South Korea forms council to speed up development of next-generation aircraft engine

SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - South Korea is accelerating efforts to develop next-generation aircraft engines. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday it, together with related government bodies, inaugurated a council to review development plans for advanced propulsion systems for future fighter jets and streamline cooperation across ministries. Only a handful of countries — including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia — possess h

November 28, 2025

PHOTOS: Seoul Station marks 100 years of history

SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Seoul Station is marking its 100th anniversary this year with a commemorative exhibition that revisits the landmark’s century-long transformation and its role in Korea’s modern history. First opened in 1925 as Gyeongseong Station, the building has borne witness to some of the most significant chapters of the nation’s past — from Japanese colonial rule and the push for modernization to liberation, national division, industrializati

November 28, 2025

Korea's Oct factory output dips steepest in 5 years on chipmaking cutback

SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - South Korea’s industrial output shrank at the steepest rate in five years in October on a sharp contraction in semiconductor activity that again underscored the economy’s heavy dependence on chipmaking, government data showed Friday. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics Industrial Output data, mining and manufacturing output declined 4 percent on month, the steepest drop since 7.5 percent in May 2020, and 8.1 percent on year, the

November 28, 2025

OPINION: Lessons from the fall of the western Roman empire for Trump's 'America First' policy

SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - Romulus Augustulus is known as the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, deposed in 476 AD by Germanic warrior Odoacer who became the first barbarian king of Italy. Historians do not hold him directly responsible for the empire's fall, as he was a puppet emperor placed by his father. Responsibility for the fall Germanic military leader Odoacer rose to power in Rome. His father Edeco was close to Attila the Hun. Odoacer's rise and Romulus&#

November 28, 2025

Hanwha Ocean shifts focus to Canada after losing Polish submarine deal

SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - Hanwha Ocean said on Friday it will pivot toward future defense export opportunities after losing out on Poland’s next-generation submarine program. “Despite strong support from the South Korean government and the public, we were unable to secure the Polish contract,” the company said in a press release. The shipbuilder said it will now redirect its focus to Canada, where the government is preparing one of the world’s larges

November 28, 2025

South Korea's Daum portal to spin off as AXZ after 11 years under Kakao

SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - South Korea’s No. 2 portal site Daum will be spun off into a standalone company named AXZ on Dec. 1, marking its first legal separation from Kakao in 11 years in a bid to revive competitiveness in the portal business, industry officials said Friday. Kakao will transfer Daum’s service rights to AXZ, a subsidiary established in May to prepare for the split. The move ends a decade-long integration following Kakao’s 2014 merger with Daum

November 28, 2025

Seoul apartment transactions surge in October ahead of new housing curbs

SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - Apartment sales in Seoul saw a dramatic jump in October, fueled by a wave of last-minute purchases ahead of sweeping government real-estate curbs, official data and policy documents show. Nationally, housing transactions — including apartments and other types of residences — reached 69,718 last month, up 10 percent from September and 23.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the October housing statistics from the Ministry of Land, Inf

November 28, 2025

Samsung Electronics moves HBM team back under DRAM division after one year

SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics announced on Thursday it is dissolving its standalone high bandwidth memory development team created last year and moving related personnel back under the DRAM development division. The HBM development team will be absorbed into the design team under the DRAM development division, with Vice President Son Young-soo, who led the HBM team, appointed as head of the design team. Samsung created the dedicated HBM development team in July

November 27, 2025

National Assembly passes arrest motion for PPP's former floor leader

SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - The National Assembly on Thursday passed a motion to arrest Choo Kyung-ho, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP)'s former floor leader over his alleged involvement in disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle in December last year. The motion, proposed by independent prosecutors investigating the debacle, comfortably passed with 172 votes in favor, four against, two abstentions, and two invalid votes at the parliamentary

November 27, 2025

LG Chem replaces CEO, taps materials chief Kim Dong-chun to lead next phase

SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - LG Chem has appointed Kim Dong-chun, head of its advanced materials division, as its new chief executive officer, marking the first leadership change in seven years. Kim succeeds Shin Hak-cheol. The board approved Kim’s promotion to president and CEO on Thursday. Kim is credited with boosting profitability within the advanced materials division and broadening the company’s global customer base, particularly in high-tech sectors. “K

November 27, 2025