Naver's AI pivot signals Korea's bid for global tech prominence

Editor's Note: This article is the 14th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, April 17 (AJP) - Once a modest search engine born out of a Samsung SDS skunkworks project in the late 1990s, Naver Corp. has reimagined itself as South Korea's digital juggernaut. Now, the tech conglomerate is placing an ambitious bet on artificial intelligenc

April 17, 2025

Eight PPP candidates compete to run for presidential election

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - Eight candidates from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) are set to compete in the first round of the party's internal primary for the presidential election slated for early June. About a dozen candidates submitted their bids early this week, but three were eliminated during a selection process, finalizing a lineup of eight contenders: IT tycoon-turned-politician Ahn Cheol-soo, former party leader Han Dong-hoon, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, former L

April 16, 2025

PHOTOS: Cheong Wa Dae

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - Cheong Wa Dae served as the presidential office and official residence from Aug.15, 1948, to May 9, 2022. With the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who relocated the presidential office to Yongsan, there is growing interest in whether Cheong Wa Dae will be used as the presidential office again. Here are some photos of Cheong Wa Dae.

April 16, 2025

Finance minister to lead delegation to Washington for critical tariff negotiations

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - South Korea will dispatch a high-level economic and trade delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, to Washington next week in a bid to avert the impact of sweeping U.S. tariffs. Choi is expected to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers' meeting in Washington. Separately, South Korea’s Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun is scheduled to hold talks with U.S. Trad

April 16, 2025

Hyundai Mobis to showcase new technologies at Chinese auto exhibition

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - Hyundai Mobis, a key affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, said Wednesday that it will unveil a suite of technologies tailored for the Chinese market at next week’s Auto Shanghai 2025. The company plans to establish a 300-square-meter private booth at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, one of China’s premier automotive trade fairs. The event, opening April 23, is expected to draw major global automakers and suppliers eager to c

April 16, 2025

Another senior US official to skip Seoul on Asian tour

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - Another senior U.S. official will skip Seoul during his Asian tour, which begins this week. According to the U.S. Department of State on Wednesday, Sean O'Neill, senior bureau official for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is embarking on a trip to Cambodia, Japan and Vietnam from Wednesday to next Friday, but Korea has been excluded. O'Neill will meet with Vietnamese government officials in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss the two countries' "sh

April 16, 2025

KOTRA hosts Korea-Japan partnership event in Tokyo

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - South Korea held the "2025 Korea-Japan Partnership Plus Week" event on Tuesday at the Prince Park Tower Hotel in Tokyo to commemorate six decades of diplomatic relations. The event, jointly organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, brought together government officials, industry leaders and business executives for a day of high-level talks and investment pledges

April 16, 2025

Lee Jae-myung sparks momentum in DP primary, urges victory for hope and progress

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - Lee Jae-myung, a Democratic Party (DP) presidential contender, described the upcoming June 3 election as a critical junction in South Korea’s political history, calling it “a turning point between the past and the future.” Speaking at the DP’s fair election pledge ceremony held at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Lee stressed, “We must win, whoever the final candidate is, not for personal gain, but for the future of the coun

April 16, 2025

North Korean leader misses annual visit marking grandfather's birthday

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have skipped his annual visit to a mausoleum to pay respects to his late grandfather and regime founder Kim Il-sung on the anniversary of his birth, according to state media. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday that key party officials such as Choe Ryong-hae and Pak Thae-song visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang the previous day when the country marked the 113th anniversa

April 16, 2025

Former US congressman to lead Hyundai Motor Group's Washington office

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group has appointed former Representative Drew Ferguson, a Georgia Republican, to lead its Washington office, the South Korean automaker announced Wednesday. Ferguson, who served four terms in Congress representing Georgia’s 3rd District from 2017 to 2024, will assume the role on May 1. He will oversee Hyundai's communications with the U.S. government and Congress, as the automaker ramps up its American manufacturing presence. The a

April 16, 2025