UNESCO listing of Japan's wartime forced-labor site sparks protest in Korea

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) - Controversy has resurfaced in Korea after the UNESCO World Heritage committee decided last Saturday to list Japan's Sado gold mine, where Korean workers were forced to labor under brutal conditions during World War II, as a cultural heritage site. The site, located on Sado Island in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Niigata, was the island country's largest gold mine. It became one of Japan's key industrial facilities for copper, iron,

July 29, 2024

E-commerce mogul faces criminal probe over payment crisis

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) — The CEO of Singapore-based e-commerce company Qoo10 is facing a criminal investigation in Seoul in connection with a growing payment delay crisis affecting its two Korean subsidiaries, Tmon and WeMakePrice. A group of affected consumers has filed a complaint against Qoo10 CEO Ku Young-bae, as well as the CEOs and chief financial officers of the two troubled e-commerce sites, on charges of fraud, embezzlement and breach of trust. Since early July

July 29, 2024

Korea off to good start at Paris Olympics

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) - With just three days into the Summer Olympics in Paris, Korea has already clinched four gold, two silver and one bronze, as a couple of unexpected medals in shooting added momentum to Korea's Olympic journey. Shooter Ban hyo-jin won gold in the women's 10-meter air rifle on Monday, becoming the country's 100th gold medalist in the cumulative medal tally throughout the history of the Summer Olympics. Last Saturday, the first day of this yea

July 29, 2024

LIG Nex1 acquires majority stake in U.S. robotics firm Ghost Robotics

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) - Korean defense company LIG Nex1 has completed the acquisition of a 60 percent stake in Ghost Robotics, a U.S.-based quadruped robot specialist, for about 332 billion won ($240 million). The deal, finalized on Friday after receiving approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), marks LIG Nex1's strategic entry into the global robotics market. Ghost Robotics, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Philadelphia, is known

July 29, 2024

Nature Republic to launch at 200 Costco stores in US

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) – Nature Republic, a South Korean cosmetics company, is set to expand to 200 Costco locations in the United States as part of its efforts to ramp up its presence in overseas markets. The company is introducing three key products to Costco: the Ginseng Gold Silk Watery Cream, Black Bean Anti-Hair Loss Symptom Improvement Shampoo and Argan Essential Deep Care Shampoo. The premium anti-aging Ginseng Gold Silk line, which contains 99.9 percent pure go

July 29, 2024

Samsung broadcasts Olympic opening ceremony with Galaxy smartphones

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) – Samsung Electronics broadcast the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday using its Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones. In a historic first, the ceremony took place outdoors, with the athletes' parade held on boats along the Seine River. The Korean tech giant equipped over 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra devices on 85 parade boats to capture and broadcast the event live. The company collaborated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) an

July 29, 2024

Robot chefs debut at Korea's Kangwon Land casino resort

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) – Kangwon Land Inc., a casino resort in Jeongseon, eastern Korea, has introduced robotic chefs at its High1 Grand Hotel. In its “smart table” system, customers can place orders via kiosks, after which robot chefs prepare the meals and deliver them to the tables, the company said. The system aims to maintain consistent food quality while mitigating risks associated with handling hot oil in cooking processes. It features 52 seats and op

July 29, 2024

HD Hyundai Electric builds transformer storage facility at US plant

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) - Korea's HD Hyundai Electric has constructed a transformer storage facility at its plant in Alabama, U.S. The firm, affiliated with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, held a ceremony on Friday (local time) to mark the completion of the facility, which covers an area of 12,690 square meters and can store up to 60 power transformers. "We have enhanced the storage environment and quality levels of our products while maximizing productivity through the

July 29, 2024

PHOTOS: Korea wins gold in fencing, archery with unexpected medals in shooting at Paris Olympics

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) - Fencer Oh Sang-uk won gold in the men's individual sabre, Korea's first gold medal at this year's Summer Olympics in Paris, France which opened last week. Oh defeated Farès Ferjani of Tunisia with a score of 15-11 in the final bout last Saturday, achieving his long-held dream of winning gold in an individual Olympic event. On the following day, teen shooter Oh Ye-jin also won gold in t

July 29, 2024

PHOTOS: Old metalworking district reborn as hotspot for young artists

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) - A once-bustling metalworking district in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo area has transformed, blending its industrial roots with a burgeoning art scene. Now called Mullae Art Village, the area, which thrived in the 1970s and '80s, declined as cheap Chinese products flooded the market. The neighborhood began to change in 2010 when the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture established Seoul Art Space Mullae, a creative space for artists. Drawn by low rents and a

July 29, 2024