news highlight

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  Yeon Sang-ho's latest zombie film draws 5 million in about a month SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) - Director Yeon Sang-ho's film "Colony" has attracted more than 5 million since it hit local theaters last month. According to data from the Korean Film Council on Monday, the zombie film drew about 301,000 moviegoers over the weekend, bringing its cumulative theater attendance to 5.21 million after topping the box office for the fourth consecutive week since its release on May 21. It became this year's second film to reach the milestone, fo June 15, 2026
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  Spiritual Asia (11): Hinduism and Zoroastrianism, two civilizations diverged from single root This is the eleventh installment of AJP's Spiritual Asia series exploring the religious traditions, philosophical ideas, and moral foundations that have shaped Asia's civilizations. This chapter explores the roots of Hinduism and Zoroastrianism, two of the world's oldest living faiths, to find how the two religions have shaped ancient and current societies, and influenced other religions such as Buddhism and Islam. India and Iran, a Grand Epic of Spirituality Bo June 15, 2026
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  US declares a peace deal with Iran "complete", reopening of Hormuz SEOUL, June 15 (AJP)-The United States and Iran have agreed to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday, a breakthrough that would close a conflict running since late February and restore a waterway critical to global oil supply. An official signing is set for Friday in Switzerland. The precise terms were not immediately confirmed, and the agreement has yet to be signed. Iran June 15, 2026
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  Editorial: AI wealth dividend debate is one Korea cannot ignore Artificial intelligence is already creating a new global order of wealth. The rise of AI has propelled figures such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei into the center of global capital markets. Companies that dominate AI chips, frontier models, cloud infrastructure and data centers are accumulating value at a pace rarely seen in modern economic history. The question is whether that wealth will ultimately benefit society as a whole. June 14, 2026
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  Huang's Taiwan and Korea tour highlights supply chain at the heart of AI era SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -Every great technological pivot has its symbolic journey. Columbus crossing the Atlantic opened the age of exploration. Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour set the course of China's economic reform. Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone launched the smartphone era. Nvidia's chief Jensen Huang's late-May to early-June 2026 sweep through Taiwan and South Korea may well be remembered as a similarly defining moment in the history of the AI industry. Mu June 14, 2026
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  South Korean president offers olive branch in Vatican despite Pyongyang's snub SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung used a Vatican peace gathering on Sunday to renew his offer of dialogue and reconciliation with North Korea, insisting that the "ember of hope" for inter-Korean cooperation remains alive despite Pyongyang's continued refusal to engage with Seoul. Speaking at a special Mass for peace and solidarity at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Lee framed his administration's North Korea policy a June 14, 2026
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  The four tigers are back, and AI is their new factory SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -For two decades, Asia's economic hierarchy appeared settled. China was the factory of the world. Silicon Valley owned innovation. Europe consumed. Japan aged. And the original Four Asian Tigers — South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore — were widely regarded as mature economies whose most consequential chapters were behind them. Then came artificial intelligence, and the entire map shifted. The greatest beneficiaries of the AI era a June 14, 2026
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  Jamsil elections protest swells as Seoul election authorities face probe SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -Protests demanding a rerun of South Korea's June 3 local elections swelled back to hundreds over the weekend as investigators moved closer to questioning election officials over the ballot paper shortage scandal that has triggered the country's biggest election-related demonstrations in years. The demonstrations around Seoul's Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Jamsil, which served as a vote-counting center, entered their 10th day Sunday, with police i June 14, 2026
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  Korea, U.S. to set target year for wartime OPCON transfer by year-end: defense chief SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -South Korea and the United States will propose a target year for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to their presidents by the end of this year, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Sunday, signaling fresh momentum behind President Lee Jae Myung's goal of regaining command authority during his term. Speaking in an interview with KBS, Ahn said the allies will discuss verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC) at the annual Security Co June 14, 2026