Korea's battery trio turns corner on ESS boom SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea's three largest battery makers are seen to have bottomed out in the second quarter as AI boom-led energy storage demand and renewed appetite for EVs from Gulf conflict-induced oil price turbulence pulled them out of a near two-year slump. The reversal of fortune has most benefited Samsung SDI, the underdog among the trio, with analysts expecting it to return to an operating profit for the first time in seven quarters. That would end a losing st July 23, 2026

Kookmin University joins World Design Capital exhibition in Frankfurt SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - A South Korean university design team was invited to Germany this month to show its work on public transportation for people who struggle to get around, one of a set of campus research projects gathered for an exhibition tied to the world's biennial design capital program. Kookmin University's Department of Automotive and Transportation Design took part in the World Design Capital Campus Exhibition 2026 Frankfurt on July 3 at the Museum Angewandte Ku July 23, 2026

Crocodile discovery renews scrutiny of Korea's exotic pet trade SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - A crocodile pulled from a stream in Yeoju has been identified as a critically endangered Siamese crocodile, adding to a series of crocodile discoveries in South Korea over the past two years and renewing scrutiny of the country's exotic pet trade. Firefighters captured the 50-centimeter reptile from Soyang Stream on July 18 after a passerby reported what appeared to be a pet crocodile swimming in the water. Rescue crews netted the animal within about 30 July 23, 2026

Samsung says foldables have arrived — now AI is the real race SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics said foldable smartphones have entered the mainstream, shifting the competitive battleground from hardware form factors to artificial intelligence as it expands its Galaxy Z8 lineup and pushes agentic AI across its device ecosystem. Speaking to reporters after Galaxy Unpacked in London, TM Roh, Samsung Electronics' chief executive and head of the Mobile eXperience (MX) division, said the newly unveiled Galaxy Z8 series marked a new st July 23, 2026

US House passes defense bill tightening guardrail against USFK troop cuts SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a fiscal 2027 defense policy bill that would strengthen congressional guardrails against any move to reduce the number of American troops stationed in South Korea below 28,500. The House approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday in a 216-212 vote, advancing a $1.15 trillion defense policy package that authorizes military programs and sets national security priorities for the July 23, 2026

Foreign arrivals to Korea near 2 million in June SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Nearly nine in 10 foreign visitors to South Korea in June traveled for tourism, driving monthly arrivals to nearly 2 million while business, official and study-related travel remained comparatively subdued, the Korea Tourism Organization said Thursday. Korea received 1,993,128 foreign visitors during the month, up 23.1 percent from 1,619,220 a year earlier. The total reached 135 percent of its June 2019 level, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted internati July 23, 2026

North America trade shake-up rattles Korean firms: Survey SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Nearly half of the South Korean companies with operations in North America expect a coming overhaul of the region's main trade pact to disrupt their business, according to a survey released this week, after Washington declined to renew the agreement in its current form and opened a decade of uncertainty across one of South Korea's biggest export markets. The finding comes from a poll of 43 South Korean firms with a presence in the United States, Mexi July 23, 2026

S. Korea courts Turkmenistan with water technology SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea spent three days this week showing Turkmenistan how it manages water, hosting a government delegation from one of the world's driest countries as Seoul works to turn its water industry into an export business across Central Asia. The visit, which ran Tuesday through Thursday in Seoul, brought officials from Turkmenistan's State Committee for Water Resources, the body overseeing the country's water policy and projects, along with its July 23, 2026

Korean firm launches AI-ready museum archive platform SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) -Korean technology firm Indik said Thursday it has launched a platform that converts museum exhibition catalogs into curator-verified digital archives. The launch comes as museums prepare AI and digital transformation projects for 2027, with budget planning set to begin in September. Based in Jeonju, Indik has developed museum exhibitions, catalogs and cultural heritage content using public data. The platform, called ARTFACT, extracts artifact records, ima July 23, 2026

Korea's SME loan delinquencies hit 11-year high SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) —South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are falling behind on bank loan repayments at the fastest pace in 11 years, further exposing an economy heavily dependent on large chipmakers and a few big manufacturers. According to data released Wednesday by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), the delinquency ratio, the share of bank loans that were more than one month overdue, rose to 0.67 percent at the end of May from 0.61 percent in Apri July 23, 2026