South Korean border residents dread the return of North's noise assault SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - Residents on the southern side of the border they share with North Korea are bracing for a fresh attack — not from firearms but from loudspeakers. Authorities are preparing for renewed disturbances and residents are checking their soundproof windows, shuddering at the thought of another relentless stream of sirens, metallic scraping and ghostly cries. On Monday, residents urged both Koreas to refrain from restarting the broadcasts that previously r October 26, 2026

Cash-starved Homeplus faces power cuts at stores SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has warned it will cut power to six Homeplus stores in the greater Seoul area this week over unpaid bills, according to industry officials Monday, as a cash crunch forces the retailer to pay wages in installments. The Pocheon Songwoo store faces a cutoff on Tuesday, followed by the KINTEX, Goyang Terminal and Namyangju Jinjeop stores on Wednesday, the Paju Unjeong store on Thursday and the Gajwa store on Friday. T October 26, 2026

Mirae Asset Life reports insurance sector's first hacking-related leak SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - A wave of cyberattacks that exposed roughly 100,000 personal data records at 16 South Korean financial institutions, including Shinhan Bank and Yegaram Savings Bank, has spread to the insurance sector, with Mirae Asset Life Insurance confirming Monday that customer information had been compromised in the industry's first reported hacking-related data breach. The insurer said it detected unusual activity in some of its computer systems on Sunday and im October 26, 2026

Seoul, Washington in close talks to set OPCON transfer year SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - South Korea and the United States are in close consultations to complete a key military capability assessment and set a target year for transferring wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Monday. Speaking at a parliamentary audit of the Ministry of National Defense, Kang said the two allies are working toward completing the Full Operational Capability (FOC) verification and determining a specific year for the tran October 26, 2026

Lee congratulates Lula on Brazil reelection victory SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung congratulated Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday on his election to a historic fourth term, calling him a close friend and comrade as the two countries seek to deepen their recently established strategic partnership. "I am delighted beyond words to congratulate President Lula, my dear friend and comrade, on his election," Lee wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Lee October 26, 2026

Foreign selling sinks Seoul stocks below 5,500 SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - Foreign investors kept selling South Korean stocks on Monday, dragging the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) back below 5,500 now that the chipmaker buybacks that once absorbed their selling have run out. The index shed 80.71 points, or 1.5 percent, to 5,469.6, off nearly 40 percent from its June peak. Foreigners sold a net 816.5 billion won ($617.1 million) of KOSPI shares. The KOSDAQ, Korea’s tech-heavy secondary market, fell October 26, 2026

Celltrion lifts 2026 buybacks to 500 bln won SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - Celltrion will buy back another 100 billion won ($75.6 million) of its own shares, swelling its repurchases this year to 500 billion won, the South Korean biosimilar maker said Monday. The company will buy 514,404 shares on the open market from Tuesday to Jan. 26, its second such tranche in less than a month. Celltrion will decide at its March 2027 annual shareholders' meeting whether to cancel the shares, after weighing the move against a larger cas October 26, 2026

Optonics bets IPO proceeds to ride K-defense drive SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - South Korean optical components maker Optonics plans to raise at least 22 billion won ($17 million) from its KOSDAQ listing to expand its military portfolio and capitalize on South Korea’s defense export drive. The proceeds will help expand production of navigation components and develop new products for high-power laser weapons, precision processing and power-grid monitoring, CEO Lee Young-woo said at a pre-IPO press conference Monday. “Even October 26, 2026

Latin American dreaming for Korean game publishers SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - Long before K-pop reached Latin American stadiums, a Korean dance machine had teenagers across the region stomping on flashing arrows. Andamiro's Pump It Up, launched in 1999, packed Mexico's arcades in the early 2000s and spread across Latin America. Korean PC games followed into Brazil’s internet cafes. Gravity's Ragnarok Online began commercial service there in 2005 through local publisher Level Up, which later brought in Nexon's October 26, 2026

North Korea and Ukraine pose linked security challenge: Belgian minister SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - North Korea’s deployment of troops and weapons to support Russia’s war in Ukraine has made Pyongyang a security threat to Europe as well as South Korea, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot said. “We are also deeply concerned by North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its growing military cooperation with Russia. Developments on the Korean Peninsula and the war in Ukraine are no longer separat October 26, 2026