Samsung union weighs voluntary donation of bonus to social causes SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' largest labor union is considering a voluntary program allowing employees to donate a portion of their special performance bonuses to social causes, according to an internal union notice. The Samsung Group Super Enterprise Labor Union said the proposal, which was recently shared with its policy committee, is expected to be announced alongside guidance on special bonuses in the third or fourth quarter. Under the proposal, emplo July 23, 2026

Korea Coast Guard trains pilots to ease shortage SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - The Korea Coast Guard has produced its first group of helicopter pilots through an in-house training program, part of an effort to address a chronic shortage of aviation personnel that has strained maritime rescue and patrol operations. The KCG held a graduation ceremony for the first class of its helicopter pilot training program at Hanseo University’s Taean campus on Thursday. The four graduates — Inspectors Kim Gyu-beom and Cho Hee-young, and July 23, 2026

South Koreans top longevity as well as suicide in OECD scale SEOUL, July 23 (AJP)—South Koreans are among the world's longest-living people, but also have the highest suicide rate in the OECD. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's analysis of the OECD Health Statistics 2026 released Thursday, South Korea again recorded the highest suicide rate among OECD members in 2023. A total of 24.8 people per 100,000 died by suicide, more than double the OECD average of 10.9. Despite that grim statistic, the country ranke July 23, 2026

S. Korea cracks down on 26 firms over false diet food ads SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it had referred 26 companies for administrative penalties and filed criminal complaints against them for marketing diet products with false or exaggerated claims, in a scheme that moved about 600,000 units worth 11.5 billion won. The companies promoted 30 products, only eight of which were licensed as health functional foods, the ministry said at a briefing on Thursday. The remaining 22 were ordinary food July 23, 2026

College admissions season kicks off for class 2027 SEOUL, July 23 (AJP)-South Korea's 2027 college admissions season officially got underway Wednesday as the country's largest university admissions counseling fair opened at COEX in southern Seoul, drawing nearly every four-year university ahead of this year's early application period. The three-day 2027 Early Admissions Fair opened at 10 a.m. at COEX Hall 1 in Gangnam-gu and runs through Friday, about six weeks before universities begin accepting early admission applic July 23, 2026

Foreign buying lifts KOSPI more than 4% SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Foreign investors bought a net 2.14 trillion won (US$1.46 billion) worth of shares on the KOSPI on Thursday, helping lift the index more than 4 percent as individual investors sold throughout the rally. The KOSPI closed at 7,096.89, up 299.19 points or 4.4 percent, while the tech-heavy KOSDOAQ rose 5.2 percent to 790.28, led by gains in biotechnology stocks. Other major Asian markets moved in the same direction but with far less force, with Japan's Nikk July 23, 2026

Samsung, Hyundai chiefs join Nvidia-led global AI forum advisory board SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Eui-sun have joined the advisory board of a global artificial intelligence (AI) forum led by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, U.S. digital media outlet Semafor reported on Wednesday. Along with more than 40 industry leaders including Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki, and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Lee and Chung were named to the advisory board for the inaugural July 23, 2026

Hyundai Motor's Q2 operating profit falls 21% despite record sales SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) — Hyundai Motor, South Korea's largest automaker, suffered 20-percent dip in second-quarter operating profit even as quarterly revenue hit a record high, as weaker sales volume, higher costs, and an unfavorable product mix outweighed favorable currency effects. Operating profit for the April-June period came in at 2.851 trillion won, down 20.8 percent from a year earlier and slightly below market consensus, though up 13.4 percent from the first quart July 23, 2026

Crypto trading in South Korea sinks as investors flock to stocks SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Trading at South Korea's major cryptocurrency exchanges has plunged to a fraction of the stock market's level amid a prolonged slump in the digital asset market, as investors shift funds to stocks, industry data showed on Thursday. The average daily trading volume at South Korea's five major crypto exchanges - Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, Gopax and Upbit - stood at 597.8 billion won (US$400 million) during the first 21 days of this month, according July 23, 2026

Samsung's 8-year-old foldables evolve for every need SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Foldables in their eighth generation have come of age, arriving in different shapes and forms tailored to different user needs with the artificial intelligence at the center of the experience, according to Samsung Electronics, the pioneer of foldable smartphones. At a media briefing held in central Seoul on Thursday, a day after Galaxy Unpacked in London, executives from the company's Mobile eXperience (MX) division walked journalists through the newly u July 23, 2026