Korea's Oct job data flags persistent weakness in youth employment, record idled MZ

SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) - South Korea’s headline job figures for October extended their steady growth but also underscored persistent cracks in youth hiring and a record number of economically idled people in their 30s — a troubling sign for a country already strained by a fast-aging population and chronically low birth rate. According to data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of employed people added 193,000 from the same month a y

November 12, 2025

Leading chip equipment maker ASML sets up major campus in South Korea

SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) - ASML, the Dutch maker of the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, has completed construction of a new campus in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The complex is designed to support South Korea’s leading chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, while strengthening local technical capabilities and supply chain stability. The new site will serve as ASML’s key Asian hub, housing a remanufacturing center for deep

November 12, 2025

Seoul City secures another investment from French quantum firm

SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) - Seoul City is deepening its ambitions to become a global hub for quantum technology, securing a $57 million investment from Quandela, a French company specializing in photonic quantum computing. The deal, signed Wednesday at Seoul City Hall, marks the city’s second major quantum-related investment agreement in recent months, following a similar deal with Pasqal, also from France. Founded in 2017 near Paris, Quandela has emerged as one of Europ

November 12, 2025

Ex-spy chief arrested over alleged involvement in martial law debacle

SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) - Cho Tae-yong, a former head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), was arrested on charges of allegedly being involved in disgraced ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle last year. The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for him, citing concerns he could destroy or tamper with evidence. Cho is accused of failing to notify the National Assembly of Yoon's plan to declare martial law, despite being

November 12, 2025

POSCO ramps up lithium investments as EV battery race heats up

SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) - South Korea's POSCO Holdings is expanding its global footprint in lithium, the critical ingredient for electric vehicle batteries, with new investments worth 1.1 trillion won, or about $800 million, in Australia and Argentina. The move is part of the steel and battery materials company’s drive to secure key resources as global competition for battery metals intensifies. The company said Wednesday that it will acquire a 30 percent stake in

November 12, 2025

Two more bodies recovered at Ulsan power plant

SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) - Two more bodies were recovered overnight from the rubble of a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan, bringing the death toll to five after a large structure collapsed last week. According to rescue workers, one victim was found several hours after two large boiler towers at the state-run utility company Korea East-West Power were blown up the previous day to facilitate search operations for workers trapped beneath the debris. Another b

November 12, 2025

LG Energy Solution moves into aerospace battery market with US partner

SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) - LG Energy Solution, one of the world’s leading electric-vehicle battery makers, is pushing into the aerospace sector through a new partnership with an American startup specializing in next-generation energy storage. The South Korean company said Wednesday that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with South 8 Technologies, a San Diego-based firm known for developing liquefied gas electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries. The technology, wh

November 12, 2025

K Bank readies third and possibly final KOSPI bid, betting on sustained market rally

SEOUL, November 11 (AJP) - K Bank may become the first company to debut on the KOSPI in 2026 as the country’s pioneering internet-only bank files its third — and likely final — preliminary prospectus, hoping the market’s bullish momentum lasts another two to three months. According to the filing, K Bank plans to offer 60 million shares out of its 405.7 million total. The Korea Exchange’s review normally takes two to three months, putting an early-2026 listing wit

November 11, 2025

AI detectors questioned for efficacy while Korean universities wrestle with AI use

SEOUL, November 11 (AJP) - South Korean universities and companies are increasingly adopting detecting tools to identify AI cheats to prevent foul plays in admissions and evaluations, especially after the large-scale AI-employed test cheating that recently disgraced one of the country’s top elite universities — but many find the services largely lacking. Tools are used randomly and trusted blindly, while most universities have yet to reach any consensus on AI usage for

November 11, 2025

Sober reckoning on Korea's college entrance ritual as record number awaits test day

SEOUL, November 11 (AJP) - It's that time of year again in Korea, as the country prepares to solemnly mark "Suneung" — the once-a-year nationwide college entrance exam — on Thursday, when a record 554,174 test-takers will vie for 2026 admissions, clinging to singular hopes despite an increasingly bleak job market for university graduates. On Suneung Day, Korea enters an extraordinary national ritual. Business hours are delayed to clear roads for anxious a

November 11, 2025