How Korea's jogging craze became Samsung's Asian health gambit SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - South Koreans are lacing up in record numbers — and they're taking their smartwatches with them. Walk through Seoul on any weekend morning and the evidence is everywhere: colour-coordinated running crews streaming through Han River parks, Strava segments being contested with the intensity of corporate quarterly targets, and, at every major sports retailer, empty shelves. "During marathon season, running attire and gear are completely s May 14, 2026

'ARC Raiders,' 'MapleStory' drive Nexon to record quarter SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Nexon reported record quarterly earnings, with revenue, operating profit and net income all reaching all-time highs as the Tokyo-listed Korean-Japanese game publisher rode breakout demand for its 'ARC Raiders' extraction shooter and the enduring 'MapleStory' franchise. According to the firm on Thursday, first-quarter revenue rose 34 percent year-on-year to 152.2 billion yen ($963 million), while operating profit climbed 40 percent to 58.2 billio May 14, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: Lee to meet Japanese PM in Andong where history meets diplomacy SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Diplomacy, at its best, has a sense of place. When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province next week for a summit with President Lee Jae Myung, it will be more than just another date on the diplomatic calendar. It will be one of those rare moments where history, culture, and politics come together in a way that goes beyond routine diplomatic ritual. Takaichi's upcoming visit to the southern historic city of Andong May 14, 2026

AJP Eye: Samsung's AI ambitions face 'Opex trap' as labor dispute threatens crucial Capex SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics, riding on the AI boom to join the exclusive $1 trillion valuation club, is caught in a squeeze that no chip roadmap can solve: a labor dispute forcing it to choose between rewarding its workers today and funding the factories that will determine its place in the AI memory hierarchy tomorrow. The Opex (operational expenditure)-versus-Capex (capital expenditure) tension is now acute. Following a 17-hour marathon mediation session that co May 14, 2026

Samsung Elec adjusting output ahead of threatened strike SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has started scaling back wafer output at its chip facilities in a preemptive move to protect quality integrity, as the company braces for a union walkout that could begin as early as Thursday, a source close to the matter told AJP. The production cutback marks the first tangible operational impact of the labor dispute on Samsung's critical chip manufacturing operations. Talks have reached an impasse. The representative union has rej May 14, 2026

India bans sugar exports, adding more import cost pressure for Korea SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - India banned sugar exports on Wednesday with immediate effect through September 30, sending global prices sharply higher and raising cost pressure on Korean refiners and the country's processed food, beverage and bakery makers on top of energy-related inflationary risks. The Indian government issued the notification Wednesday, according to Reuters. New York raw sugar futures rose more than 2 percent and London white sugar futures jumped 3 percent on the a May 14, 2026

ASIA INSIGHTS: How Asia is redrawn into the AI map SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) -The software was written in California. The intelligence is being manufactured in Asia. A Bloomberg chart circulating this week tells the story cleanly: South Korea has overtaken the United Kingdom to become the world's eighth-largest stock market, at $4.04 trillion. Six of the ten largest equity markets on Earth now sit in Asia. The United States ushered the generative AI era. But the East building its physical infrastructure is collecting the dividend May 14, 2026

Korean firms ramp up family-friendly perks as low birth rate bites SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - South Korean companies are widening cash payouts and parental leave benefits to lift the world's lowest birth rate, with game publisher Krafton reporting a near doubling of in-house births a year after overhauling its childbirth and childcare program. Krafton said Thursday that 46 children were born to its employees between January and April this year, about twice the 23 births recorded in the same period last year and 21 in 2024. The Seoul-based firm rolle May 14, 2026

Leaders of Korea and Mexico agree to expand cooperation in phone call SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Lee Jae Myung spoke by phone with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, Cheong Wa Dae said on Thursday. In a written press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the two leaders agreed on the need to expand bilateral cooperation during their phone conversation earlier in the day. The two leaders have kept in close contact since their first face-to-face meeting in June last year on the sidelines of the G7 gathering in Canada. They also May 14, 2026

OPINION: Hormuz, Malacca, the Taiwan Strait — and Korea's strategic choice As the recent Middle East war raises the specter of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz and even the possibility of transit tolls being imposed there, the international community has once again been forced to confront the strategic significance of maritime straits. What happens in Hormuz does not remain confined to the Gulf. It is deeply interco May 14, 2026