AJP Focus: The day the market crowned memory — and why Korea must not mistake the jackpot for the journey SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - May 27, 2026, is likely to be recorded as a turning point in the history of both global capital markets and the artificial-intelligence industry. The day's gains were not merely another rally in technology shares. They were a symbolic demonstration of where industrial power now resides in the age of AI, of what determines national competitiveness in the twenty-first century, and of how strong companies, strong markets and strong economies form a single virtu May 28, 2026

Foreign investors collected more in Korean dividends than domestic retail in 2025 SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - Foreign investors collected a larger share of dividends from South Korean listed companies than domestic individual investors did last year, drawing 11.89 trillion won ($7.9 billion) as record corporate payouts — swollen by the semiconductor boom — flowed disproportionately to overseas shareholders. Total dividends paid by companies with December fiscal years reached 37.75 trillion won, up 16.9 percent from a year earlier, according to data releas May 28, 2026

Kakao CEO apologizes to staff as union secures strike right after talks collapse SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a offered a public apology to employees as the company's union secured the legal right to strike following the collapse of a second mediation session, raising the prospect of the tech giant's first-ever headquarters walkout. Chung issued the apology through an internal notice Thursday, saying she was "sincerely sorry" for failing to quickly dispel growing uncertainty within the company. "Negotiations have dragged o May 28, 2026

Defense Minister Ahn to attend Shangri-La Dialogue, meet Japanese counterpart SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back will attend the 23rd Asia Security Summit in Singapore from May 29 to 31 and hold talks with defense ministers from several countries, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday. The Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, is an annual security forum hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore, bringing together defense ministers and senior officials for multilatera May 28, 2026

AJP DEEP INSIGHT: Hormuz's final tug-of-war — nuclear stakes, civilizational fault lines, and a new world order in the AI age SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - In late May 2026, the world is watching the Middle East once again with unflinching attention. Explosions continue to echo across the Strait of Hormuz. The United States and Iran are simultaneously pursuing negotiations and military action. The White House signals "progress." Yet in the same breath, President Donald Trump warns that he could "finish it again" if necessary. Iran insists it intends to uphold the ceasefire, while condemning limite May 28, 2026

Hyundai Mobis joins Eclipse Foundation's open-source SDV project SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - Hyundai Mobis announced it has joined the Eclipse Foundation's Software-Defined Vehicle working group and will contribute to the S-Core project, a global open-source initiative to standardize the software platforms that underpin next-generation connected vehicles. The S-Core project, launched in late 2024 by a consortium of European firms, aims to build a common middleware layer for SDV systems certified to functional safety standard ASIL-B — the firs May 28, 2026

Naver pledges 1 trillion won for creators in AI shift SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - Naver will pour 1 trillion won ($663 million) into its content creator ecosystem over the next five years, the South Korean internet giant pledged, betting that proprietary data and creator partnerships — not raw model performance — will decide the next phase of the artificial intelligence race. The announced was unveiled at a media round table in central Seoul on Thursday led by Kim Kwang-hyun, Naver's chief data and contents officer, in his fi May 28, 2026

Impeached ex-president cleared of perjury charges in martial law-related case SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - Disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday was cleared of perjury charges, one of several allegations related to his botched martial law debacle. Yoon had been accused of making false accounts during former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's trial, which was also related to the debacle. During the trial in November last year, when asked whether he had planned from the beginning to convene a Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2 May 28, 2026

K-chip and defense boom reshapes career paths for Korea's elite talent pipeline SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - Over the past year, South Korea's manufacturing powerhouses — semiconductors and defense — have staged an epic rise with soaring share prices and record earnings reshaping the ambitions of the country's brightest young people. Semiconductor departments at Yonsei University and Korea University, once considered niche engineering tracks, are now competing directly with medical schools for top science students. The Air Force, meanwhile, has b May 28, 2026

KOSPI flattens as foreign selling and narrow breadth test record run SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI traded little changed on Thursday morning after hitting a record high the previous day, as foreign investors turned net sellers and the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rally broadened beyond the country's two chip giants that had carried the market into batteries, displays and components. About an hour after trading began, the index stood at 8,220.63, down 0.1 percent, after briefly slipping toward 8,080 before recoveri May 28, 2026