South Korea's LS Cable considers Virginia site for rare earth magnet factory

SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - South Korea's LS Cable said Monday it is considering building a rare earth permanent magnet factory in the United States. The company is currently reviewing Chesapeake, Virginia, as a potential site for the investment and is in talks with state authorities. Rare earth permanent magnets are critical components in advanced industries, including electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense systems such as fighter jets. China accounts for about 85 p

December 15, 2025

Police raid Unification Church over bribery allegations

SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Police on Monday raided about a dozen locations of the powerful Unification Church, also known as the Moonies over allegations of bribing political figures. The raid began at around 8:50 a.m., when a special investigation team from the National Police Agency carried out a search and seizure at the sprawling residence of the church's leader Han Hak-ja in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province and 10 other facilities in Seoul. The raid came after Minister of O

December 15, 2025

OPINION: How to harness AI in education

Consider this. AI can automate tasks but it cannot replace relationships. AI can generate content but it cannot provide judgment. AI has knowledge but teachers have lived experience. AI amplifies teachers but it does not replace them. That said, AI should not be feared but leveraged. Education now has a responsibility to equip teachers and students with the skills, tools, and ethical guidelines required for meaningful learning and responsible innovation in an AI-powered wo

December 15, 2025

Independent prosecutors set to wrap up six-month probe into martial law debacle

SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Independent prosecutors are set to brief on the findings of their investigation on Monday into disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched Dec. 3 martial law debacle last year. Wrapping up their six-month-long probe led by prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, they will explain the details of the investigation that led to charges against 27 individuals including Yoon. Of the 12 arrest warrants requested, five were issued. Prosecutors have also sought an

December 15, 2025

OPINION: Rethinking economic security in age of AI

SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - In early December, Reuters reported that private capital would help launch the “Invest America Program,” a cornerstone policy of President Trump’s second term. Michael Dell and his wife pledged $6.25 billion to activate what are known as Trump Accounts, an initiative embedded in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July. Under the program, every American child born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, will receive $1,

December 15, 2025

Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK chart AI-driven growth strategies for 2026

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - South Korea's four largest conglomerates are racing to finalize their 2025 business strategies, with artificial intelligence emerging as the linchpin of their growth plans amid persistent economic uncertainty. Samsung Electronics will convene its biannual global strategy meeting on Dec. 16, bringing together senior executives and overseas subsidiary heads to chart next year's direction. The company, pursuing a transformation into an "AI-dri

December 14, 2025

Korean seaweed rides high as U.S. tariff exemption adds fuel to export boom

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - South Korea's seaweed exports are on track to shatter records this year, and a newly announced U.S. tariff exemption is set to accelerate the momentum for the country's beloved K-gim. A White House fact sheet released last month listed seasoned seaweed as the sole seafood product to receive duty-free treatment, effectively slashing the previous 15 percent levy to zero, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Sunday. The exemption took effect on N

December 14, 2025

OPINION: When a language becomes a barrier

Every society reveals its anxieties in its exams. South Korea revealed quite a lot this year. The English section of the College Scholastic Ability Test, the Suneung, became so difficult that it briefly escaped the country’s borders. The BBC compared it to deciphering an ancient script. The New York Times, with a mix of bemusement and challenge, presented readers with excerpts from the test — a passage invoking Immanuel Kant, another steeped in gaming jargon &mda

December 14, 2025

Seoul mayor slams government housing curbs, demands regulatory relief

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Sunday lambasted the government's Oct. 15 real estate regulations, accusing policymakers of crushing ordinary citizens' homeownership aspirations and urging an immediate rollback of lending restrictions and redevelopment controls. "The most ordinary yet desperate dream of owning a home is being trampled under the Oct. 15 measures," Oh said in a Facebook post. "The government must no longer turn a blind eye t

December 14, 2025

Samsung C&T partners with Poland's Synthos to expand SMR business in Europe

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - Samsung C&T has signed a memorandum of understanding with Polish small modular reactor (SMR) developer Synthos Green Energy to jointly pursue SMR projects across Central and Eastern Europe, the South Korean construction giant said Sunday. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate on expanding SMR business into the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania, while also working together on feasibility studies, site surveys and

December 14, 2025