In "short-form" Korean economy, media empire is latest casualty SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - South Korea is becoming a "short-form" society, where consumers increasingly favor quick commerce, short visits and low-friction experiences. As those habits harden, a growing list of institutions once considered too big to fail is discovering that their traditional business models no longer justify a physical trip. The latest casualty is JoongAng Group, one of South Korea's largest media empires, whose holdings include the 61-year-old JoongAn June 17, 2026

Hanwha becomes KAI's second-largest shareholder after raising stake SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - Hanwha Group has raised its combined stake in Korea Aerospace Industries Co. to 9.04 percent, becoming the aircraft maker’s second-largest shareholder after the government, the group said Tuesday. Hanwha Aerospace said in a regulatory filing that it has secured a 6.5 percent stake in aircraft manufacturing monopoly, completing earlier than planned its goal of investing 500 billion won ($330 million) to buy additional shares in the company by the end of t June 17, 2026

South Korea redraws decades-old borderlines with North Korea SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) -South Korea is redrawing lines along the world's most heavily fortified border with North Korea, easing decades-old military restrictions to reflect changing security conditions, a shrinking military-age population and advances in modern warfare. The Defense Ministry said Wednesday it will move the civilian control line about 2 kilometers northward, opening up swaths of tightly regulated border areas and reducing long-standing restrictions on residents. June 17, 2026

Korea joins OpenAI on AI safety, fourth nation to do so SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - South Korea has become the fourth country to forge a formal artificial-intelligence safety partnership with OpenAI, joining the United States, Britain and Japan in a widening network aimed at scrutinizing the risks of frontier AI. The Ministry of Science and ICT said Wednesday its AI Safety Institute and OpenAI signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation on safety assessments in high-risk domains. Under the pact, the two sides will share meth June 17, 2026

SK hynix scraps degree requirements in major hiring push for AI era SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - South Korean chipmaker SK hynix said on Wednesday it has completely abolished educational requirements for its new recruitment drive, shifting its focus to practical skills and growth potential as it gears up for the artificial intelligence era. Starting with its latest rolling recruitment that opened Wednesday, the world's second-largest memory chipmaker has removed the traditional prerequisite of a "four-year bachelor's degree or higher" June 17, 2026

Korean researchers develop AI-driven process for next-gen 2D chips SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - South Korean researchers have developed a system that lets artificial intelligence diagnose and control the manufacturing of next-generation two-dimensional semiconductors as thin as a single atomic layer, a breakthrough that could ease one of the industry's persistent production hurdles. The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) said Wednesday that a team led by senior researcher Kim Hyeong-woo had combined low-temperature plasma processing wi June 17, 2026

Seoul wants to merge officer corps. The military disagrees SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) -South Korea remains a peninsula technically still at war, its troops facing a nuclear-armed North Korea across one of the world's most heavily fortified borders. That reality has long shaped how the country trains its military officers — which is why the liberal government's push to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies is drawing fierce resistance from alumni associations, retired generals and the parents of current cadets. The backla June 16, 2026

Samsung upgrades Galaxy security to combat surging voice phishing in South Korea SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is upgrading the security framework of its Galaxy mobile devices to combat a surge in voice phishing and financial fraud in South Korea, introducing pre-emptive blocking measures against malicious applications and messages. Voice phishing remains a severe socio-economic issue in the country. According to data from the National Police Agency, South Korea recorded 23,360 voice phishing cases in 2025, resulting in financial damages totaling June 16, 2026

Samsung foundry gains major traction amid AI bottlenecks SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has reportedly secured a string of AI-related chip projects from Alphabet's Google and Elon Musk's Neuralink by exploiting manufacturing bottlenecks at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), giving fresh momentum to a foundry business that has long struggled to close the gap with its Taiwanese rival. According to sources familiar with the matter, the South Korean tech giant has won several high-profile silicon design proje June 16, 2026

Krafton unveils 'PUBG Ally' AI mode in two-week beta SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Krafton announced it will launch a beta of "Ally Duo," a new game mode built on its PUBG Ally artificial intelligence technology, opening a two-week test that lets players team up with an AI partner in the flagship battle royale title PUBG: Battlegrounds. Starting Wednesday and running through July 1, the beta pairs each player with an AI character named Ella for two-person matches on the Sanhok map, where users issue voice commands to move, gather i June 16, 2026