Hyundai JV Motional remains on track to put driverless taxi on roads this year SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -Motional, the autonomous driving joint venture of Hyundai Motor Group, said it remains on track to launch its fully driverless robotaxi service in Las Vegas in the second half of 2026, reaffirming the commercialization timeline it first outlined in January. Laura Major, chief executive of Motional, reiterated the plan during an appearance on Hyundai Motor Group’s official podcast channel, Hyundai Now, where she outlined the company’s technological March 8, 2026

Asian carmakers risk collateral damage from prolonged Iran war: report SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -Asian automakers, led by Chinese brands but also including Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation and South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company, could face the biggest fallout if the war triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran turns into a prolonged conflict, according to a report by Bernstein Research. In a recent report, the brokerage said the conflict could hit the global automotive sector through three main channels: collapsing vehicle demand in Ir March 8, 2026

Osan airlift fuels U.S. redeployment speculation amid Iran war SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) - A series of departures by large U.S. military transport aircraft from a key American air base in South Korea has fueled speculation that some U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) air defense assets could be redeployed to the Middle East amid the escalating conflict involving Iran. According to the real-time flight tracking service Flightradar24, multiple U.S. Air Force C-5 and C-17 transport aircraft that arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, in late March 8, 2026

Korean markets hardest hit among key markets in first week of Gulf SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -South Korea’s financial markets absorbed one of the sharpest shocks among major economies during the first week of the Middle East war, with equities, the currency and bond yields swinging more violently than those of global peers as investors rushed to price in the country’s heavy dependence on Gulf energy supplies. Market data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service show that Korean assets underperformed most major markets across multiple i March 8, 2026

Seoul fiddles with price controls as gasoline price near sensitive threshold SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -South Korea is approaching a politically sensitive threshold as gasoline prices surge toward 2,000 won ($1.35) per liter, prompting the government to consider emergency price controls for the first time in decades amid a global oil shock triggered by the war involving Iran. President Lee Jae Myung has ordered an aggressive multi-agency response as international crude prices jump to multi-year highs and domestic fuel prices climb rapidly. According to the March 8, 2026

South Korea dispatches top trade envoys to U.S. to navigate tariff uncertainties SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - South Korea has dispatched its top trade officials to the United States to ease growing uncertainties over U.S. tariff policies following a recent court ruling against the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the industry ministry said Saturday. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-gwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo held talks with key U.S. counterparts on Friday to address pending bilateral trade issues and the implementati March 7, 2026

S.Korean fuel prices surge on Hormuz blockade, bypassing standard physical lag SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - South Korean retail fuel prices have surged immediately following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, bypassing the standard two-to-three-week lag typically required for global crude fluctuations to reach domestic pumps. As of Saturday, the national average gasoline price reached 1,871.83 won ($1.39) per liter, up 178.94 won ($0.13) from Feb. 28, according to the Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC). Diesel prices outpaced gasoline, hitting 1,887.38 won per March 7, 2026

EV slump hits hard: SK On slashes 37 percent of Georgia plant staff SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - SK Battery America, the U.S. unit of South Korean battery maker SK On, has laid off 37 percent of the workforce at its Georgia plant, citing slowing electric vehicle (EV) sales and a shifting market landscape. The company announced on Saturday that it cut 968 jobs out of its 2,566 employees at the manufacturing facility in Commerce, Georgia. The restructuring comes as the global EV transition loses momentum. The plant, which supplies batteries to aut March 7, 2026

HD Hyundai Electric breaks ground on $200 mln transformer plant in US amid AI boom SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - South Korea's HD Hyundai Electric has broken ground on a $200 million second transformer manufacturing plant in Alabama to meet surging power grid demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and a resurgence in U.S. manufacturing. The power equipment maker held a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday at its North American subsidiary in Montgomery. The new facility, spanning 48,215 square meters, is scheduled for completion in April nex March 7, 2026

World AI Film Festival Seoul highlights how AI can expand filmmaking SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - From scripts written with algorithms to films rendered entirely with digital tools, the World AI Film Festival in Seoul offered a glimpse of cinema’s next frontier — one where artificial intelligence works alongside human storytellers rather than replacing them. The festival, founded in Nice, France last year, brought its third edition to Seoul, a city widely seen as a global hub of high technology and th March 7, 2026