Astra ups heat in Samsung-SK hynix HBM4E 1c showdown SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) - "AGI has arrived,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang declared as he congratulated OpenAI on the release of GPT-6 Astra, which the ChatGPT creator calls its most intelligent and aligned model yet. AGI stands for artificial general intelligence, a loosely defined concept generally referring to AI capable of performing intellectual tasks across a broad range of domains at or beyond human levels. Whether Astra has actually crossed that threshold remains di September 7, 2026

NiziU to return with first mini album SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) - K-pop girl group NiziU will release its first Korean mini album, marking the JYP Entertainment girl group's first domestic comeback in about 18 months, the agency said Monday. The album, "Sour Grapes," will be released at 6 p.m. (0900GMT) on Sept. 28. NiziU announced the release through a prologue film posted on its official social media channels at midnight Monday. The new album will be the group's first mini album released in K September 7, 2026

South Korea, US plan 8 nuclear reactors under investment pact SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) - South Korea and the United States are set to include a plan to pursue the construction of eight nuclear power reactors in the United States in their bilateral strategic investment framework, a ruling-party lawmaker confirmed to AJP on Monday. The lawmaker, who serves on the National Assembly’s Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee, said the plan to pursue eight reactors would be included in the framework governing the two countries& September 7, 2026

'Possible Love' stirs Venice sensation with 6-minute ovation SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) - Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love" emerged as one of the early sensations of the Venice Film Festival after drawing a six-minute standing ovation and rave reviews, putting the Korean auteur's first feature in eight years among the closely watched contenders for the Golden Lion. The Netflix-backed film premiered Sunday at the Sala Grande on the Venice Lido as part of the main competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. September 7, 2026

Memory trade lifts Seoul and Tokyo, leaves Shanghai flat SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) - Northeast Asia's stock markets moved Monday in near proportion to how much memory chip exposure each one carries. Seoul's KOSPI jumped 4.6 percent, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 2.1 percent, and the composite index in Shanghai, where banks and oil producers dominate the weighting, finished virtually unchanged. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or KOSPI, closed at 6,995.39, its biggest one day gain since August 20 and 4.61 points short of the 7, September 7, 2026

Coupang dispute to loom over Korea-U.S. ties beyond midterms SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) -South Korea’s dispute with e-commerce giant Coupang is likely to loom over ties with Washington beyond the U.S. midterm elections as concerns over Seoul’s regulation of American technology companies have taken root across party lines, South Korean lawmakers and policy experts observed Monday. “There is no guarantee the situation will improve even if the Democrats take the majority in the November midterm elections,” Woo Jeong-yeop September 7, 2026

Prosecutors seek 27-year prison term for octogenarian JMS cult leader SEOUL, September 7 (AJP) - Prosecutors on Monday sought a 27-year prison sentence for cult leader Jung Myung-seok on charges of raping and sexually assaulting female followers. During a final hearing at a court in Daejeon, prosecutors also requested that Jung Myung-seok, the 81-year-old founder of the Christian Gospel Mission, better known as JMS, be ordered to undergo rehabilitation for sexual offenses, be barred from working with children, teenagers or people with disabilities f September 7, 2026

Seoul station begins Chuseok holiday train ticket sales for all passengers A notice on ticket reservations for the Chuseok holiday is displayed at Seoul Station in Seoul on Sept. 7, 2026. Reservations for Chuseok holiday train tickets are available from Sept. 7 to 11 for all passengers, including senior citizens, people with disabilities and eligible national merit recipients, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. September 7, 2026

KTX and SRT Integration: Chuseok train tickets require membership conversion A notice on ticket reservations for the 2026 Chuseok holiday is displayed at Seoul Station in Seoul on Sept. 7, 2026. Following the integration of KTX and SRT services, Chuseok train tickets are available to integrated members, while existing SR members are required to convert their accounts to integrated membership to make reservations. September 7, 2026

North Korea's new destroyer ready for combat SEOUL, September 7 (AJP) - North Korea has put its new 5,000-ton warship into service in the East Sea, state media reported on Monday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, a commissioning ceremony for the Kang Kon was held at the eastern port city of Wonsan on Sunday, with its leader Kim Jong-un in attendance along with his daughter Ju-ae. The newly-commissioned destroyer is part of a nuclear response system capable of launching "an annihilating ret September 7, 2026