Seoul city braces for this week's nationwide university entrance exam

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - More than 550,000 students will take their annual university entrance exam at some 1,300 venues across the country on Thursday, prompting police and relevant officials to brace for safely getting them to their test venues. The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday said that more subway trains, buses and taxis will be put into service on the test day, with free transportation and emergency transport vehicles also provided. In Seoul, about 114,158 stu

November 10, 2025

Korean tofu major ventures into Europe, riding on U.S. success and K-food wave

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - After a decade of pushing its tofu onto American dinner tables, South Korea's leading tofu maker Pulmuone is preparing a full-scale entry into Europe, buoyed by the global rise of K-food and growing demand for plant-based diets across the region. The company said Monday it will establish a European subsidiary in Amsterdam as early as the end of this year and begin sales in France, Germany and Spain, marking its first major expansion into the bloc. &

November 10, 2025

Underperformance of KRW exposes fragility of economy overly exposed to USD and chips

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - South Koreans involved in trade settlements or overseas spending may need to brace for the U.S. dollar staying above 1,400 won for an extended period, as structural vulnerabilities in the Korean economy and a strong preference for dollar-denominated assets continue to undermine the local currency. The dollar eased to 1,451.50 won on Monday after briefly topping 1,460 late last week — its highest since last April when the country grappled with the

November 10, 2025

China suspends sanctions on Hanwha Ocean's US subsidiaries

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - China has suspended sanctions on South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean for one year, Beijing's Ministry of Commerce said on Monday. The ministry said it decided to halt retaliatory measures against the shipbuilder's five U.S. subsidiaries, after the U.S. suspended its so-called Section 301 measures, which include punitive tariffs on Chinese maritime logistics and other goods. Earlier last month, China imposed sanctions on them to prohibit them f

November 10, 2025

HD Hyundai Heavy wins order for two mega container ships

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured an order worth 435.3 billion won for two large container vessels, strengthening its presence in the global market. The company said on Monday that it has recently signed a contract with Thailand's Regional Container Lines to build the vessels at its shipyard in Ulsan, with deliveries scheduled in phases through October 2028. The mega container ships, with a cargo capacity of 13,800 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent

November 10, 2025

'Avatar' sequel to get world premiere in South Korea in time for Christmas

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - The third installment of director James Cameron's epic "Avatar" series will have its world premiere in South Korea in mid-December, just in time for Christmas, the film's distributor Walt Disney Company said on Monday. Expectations for the upcoming franchise "Fire and Ash" are already high ahead of its release slated for Dec. 17, as it is set to depart from the previous serene setting of its fictional planet Pandora to explo

November 10, 2025

Korea's record Q3 exports expose over-reliance on chip exports

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) -South Korea’s exports hit an all-time high in the third quarter, while trade reliance on the country’s top 10 exporters also reached a record level, underscoring the economy’s growing exposure to the volatile semiconductor sector as chips accounted for one quarter of outbound shipments, government data showed Monday. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, exports totaled $185 billion in the July–September per

November 10, 2025

KOSPI bounces back above 4,000 to lead Asian markets early Monday

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market rebounded sharply on Monday as foreign investors returned on signs of a breakthrough in the U.S. government shutdown. KOSPI jumped 2.8 percent, reclaiming the 4,000 mark, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ edged up a mere 0.5 percent to hover below 900. The early rally was driven by strong buying from foreign and institutional investors. Foreigners — who dumped more than 7 trillion won ($4.8 billion) worth of Korean share

November 10, 2025

Korean won recovers from 7-mo lows amid KOSPI rebound

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - The U.S. dollar has retreated below 1,460 won as the Korean currency benefited from the global softening in the greenback and renewed foreign stock buying. The dollar fell 6.70 won to 1,453.30 in Seoul Monday morning after shooting up to 1,461.5 last Friday - the highest since 1,472 on April 9 amid presidential impeachment and U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff barrage. Foreign investors sold 7.26 trillion won ($5.4 billion) in Kore

November 10, 2025

KAIST–Johns Hopkins team uncovers how cancer cells choose their own moving path

SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - KAIST researchers, working with Johns Hopkins University, have discovered how cells determine their direction of movement without any external signals, a finding that reveals the internal logic of cancer metastasis, immune responses, and tissue development. The study, led by Professor Won Do Heo from the KAIST Department of Biological Sciences and Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, together with Professor Gabsang

November 10, 2025