Seoul turns to water-spraying drones as lovebug season returns SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Strange insects known as lovebugs have started swarming park pathways and hiking trails, prompting the Seoul Metropolitan Government to deploy water-spraying drones ahead of their expected mass appearance this summer. City officials on Thursday tested the drones in areas around Mt. Bulamsan in northwestern Seoul on Thursday, where large numbers of lovebugs have been spotted, before deploying them in heavily infested areas. Complaints have surged in recent y June 25, 2026

KAIST works on brain-to-robot system for paralysis patients SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - People with quadriplegia currently depend on clinical settings and human assistance to carry out basic physical tasks. A South Korean research consortium has begun developing a system intended to connect the human brain directly to a full-body robotic exoskeleton and route sensations captured by the robot back to the user's nervous system, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said Thursday. Brain-computer interface technology has alread June 25, 2026

US assets make up nearly half of Korea's external financial holdings SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea's financial exposure to the United States topped $1 trillion for the first time last year as Wall Street's rally deepened the country's tilt toward Uncle Sam assets. The Bank of Korea said Thursday that Korea’s external financial assets, excluding reserve assets, rose by $344.8 billion from a year earlier to $2.44 trillion at the end of 2025. The United States accounted for $1.15 trillion, or 47.1 percent of the total, t June 25, 2026

More Korean ships clear Hormuz, but hull fouling delays departures SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Five more Korean-operated vessels stranded inside the Strait of Hormuz have passed through the waterway and resumed normal operations, South Korea’s Oceans Ministry said Thursday, reducing the number inside the strait to 13. The five ships are carrying a total of 21 Korean crew members, with one of them bound for South Korea, according to the ministry. A total of 87 Korean nationals remain aboard vessels inside the strait, including 33 serving on fore June 25, 2026

Lee to meet former President Moon at Cheong Wa Dae next week SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung will hold a lunch meeting with former President Moon Jae-in in Seoul next week, Cheong Wa Dae said on Thursday. In a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters that Lee and Moon are scheduled to have lunch at 11:30 a.m. at Cheong Wa Dae on July 1. It will be Lee's first official meeting with Moon since taking office in June last year, drawing attention to what topics the two will discuss. The mee June 25, 2026

Korea's Arirang 6 satellite delayed again SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea has pushed back the launch of its Arirang 6 Earth observation satellite to at least the second quarter of 2027, a fresh delay that leaves the 370 billion won ($239.8 million) spacecraft grounded for a fifth straight year. The satellite, an all-weather imaging-radar craft capable of distinguishing objects as small as 50 centimeters day or night, was due to fly this year aboard Europe's Vega-C rocket. Development delays in a co-passenger satellit June 25, 2026

Korea debates whether to mimic 'Teach You a Lesson'-like defense of teachers SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - A hit Netflix K-drama depicting a powerful government agency that intervenes in cases of school violence, disruptive students and attacks on teachers is increasingly influencing education policy discussions in South Korea, with education officials citing the show for the push for the restoration of teaching authority. The drama, “Teach You a Lesson,” has become one of Netflix’s most-watched non-English-language shows globally, while inspir June 25, 2026

KMU forum tells leaders AI era needs more humanity, not less SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Kookmin University's Graduate School of Business gathered academics, executives, and coaches in Seoul on June 19 for its third annual Leadership and Coaching Conference, where the central argument was direct: as artificial intelligence takes over more analytical and operational work, the distinctly human dimensions of leadership matter more, not less. The timing reflects a live tension running through South Korean corporate life. According to Microsoft&# June 25, 2026

Kazakhstan signs €100 million deal with Damen to build Caspian shipyard SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Kazakhstan and Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group signed a framework agreement in Brussels on Tuesday (local time) to develop a €100 million ($113.6 million) shipyard in the Mangystau region, the province home to Kazakhstan's two main Caspian ports, targeting what analysts have consistently identified as the weakest link in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Cargo volumes crossing the Caspian surged more than 63 percent in 2024, r June 25, 2026

South Korea to prepare another satellite launch this fall SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea will launch its fifth next-generation satellite this fall, with preparations set to begin early next month, according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA). During a press conference at the country's space agency in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday, the agency's chief Oh Tae-seok said the three-stage rocket (KSLV-II), known as "Nuri" will begin assembly next week with a possible liftoff in September. &qu June 25, 2026