Seoul with Samsung and SK to unveil 10-year chip expansion roadmap SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) -South Korea on Monday is unveiling a 10-year roadmap to cement its chipmaking supremacy through the AI transition, spending that could cost household conglomerates Samsung and SK well above $650 billion. The map redrawing will be announced at 2 p.m. at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, where President Lee Jae Myung will be joined by Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and ministers overseeing industry, science, energy, climate June 29, 2026

Samsung Biologics workers vote to leave group-wide union as bonus divide deepens SEOUL, June 28 (AJP) - Unionized workers at Samsung Biologics have voted to leave a group-wide labor union consisting of employees across Samsung affiliates, in a move reflecting growing divisions within the conglomerate's broader union structure. According to the biopharmaceutical company, its workers decided on Sunday to withdraw from the wider union grouping all Samsung employees to form their own independent union, following a five-day vote that began last Wednesday. Of t June 28, 2026

Chinese, Russian military aircraft enter KADIZ, prompting fighter jet response SEOUL, June 27 (AJP) - More than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone without prior notice on Saturday, prompting the Air Force to deploy fighter jets, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The aircraft entered and exited the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone, or KADIZ, over the East and South seas in sequence for about four hours beginning at around 8:30 a.m. None of the aircraft violated South Korean airspace. The June 27, 2026

U.S. eases Mythos 5 curbs as Korean access remains unclear SEOUL, June 27 (AJP) - The U.S. government has eased restrictions on Anthropic’s advanced artificial intelligence model Claude Mythos 5, allowing the company to provide access to more than 100 approved companies and organizations. The Commerce Department authorized Anthropic on Friday to make Mythos 5 available to selected “trusted partners,” according to a letter obtained by Reuters. The approved list includes a number of Fortune 500 companies and institutions, June 27, 2026

Kakao union to halt work for a day as wage talks stall SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - Kakao's labor union will press ahead with a one-day "log-off day" on June 29, halting work across the South Korean tech giant's affiliates after negotiations with management failed to yield a wage and collective bargaining agreement. Members at five entities — Kakao, Kakao Pay, Kakao Enterprise, DK Techin and XL Games — will use annual leave or paid days off to step away from their duties for the day and log out of company work sy June 26, 2026

Seoul plans K-LUCAS deployment in broader military drone overhaul SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - South Korea will pursue the deployment of a domestically developed long-range one-way attack drone, the Defense Ministry said Friday, as it seeks to rapidly expand its unmanned combat capabilities. The system, named K-LUCAS — short for K-Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System — is a key part of a new drone and counter-drone development policy drawn up in response to lessons from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. “Every service membe June 26, 2026

Government rolls out record agricultural discounts to tame summer food prices SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - South Korea will pour 350 billion won ($226 million) into an unprecedented discount campaign covering every eligible agricultural, livestock and fisheries product this summer, in its most aggressive bid yet to ease a stubborn cost-of-living squeeze. The measures, unveiled at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Koo Yun-cheol on Friday, form part of a wider 1 trillion won package aimed at keeping second-half inflation b June 26, 2026

World-OKTA signs MOU with Guangdong trade bodies ahead of October expo SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - The World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations (World-OKTA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade's Guangdong committee and other global economic groups, laying the groundwork for a Korea-China trade expo set for Shenzhen in October. The agreement was sealed on the sidelines of the 2026 Invest Guangdong Promotion Conference, held Monday in Beijing. Through the pact, World-OKTA June 26, 2026

RIMPAC begins with S. Korean Navy taking first command role SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - The U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific exercise, the world’s largest multinational maritime drill, has begun in and around Hawaii, with the South Korean Navy taking charge of a major command role for the first time. The biennial exercise, known as RIMPAC, began Wednesday and will run through July 31 in waters off Hawaii and across the Pacific, according to the U.S. Defense Department. About 30,000 personnel from multiple countries are taking part. The Pentag June 26, 2026

SK Telecom to invest 738 billion won in SK hynix's US AI arm SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - SK Telecom said it will commit about 738.4 billion won ($77.3 million) to SK hynix's new US-based artificial intelligence investment company, deepening the broader SK Group's push to build a foothold across the AI value chain. In a regulatory filing submitted to South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service on Thursday, the country's largest wireless carrier said its board had approved a subscription agreement to acquire new shares in SK hynix NA June 26, 2026