• 
  OPINION: Time to open the next chapter for BTS and Bang Si-hyuk BTS is a global phenomenon. Yet its stature cannot be measured by sales figures, chart rankings, or stadium records alone. The group’s true significance lies in its origin story: seven unknown young men, without elite credentials, inherited privilege, or a glamorous starting line, rising to the top through discipline, creative labor, and mutual trust. That narrative itself became culture. For young people around the world, BTS offered a quiet but powerful lesson: it is not January 9, 2026
• 
  North Korean leader vows 'unconditional support' in letter to Putin SEOUL, January 9 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged "unconditional support" in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media reported on Friday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim sent a reply to a "warm congratulatory letter" he received from Putin "with pleasure," saying that he "will unconditionally respect and unconditionally support all your policies and decisions and I have a will January 9, 2026
• 
  Italian PM first foreign leader to visit Seoul after relocation of Cheong Wa Dae SEOUL, January 9 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung has invited Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to visit Seoul, Cheong Wa Dae said on Friday. She is expected to stay in Seoul for three days starting Jan. 17 for talks with Lee. Her trip will be the first visit by a European leader since Lee took office last year and the first foreign guest since the presidential office returned to Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul. The two leaders are expected to exchange views on various iss January 9, 2026
• 
  South Korea's overseas construction orders hit highest level in 11 years SEOUL, January 9 (AJP) - South Korea's overseas construction orders hit an 11-year high by shifting away from heavy reliance on the Middle East and diversifying into markets such as Europe, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Friday. The ministry said overseas orders totaled $47.27 billion, the highest since 2014 and the first time combined annual orders have exceeded $40 billion since 2015. In the industry's 60-year history, annual orders have exc January 9, 2026
• 
  [CES 2026] Tactile technology seeks to preserve Japan's endangered craft skills LAS VEGAS, January 08 (AJP)-The art of craftsmanship in Japan has long rested on an exceptional sensitivity to detail — from silverware and precision metalwork to wagashi sweets — refined through the human hand. As Japan’s master artisans age and fewer successors emerge, that legacy is increasingly at risk. A sensor-to-tactile feedback technology called Tacthancer offers a novel response. The technology was demonstrated Thursday (local time) at the booth of DIC C January 9, 2026
• 
  INTERVIEW: Smart Brick to keep Lego legacy alive and competition at bay LAS VEGAS, January 09 (AJP) - As Lego brings sensors and connectivity into its iconic bricks, the Lego Group says its new Smart Brick platform is designed not only to modernize play, but to safeguard its decades-old legacy — and keep competitors firmly at bay. The Smart Bricks will be difficult for rivals to copy, according to a senior Lego executive, who cited years of proprietary development and built-in security features as major barriers to imitation. "I think the January 9, 2026
• 
  CES 2026: Inside how China has leapfrogged in AI robots — self-sufficiency LAS VEGAS, January 09 (AJP) - From synchronized dancing and kung-fu demonstrations to boxing, deliveries and cleaning, Chinese robots were ubiquitous at the world's largest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas this week. China, which has already begun rolling humanoid robots off assembly lines and into retail stores and homes in various forms and scales, used CES 2026 to show the United States and the wider world just how far it has moved ahead in physical AI. Of the 38 com January 9, 2026
• 
  Asian stocks mostly in the positive on chip and robotics expectations SEOUL, Jan. 9 (AJP) —Asian stocks kept to the positive despite profit-taking offensive Friday on halo effect from regional chip and robotics strengths. The KOSPI swung back and forth the positive and negative as foreigners took profits. As of11;30, the KOSPI was 0.4 percent higher at 4,571.36 and the KOSDAQ nearly flat at 944.75. Retail investors were net buyers of about 615.1 billion won ($458 million), while institutions bought roughly 277.5 billion won. Foreign invest January 9, 2026
• 
  Lee to travel to Japanese PM's hometown for summit next week SEOUL, January 9 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung will visit to Japan's historic city of Nara next week for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Cheong Wa Dae said on Friday. Lee is scheduled to leave for Nara, Takaichi's hometown and Japan's ancient capital during its early imperial era, for a summit with her, followed by a dinner next Tuesday. During his two-day trip to the island country, Lee is expected to discuss various regional and global issu January 9, 2026
• 
  UPDATE: Korea's LG Electronics slips into first Q4 loss in a decade despite record 2025 sales * Updated with additional information SEOUL, January 09 (AJP) - LG Electronics posted record annual revenue in 2025 but swung to an operating loss in the fourth quarter for the first time in a decade, weighed down by weaker display demand and rising costs tied to higher memory prices and its transition toward AI-driven products. In earnings guidance released Friday, the South Korean home-appliance and consumer electronics maker said consolidated revenue for the full year reache January 9, 2026