Korea moves to break down data barriers for self-driving AI SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) - South Korea's science ministry has stepped in to ease a chronic data bottleneck holding back the development of self-driving artificial intelligence, issuing the country's first common standards for building and sharing autonomous-driving training data. The Ministry of Science and ICT said on Friday it had published a guideline and specification document allowing industry, academia and research institutes to jointly build and share training data for en June 19, 2026

Seoul to release 21 million imported eggs as bird flu squeezes supply SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) - South Korea will channel about 21.12 million imported fresh eggs from the United States and Thailand into the market through next month, the agriculture ministry said, moving to ease a price surge that has strained household budgets. Starting Friday, 1.12 million U.S. eggs will reach shelves at major retailers including E-Mart and Lotte Mart. E-Mart will stock them at all outlets except those on Jeju Island, while Lotte Mart will sell them at 40 stores nationw June 19, 2026

LG CNS, Doosan forge sweeping AI and robotics alliance SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) - LG CNS announced it has agreed to a broad business partnership with Doosan spanning artificial intelligence, robotics, data centers and cloud computing, as South Korea's industrial giants race to commercialize so-called physical AI. The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday at LG Science Park in Seoul's Magok district, with LG CNS CEO Hyun Shin-kyun and Doosan President Yoo Seung-woo among the executives present. Under the deal, June 19, 2026

Europe and Korea seek scale-up partnership at NextRise 2026 SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - South Korean and European startups explored ways to scale up together as both sides seek complementary roles in a rapidly changing technology landscape at the opening of NextRise 2026 in Seoul. The two-day event at COEX, co-hosted by the Korea International Trade Association, Korea Development Bank, Korea Venture Business Association and Korea Venture Capital Association, is one of Asia's largest startup fairs. This year's program spans artificial i June 18, 2026

Packaging bottleneck to decide winner in Korea's HBM4E race SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - SK hynix and Samsung Electronics are locking horns to seize an early lead in next-generation AI memory by shipping samples of their 12-layer HBM4E chips to major customers such as Nvidia for future data-center GPUs including Rubin Ultra. But as the race moves beyond raw memory performance, industry watchers say the real bottleneck may lie elsewhere: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s advanced packaging capacity. SK hynix said Wednesday it had sh June 18, 2026

Hormuz to reopen, but the war has redrawn Asia's energy map for good SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - The Strait of Hormuz may reopen within the next 60 days under a U.S.-Iran deal, and oil prices have already retreated close to prewar levels. But Asia's energy order will not return to what it was. The war taught the region a costly lesson: dependence on a single supplier and a single shipping lane is no longer a risk worth taking. Brent crude fell below $79 a barrel on Thursday, its lowest level since early March and nearly 40 percent below its wartime June 18, 2026

U.S. Senate panel moves to allow overseas construction of noncombat naval ships SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - A U.S. Senate panel is seeking to allow some noncombat Navy vessels to be built at shipyards in allied countries, a move that could create opportunities for South Korean shipbuilders. According to a summary of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act released by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, the bill would authorize the procurement of up to two bulk fuel carriers or strategic sealift vessels from overseas shipyards. The proposal June 18, 2026

Celltrion to court global partners at BIO 2026 SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - South Korea's Celltrion will join the BIO International Convention in San Diego from June 22 to 25, where it aims to recast itself as a global drug developer and broaden partnerships built on artificial intelligence, antibody-drug conjugates and multispecific antibodies. The annual gathering, the world's largest biotech business event, draws more than 1,500 companies, investors and research bodies and over 20,000 participants. Celltrion plans to use June 18, 2026

Anthropic lands in Seoul as US export curbs cloud its top AI models SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - Anthropic opened its first office in South Korea, pressing ahead with global expansion even as Washington's export controls on its most advanced artificial intelligence models cast a shadow over the launch. The U.S. company unveiled a partnership strategy spanning major firms such as Naver and Nexon on its Wednesday Korean office launch day, alongside research institutions and startups, signaling a determined push into a market it called one of its fastest June 18, 2026

Samsung launches mid-tier Galaxy A37 5G smartphone in South Korea SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday it will launch the Galaxy A37 5G smartphone in its domestic market on Friday. The new mid-range model is priced at 598,400 won ($434) and will be available through Samsung's retail stores, its official website, and local mobile carriers. The device will be offered in three colors: lavender, white, and charcoal. The Galaxy A37 5G features a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a maximum June 18, 2026