Online shopping rises in September as auto-related purchases surge SEOUL, November 2 (AJP) - South Koreans spent more money on online shopping in September, driven by a sharp increase in purchases of automobiles and related products, while spending on travel and food services declined from the previous month. The total amount of online shopping transactions stood at 24.97 trillion won in September, up 2.7 percent from August and 4.1 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Monday. Online November 2, 2026

Immune gene EBF1 found fueling pulmonary arterial hypertension SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - A gene best known for guiding the development of immune cells also drives a rare and incurable lung artery disease. Researchers in South Korea, the United States and China found that switching it off eased the disease's main signs in rats. The gene, EBF1, controls a newly identified group of cells lining the lung's arteries that grows as pulmonary arterial hypertension worsens. When the researchers suppressed it, pressure in the right side of the November 2, 2026

Korea launches drone headquarters after test failures SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - South Korea inaugurated a new drone headquarters directly under the Defense Ministry on Monday following a string of demonstration failures that exposed gaps in testing unmanned systems under military operating conditions. The Defense Drone Headquarters in Pocheon, north of Seoul, will lead drone and counter-drone development across the armed forces, test civilian technologies for military use and help accelerate the deployment of proven equipment. It r November 2, 2026

Aei Robot sounds China alarm after Robot World win SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - South Korean humanoid developer Aei Robot won a top prize at Robot World 2026 for its Alice 5 robot and warned that Chinese machines already hold more than 95 percent of the global humanoid market, the company said Monday. Alice 5 was named one of 10 Vanguard winners, the award's highest tier, at the exhibition running Wednesday to Friday at KINTEX in Goyang, just outside Seoul. Judges weighed technical innovation, readiness for industrial use and o November 2, 2026

Korea to join US-led space war game for 1st time SEOUL, November 2 (AJP) - South Korea will participate in a U.S.-led multinational space war game for the first time this week, as the allies seek to strengthen cooperation and improve their capability to respond to potential threats in space, the South Korean Air Force said on Monday. The U.S. Space Force-led multinational exercise, dubbed "Partner to Win" runs from Monday to Friday in Orlando, Florida, with South Korea joining five other countries including Brazil, the November 2, 2026

KOSPI rises nearly 1% despite Wall Street chip rout SEOUL, November 2 (AJP) — South Korean stocks rebounded nearly 1 percent Monday morning despite a sharp selloff in U.S. semiconductor shares. The KOSPI stood at 5,783.27 as of 10:33 a.m., up 0.92 percent from Friday's close of 5,730.74. The index opened 1.62 percent lower at 5,637.77 after a rout in U.S. semiconductor stocks, but erased its early losses and climbed above 5,800 before paring some of its gains. Institutional investors bought a net 570.5 billion won ($426. November 2, 2026

Krafton unveils robot AI that reads human intent SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - Ludo Robotics, the robotics arm of South Korean game publisher Krafton, has unveiled an upgraded AI system built to help robots read human intent and work hand in hand with people, Krafton said Monday. Lee Kang-wook, Krafton's chief AI officer and Ludo's chief technology officer, presented Ludi 0.2 on Oct. 30 at the Bay Area Robotics Symposium at UC Berkeley, building on Ludi 0.1 released in August. Ludo also formally opened a research hub in Pa November 2, 2026

Air Premia offers more legroom for economy-class passengers SEOUL, November 2 (AJP) - Air Premia has increased the space between economy-class seats as part of its efforts to give passengers more legroom on long-haul flights, the low-cost carrier said on Monday. The carrier has deployed its HL8703 aircraft on flights since last weekend, with legroom increased to 33 inches from 31 inches. The additional legroom reduced the aircraft's total seating capacity to 326 from 344, a loss of 18 seats, but Air Premia said economy-class fares wou November 2, 2026

YoungKwang doubles on KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, November 2 (AJP) — South Korean shipbuilding and industrial equipment maker YoungKwang more than doubled its initial public offering (IPO) price on its KOSDAQ debut Monday, following strong demand from institutional and retail investors. Shares traded at 34,100 won ($25.58) as of 9:40 a.m., up 100.59 percent from their IPO price of 17,000 won. The stock opened at 21,350 won and rose as high as 37,400 won, 120 percent above its offering price, before paring some of its g November 2, 2026

AI's tipping point lies with small firms, Naver CEO says SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - Industrial artificial intelligence will reach a true tipping point only when even small companies can harness it with ease, Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon said on Saturday, according to the company. Choi made the remarks in a dialogue on industrial AI with Siemens President and CEO Roland Busch at the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK), held Oct. 29 to 31 at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. Choi said AI must reach small and midsize b November 2, 2026