SK's battery recycling technology published in international journal SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korea's SK Innovation said Friday its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery recycling technology has been published in the international journal Separation and Purification Technology. The company said conventional recycling processes for LFP batteries have struggled with environmental and cost burdens, including byproduct treatment and wastewater generation. Its newly developed method uses only water, carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide to s December 5, 2025

Coupang sees drop in daily users after massive data breach SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - Coupang, South Korea's leading e-commerce giant, has been seeing a drop in daily users after a massive data breach was detected late last month. According to an analysis by market researcher IGAWorks on Thursday, Coupang's daily active users fell to 17.80 million last Tuesday, down from a record 17.98 million the previous day. This marks the first decline after three consecutive days of increase since last Saturday, despite the breach. With dai December 5, 2025

Amazon executive, South Korea's AI officials explore cooperation SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korea’s AI Strategy Committee said Friday that David Zapolsky, Amazon’s senior vice president for global public policy and legal affairs, has visited the committee's vice chairman, Lim Moon-young, to discuss cooperation on artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. During the meeting, Amazon outlined its ongoing investments in AI and cloud services in South Korea and discussed potential collaboration on the government&rsquo December 5, 2025

Hancom Lifecare to supply K5 gas masks to Korean military SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Hancom Lifecare, a safety equipment subsidiary of Hancom Group, said Friday it has secured a major contract to supply gas masks to the South Korean armed forces. The company said it signed a 185 billion won ($13.8 million) agreement with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to deliver about 80,000 K5 gas masks by 2026. The K5 model, developed between 2010 and 2014, features a single-lens visor for improved visibility and dual filters desig December 5, 2025

Kia marks 80th anniversary with pledge to lead future mobility SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Kia President Song Ho-sung pledged to accelerate innovation across electric and purpose-built vehicles as the automaker marked its 80th anniversary on Friday. “We will continue to innovate with various electric and purpose-built vehicle models to become a centennial company,” Song said at a commemorative event held in Yongin, south of Seoul. Reflecting on Kia’s evolution to a global brand, Song credited the company’s resilien December 5, 2025

KITA forecasts record exports for South Korea this year SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korea's exports are on track to top $700 billion for the first time in history, with the recovery expected to continue into 2026, according to a report released on Dec. 5 by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA). KITA's Institute for International Trade said exports are projected to rise 3.0 percent this year to $704 billion, while imports are expected to slip 0.3 percent to $630 billion. That would leave the country with a tra December 5, 2025

Naver teams up with Netflix for Culinary Class Wars Season 2 push SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Naver unveiled a joint marketing campaign with Netflix, leveraging its map and membership services to promote the streaming giant's upcoming cooking competition series Culinary Class Wars Season 2. The South Korean tech firm said on Friday its Naver Map application now features a curated list of restaurants operated by chefs appearing in the Netflix show, which premieres on Dec. 16. A internationally beloved series which pit 80 unknown chefs against December 5, 2025

Korea's C/V surplus halves, outbound stock invest outsized inbound by a factor of 6 SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korea posted its 30th straight monthly current account surplus in October, but the headline figure shrank to a six-month low as reduced factory activity during the Chuseok holiday dampened trade, according the central bank data, which also showed Korean outbound stock purchases overwhelming foreign inflows by a factor of six to explain the stubbornly weak Korean won against the U.S. dollar. The Bank of Korea said Friday that the country recorded a December 5, 2025

South Korea's finance chief rules out using pension fund for FX intervention SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - South Korea’s finance chief pushed back against speculation that the government might lean on the National Pension Service to help stabilize the weakening won, saying market fundamentals — not state intervention — should guide currency movements. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol, speaking in a radio interview Friday, said the government has no intention of directing the NPS, one of the world’s largest in December 5, 2025

Five Hanjin airlines adopt Starlink high-speed Wi-Fi across fleets SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Five airlines under South Korea’s Hanjin Group will adopt SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service to provide high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi, Korean Air said on Friday. The move, which includes Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul, marks the first deployment of Starlink by a South Korean carrier. Starlink operates a network of more than 8,000 low-earth orbit satellites and offers speeds of up to 500 Mbps, allowin December 5, 2025