PHOTOS: Torrential rains, landslides devastate southern villages

SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Heavy rainfall that battered South Korea from July 16 to 20 has resulted in at least 18 deaths and left 9 people missing, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. The southern province of South Gyeongsang bore the brunt of the casualties, with 10 fatalities reported in Sancheong, a county severely affected by landslides. Across 15 cities and provinces, the torrential downpours forced 14,166 residents from 9,887 households to evacuate their homes,

July 21, 2025

Trump-era tax law threatens Hyundai's US EV sales, $2 billion at risk: analysis

SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group could lose up to $1.95 billion in U.S. electric vehicle sales following the enactment of Trump’s sweeping tax legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), according to the Federation of Korean Industries. The OBBBA, which took effect on July 4, abruptly ends key clean energy incentives introduced under former U.S. President Biden, including the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. The phase-out — now set to conclude by Septem

July 21, 2025

[K-Tech] South Korea nears decision on landmark energy storage tender

SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korea is poised to award its first large-scale energy storage system (ESS) tender this week, a 1 trillion won (approximately $720 million) project that has drawn fierce competition among the country’s top battery makers. The outcome could reshape the strategic priorities of an industry grappling with faltering global demand for electric vehicles. The Korea Power Exchange, under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is expected to announce

July 21, 2025

US tariffs on Chinese graphite open door for Korean supplier POSCO Future M

SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - The U.S. Department of Commerce has made a preliminary decision to impose a 93.5 percent anti-dumping tariff on anode-grade graphite imported from China, a move that could position South Korea’s POSCO Future M as a key beneficiary. The decision, announced on July 17, marks a notable shift from earlier actions that targeted specific companies — such as the more than 700 percent countervailing duties slapped on China’s Kaijin in May. This

July 21, 2025

Police find homemade bomb at suspect's home after fatal gun attack

SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Police on Monday raided the home of a man in his 60s who had fatally shot his son the night before, retrieving a homemade explosive device. The suspect is now being questioned in connection with the rare firearm-related homicide, an unusual occurrence in South Korea, where private gun ownership is strictly regulated. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, on July 21, a special operations team was dispatched to the suspect's apartment in north

July 21, 2025

Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for drone operations chief in martial law probe

SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Independent prosecutors are seeking an arrest warrant for the head of a key military unit responsible for drone operations, surveillance, and reconnaissance. They said the warrant was filed on Sunday to secure the custody of Kim Yong-dae, commander of the Drone Operations Command, as part of their investigation into disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle late last year. They suspect Yoon allegedly ordered Kim, in collusio

July 20, 2025

Hyundai, Kia ranked among UK's top five in monthly sales for first time

SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Corp. ranked among the top five in monthly auto sales in the U.K. for the first time last month, according to data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on Sunday. Hyundai sold 10,109 vehicles in June, up 9.9 percent from a year ago to rank fourth, while Kia trailed closely with 10,043 units, placing fifth. This marks the first time both Hyundai and Kia have simultaneously made it into the U.K.

July 20, 2025

KAIST and Yoshua Bengio develop breakthrough to make AI diffusion models 100 times faster

SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - A research team at South Korea’s prestigious research institution KAIST, in collaboration with renowned artificial intelligence scholar Yoshua Bengio from the University of Montreal, has developed a technique that significantly accelerates the performance of AI diffusion models while maintaining high output quality. The new method addresses one of the biggest barriers to deploying diffusion models in real-time applications such as robotics and decision-

July 20, 2025

Torrential rains leave dozens dead or missing, thousands displaced

SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Torrential downpours across the country have left at least 14 people dead and 12 others missing, while forcing thousands to flee their homes, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Sunday. As relentless heavy rain battered mostly southern part of the country for about a week since last Wednesday, flooding and landslides caused casualties in Osan, Gyeonggi Province; Seosan and Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province; and Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Provinc

July 20, 2025

South Korea's special prosecutor indicts impeached president on martial law charges

SEOUL, July 19 (AJP) - South Korea's special prosecutor team on Saturday indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law last December, marking the third time the embattled leader faces prosecution. The special investigation team, led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, said it filed formal charges against Yoon while he remains in detention, including abuse of power and obstruction of rights. The charges stem from his brie

July 19, 2025