Samsung Biologics wins court penalty against union strike SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - A South Korean court has ordered Samsung Biologics' labor union to pay 20 million won ($13,196) every time it violates an injunction restricting strike action at sensitive bioreactor lines, escalating a legal standoff at the world's largest contract drugmaker. Reports on Friday said the Incheon District Court granted Samsung Biologics' application for indirect compulsion against the union. The ruling reinforces an earlier injunction that bars union May 22, 2026

South Korean researchers discover limits of carbon conversion catalyst models SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Korea University have identified limitations in theoretical models used to design catalysts that convert carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals. The joint research team found that current evaluation methods do not fully explain how complex compounds are formed, the prominent institute based in the central city of Daejeon said Thursday. The scientists tested the accepted theory that matc May 22, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: With South Korea's local elections weeks away, how AI is changing political scene across Asia SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - With South Korea's local elections less than two weeks away, the political landscape looks strikingly different from what it was just a few years ago, with voters now witnessing entirely new forms of campaigning shaped by artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology. Loudspeaker trucks still circle neighborhoods and candidates still bow at subway stations during the morning rush, but increasingly, the real campaign is unfolding elsewhere, driven by May 22, 2026

K-culture boom fuels global rise of AI Korean-learning app SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Riding the global mainstreaming of K-pop, Korean dramas and streaming blockbusters, a South Korean AI language-learning startup is rapidly expanding overseas, with the U.S. emerging as one of its biggest markets. TEUIDA, a South Korean language-learning app that uses AI voice recognition to simulate conversations with native speakers, has surpassed 6 million cumulative downloads worldwide, Chief Executive Jang Ji-woong said on Tuesday at Google’s annual May 22, 2026

Starbucks Korea promotion sparks police probe, government boycott SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Starbucks Korea is facing a widening political and legal backlash after a marketing campaign tied to the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju uprising triggered accusations of mocking South Korea’s democratic trauma, drawing police investigations, boycott calls and government sanctions. Chung Yong-jin and former Starbucks Korea chief executive Sohn Jung-hyun are now under police investigation following complaints accusing them of insulting victims of the May 1 May 22, 2026

South Korea opens AI-era national growth fund to retail investors SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) -South Korea began selling a retail slice of its flagship strategic-industry fund on Friday, inviting ordinary investors to back semiconductors, batteries, mobility and artificial intelligence alongside the government in exchange for income-tax breaks and a state-funded loss buffer under a mandatory five-year lockup. The retail tranche of the Public Growth Fund targets 600 billion won ($396 million) this year, with KB Asset Management raising 200 billion won as o May 22, 2026

Samyang to court Southeast Asia at Bangkok food fair SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Samyang Foods will showcase its spicy noodle lineup at THAIFEX-Anuga Asia 2026, Asia's largest food and beverage trade fair, as the Korean instant ramen maker pushes deeper into Southeast Asia's fast-growing snack market. The five-day exhibition runs from May 26 to 30 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok. Now in its 21st year, the fair last year drew about 88,000 visitors from 143 countries and 3,231 exhibitors from 57 nations, according to organizers May 22, 2026

KOSDAQ triggers buy-side sidecar, Samsung Elec briefly tests 300,000 SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - South Korean stocks erased early gains and turned lower Friday morning as foreign investors took profits after earlier record-breaking rally, while biotech and secondary-battery shares powered rally on the KOSDAQ. The benchmark KOSPI rose 0.62 percent to 7,863.71 at the opening bell, after surging 8.42 percent Thursday in its biggest single-day point gain on record. However, the index later turned lower as foreign investors extended heavy selling. As of 9:57 May 22, 2026

Samsung Electronics union start vote on strike-risk wage proposal SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Unionized members of Samsung Electronics on Friday begin vote on whether to accept a tentative wage settlement agreed last week that would create a profit-linked special bonus system and remove the risk of a disruptive strike. The six-day electronic voting window opened at 2 p.m. Friday and will run through 10 a.m. Wednesday. The electorate consists of the 70,850 union members registered as of 2 p.m. on Thursday — a figure that has decreased significant May 22, 2026

South Korean student filmmaker wins award at Cannes SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Filmmaker Jin Mi-song has won a gong at this year's Cannes Film Festival which wraps up this weekend, organizers said on Friday. Jin took home second prize with her short film "Silent Voices" in the La Cinef section, the prestigious festival's student film competition featuring short live-action and animated works by emerging filmmakers from universities around the world. This year's lineup included 14 live-action and five animated sh May 22, 2026