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HD Korea delivers first vessel of 2025 An LNG carrier built by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co./ Courtesy of HD KSOE SEOUL, January 6 (AJP) - HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (HD KSOE) kicked off 2025 with the delivery of its first vessel on Monday. The firm aims to complete 139 ships this year. The vessel, a 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, was built at the HD Hyundai Samho Co. shipyard in South Jeolla Province. The ship was completed roughly two and a half years a January 6, 2025
Korean shipbuilding workforce grows for first time in 8 years A container ship built by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co./ Yonhap SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - South Korea’s shipbuilding industry saw its technical workforce grow by 0.8 percent in 2023, breaking an eight-year streak of declines, according to a government report released Tuesday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's annual workforce survey reported that the nation's industrial technology workforce totaled approximately 1.72 million in 2023, reflecti December 31, 2024
U.S. reaffirms strong alliance with South Korea amid Yoon's impeachment SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - The U.S. on Monday reaffirmed that its alliance with South Korea remains unaffected by President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment last week. "There will be no diminution in the alliance" between the U.S. and South Korea, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. He added, "That alliance is not just an alliance between presidents. It is an alliance between governments and an alliance between peoples. And our commitment to that alliance remains i December 17, 2024
Gov't to unveil plan to bolster semiconductor, battery supply chains next week SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - South Korea’s government will unveil a three-year plan next week aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience for strategic industries like semiconductors and batteries. The initiative will focus on building up public stockpiles, expanding domestic production, and diversifying import sources. “Industrial competitiveness enhancement is an essential task that cannot be halted under any circumstances,” Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi December 12, 2024
Former defense minister accused of repeatedly changing phones after lifting of martial law SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and National Police Chief Cho Ji-ho, central figures in the December 3 martial law declaration, are facing allegations of repeatedly changing their mobile phones after martial law was lifted. Lawmakers speculated on Tuesday that the changes may have been an attempt to destroy evidence related to the controversial move. Data from mobile telecom companies, obtained by Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Hwang Jeong-ah, revealed that Kim December 10, 2024
Acting Defense Minister dismisses possibility of another martial law attempt SEOUL, December 6 (AJP) - Acting Defense Minister Kim Sun-ho on Friday dismissed the possibility of another martial law attempt, saying that such a thing would "never" happen. "Rumors about another similar attempt are completely groundless, and we will refuse any such actions," said Kim, who temporarily assumed the post after former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who reportedly proposed the idea of declaring martial law to President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this week and resig December 6, 2024
US defense secretary skips Seoul visit after Yoon's martial law debacle SEOUL, December 6 (AJP) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has reportedly canceled his planned visit to Seoul in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's aborted martial law earlier this week. The outgoing secretary had planned his final Asian visit including stops in Seoul and Tokyo next week, but reportedly decided to skip his visit to South Korea as Yoon faces backlash over his abrupt declaration of martial law, which ended in a chaotic overnight fiasco on Wednesday, with an impe December 6, 2024
Military pact between North Korea and Russia comes into effect SEOUL, December 5 (AJP) - A treaty pledging mutual military assistance between North Korea and Russia took effect this week after the two countries exchanged ratification documents, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday. Initially signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June, the military pact commits both countries to come to each other's aid in the event of an armed attack. Effective Wednesday, the treaty wi December 5, 2024
Russian defense minister arrives in Pyongyang amid deepening military ties SEOUL, November 29 (AJP) - Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in Pyongyang, Russian news media reported on Friday. Belousov "has arrived in North Korea for an official visit," Moscow's state-run news agency Sputnik said, quoting the country's defense ministry. It added that he is expected to hold "a number of bilateral meetings with representatives of the military" and other political heavyweights in Pyongyang. The visit comes after North Korean Forei November 29, 2024
South Korea unveils new homegrown interceptor missile system SEOUL, November 29 (AJP) - South Korea's latest homegrown long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) system was unveiled at an event in Daejeon on Friday. Hosted by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the event celebrated the completion of the interceptor missile system, which is capable of shooting down incoming enemy ballistic missiles at higher altitudes. Starting development in 2015 with a cost of 1.2 trillion won (US$910 million), the L-SAM is a key component of South Korea's November 29, 2024