Private investment in Korean port projects rises 17.5% in first half SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Private investment in South Korea’s port development projects reached 252.3 billion won ($173.44 million) in the first half of this year, up 17.5 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Monday. The figure came from 78 projects approved by 10 regional oceans and fisheries offices and five local governments, including solar power facilities, logistics facilities and seafood distribution centers. Privately led port developm July 29, 2026

KOSPI regains ground after chip-stock sell-off, but recovery remains fragile SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Seoul stocks opened higher on Wednesday after the previous day's rout, but gave up most of their early gains within the first hour, leaving the rebound looking less convincing. The KOSPI climbed back above 6,200 in early trade before fading to 6,078.77, up 0.9 percent. Samsung Electronics led the recovery, rising 3.9 percent to 228,500 South Korean won (US$157), while SK hynix barely moved, edging up 0.1 percent to 1,551,000 won. That divergence shap July 29, 2026

Korea uses more AC, pays less than Japan SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - South Korea's households crank up their air conditioners more aggressively in summer than those in most advanced economies, yet they shoulder the lowest electricity bills among major nations, industry reports say. Per-capita cooling electricity consumption reached 191.5 kilowatt-hours in 2022, about a quarter of the 766.2 kWh recorded in the United States in 2020 but well above other major economies. The figure ran 1.2 times higher than Japan's 160. July 29, 2026

Heatwave in South Korea isn't bad luck, but a loaded die SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - South Korea feels more and more like Southeast Asia — tropical humidity, scorching heat, and sudden squalls of rain. The country recorded an average of 7.8 tropical nights between June 1 and July 27, the highest number for the period since nationwide records began in 1973. Its average temperature over the same stretch reached 24.2 degrees Celsius, the second-highest on record. With the Tibetan high-pressure system now settling in above the North Paci July 29, 2026

Kazakhstan pushes factory contracts to unblock utility overhaul SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Kazakhstan's government has set a September 1 deadline to break a logjam in the industrial side of its largest infrastructure program, a 13 trillion tenge effort to rebuild the country's aging heating, power and water systems by 2029. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov told a cabinet meeting that work to conclude potential offtake contracts for new and expanded production facilities under the national project "Modernization of Energy and Utilities July 29, 2026

Algal blooms speed plastic breakdown into microplastics SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - The algal blooms that turn rivers and lakes green every summer do more than cloud the water. They also make discarded plastic crumble faster, accelerating the point at which a plastic bag or wrapper starts shedding microplastics, according to research from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. The finding matters because the two problems have been managed as separate ones. Water authorities treat blooms as a nutrient pollution issue and plastic July 29, 2026

Krafton unveils voice AI model topping Korean-language benchmarks SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - South Korean game developer Krafton said it had released a voice artificial-intelligence foundation model, A.X K2 Raon-Speech, on the global platform Hugging Face, deepening its push into the technology it views as central to the future of gaming. The model, announced by Krafton on Wednesday, was developed under a government-led "sovereign AI foundation model" project overseen by the Ministry of Science and ICT, in which Krafton leads next-generation July 29, 2026

Celltrion to unveil obesity, cancer drug data as it pushes beyond biosimilars SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Celltrion announced it would release preclinical data for its next-generation obesity candidate this year and begin disclosing early clinical results for its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) programs from the first half of 2027, as the South Korean drugmaker moves to widen its footing beyond biosimilars into novel therapies. The company, which built its name replicating blockbuster biologics, is now betting that the antibody expertise and global clinical, manufac July 29, 2026

Netflix's 'The East Palace' rises to No. 2 on global non-English TV chart SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) -Netflix's Korean fantasy series "The East Palace" climbed to No. 2 on the platform's global Top 10 list for non-English television shows in its second week of release, drawing 8.1 million views and entering the Top 10 in 69 countries, according to Netflix's weekly rankings on Wednesday. The eight-part series, which premiered on July 17, stars Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo and Cho Seung-woo in a supernatural mystery set in a royal palace. It July 29, 2026

Trump stresses 'steadfast alliance' with Seoul on Korean War armistice anniversary SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed the "steadfast alliance" between Seoul and Washington on Tuesday, marking the 73rd anniversary of the Korean War armistice. "More than seven decades after the war, the remain united in a steadfast alliance, tested by shared sacrifice, and bound by an abiding love of freedom," Trump said in a message released by the White House. Trump paid tribute to the "extraordinary c July 29, 2026