BTS Live D-1 : Gwanghwamun choice hinged on true identity of BTS - Korean: organizers SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) -Delving into BTS’ identity was the starting point of the comeback project, and that process ultimately led to “Koreanness” and, in turn, to the iconic setting of Gwanghwamun, organizers said Friday. “‘Why Gwanghwamun?’ was the question we heard most,” said Yoo Dong-joo, president of HYBE Music Group APAC, during a media briefing. Yoo said the historical resonance of Gwanghwamun was central to the thematic arc of &ld March 20, 2026

US pitches Alaska to South Korea and Japan as Gulf substitute for energy import SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) -While pressuring allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Washington is also selling them an alternative — Alaska. The pitch is becoming increasingly explicit: if South Korea and Japan are unwilling or unable to shoulder more of the military burden in the Gulf, they can instead buy into a U.S.-controlled energy system that bypasses it. That strategy gained a timely boost on Wednesday, when the United States showcased investor appetite for its Ar March 20, 2026

Seoul readies contingency as Qatar LNG force majeure looms SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - South Korea has prepared a contingency plan for a worst-case scenario in which liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Qatar are completely halted as missile strikes on the Gulf state’s key energy infrastructure raise the risk of prolonged supply disruption, according to government officials in Seoul Friday. The move underscores how the escalating Iran war is beginning to hit global energy supply chains directly, with retaliatory attacks now extending March 20, 2026

BTS Live D-1: Music video for SWIM surpasses four million views in thirty minutes SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - The official music video for SWIM, the lead single from the fifth full-length album by the musical group BTS, amassed more than four million views on YouTube within thirty minutes of its 1:00 p.m. (0400 GMT) release today. This rapid digital consumption follows a nearly four-year hiatus during which the seven members completed their mandatory military service. The unprecedented interest serves as a primary indicator of the global anticipation for the March 20, 2026

LG Energy Solution pivots to energy storage as EV battery demand slows SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - LG Energy Solution announced it is accelerating a strategic shift toward energy storage systems as slowing electric vehicle demand reshapes the global battery industry, with the South Korean company moving to rebalance a business long anchored to the automotive sector. Chief Executive Kim Dong-myung told shareholders Friday at the company's annual general meeting in Seoul that the industry has entered a period of "value shift," in which growth i March 20, 2026

Samsung Biologics reappoints CEO John Rim as inside director SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - Samsung Biologics said Friday that shareholders reappointed Chief Executive John Rim as an inside director at the company's 15th annual general meeting. About 1,400 shareholders participated in the meeting, which was conducted both on-site and via online livestream. All five agenda items put to a vote were approved as proposed. In addition to Rim, Executive Vice President Lo Kun, who heads the EPCV Center, was also reappointed as an inside director. Ki March 20, 2026

South Korea's digital payments surge, platform dominance intensifies SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - Digital payment transactions in South Korea continued their steady upward trajectory last year, with both transaction volume and value rising from a year earlier. Notably, the dominance of tech platforms in simplified payment and remittance services has intensified, with their market share once again surpassing the 50 percent mark. According to data released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Friday, the average daily value of Payment Gateway (PG) services reach March 20, 2026

BTS Live D-1: From waiting to Arirang, from Gwanghwamun to the world SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) -They are officially back as seven, with the drop of the fifth BTS full-member album ARIRANG on Friday. That simple fact is the emotional center of this comeback — bigger than chart numbers, bigger than spectacle, even bigger than the stage rising in central Seoul. After three years and nine months without a full-group album, BTS has returned with ARIRANG, carrying something both intimate and immense: the joy of reunion and the weight of time. March 20, 2026

KOSPI defies broader trend as Asian markets decline amid oil-driven inflation fears SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - Asian markets mostly fell on Friday, with South Korea's benchmark KOSPI the only major index to edge higher, as investors weighed rising oil prices against signs of easing tensions in the Middle East. Wall Street's three major indexes closed lower overnight but pared earlier losses, with the Dow Jones falling 0.44 percent and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq declining 0.27 percent and 0.28 percent, respectively. Markets initially came under pressure from March 20, 2026

Sookmyung University researchers identify mechanism for observing interlayer excitons SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - A research team at Sookmyung Women's University in South Korea has uncovered a new physical mechanism that allows scientists to observe "interlayer excitons" in two-dimensional semiconductors using electric fields. Led by School of Intelligent Electronic Systems Professor Cha Soon-young, the study provides a theoretical framework for a phenomenon that had previously been difficult to explain. Two-dimensional semiconductors are key materials fo March 20, 2026