Business groups welcome Lee So-young as nominee for SME minister SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korean business and women's entrepreneur groups welcomed the nomination of Lee So-young, a two-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party, as minister of SMEs and startups, urging her to deliver tangible support and fresh momentum to a sector that accounts for the bulk of the country's jobs. The nomination fills a post left vacant for about two months after former minister Han Sung-sook was tapped as prime minister. A lawyer by tra August 30, 2026

Chinese robotaxis to hit Seoul roads by 2028 under Pony.ai deal SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korean autonomous driving firm FutureLink has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China's Pony.ai to bring 200 robotaxis onto the country's roads, aiming to launch a commercial driverless service in Seoul by around 2028. FutureLink announced the deal on Sunday, saying the two companies sealed it two days earlier at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeouido, the capital's main financial district. Pony.ai co-founder and Chief Executive Jame August 30, 2026

Shin warns Korea's financial risks nearing crisis threshold SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korea's central bank chief warned that the country's financial vulnerabilities are climbing at a dangerously steep pace, driven by surging home prices and household debt, and cautioned that the window for preemptive action is closing fast. Shin Hyun-song, governor of the Bank of Korea, delivered the warning on Aug. 28 on the sidelines of the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Wyoming, where U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh u August 30, 2026

(Update) Lee reshuffles cabinet, names new finance and justice ministers SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung nominated a new finance minister and five other cabinet members on Sunday, in a second-year reshuffle that also replaced the ministers of justice and defense. Lee named Lee Hyoung-il, the first vice finance minister, to succeed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told a briefing. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won was tapped as justice minister. Th August 30, 2026

Retail investors flee sliding Seoul market for Wall Street SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korean retail investors' net buying of U.S. equities outpaced their purchases on the domestic main board in the first two months of the second half, as a slump in Seoul shares drove capital abroad. Net purchases of U.S. stocks by individual investors reached $7.05 billion between July 1 and Aug. 27, according to the Korea Securities Depository, exceeding the 8.75 trillion won ($6.35 billion) they bought on the benchmark KOSPI over roughly the same August 30, 2026

Korea's convenience stores sharpen food rivalry SEOUL, August 30 (AJP) - South Korea's three biggest convenience store chains are sharpening their food rivalry, rolling out products tuned to increasingly granular consumer tastes as shoppers weigh texture, drink preferences and health alongside the traditional draws of price and convenience. GS25, E-mart24 and 7-Eleven are each leaning on sales data to expand categories where demand has already proven itself, from chewy frozen treats to cafe-style tea drinks and seasonal rice August 30, 2026

Marado drone flop exposes Korea's unmanned warfare gap SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Unmanned ground vehicles rolled down Kyiv's main boulevard, drone boats moved along the Dnipro River and bomber and interceptor drones filled the sky as Ukraine marked 35 years of independence from the Soviet Union this week, putting on public display its power behind sustaining its resistance against Russia into a fourth year. The unconventional military parade underscored how drones — rather than foot soldiers, spectacular warships or tanks &mdas August 28, 2026

T'way Air's Incheon-Paris route carries 200,000 passengers in 2 years SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - T'way Air has carried more than 200,000 passengers between Incheon and Paris since launching the service two years ago, the budget carrier said on Friday. The service began on Aug. 28, 2024, and served over 200,000 passengers through about 490 round-trip flights over the past two years. The milestone comes as the airline continues to strengthen its presence on long-haul routes to Europe through both passenger and cargo services. South Korean travelers August 28, 2026

Trilateral Freedom Edge to proceed next month as planned SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - South Korea, the United States and Japan will conduct their annual Freedom Edge multi-domain exercise next month as scheduled, even as Washington scales back bilateral drills with Seoul. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that the three countries will hold Freedom Edge from Sept. 7 to 11 in international waters southeast of Jeju Island. The five-day exercise is aimed at strengthening the three countries' ability to respond to North Ko August 28, 2026

ANALYSIS: US tariff push tests Korea's memory red line SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) -SK hynix has broken ground on a more than $4 billion HBM facility in Indiana and Samsung Electronics is preparing to bring its long-delayed Taylor, Texas fab online. Both investments deepen South Korea's semiconductor footprint in the United States. They nevertheless stop at the fault line Washington is increasingly pressing Korean chipmakers to cross — producing advanced memory wafers on American soil. SK hynix's Indiana plant illustra August 28, 2026