Ukraine POW disclosure complicated Seoul's diplomacy: US experts SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - Ukraine's public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea has complicated President Lee Jae Myung's efforts to restore dialogue with Pyongyang and improve relations with Moscow, U.S. experts said Thursday. The assessment came during a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where former U.S. officials and Korea specialists examined the diplomatic fallout from Ukrainian Pre October 16, 2026

Seoul weighs Cheonghae mission extension amid Hormuz concerns SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - South Korea is considering extending its Cheonghae anti-piracy mission beyond December, but has yet to finalize the details, the defense ministry said Friday. The clarification came after reports that the military was reviewing plans to extend the unit's operational area from the Gulf of Aden to the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, and potentially deploy additional surveillance aircraft. "Piracy activity in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia h October 16, 2026

Seoul fails to fully sell second tax-friendly public stock fund SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) —In contrast to overwhelming demand for the inaugural offering in May, South Korea failed to fully sell the second batch of its tax-deductible public equity fund, according to the Financial Services Commission on Thursday. The latest offering raised 519.8 billion won ($387.5 million), or 86.6 percent of its 600 billion won target, over 10 trading days from Sept. 30 to Oct. 15, the FSC said. The first offering in May was fully subscribed within six tr October 16, 2026

Hanwha Solutions clears 500kV cable material test in China SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - Hanwha Solutions' insulation materials for 500-kilovolt alternating current power cables have passed qualification testing in China, the South Korean company said Friday. The type test, overseen by Shanghai-based certification body TICW, put Hanwha's cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation and semiconductive materials through separate trials with Chinese cable makers Qingdao Hanhe and TBEA. It assessed insulation performance and long-term rel October 16, 2026

SK joins Samsung's Sejong investment drive SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - SK Trichem, a semiconductor materials maker under SK Group, is seeking to expand its operations in Sejong, where Samsung Electro-Mechanics is also pursuing a multibillion-dollar factory expansion, according to the city government Friday. SK Trichem, which produces precursors used in semiconductor manufacturing, submitted its expansion plans to Sejong officials last month. The company is seeking additional land and infrastructure near its existing facility October 16, 2026

SK hynix most favored by jobseekers in South Korea SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - Chipmaker SK hynix topped the list of companies attracting the most interest from job seekers in South Korea over the past year, job portal Incruit said on Friday. The findings were based on data collected from September 2025 to September 2026 through the portal's feature that allows job seekers to select companies of interest and receive job postings from them via e-mail. Automaker Hyundai Motor took second place, with state-run Incheon Internatio October 16, 2026

Smilegate takes aim at Roblox with game-making platform SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - Smilegate, the South Korean developer behind "Lost Ark," is testing a platform that lets users build and publish their own 3D multiplayer games, according to a creator guide released by the company. The platform, called ZAMMYSMITH, runs on the Unity game engine and has been in closed beta testing since early this year. Creators can use familiar Unity workflows and import assets from the Unity Asset Store. ZAMMYSMITH also handles network mana October 16, 2026

Korean physicist wins UK's Thomson Medal SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - Kim Myung-shik, a South Korean physicist at Imperial College London, has won Britain's Joseph Thomson Medal and Prize, the university said on Oct. 12. The Institute of Physics (IOP), which awards the silver medal, honored Kim "for foundational advances that redefined nonclassicality as a physical resource." His work showed that entanglement and other distinctly quantum traits of light and matter can be harnessed for computing, communication October 16, 2026

Korean bonds join global safe-haven rally on equity rout SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) — An equity rout driven by concerns over AI overspending is steering investors toward government bonds in Seoul and other major markets despite stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation and the prospect of a prolonged monetary tightening cycle. The three-year Korean government bond yield closed Thursday 1.6 basis points lower at 3.867 percent, while the 10-year yield fell 6.8 basis points to 4.193 percent, its lowest since Aug. 5. The 20-year and 30-year October 15, 2026

RIIZE's Anton to launch Spotify exclusive podcast SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - K-pop boy group RIIZE's member Anton will launch a six episode podcast exclusively on Spotify next week, SM Entertainment said Thursday. The podcast, titled "TON-AIR," will debut at noon of Oct. 20, with new episodes to be released every other Tuesday. Anton will use music as the central theme of the program, responding to listeners' stories and recommending songs based on each episode's topic. He also created the podcast's October 15, 2026