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  Hyundai Motor chairman joins Canada envoy team to back submarine bid SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun is joining a special envoy team to support South Korea’s bid for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, government and industry officials said on Monday. Chung will depart for Canada later in the day to back the government-led effort, the officials said. A defense-industry envoy team, including Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik and Industry Minister Kim Jeong-gwan, will also leave for Canada on January 26, 2026
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  Krafton executives meet Indian ambassador to discuss tech investment SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Krafton announced on January 23 that it held talks with Indian Ambassador to South Korea Gourangalal Das at its Seoul headquarters to outline plans for expanded technology cooperation and investment in India. Ambassador Das met with senior Krafton executives, including Board Chairman Chang Byung-gyu and Kim Nak-hyung, the head of the company's India and emerging markets division. Deputy Chief of Mission Nishi Kant Singh also attended. The group exchan January 26, 2026
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  S-Oil's annual operating profit tumbles 31.7% on weak petrochemical margins SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - South Korean refiner S-Oil reported a 31.7 percent plunge in operating profit for 2025, dragged down by mounting losses in its petrochemical division amid a prolonged industry downturn. The company posted an operating profit of 288.2 billion won ($198.8 million) for the year, down from 422.1 billion won in 2024, according to a regulatory filing on Monday. Annual revenue slipped 6.5 percent to 34.25 trillion won as global oil prices softened throughout the y January 26, 2026
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  OPINION: Behind the seizure of military power, is the Chinese military system strengthening or weakening SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - A national military is both a tool of power and the ultimate safeguard for a country's survival. Historically, military control has rested on a balance between two pillars: political oversight and the autonomy of a professional military organization. When these two elements are in balance, a military grows stronger. When only control remains and autonomy vanishes, the military ceases to be an army and becomes a political organ. What is currently unfol January 26, 2026
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  OPINION: Xi Jinping reshapes military power structure through high-level purges SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Reports from Beijing on January 24 regarding the Chinese military indicate more than a routine personnel reshuffle. The announcements signal a profound realignment of the power structure within the Chinese Communist Party. The initiation of investigations into Zhang You-xia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Liu Zhen-li, chief of the Joint Staff Department, for "serious violations of discipline and law" targets two pill January 26, 2026
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  Vietnam stays South Korea's No. 3 trading partner for fourth year SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Vietnam remained South Korea’s third-largest trading partner for a fourth consecutive year as South Korean exports topped $700 billion for the first time last year, according to government and industry data released on Monday. Vietnam also generated South Korea’s second-largest trade surplus, after the United States. South Korea’s exports to Vietnam rose 7.6 percent from a year earlier to $62.8 billion in 2025, data from the Ministr January 26, 2026
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  Korean Air invests in drone startup to boost unmanned aircraft capabilities SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Korean Air has made a strategic investment in drone specialist Pablo Air, aiming to secure core unmanned-aircraft technologies and expand its presence beyond its traditional aviation business. The two companies signed a strategic equity investment agreement on Jan. 23 at Korean Air’s Seosomun office in central Seoul, according to Korean Air, Monday. Pablo Air specializes in swarm artificial intelligence technology, which allows multiple drones January 26, 2026
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  Korea's two largest chipmakers to report earnings and HBM plans on same day this week SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the world's two largest memory makers based in South Korea, are set to report record earnings on the same day - Thursday - this week in full display of the strength of the current semiconductor upcycle. Instead of numbers, the market would be watching what the leading chipmakers would reveal about their high-bandwidth memory (HBM) strategies and capacity plans during conference calls. It will be the first time January 26, 2026
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  Former prime minister Lee Hae-chan dies in Viet Nam SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan died at a hospital in Viet Nam on Sunday after suffering a heart attack the previous day. He was 74 years old. The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), a presidential consultative body, said, "The senior vice chairperson died at 2:48 p.m. local time," adding it is currently discussing arrangements for transporting his body to Seoul and funeral services with his family and relevant authoritie January 25, 2026
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  Foreign investors' holdings of South Korean stocks hit highest level in nearly six years SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - Foreign investors' share of stocks on South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI climbed to its highest level in five years and nine months in January, according to figures released by the Korea Exchange on Sunday. The total market capitalization of KOSPI‑listed companies stood at 3,759.72 trillion Korean won (roughly US$2.55 trillion) as of early this month, with foreign holdings valued at 1,398.03 trillion won, accounting for about 37.18 percent, the highe January 25, 2026