OPINION: Middle East and US foreign policy

CIA Director William J. Burns and British counterpart MI6 Chief Richard Moore have just met and are launching the latest effort to secure a peace agreement in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, and stop the emerging regional war. This reflects the vital importance of intelligence for Israel as well as the close Anglo-American “Special Relationship,” which began with intelligence agencies in World War I. This unusual approach also reflects the difficulty of dealing with Isr

September 11, 2024

OPINION: Starting with handshake, presidential debate between Harris and Trump then turns fierce, and pointed

SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - As the two presidential candidates entered the debate stage, Kamala Harris strode across it and offered her hand to Donald Trump to shake, setting a confident tone that didn't flag throughout the debate. Trump, appearing to grow angrier through the night, stuck to his well-trodden themes of American decline and reminded viewers that Harris was part of the Biden administration, which he blamed for that decline. Each candidate probably won points wit

September 11, 2024

LG's AI Home Hub, AeroCat steal the spotlight at IFA 2024

SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - LG Electronics' mobile AI Home Hub, codenamed Q9, has received high praise from international media at IFA 2024 in Berlin. The device, which features LG's AI agent FURON and autonomous navigation capabilities, was named the best product in various categories by prominent tech publications. TechRadar explained it as "the first robot that made me think it had personality and was worth buying," crowning it the best smart home tech at IFA

September 11, 2024

Hanwha Robotics unveils long-reach collaborative robot at U.S. trade show

SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Korean robotics firm Hanwha Robotics Co. has introduced its new long-reach collaborative robot, the HCR-10L, at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) 2024 in Chicago, which runs from Sept. 9 to 14. The HCR-10L, boasting a reach of 180 centimeters, is claimed to have the longest arm in its 10-kilogram payload class globally. It is designed for various industrial applications including powder coating, palletizing and welding. Hanwha Robo

September 11, 2024

SM Entertainment's first virtual artist debuts

SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - SM Entertainment has debuted its first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual artist, nævis, with an English single, "Done." The music video for the digital single, released on Tuesday, has gained over 590,000 views on YouTube within 17 hours. The video features the virtual artist performing alongside four human backup dancers. Through her debut song, nævis expresses her first step toward freedom, breaking away from the space and

September 11, 2024

Two Korean climbers found dead on Mont Blanc

SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Two Korean climbers were found dead in the Alps on Tuesday, three days after they went missing, according to the Korean Embassy in France. French rescuers discovered their bodies near the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps and Western Europe. They were identified as a man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s, who had been reported missing last Saturday by a Korean mountaineering club. The two were part of a seven-member group who had trave

September 11, 2024

OPINION: ICC judges to decide on arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders

SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has been a prominent figure in the news in recent years. In 2023, he requested – and was granted – a warrant for the arrest of Russia's president, Vladimir Putin. He then dived into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in May 2024, requesting arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and Israel in response to the ongoing violence in the Middle East. The ICC is expected to mak

September 11, 2024

Tmon, WeMakePrice placed under court receivership amid e-commerce payment crisis

SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - A Seoul court on Tuesday approved placing struggling e-commerce platforms, WeMakePrice and Tmon, under judicial receivership in the wake of a major payment delay crisis. On July 29, both companies applied for the corporate rehabilitation process with the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, citing an inability to recover their financial situation due to a large-scale refund crisis and the loss of business partners. The court accepted the application and will appoin

September 10, 2024

Korea's greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 4.4% in 2023 amid economic downturn

SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) — Amid an economic downturn, Korea's greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 4.4 percent last year compared to 2022, marking a decline for the second consecutive year. The national greenhouse gas emissions for 2023 were provisionally estimated at 624.2 million tons in CO2 equivalent, a 4.4 percent decrease compared to the previous year, according to the Greenhouse Gas Inventory & Research Center of Korea under the Environment Ministry. The em

September 10, 2024

Taihan Cable builds Kuwait's first fiber optic cable plant

SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) — Korea’s leading cable manufacturer, Taihan Cable & Solution, said Tuesday it has completed the construction of the first fiber optic cable production facility in Kuwait as part of its efforts to expand in the Gulf region. The joint venture, named Taihan Kuwait, was established in partnership with Rank General Trading & Contracting Co., a prominent local construction and trading firm. The factory, located in the Mina Abdullah Industry a

September 10, 2024