Mourners pay respects to Hanwha Aerospace workers killed in Daejeon blast SEOUL, June 05 (AJP) - Funeral altars were set up at Yuseong District Office in Daejeon on Friday for the five workers killed in an explosion at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon plant four days earlier. The victims had been working in a cleaning room in Building 56 of the company’s Daejeon plant when an explosion of unknown cause occurred on Monday. Funeral arrangements were delayed as the bodies were severely damaged in the blast, complicating the identification process. A June 5, 2026

S. Korea, US to track progress in nuclear submarine, enrichment talks SEOUL, June 05 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to track progress in follow-up talks on Seoul’s push for nuclear-powered submarines, uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The agreement came after government delegations from the two countries held a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul from Tuesday to Wednesday to begin implementing security-related commitments included in a joint fact sheet issued after last June 5, 2026

Hyundai Chair to skip Huang's Seoul 'samso' dinner, plans separate meeting SEOUL, June 05 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun will not attend a dinner with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other Korean conglomerate heads held Friday, opting instead for a separate encounter with the chip leader next week, industry sources said. Chung withdrew from the so-called "samso" gathering — named for the samgyeopsal grilled pork belly and soju on the menu — citing a scheduling conflict, the sources said. The dinner, at a restaurant nea June 5, 2026

Nvidia CEO's Seoul trip signals shift from chip buyer to physical-AI partner SEOUL, June 5 (AJP) - When Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang stepped off his plane at Gimpo International Airport on Friday and made an esports cafe his first stop, the image was familiar: the chip merchant returning to the gaming culture that built him. The substance of this visit, however, points somewhere far off. This trip is less about who buys Nvidia's graphics cards than about who can help the company teach machines to act in the physical world. South Korea, a manufacturing p June 5, 2026

Krafton's Subnautica 2 unveils update roadmap shaped by player feedback SEOUL, June 05 (AJP) - Krafton's creative studio Unknown Worlds released its eighth developer vlog for "Subnautica 2," outlining short- and long-term update plans drawn from global player feedback after the underwater survival sequel's early-access launch on May 14. In the video, lead designer Anthony Gallegos detailed recent hotfix results and a roadmap that promises richer resource deposits and rebalanced predator attacks, changes aimed at sharpening the game' June 5, 2026

Samyang's Buldak tops 10 billion units, unveils new mascot Peppo SEOUL, June 05 (AJP) - South Korea's Samyang Foods announced that cumulative sales of its Buldak instant noodle brand had surpassed 10 billion units, a milestone the company is marking by rolling out a next-generation character, Peppo, to anchor an aggressive push into licensing and digital content. The fiery brand, which turns 14 this year, crossed the threshold at the end of May after generating about 7 trillion won ($4.54 billion) in cumulative revenue, the company said Frida June 5, 2026

Homeplus to permanently close 37 suspended stores, putting 3,500 jobs at risk SEOUL, June 04 (AJP) - Homeplus, South Korea's second-largest hypermarket chain, will permanently shut 37 stores it had temporarily closed last month, a move that threatens the jobs of about 3,500 workers, the company told its labour unions. According to industry sources on Thursday, the retailer sent a a notice to the Korea Mart Labor Union's Homeplus branch and a separate general union that it had decided to close the stores, which had been suspended since May 10 due to th June 4, 2026

Explosion at Hanwha Aerospace plant casts doubt on planned satellite launch SEOUL, June 4 (AJP) - The planned launch of a satellite-carrying solid-fuel rocket off Jeju remains uncertain following an explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's plant in Daejeon that left seven people dead or injured. The Ministry of Employment and Labor raided Hanwha Aerospace’s headquarters in Seoul and its Daejeon plant on Thursday in connection with the fatal explosion. The Ministry of Employment and Labor raided Hanwha Aerospace's headquarters in Seoul and its Daejeo June 4, 2026

Starbucks Korea card spending drops after 'Tank Day' backlash SEOUL, June 04 (AJP) - Estimated credit and debit card spending at Starbucks Korea fell by more than 10 billion won ($6.53 million) last month from April, data showed, as a marketing controversy weighed on the coffee chain. Estimated card spending at Starbucks reached 121.19 billion won in May, down about 13.1 billion won from 134.32 billion won in April, according to Mobile Index on Thursday. The decline deepened in the latter half of the month. Weekly spending slipped from 32.1 June 4, 2026

Kia begins production of hybrid version of Sportage SUV at Georgia plant SEOUL, June 4 (AJP) - Kia has begun production of the hybrid version of its Sportage SUV at a plant in Georgia, U.S., marking the first Kia model and first hybrid vehicle in the plant's lineup, the automaker said on Thursday. Kia America and Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) held a ceremony at the Ellabell, Georgia, plant on Tuesday to mark the start of production, with the first vehicle produced there brought onto the stage by an autonomous parking robot. The Spo June 4, 2026