LG to roll out Nvidia-powered humanoid Q1 2027 SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) -South Korea's LG Group plans to unveil a bipedal humanoid robot powered by Nvidia's artificial intelligence technology in the first quarter of next year, pushing partnership beyond technology and component supply into joint development and commercialization across robotics, AI factories and autonomous driving. The electronics giant said Friday it signed a memorandum of understanding with Nvidia at the U.S. chipmaker's headquarters in Sa August 14, 2026

China's 'grains of sand' test South Korea's defenses SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Spies are nothing new to South Koreans, who have shared a border with belligerent North Korea for more than seven decades. But they now confront a different kind of suspected spy — Chinese nationals, not necessarily trained by the state but potentially paid to fish for military intelligence. A photograph of a fighter jet. A fragment of radio traffic. The time an aircraft takes off. A glimpse of weapons moving inside a military base. Each piece of in August 13, 2026

Hanwha Systems, TTA team up on AI-based 5G military communications SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Hanwha Systems said Thursday it has partnered with the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) to develop an AI-based 5G tactical communications network aimed at both the South Korean military and overseas defense markets. The project will focus on integrating terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks, including satellite communications, through AI to provide seamless connectivity across ground and airborne platforms. The companies also plan August 13, 2026

Korea takes AI race from chips to chillers SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - An AI agent on a laptop or smartphone may appear almost weightless. Behind every prompt, however, sit warehouses of processors and memory running around the clock — consuming enormous amounts of electricity and generating heat that must be removed before the machines can keep thinking. For South Korea, already a powerhouse in the memory chips feeding those machines, that physical burden is becoming the next AI opportunity. Samsung Electronics has August 13, 2026

Nexon Q2 profit slips even as MapleStory powers record first half SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Nexon revealed that its second-quarter operating profit fell 17 percent from a year earlier, a decline that underscored tough comparisons for the Tokyo-listed South Korean game maker even as booming demand for its MapleStory franchise drove record first-half sales. Quarterly revenue edged up 2 percent to 121.1 billion yen ($759 million), while operating income slipped to 31.3 billion yen from 37.7 billion yen a year earlier. Net income jumped 77 percent to 2 August 13, 2026

HMM's Q2 profit jumps 52% as early peak season lifts freight rates SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - South Korea's HMM, the country's largest container carrier, announced that second-quarter operating profit surged about 52 percent from a year earlier, as an early peak season and firmer freight rates powered a sharp recovery despite costlier fuel. According to regulatory filings released Thursday, operating profit jumped about 52 percent to 354.1 billion won ($248.7 million) and revenue surged about 30 percent to 3.40 trillion won, as peak-season de August 13, 2026

Korea's July auto exports hit record as eco-friendly cars drive gains SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - South Korea's auto exports reached a record high for July, led by stronger shipments of eco-friendly vehicles to North America and Europe even as domestic sales barely grew, government data showed Thursday. Auto exports rose 7.0 percent from a year earlier to $6.24 billion in July, the highest figure ever recorded for the month, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR). The previous July highs were $5.90 bill August 13, 2026

Tax watchdog raids KB Kookmin Bank in latest audit of financial sector SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - About 30 tax officials from the National Tax Service (NTS) on Thursday raided KB Kookmin Bank to conduct a tax audit. They searched the lender's headquarters in Yeongdeungpo, western Seoul, to secure accounting records and other documents needed for the audit. In the probe, which is expected to continue through the end of this year, the NTS is reportedly looking into suspected tax evasion and other irregularities, although the specific reasons for o August 13, 2026

Incheon Airport tops world in international passenger traffic for first time SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Incheon International Airport ranked first in the world for international passenger traffic in the first half of this year, marking the first time it has claimed the top spot since opening in 2001. Incheon International Airport Corp. said Thursday that the airport handled a provisional 38.39 million international passengers from January through June, up 6.3 percent from a year earlier. The figure was the highest among 1,234 airports worldwide, according t August 13, 2026

SK hynix to break ground on chip packaging facility in Indiana SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) -SK hynix is set to break ground later this month on its $3.87 billion advanced semiconductor packaging plant in Indiana, the chipmaker’s first U.S. production base for packaging high-bandwidth memory used in artificial intelligence systems. The West Lafayette project will also include an advanced packaging R&D facility and is scheduled to begin mass production in the second half of 2028. According to industry sources on Thursday, the South Kor August 13, 2026