member lineup. "The group's name means 'to bling the world as one,'" said Yu Dong-ming of the center. "This is especially meaningful as it marks the first time since their debut that the Peruvian and Chinese members have come together." In his opening remarks at the event, Peruvian Ambassador to South Korea Paul Duclos welcomed the multinational group's members, expressing his expectation for their "excellent performance" here. Highlighting K-pop's power to connect different countries, he added, "Their talent, abilities, and passion for music also serve as a symbol of friendship and unity." The girls also expressed their excitement. "I've always missed my fans, and I'm overwhelmed to be here in such a special place," said Chinese member Chloe. Reflecting on the days she dreamed of making her debut, Peruvian member Mia said, "Being able to meet fans and connect with them at this up-close and personal event is truly a great gift." Cristina, 23, a Peruvian fan who attended the event with her sister, said, "I married a South Korean man and currently live here, but I became a fan of BlingOne after seeing their performance in Peru while visiting my family." Meanwhile, BlingOne will perform at a music festival this weekend in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, along with various singers and performers including Ailee, Chungha, Rain, Triple S, and Xiumin of EXO. 2025-08-26 10:09:39
PHOTOS: President Lee's first summit with Trump SEOUL, August 26 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held their first summit on Aug. 25 (local time) at the White House, discussing a range of issues including North Korea and bilateral economic cooperation. During the meeting, President Lee requested that Trump visit South Korea during the APEC summit in Gyeongju and meet with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. In response, Trump indicated he would be willing to meet with Kim this year, if a meeting could be arranged. The two leaders also agreed to strengthen economic cooperation, with a particular focus on the shipbuilding industry. 2025-08-26 10:01:00