Homeplus asks Meritz to double emergency loan SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - Embattled hypermarket chain Homeplus asked its largest creditor, Meritz Financial Group, to extend 200 billion won ($131.4 million) in emergency operating funds, saying the 100 billion won loan currently under review falls short of what it needs to survive court-led rehabilitation. Meritz, which had long balked at the retailer's loan requests, signaled a day earlier that it could lend up to 100 billion won — the amount jointly guaranteed by Homeplus& June 12, 2026

S. Korea, US reaffirm goal of NK denuclearization at nuclear consultative talks SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - South Korea and the United States reaffirmed their shared goal of North Korea’s denuclearization during high-level nuclear deterrence talks in Seoul on Thursday, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said, amid growing concerns that the international focus on Pyongyang’s denuclearization is weakening. The two allies held the sixth session of the Nuclear Consultative Group, or NCG, a bilateral body launched in 2023 to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence ag June 12, 2026

Jeju Air launches new daily flight between Incheon and Kobe SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - Low-cost carrier Jeju Air launched a new daily route linking Incheon to the Japanese city of Kobe, it said on Thursday. The route operates seven flights a week, departing Incheon at 1:35 p.m. and arriving in Kobe at 3:15 p.m., with return flights leaving Kobe at 4:15 p.m. and arriving in Incheon at 6:15 p.m. From next month, departure and arrival times will be slightly adjusted. The port city of Kobe is known for its distinctive architecture and exotic buil June 11, 2026

Coupang fined record $409 million over massive data breach SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - South Korea's privacy watchdog slapped e-commerce giant Coupang with a record 624.7 billion won (US$409.3 million) in fines over a data breach that exposed the personal information of about 37.5 million people, a penalty roughly equal to the company's 2025 operating income. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) imposed 423.6 billion won for the breach itself — the largest fine ever levied in the country for a single data leak &mda June 11, 2026

US approves $292 million sale of AMRAAM missiles to South Korea SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - The United States has approved the sale of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and related equipment to South Korea in a deal worth $292 million, the State Department said Wednesday. The department said it approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Seoul of 70 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, known as AMRAAMs, and two AMRAAM guidance sections. The package also includes AMRAAM containers, control sections, support equipment, spar June 11, 2026

OpenAI CEO to visit South Korea next week SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who ushered in a revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI)-driven era, is expected to visit South Korea again, according to multiple industry sources on Thursday. In an internal notice, Samsung reportedly told its executives and employees that Altman will give a lecture at its office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on June 15. His visit comes as Samsung expands the use of external generative AI tools across its businesses as part of June 11, 2026

Naver launches local merchant AI campaign in Busan, timed to BTS concert SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - Naver began rolling out its first "Local Ground" campaign in the southern port city of Busan, extending the AI-driven growth tools it built online to brick-and-mortar merchants in regional commercial districts. The inaugural campaign runs from Tuesday to Saturday and draws in 104 small and mid-sized stores across busy quarters including Jeonpo-dong, Yeongdo and the Bosu-dong secondhand bookstore alley, the company said. Naver is helping the shops June 11, 2026

Why a concrete truck strike is threatening South Korea's high-tech chip ambitions SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - The sprawling industrial belt south of Seoul is the heart of South Korea's semiconductor industry, home to the massive campuses of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix that dominate the global memory chip market powering the artificial intelligence boom. But activity across the region is beginning to slow because of a shortage of one of the most basic construction materials: concrete. A strike by ready-mix concrete truck drivers is exposing a critical vul June 11, 2026

Exports for early June hit record high as semiconductor boom continues SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - South Korea's exports in early June surged more than 80 percent from a year earlier to a record, driven by booming semiconductor shipments that more than tripled. According to data released by the Korea Customs Service (KCS) on Thursday, exports in the first 10 days of this month totaled US$28.63 billion, up 85.9 percent from a year earlier and the highest for the period on record. The previous high was $25.2 billion in April. Average daily exports, June 11, 2026

LG CNS, LX Pantos to deploy humanoid robots at logistics hub SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - LG CNS and logistics firm LX Pantos have signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce humanoid and shuttle robots at a major distribution center, as South Korea's IT services industry accelerates its push into physical artificial intelligence. Under the agreement announced Thursday, the two companies will deploy an integrated robot automation system at LX Pantos' MegaWise Cheongna center. The setup envisions shuttle robots retrieving outbound g June 11, 2026