BLACKPINK's Jennie Breaks K-pop's U.S. Radio Barrier SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - K-pop has long dominated U.S. streaming and album charts, but mainstream radio has remained one of the industry's toughest markets to crack. BLACKPINK's Jennie has now helped break that barrier, becoming only the second K-pop-related act to top Billboard's Adult Pop Airplay chart, Forbes reported Monday, citing Billboard data. Jennie's collaboration with Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala, "Dracula," climbed to No. 1 o July 28, 2026

South Korea to secure more naphtha supplies despite stable inventories SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - Naphtha supplies in South Korea are expected to remain stable through August despite renewed tensions in the Middle East, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said on Tuesday. At an emergency meeting at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul, government officials and industry representatives assessed supplies for naphtha and petrochemical products and discussed contingency measures. The meeting came amid growing concerns that July 28, 2026

CXMT rise signals a new kind of challenge to Korea's memory giants SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - China's first publicly traded memory chipmaker hardly poses an immediate threat to Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron Technology at the technological frontier. But ChangXin Memory Technologies' (CXMT) record-breaking stock market debut suggests something potentially more disruptive: Beijing's familiar playbook of localizing production, achieving scale and then moving up the technology ladder may finally be reaching the last major semi July 28, 2026

Foreign visitors' plastic spending in South Korea tops 10 trillion won in H1 SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - Foreign tourists' credit card spending in South Korea topped 10 trillion won (US$6 billion) in the first half of this year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Tuesday. According to the ministry, foreign visitors spent a cumulative 10.39 trillion won on plastic purchases during the first six months of this year, up 50.8 percent from 6.66 trillion won a year earlier, reaching the milestone about three months earlier than last year, when it w July 28, 2026

US enlists South Korea, allies in 6G push to counter China SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - The Trump administration launched a global partnership on sixth-generation wireless technology, rallying 25 governments including South Korea in a bid to shape the next era of telecommunications and blunt China's growing influence over the field. The initiative announced Monday (local time), dubbed the "Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security," drew endorsements from major economies such as Japan, Britain, Germany and France, alongside Alba July 28, 2026

South Korea's elderly top 20%; working population slips below 70% SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) —South Korea's aging deepened last year, with those aged 65 or older topping 20 percent of the population, more than doubling the share of children aged 14 or younger, while the working-age population fell below the 70-percent threshold for the first time, census data showed Tuesday. According to the 2025 Population and Housing Census released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, people aged 65 and older accounted for 20.7 percent of the population July 28, 2026

Seoul sees steady rise in foreign property owners, surpassing 32,000 SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - The number of foreigners who own real estate in Seoul increased by more than 1,000 over the past year, surpassing 32,000, according to an analysis of real estate registry data from the Supreme Court conducted by real estate app Zippoom. Seoul had 32,870 foreign property owners as of last month, up 3.3 percent, or 1,058, from 31,812 a year earlier. In the first half of this year alone, the figure grew by 473, from 32,397 in January to 32,870 in June. July 28, 2026

Korea, Brazil link critical minerals with defense, aerospace SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) -South Korea and Brazil agreed Monday to deepen cooperation in critical minerals, defense and aerospace, seeking to pair Brazil's vast natural resources with Korea's advanced manufacturing as President Lee Jae Myung turned a state visit into an AI-era industrial partnership. Lee and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva adopted a joint statement declaring 2026 the first year of a new phase in bilateral ties, while signing seven agreements coveri July 28, 2026

Seoul weighs individual cap if leveraged ETF speculation persists SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) —South Korea is considering imposing an individual investment cap on single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) should speculative trading persist despite recent market stabilization measures, the country's financial chief said Tuesday. Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon said authorities will first assess whether tighter rules taking effect Friday, including a higher minimum cash deposit requirement, are sufficient to cool s July 28, 2026

Hanwha, KAIST launch space talent program for young students SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - Hanwha Group and KAIST have launched the fifth class of their youth space talent program, selecting 30 middle school students as South Korea seeks to nurture future talent for its growing space industry. The program, called “Space Pebbles,” began Saturday at Hanwha Building in Seoul, the company said Monday. The program is designed to identify and train promising first- and second-year middle school students from across the country. Hanwha selec July 28, 2026