USFK air defense unit deploys to Palau for live-fire drills  SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - A U.S. Forces Korea air defense unit recently deployed to Palau in the western Pacific for live-fire surface-to-air missile drills as part of a multinational exercise led by U.S. Army Pacific. The 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, assigned to the U.S. Eighth Army in South Korea, participated in Tenacious Archer 2026, according to information released by the U.S. military. Tenacious Archer is an annual multinational air and missile defense exercise condu August 10, 2026

South Korea warns of new voice-phishing scam laundering stolen funds SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) — South Korean scammers are using loan offers to gain access to low-credit borrowers’ bank accounts and launder money stolen through voice phishing, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) warned Monday. The warning came after the regulator found that criminal groups were increasingly using gift certificates to move stolen funds instead of transferring the money or withdrawing it from ATMs, making the proceeds harder to trace. The scheme begins August 10, 2026

Lee's approval rating slides further SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating slid further to hit a new low, according to a survey released by pollster Realmeter on Monday. In its survey of more than 2,500 adults nationwide conducted last week, 43.3 percent of respondents said Lee was doing a good job, down 2.6 percentage points from the previous week and marking the fourth straight week of decline. The disapproval rating rose 2.5 percentage points to 53 percent, the second consecutive August 10, 2026

Seoul rebounds on Samsung Electronics payout hopes SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Seoul stocks opened sharply higher on Monday as a brokerage note arguing Samsung Electronics is preparing a shareholder return package more than ten times its current size pulled buyers back into chip shares after a week that stripped 5.1 percent off the market. The KOSPI rose 61.76 points to 6,320.53 in early trading, a gain of 1.0 percent. The bounce was stronger on the junior market, where the KOSDAQ climbed 3.1 percent to 823.38, and it extended a August 10, 2026

Korea's data-breach wave hits creator media, 3Pro TV latest target SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) -South Korea’s widening data-security problem has spread from banks, telecom operators and major online platforms to creator-led media, with the operator of popular financial channel 3PRO TV disclosing that roughly 460,000 pieces of personal information were exposed through its mobile application. E-Broadcasting Co., which operates 3PRO TV, said it detected signs in early August that an outside actor had gained unauthorized access to other users’ August 10, 2026

Zelenskyy turns to Seoul for air defense on surge in N. Korean force in Russia SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to South Korea for air-defense support as he warned that as many as additional North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia. Zelenskyy said in a post on X over the weekend that the number of North Korean personnel appearing in Russia had steadily increased from hundreds to thousands and that a decision had now been made to deploy between 30,000 and 50,000. The figure marked a sharp increase from hi August 10, 2026

Can KOSDAQ sustain its rally after stricter ETF rules? SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - South Korea's junior KOSDAQ market has regained momentum after stricter rules on single-stock leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs) took effect, as short-term capital that had been concentrated in such products linked to heavyweight stocks flowed into other areas of the market. According to the Korea Exchange on Sunday, the KOSDAQ rose 23.89 percent to 798.81 points last Friday from 644.78 about a week earlier, just before the rules took ef August 9, 2026

SK chief's lengthy divorce case nears end as appeal deadline looms SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - Attention is turning to whether the long-running property division dispute between SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his wife Roh So-yeong will finally come to an end after nearly a decade. According to legal sources Sunday, the deadline for the estranged couple to file a final appeal against the Seoul High Court's ruling delivered late last month in the case, which was sent back to the appellate court for retrial, is approaching. In its ruling on August 9, 2026

Rookie boy band CORTIS' Instagram followers surpass 15 million SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - Rookie boy group CORTIS have surpassed 15 million followers on Instagram, becoming the fastest K-pop group to reach the milestone among those that debuted over the past five years. According to their agency BigHit Music, their Instagram account passed the mark as of last Wednesday, about a year after they opened the account. The rising group's five members, who made their debut in August last year, have also built a strong following on other major plat August 9, 2026

Samsung steps up US hiring ahead of chip plant's launch in Texas SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is ramping up efforts to secure local talent for its semiconductor fab in Taylor, Texas, as it prepares to begin initial operations later this year. According to industry sources on Sunday, the chip giant recently opened applications for its first summer internship program at the Taylor fab. It marks the first time the facility has been included in Samsung's annual overseas internship program, highlighting the company's efforts t August 9, 2026