South Korea to steer record tax revenue into AI, physical AI push SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korea will channel its largest-ever projected tax revenue into a new future-response fund, pouring resources into three mega-projects led by artificial intelligence. Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, who also serves as science and ICT minister, positioned physical AI as the country's next growth engine, pledging to "export Korea's factories to the world" on the back of a homegrown, full-stack platform. Speaking at the 2026 nation July 13, 2026

Why Middle East conflict remains stuck after nearly five months SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - About five months have passed, yet the end of the conflict in the Middle East remains nowhere in sight. Fighting has appeared close to stopping several times, only to break out again. Negotiations are underway, but renewed military clashes have left the prospects for a resolution increasingly uncertain. U.S. President Donald Trump continues to criticize Iran, calling it "scum," while Tehran has responded with increasingly hostile rhetoric. Even if an July 13, 2026

Lotte Wellfood's India unit posts 28% first-half sales growth SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - Lotte Wellfood announced that first-half sales at its Indian subsidiary, Lotte India, climbed about 28 percent from a year earlier, as the company marked the first anniversary of merging its confectionery and ice cream operations there. According to the firm on Monday, India's ice cream division led the gains with 29 percent growth, driven by expanded supply from a new plant in Pune, Maharashtra, which began full-scale operations in February last year. July 13, 2026

Batteries, hydrogen vie for future of freight SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - The clean-energy contest that upended the passenger car is now rolling into the world's freight lanes, where a single winning technology is proving far harder to crown. Global automakers spent the past decade racing to electrify the family car. That race is largely settled: battery power won. The next front is the heavy truck, and here the map is messier, split between the battery cells that conquered the driveway and the hydrogen fuel cells betting on the July 13, 2026

KOSPI falls below 7,000 as chip stocks nosedive SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korean stocks plunged sharply on Monday afternoon, with the benchmark KOSPI falling below the 7,000 level for the first time in more than two months as heavy selling in semiconductor heavyweights triggered another market-wide selloff. As of 1:30 p.m., the KOSPI was trading at 6,880.97, down 7.96 percent, while the junior KOSDAQ fell 4.33 percent to 801.20. The KOSPI's drop below 7,000 marked its first breach of the level since May 4, extending a s July 13, 2026

Most Korean trade firms say foreign workers help business SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - Nearly three in four South Korean trade companies that employ foreign workers say those workers have a positive effect on their business, and most see them filling jobs Koreans avoid rather than taking jobs from them, a large industry survey showed Monday. The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) released the findings at a forum in Seoul on reshaping the country's foreign workforce and immigration policy, as a shrinking working-age population p July 13, 2026

Leeteuk, Heechul team up as subuit for Super Junior SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - Leeteuk and Heechul of K-pop boy group Super Junior have teamed up as a new unit, their management agency SM Entertainment said Monday. Their six-track EP, "Promise," under Super Junior-83z, named for their shared 1983 birth year, is set for release at 6 p.m. later in the day. Reminiscent of the nostalgic sound of the 1990s and 2000s, the song centers on a heartfelt confession delivered through the duo's contrasting vocal styles. Its music July 13, 2026

K-pop boy band Stray Kids to release new album next month ahead of world tour SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - K-pop boy group Stray Kids will release a new album next month, their management agency JYP Entertainment said on Monday. Slated for release on Aug. 7, the EP "This & That" features all eight tracks produced by the group's production trio, 3RACHA - Bang Chan, Changbin and Han - including the prerelease single "RUN IT," which dropped on June 24. The trio have written and produced Stray Kids' songs since before the group's July 13, 2026

Pyongyang pledges full expansion of China friendship SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song has pledged to work with China to expand bilateral relations across all fronts, sending a message of thanks to Chinese Premier Li Qiang after wrapping up a three-day official visit to Beijing, the North's state media reported Monday. The visit, timed to the 65th anniversary of the treaty that binds the two countries in a mutual defense pact, capped a month of unusually rapid diplomatic traffic between Pyongyang and Beij July 13, 2026

Global EV separator installations rise 21% in Jan-May as China tightens grip SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - Global installations of battery separators for electric vehicles climbed more than 20 percent in the first five months of the year, with Chinese suppliers extending their dominance over the market. According to market researcher SNE Research on Monday, separator installations in pure-electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles registered worldwide reached about 7.49 billion square meters in the January to May period, a 20.7 percent increase from a year earlie July 13, 2026