Microbes make adhesive that outgrips petroleum glue on steel SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - Bacteria fed on sugar have produced an adhesive that held stainless steel together more strongly than the petroleum-based glue now used across industry, offering a way to make a common factory material without oil and with the ability to break down. In a shear test on stainless steel, the bio-made polymer withstood 4.58 megapascals. A commercial adhesive made from ethylene-vinyl acetate, or EVA, withstood 4.20 megapascals under the same test. That wor September 17, 2026

Finance nominee set to take post after clearing parliamentary hearing SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - Lee Hyung-il, nominee for deputy prime minister and minister of finance and economy, moved a step closer to taking the post as the National Assembly's finance committee adopted his confirmation hearing report on Thursday. The move makes Lee the first of six ministerial nominees tapped by President Lee Jae Myung in his second Cabinet reshuffle on Aug. 30 to clear the parliamentary confirmation process. The committee convened at 9:30 a.m. and adopted September 17, 2026

KOSPI climbs as market absorbs Fed hike SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - South Korean stocks extended gains Thursday morning despite the U.S. Federal Reserve's first interest rate hike in more than three years, as easing oil prices and strength in defense and shipbuilding shares offset continued foreign selling. As of 10:30 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI stood at 6,756.11, up 0.6 percent. The index had climbed as high as 6,795.53 after opening sharply higher, before giving back part of the advance. It touched a session low September 17, 2026

Korean markets shrug off FOMC, turn to Tokyo and London SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - South Korean capital markets on Thursday largely brushed aside the U.S. Federal Reserve’s widely expected overnight rate hike, with authorities forecasting limited immediate impact while keeping watch on elevated borrowing costs. The KOSPI rose 0.7 percent to 6,765.65 while the benchmark 10-year government bond yield fell 2.5 basis points to 4.528 percent as of 10:20 a.m. The dollar gained 2.4 won to 1,379.9 won, indicating modest weakness in th September 17, 2026

Korean refiners' windfall meets a supply test SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - South Korean refiners, fresh from a record first half, face uncertain crude supply for November after Saudi Arabia shut its main pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, industry officials said on Thursday. SK Innovation, S-Oil, GS Caltex and HD Hyundai Oilbank earned a combined operating profit of about 14.8 trillion won ($10.73 billion) from January to June. Industry estimates show about half of first-quarter profit came from inventory gains and the September 17, 2026

Sejong law award ceremony with chief justice Cho Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and other attendees pose for a commemorative photo during the inaugural Sejong Law and Culture Award ceremony at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District, Seoul, Sept. 16, 2026. From left are Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, Kwak Bae-hee, head of the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations; Martha Koome, Chief Justice of Kenya; and Dave Sullivan, Deputy General Counsel at the World Bank. September 17, 2026

Lee set to meet IEA chief to discuss Asia-Pacific energy cooperation SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet International Energy Agency (IEA)'s executive director Fatih Birol on Thursday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. At a meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, the two are expected to discuss ways to make energy supplies more stable and strengthen regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. They will also discuss other topics including trends in global energy markets, recent developments in th September 17, 2026

Samsung, Apple, Google face US patent probe SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) -Samsung Electronics has joined U.S. tech giants Apple and Google as targets of a U.S. patent investigation over allegations that certain electronic devices infringe audio technology patents held by a California company. The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) said Wednesday it had opened a Section 337 investigation into certain electronic devices with audio technologies following a complaint by California-based BoomCloud 360 Inc. BoomCloud alleg September 17, 2026

North Korean leader's sister reiterates 'absolute' nuclear-armed status SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday reiterated that Pyongyang's status as a nuclear-armed state is "absolute" and cannot be reversed by any means. In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim dismissed renewed intonational calls for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, calling them "all noise." She added that no matter how " September 17, 2026

Korea cracks down on misleading holiday gift ads SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - Online listings for toothpaste, cosmetics and medical devices were caught in 308 cases of misleading advertising and illegal distribution ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday. Cosmetics accounted for 63 cases, 44 of which touted drug-like benefits such as "skin regeneration" and "anti-inflammatory" effects. Toothpaste, mouthwash and tooth whiteners, staples of holiday gift sets, drew 45 ca September 17, 2026