Koreans face tougher U.S. visa screening over birth tourism ban SEOUL, August 7 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to curb so-called "birth tourism," potentially affecting some South Koreans who seek to secure U.S. citizenship for their children by giving birth in the U.S. The order directs U.S. authorities to deny citizenship to children born to foreign nationals who entered the country after misrepresenting the purpose of their travel to give birth there. It also instructs immigration officials August 7, 2026

Naver's Q2 operating profit misses consensus as costs outpace sales SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - Naver's second-quarter operating profit fell short of market expectations despite stronger-than-expected revenue, as spending on artificial intelligence, marketing, sports broadcasting and payment infrastructure squeezed margins. Operating profit for the April-June period came to 520.3 billion won ($346 million), down 0.2 percent from a year earlier and 4 percent from the previous quarter. It was 8.1 percent below the FnGuide consensus of 566.2 billio August 7, 2026

Seoul rebound fragile on SK hynix lag SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) -The KOSPI struggled to claw back into positive territory Friday as heavyweight SK hynix remained under foreign attack, leaving the market's rebound on shaky footing. By 9:45 a.m. the KOSPI was 0.20 percent lower at 6,284.46 after opening higher. Samsung Electronics rose 2.82 percent to 237,000 won ($166), double the 1.40 percent gain that lifted SK hynix to 1,516,000 won ($1,064), even though SK hynix fell far harder on Thursday. Foreign investors turn August 7, 2026

Kookmin University opens AI alliance with 10 companies SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - A proposal to form a corporate consortium that would fund dedicated admission seats in artificial intelligence and software was raised at Kookmin University on July 24, at the launch of an industry alliance the Seoul school is building with 10 technology companies. Contract-based quotas let companies pay for places at a university under an agreement that links admission to employment with the sponsoring firms. The university's August 7, 2026

South Korean military steps up vigilance after North Korea fires ballistic missile SEOUL, August 7 (AJP) - The South Korean military remained vigilant on Friday, stepping up its readiness against potential additional launches after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea a day earlier. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was launched from Wonsan in Kangwon Province at around 5 p.m. the previous day, without disclosing details about its flight distance or other specifications, saying that it was analyzing the launch with t August 7, 2026

Trump sets polysilicon tariff floor, giving Korea partial reprieve SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed his semiconductor trade offensive further upstream into the industry's raw-material supply chain, imposing new tariffs and minimum import prices on polysilicon but granted South Korea a preferential treatment that could soften the blow for the country's chip and solar manufacturers. The proclamation, signed Thursday following a Section 232 national security investigation, imposes a 15 percent tariff on pol August 7, 2026

When Seoul melts, its children splash back SEOUL, Aug. 6 (AJP) — South Koreans have joined Europeans and Americans in sweating through one of the world's hottest summers. But to borrow an old saying, if you can't beat the heat, join it. Across Seoul, children have declared war on the thermometer. Instead of hiding indoors as temperatures flirted with 40 degrees, they cannonballed into pools, sprinted through fountains and chased water jets across the city. Under a relentless sun, the season that often feels u August 6, 2026

FSS to tighten rules on ELS products to protect investors SEOUL, August 6 (AJP) - As the South Korean stock market remains highly volatile with the benchmark KOSPI tumbling more than 4 percent on Thursday alone, market analysts expect a set of new government measures to protect investors in structured products unveiled the previous day to help contain market jitters while easing investor anxiety. The measures, outlined by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), followed three months of discussions with the Korea Financial Investment Assoc August 6, 2026

Kangaroo families become the new normal from Seoul to San Francisco SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - Suddenly, kangaroos seem to be multiplying around the world. Not in the Australian outback, but in family homes from South Korea to the United States, where growing numbers of young adults are delaying independence and staying in — or moving back to — their parents' houses as soaring housing costs outpace wages. The once-stigmatized "kangaroo family," in which adult children remain in the parental home, is increasingly becoming August 6, 2026

Stray Kids hit 'mega IP' scale, but say risk still drives the music SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - Stray Kids are now spoken of in the language of K-pop scale: record album debuts, sold-out tours and the kind of commercial weight that makes a group more than a performing act. But at a press event in Seoul ahead of the release of the group's new EP, "THIS & THAT," the eight members kept returning to a different idea — that the safest version of Stray Kids is not necessarily the one they want to repeat. The EP will be released August 6, 2026