Newly uncovered U.S. military report identifies Dokdo as part of Korea after WWII SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - A newly uncovered U.S. military report has revealed that American authorities recognized Dokdo as part of Korea in 1948, offering fresh documentary evidence that could strengthen the historical basis for South Korea's sovereignty over the East Sea islets. The document, titled Report of Bombing of Liancourt Rocks, was prepared by the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) on June 24, 1948, after a U.S. Air Force bombing exercise mistakenly struck Dokdo on June 8 that July 7, 2026

KOSPI dives nearly 5% despite Samsung's record quarterly profit SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI plunged 4.91 percent on Tuesday, even after Samsung Electronics posted its largest-ever quarterly operating profit. Investors saw the record earnings as a sign that the memory chip boom may have already peaked, sending the index down 395.02 points to close at 7,656.31. Samsung posted a preliminary second-quarter operating profit of 8.94 trillion won, a roughly 19-fold increase from a year earlier that exceeded the market consen July 7, 2026

Boy band NCT 127 to mark 10th anniversary with new album SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - K-pop boy band NCT 127 will release their seventh full-length album next month, marking the 10th anniversary of their debut, their management agency SM Entertainment said on Tuesday. Slated for release on Aug. 24 through global music distributor Virgin Music Group, it will be their first full-length album in about two years since their sixth studio album "Walk" released in July 2024. To promote the album, NCT 127 will embark on their fifth world to July 7, 2026

Na Hong-jin's sci-fi thriller 'Hope' to hit theaters next week SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - Director Na Hong-jin's latest film "Hope" is set to hit theaters next week, about two months after the sci-fi thriller made its world premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May. Set for release on July 15, the 160-minute film starring veteran actor Hwang Jung-min along with Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon revolves around a story set in a demilitarized border village where unidentified objects suddenly appear. July 7, 2026

Samsung Elec shines above peers with Q2, but spooks investors SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Tuesday estimated second-quarter operating profit of 89.4 trillion won ($58.4 billion) on revenue of 171 trillion won, a bar-raising figure that, instead of sparking excitement, triggered panicky profit-taking on fears the AI heyday may have peaked. The guidance beat market consensus of around 85 trillion won, while revenue slightly fell short. Compared with the previous quarter, revenue rose 27.7 percent and operating profit increa July 7, 2026

Volunteers serve Samgyetang to help vulnerable residents beat summer heat SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - Workers and volunteers from the Korean Red Cross shared a traditional meal with underprivileged residents at an event in Seoul on Tuesday. The event coincided with Chobok, the first of the three summer days along with Jungbok and Malbok, which come every 10 days apart and are collectively called Sambok, when Koreans traditionally eat samgyetang or chicken soup with ginseng, to beat the summer heat. More than 50 employees and volunteers July 7, 2026

Election watchdog seeks to move ballots as protests over election disruptions continue SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - As monthlong protests in southern Seoul over alleged irregularities including a shortage of ballots and other disruptions during last month's local elections have continued, the National Election Commission on Tuesday sought support to help resolve the situation. In a parliamentary hearing held at the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, the commission, which takes care of the country's elections, said moving the ballots stored at an indoo July 7, 2026

The great shortfalls in the grand Honam chip project SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - The devil is in the details, and South Korea's mammoth plan to create a second chipmaking epicenter in the industrially neglected southwest is drawing skepticism not only because of its astronomical 800 trillion won ($523 billion) price tag, but also because of the critical shortfalls money alone cannot solve. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have announced plans to build two next-generation fabs each in the Honam region, investing 400 trillion won apiece July 7, 2026

S.Korea launches support center to boost domestic AI chip adoption SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - South Korea's science ministry opened a dedicated support center aimed at helping local companies adopt domestically made artificial intelligence chips, part of a broader push to strengthen the country's semiconductor industry. The Ministry of Science and ICT said Tuesday the technical support center for AI and semiconductor held its opening ceremony in Gangnam, southern Seoul, at the Korea Association for AI & ICT Promotion. The government has July 7, 2026

Hyundai Motor Group maintains No. 7 in global EV sales SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group ranked seventh globally in electric vehicle sales for the first five months of this year, according to data released by market researcher SNE Research on Tuesday. Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia sold a combined 303,000 electric vehicles including plug-in hybrids from January through May, up 24.3 percent from a year earlier to retain seventh place, narrowing the gap with sixth-ranked Chinese automaker Changan to 27,000 vehicles from 78, July 7, 2026