Hanwha Systems to sell 1.7 trillion won stake in Hanwha Ocean for defense, IT investments SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - South Korea's Hanwha Systems said it will sell a 1.7 trillion won ($1.2 billion) stake in its shipbuilding affiliate Hanwha Ocean to secure funds for strategic investments in the defense and information technology sectors. The company's board on Friday approved the sale of 13.92 million shares, representing a 4.54 percent stake, at 122,100 won per share, based on Thursday's closing price. The transaction will reduce Hanwha Systems' ho March 7, 2026

The King's Warden breaks Korean film drought with 10-mln crossing SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - In the arithmetic of the Korean film industry, there are hits — and then there are “ten-million films.” Crossing the 10-million-admissions threshold in a country of roughly 52 million people bears significance beyond a commercial milestone. It means a film has escaped the gravity of niche audiences and become something closer to a shared national experience. With more than 10 million moviegoers now through theater doors, The King’ March 7, 2026

Middle East crisis deepens divide between South Korean industries SEOUL, March 6 (AJP) - A triple whammy of high oil prices, a weakening Korean won and rising raw-material costs is casting darkening clouds across South Korean industries following U.S.‑led airstrikes on Iran, as markets and companies grapple with the fallout from the escalating Middle East conflict. Energy-intensive sectors are seeing production costs soar due to rising oil and petroleum prices, with traditional manufacturing sectors including petrochemicals and steel facing the March 6, 2026

Asian markets end first war week edgy, KOSPI most volatile SEOUL, March 6 (AJP) — Asian stock markets wrapped up one of their most volatile weeks in recent years as escalating tensions in the Middle East rattled global financial markets and pushed oil prices higher. The wildest swings were seen in Seoul, where panicky selling and frantic bargain-hunting traded places throughout the four-session, war-dominated week. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 5,584.87, down more than 10 percent from a week earlier before the strikes on Iran and March 6, 2026

Day 7 Middle East War: Trump's Iran war exposes fractured alliances and global ripples SEOUL, March 06 (AJP) - The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury have done more than cripple Tehran’s leadership and military infrastructure. They have also exposed deep fractures in the Western alliance system and revived questions about the future of the post–World War II international order. The campaign began with the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28 — a dramatic opening move that President Donald Trump March 6, 2026

South Korea secures 6 million barrels of crude oil from UAE to curb soaring fuel prices SEOUL, March 6 (AJP) - South Korea has secured over 6 million barrels of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Cheong Wa Dae said on Friday. "We have consulted with the UAE to secure crude oil, and the good news is that we were able to secure more than 6 million barrels," presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said during a press briefing on Friday, adding that it will help stabilize oil prices. Fuel prices in South Korea have been rapidly rising amid th March 6, 2026

Day 7 Middle East War: Why shockwaves hit Seoul markets hardest  As the war triggered by U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran enters its first week, AJP examines how the conflict began and evolved, the emerging power vacuum in Tehran and its implications for Iran and the Gulf states, and the broader impact on global energy routes, financial markets and the international order. SEOUL, March 06 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market entered 2026 in a euphoric rally. The benchmark KOSPI surged nearly 50 percent in the first two months o March 6, 2026

Day 7 Middle East War: Hormuz chokepoint jolts Korean macroeconomy SEOUL, Mar 06 (AJP) - The war in the Middle East is reverberating far beyond the battlefield. For South Korea — one of the world’s most energy-dependent industrial economies — the shock is moving rapidly through the core channels of the macroeconomy: the currency, bond yields, financial markets and ultimately consumer prices. The immediate trigger is the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow maritime corridor off Iran’s coast through which a large share of the world March 6, 2026

Speculation grows as US military assets gather at Osan Air Base SEOUL, March 6 (AJP) - Patriot missile batteries and heavy transport aircraft have been quietly amassing at a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in what appears to be a consolidation of U.S. air defense assets. According to multiple government sources, Patriot missiles and large U.S. military transport aircraft including C-5s and C-17s have recently been spotted at U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)'s Osan Air Base. Some of the Patriot missiles were reportedly transferre March 6, 2026

 Sookmyung Women's University researchers identify protein key to maintaining healthy muscle SEOUL, March 06 (AJP) - Professor Yang Young and Dr. Han So-ra from the Department of Biological Sciences and the Research Institute of Women's Health at Sookmyung Women's University have identified that CTRP1, a myokine produced in muscles, plays a critical role in maintaining healthy skeletal muscle. The research team found that CTRP1 regulates mitochondrial homeostasis in immature muscle cells to support normal muscle differentiation. This process induces the formation March 6, 2026