Samsung showcases AI-powered TVs, appliances at IFA 2026 SEOUL, September 02 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is showcasing its latest AI-powered TVs, home appliances and mobile devices at IFA 2026 in Berlin, as the South Korean tech giant expands artificial intelligence across its consumer electronics lineup. Samsung said Wednesday it will operate a standalone exhibition at Humboldt Carré in central Berlin from Sept. 2 to 6 under the theme "Your companion to AI Living." The exhibition is divided into entertainment, home and September 2, 2026

KOSPI tumbles on rising oil prices, bond yields SEOUL, September 2 (AJP) - A surge in Middle East crude oil prices and a deepening global bond selloff drove South Korea's benchmark KOSPI down 4.0 percent on Wednesday, the steepest fall among Asia's major markets. The index shed 273.08 points to close at 6,562.72. South Korea was hit harder than Japan and China because it faced two shocks at the same time. Dubai crude, widely used by South Korean refiners, jumped US$7.78 to $98.60 a barrel Tuesday, putting it several do September 2, 2026

Kookmin University grabs 10th Formula Student Korea win SEOUL, September 02 (AJP) - Two electric race cars built by undergraduates finished first and second at South Korea's biggest student car-building competition last weekend, giving Kookmin University a 10th straight overall title in the event's Formula division. About 1,800 students from 43 universities competed at Formula Student Korea 2026, which ran from Aug. 27 to 30 at the Korea Automotive Technology Institute's vehicle and driver safety research center in Yeonggwa September 2, 2026

Two South Koreans kidnapped in Haiti freed after about a month SEOUL, September 2 (AJP) - Two South Koreans who were kidnapped by a gang in Haiti have been released after about a month in captivity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. According to the ministry, the two were kidnapped by a gang in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince in July while on their way to work. One was released on Aug. 18, while the other was freed on Tuesday. Both are reportedly in good health. As soon as the kidnapping was reported to the South Korea September 2, 2026

Coupang logistics center raided over workplace accident SEOUL, September 2 (AJP) - As friction over Coupang increasingly strains relations between South Korea and the U.S., authorities raided one of the e-commerce giant's logistics centers on Wednesday over a workplace accident that left a worker in his 40s critically injured. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency and the Seongnam branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor began searching the logistics center in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province at around 9 a.m. Thirteen inves September 2, 2026

Additional rescue workers arrive in Nepal as nine South Koreans remain missing SEOUL, September 2 (AJP) - An additional group of South Korean rescue workers arrived in Kathmandu to join search and rescue efforts led by a government-led team dispatched last week, shortly after devastating floods and landslides in Nepal left thousands of people missing including nine South Koreans, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. The group, comprising 44 members including ministry officials as well as personnel from the Korea International Cooperation Agency September 2, 2026

KAIST LED mask quadruples skin injection gains SEOUL, September 02 (AJP) - A wearable LED mask that conforms to the face's contours has made a common dermatology injection about four times more effective at restoring skin elasticity in a clinical trial. This result points to home beauty devices as a way to carry the benefit of a clinic visit into daily use, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science said Wednesday. According to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the project was led by Lee Keon-ja September 2, 2026

Kakao restructuring delays Kakao Mobility's US listing SEOUL, September 02 (AJP) - South Korea's Kakao has set in motion a sweeping corporate overhaul that is likely to push back Kakao Mobility's planned US share listing, leaving private equity backer TPG waiting longer to cash out of an investment it made nearly a decade ago. According to industry reports on Wednesday, Kakao Mobility's American depositary receipt (ADR) offering counts as a duplicate listing, which requires shareholder-protection procedures by parent Kakao a September 2, 2026

Police scandals test Korea's sweeping prosecution reform SEOUL, September 02 (AJP) - South Korea carried out a sweeping reshuffle of senior police officials Tuesday, replacing 14 of the country's 18 regional police chiefs, as public distrust of police investigations deepens over a scandal on Jeju Island involving the false closure of missing-person cases. The shake-up came before South Korea's 78-year-old Prosecution Service is set to disappear on Oct. 2, adding urgency to questions over how police investigations will be checked September 2, 2026

Korean banks' bad loans hit 8-year high SEOUL, September 02 (AJP) - South Korean banks' bad loans climbed to their highest level in eight years at the end of June as lending to small and midsized businesses sour amid rising interest rates. Nonperforming loans (NPLs), or loans that borrowers are struggling to repay, reached 18.9 trillion won ($13.8 billion) at the end of June. The amount was up 1.2 trillion won from three months earlier, according to data released Wednesday by the Financial Supervisory Service ( September 2, 2026