Lee heads to Ankara to attend NATO summit SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung left for Türkiye on Tuesday as part of a weeklong overseas trip that will also include a visit to Mongolia. Lee is scheduled to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, which begins its two-day gathering on Tuesday. South Korea is not a NATO member, but it has been invited to the summit as one of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) partners — along with Australia, Japan and New Zealand — as t July 7, 2026

KAIST turns temperature into DNA synthesis tool SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Korean researchers have developed a way to build custom DNA strands using only changes in temperature, removing the chemical reagents and costly equipment that DNA synthesis has long required and potentially lowering the cost of work across drug development, diagnostics and synthetic biology. According to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) on Tuesday, the research team, led by the institute's Choi Yeong-jae, used the chemica July 7, 2026

Samsung Elec Q2 profit nears 90 trillion won even after bonus package SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Tuesday estimated second-quarter operating profit at 89.4 trillion won ($58.4 billion) beating consensus of around 84.60 trillion won, as hot chip selling prices more than offset the cost of record performance bonuses for semiconductor employees. The preliminary figure compares with operating profit of 57.2 trillion won in the previous quarter and 4.7 trillion won a year earlier and fueled a red-hot earning streak for the third quarter July 7, 2026

Canada names TKMS preferred bidder and Hanwha as reserve bidder for sub deal SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - Canada on Monday named Germany’s TKMS as the preferred supplier for its "largest-ever" procurement to acquire up to 12 new submarines, selecting the Type 212CD over South Korea’s KSS-III Batch-II in what had been a "difficult and close decision," according to its state head. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the choice that involved heavily government-backed competition between Germany and South Korea in Halifax, Nova Scotia July 7, 2026

Germany's TKMS reportedly picked for Canada submarine program SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Canada has selected Germany’s TKMS as the preferred bidder for its program to acquire up to 12 new submarines, The Globe and Mail reported Monday, citing unnamed government sources ahead of an expected official announcement. The reported decision would see TKMS’s Type 212CD chosen over South Korea’s KSS-III Batch-II, dealing a setback to Hanwha Ocean after an intense, nearly yearlong competition for one of Canada’s largest-ever military July 6, 2026

Pump prices drop below 2,000 won amid easing tensions in Middle East SEOUL, July 6 (AJP) - Pump prices fell to below 2000 won (about US$1.3) this week as international crude oil prices declined amid ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding late last month to end the months-long conflict in the Middle East. According to the Korea National Oil Corporation's website Opinet on Monday, the average retail price of gasoline at gas stations nationwide stood at 1,952.1 won per liter i July 6, 2026

Hyundai takes Asia's humanoid race beyond the dance floor SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor reclaimed the 500,000-won threshold Monday, rising 2 percent even as the broader market retreated, after its growing robotics portfolio quietly stole attention from investors otherwise fixated on Samsung Electronics' earnings guidance due the following day. Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot, owned by Hyundai Motor Group, showcased a series of football-inspired celebrations during halftime of the Brazil-Norway World Cup round July 6, 2026

Even government bonds can bite, South Korea's regulator warns SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) — South Korea's financial regulator on Monday warned that even government bonds, long regarded by many retail investors as one of the safest investments, can generate significant losses if interest rates rise. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) issued the warning as part of its latest investor education campaign on common investment disputes after complaints increased from investors who suffered unexpected losses after buying low-risk bonds, inc July 6, 2026

Seoul's 24-hour FX market tests local banks' staffing capacity SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - South Korea began round-the-clock foreign exchange trading on Monday, but while the country's largest lenders are relying on overseas dealing desks to cover the new hours, smaller regional banks say they are scrambling to find enough people to stay awake. "We need more staff, but there are limits to how quickly we can hire people for this," one foreign-exchange official at a regional bank told AJP on condition of anonymity. "We will proba July 6, 2026

Korea's Air Force, SNU launch AI initiative to reshape aerospace warfare SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Seeking to accelerate its digital frontline transformation, the South Korean Air Force has partnered with Seoul National University (SNU) to develop three key AI technologies that can be directly deployed in military operations. The projects will focus on tracking mobile missile launchers, automatically identifying targets and generating combat plans for aerospace operations. Each project will be carried out by a joint team consisting of SNU researchers and a July 6, 2026