Survey shows 80% of South Koreans reject U.S. upfront demand in tariff talks

SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - A strong majority of South Koreans believe Washington's demand for a $350 billion upfront investment in the ongoing tariff negotiations is unfair, according to a survey of 1,008 people aged 18 and older, conducted by pollster Realmeter. The poll found that 80.1 percent of respondents said the demand was unreasonable. Within that group, 61.4 percent called it "very unreasonable" and 18.7 percent said it was "somewhat unreasonable."

October 3, 2025

KAIST builds 'physics-smart' AI to discover new materials faster

SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - The Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) says it has developed an artificial intelligence that understands the laws of physics, making it possible to discover new materials quickly even with only small amounts of data. The advance could speed up work in energy, aerospace, electronics, and other areas where designing and testing materials normally takes years of costly experiments. Traditionally, figuring out a material's prop

October 3, 2025

Concerns rise over safety of 'mega batteries' after fire at government data center

SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - A fire at the National Information Resources Service in the central city of Daejeon on September 26 brought down South Korea's main government data network, halting 647 public services and internal systems and leaving the government's cloud system unusable. The blaze started in a server room lined with lithium-ion batteries and was only declared fully extinguished 22 hours later. The impact was severe. Ninety-six systems in the fifth-floor data ha

October 3, 2025

Chuseok Now and Then: Pleasure Weighs Over Tradition in Korea

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - Highways once jammed with cars crawling toward ancestral hometowns, kitchens filled with the labor of preparing feast tables, and families dressed in hanbok to perform rites of thanksgiving for the harvest—these were the defining images of Chuseok in South Korea. Today, in a depopulating society, the holiday looks very different. Many households skip or shorten the traditional observances, instead choosing leisure and travel. Inche

October 3, 2025

UAE wins multiple awards at Philakorea 2025 in Seoul

SEOUL, October 2 (AJP) - The United Arab Emirates embassy in Seoul said Friday that the UAE-based stamp collectors’ group won multiple awards at Philakorea 2025, an international stamp exhibition held in Seoul last month. The event, co-hosted by Korea Post and the Philatelic Federation of Korea, drew more than 2,000 exhibits from over 65 countries. Khalid Ali Al-Amirah received a gold medal for his display on "Dubai Mail 1909–1948," while five other memb

October 2, 2025

KOSPI soars past 3,500 milestone for first time on semiconductor rally

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - The main South Korean stock index, the KOSPI, surged to a historic close on Thursday, breaching the 3,500 level for the first time on record. Driven by a frenzied rally in technology and semiconductor shares, the benchmark index climbed 93.38 points, or 2.7 percent, to settle at 3,549.21, capping a day that saw the index peak at an intraday high of 3,565.96. The powerful upward trajectory was anchored by the nation's two memory chip giants. S

October 2, 2025

PHOTOS: Kindergarteners show off skills at jump rope competition

SUWON, October 02 (AJP) - Over 1,500 young students from private kindergartens across Suwon participated in a jump rope competition, Thursday. The event, hosted by the Suwon Kindergarten Association, took place at the Suwon Sports Complex Gymnasium. The competition served as a platform for the children to showcase the jump rope skills they had been practicing. Enthusiastic parents and family members filled the stands, providing loud cheers for the young athletes. Jump rope i

October 2, 2025

INTERVIEW: Young N. Korean defectors seek to break stigma inside and outside

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - Portraying North Korean life in a truer light—rather than through stigmatized or patronizing lenses—and linking the reclusive state with the outside world through flash drives is the core mission of young defectors, according to a human rights activist. "While media coverage has shifted from rumor-driven reports to more fact-based accounts, portrayals still tend to be oversimplified," said Seongmin Lee, who heads the Korea desk and p

October 2, 2025

TRAVEL: Walking through the independence history of Malaysia, diverse ethnicities working as one

KUALA LUMPUR, October 02 (AJP) - On Aug. 31, 1957, Malaysia peacefully liberated itself from British colonization. Its first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, raised his fists and declared the full independence of the nation. Today, the once British site for colonial officers stands as Independence Square, also known as Merdeka Square. While not particularly large, the square has the highest flagpole in all of Malaysia, with the country's flag standing upright sur

October 2, 2025

How Seoul blends K-pop, tech and diplomacy at APEC

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - This year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit arrives at a tense moment of tariff wars between allies and rivals, but host South Korea is showcasing a deft blend of diplomacy, technology and cultural soft power. The two-day leaders’ summit, beginning Oct. 31, will cover supply chain security, digital trade rules and climate cooperation. Alongside the traditional agenda, Seoul is infusing the stage with high technology and K-pop, hi

October 2, 2025