S. Korea to move ministries and state bodies out of Seoul SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - Central government ministries and about 350 public institutions will start leaving the Seoul metropolitan area in 2027, advancing a project the Constitutional Court forced South Korea to scale back more than two decades ago. Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Thursday the government would publish its list of institutions to be moved in the fourth quarter of this year and begin relocating them the following year. The list will be built under what she cal September 3, 2026

Lee meets Hyundai chief in latest private talks with business leaders SEOUL, September 3 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung met with Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Eui-sun at an undisclosed location in Seoul earlier this week, according to industry sources on Thursday. Their private, closed-door meeting was reportedly held the previous day, although Cheong Wa Dae declined to confirm details, saying it was difficult to verify the president's private schedule. The two apparently discussed the automaker's planned investment worth 9 trilli September 3, 2026

AI spending binge steepens Korea's bond curve SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - As the race for AI supremacy sends government and corporate spending into the stratosphere, investors are demanding more to lend for decades — a shift showing up starkly in South Korea, where yields have risen progressively faster toward the long end of the government bond curve. The yield chart over the past year shows an increasingly steep repricing toward longer maturities. The 30-year yield has climbed the most, touching a record 4.751 percent i September 3, 2026

Seoul draws line on labor strikes over profit and capex SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) -South Korean unions can no longer strike over demands for bonuses pegged to a share of operating profit or over opposition to new plants, under government guidelines that side with employers as labor unrest spreads across the country's largest companies. The guidelines shown Thursday follow the so-called Yellow Envelope Act, the revised Trade Union Act that widened the grounds for bargaining and industrial action. They also come after a year in whi September 3, 2026

Revised party rules tighten North Korean leader's grip on power, think tank says SEOUL, September 3 (AJP) - North Korea has revised the rules governing its ruling Workers' Party to solidify leader Kim Jong-un's power and streamline decision-making structures for wartime and other similar emergencies, according to an analysis revealed by South Korea's Institute for National Security Strategy at a press briefing in Seoul on Thursday. The institute said the revisions, adopted at the party's ninth congress in February, further strengthened Kim& September 3, 2026

Hanwha unveils next-gen K9 with drones, wheeled variants SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - Hanwha Aerospace has unveiled a next-generation operating concept for its K9 self-propelled howitzer that integrates fire-guidance drones to improve battlefield responsiveness. The concepts were presented at the fifth K9 User Club in Tartu, Estonia, from Sept. 2 to 4. More than 200 military and industry representatives from seven K9 user nations, South Korea, Estonia, Poland, Norway, Finland, Romania and Australia attended, along with observers from Spain September 3, 2026

Korea to open culture data for AI SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - South Korea will open five sets of culture-sector public data in AI-ready formats, covering traditional music, tourism, policy information and cultural assets, the culture ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the data will come from four public institutions: the National Gugak Center, the National Library of Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korea Culture Information Service Agency. Project is part of t September 3, 2026

Korea's crypto access can strengthen stablecoin-FX link:BOK SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - Wider corporate and foreign participation in South Korea's crypto market could allow dollar stablecoin demand shocks to pass more directly into foreign-exchange trading and the won, Bank of Korea researchers said Thursday. Kim Ji-hyun and Cho Sang-heum of the BOK's International Finance Research Team said in an Issue Note that the presence of global intermediaries can determine how closely stablecoin markets are linked with traditional FX markets. September 3, 2026

Naver Cloud wins cybersecurity AI model project SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - South Korea has selected a consortium led by Naver Cloud to develop an AI foundation model specialized for cybersecurity, the science ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the consortium was chosen following a presentation-based review of two bidders for the project. External experts in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity evaluated each consortium's business plan and presentation, covering technical capability, develo September 3, 2026

Seoul faces criticism over slow drug-pricing overhaul SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) -South Korea risks stalling its bid to become a global healthcare hub unless it expedites last year's drug-pricing overhaul with predictable and transparent execution, industry and government figures said at a seminar in Seoul. The warning ran through the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea's 17th Healthcare Innovation Seminar, held at the Shilla Hotel on Thursday and attended by about 150 government officials, industry executives and clinicians. September 3, 2026