Seoul wants to merge officer corps. The military disagrees SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) -South Korea remains a peninsula technically still at war, its troops facing a nuclear-armed North Korea across one of the world's most heavily fortified borders. That reality has long shaped how the country trains its military officers — which is why the liberal government's push to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies is drawing fierce resistance from alumni associations, retired generals and the parents of current cadets. The backla June 16, 2026

K-pop boy band RIIZE release new album SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - A new album by K-pop boy band RIIZE is now available on major music streaming platforms following its release earlier this week, according to their agency SM Entertainment. "II" is their second EP, following "RIIZING" released in June 2024, and features six songs, including the title track "Do Your Dance," a dance song with the theme of moving with confidence and following one's instincts. The song's music video, direct June 16, 2026

Rival parties agree to launch parliamentary investigation into disruptions in local elections SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Major rival parties agreed on Tuesday to launch a parliamentary investigation into disruptions caused by a shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections earlier this month. Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) met in Seoul to discuss the matter, as a growing number of protesters have been holding rallies in southern Seoul for nearly two weeks since election day, chanting that their votin June 16, 2026

Samsung upgrades Galaxy security to combat surging voice phishing in South Korea SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is upgrading the security framework of its Galaxy mobile devices to combat a surge in voice phishing and financial fraud in South Korea, introducing pre-emptive blocking measures against malicious applications and messages. Voice phishing remains a severe socio-economic issue in the country. According to data from the National Police Agency, South Korea recorded 23,360 voice phishing cases in 2025, resulting in financial damages totaling June 16, 2026

Samsung foundry gains major traction amid AI bottlenecks SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has reportedly secured a string of AI-related chip projects from Alphabet's Google and Elon Musk's Neuralink by exploiting manufacturing bottlenecks at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), giving fresh momentum to a foundry business that has long struggled to close the gap with its Taiwanese rival. According to sources familiar with the matter, the South Korean tech giant has won several high-profile silicon design proje June 16, 2026

Krafton unveils 'PUBG Ally' AI mode in two-week beta SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Krafton announced it will launch a beta of "Ally Duo," a new game mode built on its PUBG Ally artificial intelligence technology, opening a two-week test that lets players team up with an AI partner in the flagship battle royale title PUBG: Battlegrounds. Starting Wednesday and running through July 1, the beta pairs each player with an AI character named Ella for two-person matches on the Sanhok map, where users issue voice commands to move, gather i June 16, 2026

Future of gaming in AI era, not new releases, dominates Nexon Developers Conference SEONGNAM, June 16 (AJP) - Thousands of South Korean game developers flocked to Nexon's annual developers conference on Tuesday not to preview upcoming titles, but to confront a far more pressing question: what role humans will play as artificial intelligence increasingly learns to build games itself. At the 19th Nexon Developers Conference (NDC), which opened a three-day run at Nexon's Pangyo campus in Seongnam, discussions centered less on new releases than on how AI is res June 16, 2026

K-pop girl group I-dle's prerelease single 'Crow' enters charts SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - K-pop girl group i-dle's prerelease single "Crow" has entered music charts in Korea, China and other markets ahead of the release of i-dle's ninth EP, "We made," Cube Entertainment said Tuesday. The five-member group, consisting of Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua, released "Crow" on major streaming platforms on June 15. The song entered the real-time chart of South Korean music platform Bugs at No. 8 shortly a June 16, 2026

Seoul expands draft evader data disclosure to mirror sex offender registries SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - South Korea's Military Manpower Administration expanded the public disclosure of personal information for military draft evaders, applying measures similar to the country's sex offender registries to enforce conscription compliance. According to South Korean conscription laws, all able-bodied men must serve in the armed forces. Because of this universal mandate, draft evasion remains a highly sensitive social issue where those who dodge the draft fac June 16, 2026

Kookmin University partners with FISU to launch sports master's program SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Kookmin University has signed an agreement with the International University Sports Federation (FISU) to operate a new graduate-level master's degree program focused on global sports education. The partnership aims to cultivate professionals in the international sports sector, Kookmin University said Tuesday. The agreement was signed Monday, June 15, 2026, at the university campus in Seoul, South Korea. Officials from both organizations attended the cere June 16, 2026