Crest, ROBROS to test hot-swappable battery system for humanoid robots SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - Crest, a South Korean developer of battery systems for industrial robots, has been selected to lead a government-backed project to test domestically developed components for humanoid robots, the company said Friday. Under the 2026 Demonstration Project for Humanoid Robot Components overseen by the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, Crest will work with AI humanoid developer ROBROS to demonstrate a hot-swappable battery system and charging statio August 7, 2026

Air Premia to resume route to Ho Chi Minh City in November SEOUL, August 7 (AJP) - Air Premia will resume its route to Ho Chi Minh City in November, the short-haul carrier said on Friday. The resumption of round-trip flights between Incheon and Viet Nam's most populous city, slated for Nov. 5, comes about three years and two months after the carrier suspended the route in September 2023. Flights will operate five times a week except on Tuesdays and Fridays, with schedules subject to change depending on government approval. Passenge August 7, 2026

Naver's Q2 operating profit misses consensus as costs outpace sales SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - Naver's second-quarter operating profit fell short of market expectations despite stronger-than-expected revenue, as spending on artificial intelligence, marketing, sports broadcasting and payment infrastructure squeezed margins. Operating profit for the April-June period came to 520.3 billion won ($346 million), down 0.2 percent from a year earlier and 4 percent from the previous quarter. It was 8.1 percent below the FnGuide consensus of 566.2 billio August 7, 2026

Trump sets polysilicon tariff floor, giving Korea partial reprieve SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed his semiconductor trade offensive further upstream into the industry's raw-material supply chain, imposing new tariffs and minimum import prices on polysilicon but granted South Korea a preferential treatment that could soften the blow for the country's chip and solar manufacturers. The proclamation, signed Thursday following a Section 232 national security investigation, imposes a 15 percent tariff on pol August 7, 2026

T'way Air begins new chapter as Trinity Airways SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - T’way Air has rebranded as Trinity Airways, unveiling a new service model, brand identity and employee uniforms as it seeks to position itself as a global carrier. The airline presented the changes at a brand launch and uniform runway event in Seoul on Aug. 6, its first official event since changing its corporate name. Cabin crew, pilots and other employees modeled the new uniforms during the event. Trinity Airways introduced “Relaxed and Rel August 6, 2026

Korea charts clean Arctic course amid shadow fleet SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - Russia's growing shadow fleet has exposed the environmental and regulatory risks lurking behind the rapidly opening Arctic shipping route, creating an unexpected opportunity for South Korea to market itself as a cleaner and more transparent alternative as it prepares its first container voyage through polar waters. Despite the war in Ukraine and sweeping Western sanctions, at least 100 ships legally transited Russia's Northern Sea Route last year&mda August 6, 2026

Gwangju airport move to Muan may come sooner under chip cluster plan SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - The planned relocation of domestic flights from Gwangju Airport to Muan International Airport could take place earlier than expected as the government moves to secure the Gwangju military air base site for a semiconductor cluster. The civilian airport had originally been scheduled to move upon completion of the second phase of the Honam high-speed railway, now slated for 2031, as the new rail link was expected to improve access to Muan Airport for passengers August 6, 2026

Hyundai's latest Avante sets first-day record with over 10,000 pre-orders SEOUL, August 6 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor received more than 10,000 pre-orders for its latest Avante sedan on the first day it became available, the automaker said Thursday. A total of 11,094 pre-orders were placed the previous day, setting a new first-day record for the model and surpassing the previous record of 10,058 pre-orders set by the previous version launched in April 2020. Hyundai attributed the record pre-orders to the eighth-generation model's enhanced competitivenes August 6, 2026

Kakao picks Coupang Eats as first AI agent partner SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - Kakao announced it has chosen Coupang Eats as the inaugural partner for its artificial-intelligence agent, allowing users to receive food recommendations and complete orders and payments without leaving a KakaoTalk chat window. The tie-up announced Thursday marks the first concrete step in the South Korean internet giant's push to turn its dominant messaging app, used by about 50 million people, into what it calls an "acting AI platform" that l August 6, 2026

Trump's tariff on polysilicon cloud outlook for Korean firms SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump could unveil a set of measures curbing imports of foreign polysilicon, a step that stands to reverberate through South Korea's solar and semiconductor makers, multiple sources reported. Reuters, citing sources, said the administration plans to release the findings of its Section 232 investigation into polysilicon as soon as Thursday (local time), with a 15 percent tariff slated for imported polysilicon de August 6, 2026