Korea, China ease food trade rules, opening wider door for K-food exports SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - South Korea and China have agreed to streamline registration procedures for Korean food exporters and to permit shipments of meat-based instant noodles, widening the export channel for the country's increasingly popular K-food, Seoul's food safety regulator said. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Monday it held its 16th Korea-China food safety cooperation meeting in Qingdao, China, and the 17th Korea-China Food Standards Expert Council in Jeju, June 1, 2026

SK hynix reports no production disruption after minor spark at Cheongju plant SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - SK Hynix confirms no production disruption after minor pipe spark at Cheongju plant SK Hynix reported zero disruptions to semiconductor production following a minor spark at its Cheongju plant in South Korea, despite the incident triggering the evacuation of 3,600 employees. The company stated that no major injuries occurred during the maintenance work and manufacturing operations remain fully intact. The incident began at 10:32 a.m. on the 1st in a sixth-f June 1, 2026

Samsung Electronics' market cap surpasses 2 quadrillion won SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Monday became the first South Korean company to top 2 quadrillion won in market capitalization, driven by surging investor enthusiasm over the ongoing AI-driven chip boom. Shares of the tech giant surged 10.25 percent to 349,500 won as of 1:40 p.m. on the benchmark KOSPI, hitting an intraday high and pushing its market capitalization to 2,041.8 trillion won (US$1.51 trillion). Samsung first crossed the 2 quadrillion won mark at around June 1, 2026

Samsung Display unveils full gaming OLED lineup at COMPUTEX 2026 SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - Samsung Display Co. announced Monday it is showcasing a comprehensive lineup of 16 gaming-optimized OLED and QD-OLED displays at the COMPUTEX 2026 exhibition, held in Taipei, Taiwan, from June 2-5. The products range from 8.8-inch panels for handheld gaming PCs to 49-inch QD-OLED monitors. A key product debut is a QD-OLED monitor that simultaneously achieves 4K resolution and a 360Hz high refresh rate, a specification the company claims is an industry first June 1, 2026

BOK's two-day conference opens with warnings over stablecoins and digital money shift SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - The spread of stablecoins could reinforce the dominance of the U.S. dollar and weaken monetary sovereignty in other economies, European Central Bank executive board member Isabel Schnabel warned on Monday at the Bank of Korea's annual conference in Seoul on Monday. At the two-day conference held under the theme "Central Banks and the Future of Money" at the central bank's annex hall, Schnabel said in her keynote speech that the rapid spread o June 1, 2026

SHINee kicks off concert trilogy with sold-out Seoul shows SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - K-pop boy band SHINee opened its new concert trilogy with three sold-out shows in Seoul, drawing more than 30,000 fans over the weekend, the band's agency SM Entertainment said Monday. SHINee held "The Trilogy I - 2026 SHINee WORLD VIII: THE INVERT" from May 29 to 31 at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, Seoul. All three shows sold out, including restricted-view seats. The first show was shown through live viewing events at cinemas in South Korea, Indo June 1, 2026

Fire and toxic gas leak at SK hynix plant force 3,600 workers to evacuate SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - A fire and subsequent toxic gas leak at an SK Hynix factory in Cheongju, South Korea, prompted the evacuation of 3,600 employees on Monday morning. Seven workers were transported to an affiliated hospital after exposure to the chemicals, though the company reported no disruption to overall production, firefighters said. The incident began at 10:32 a.m. (0132 GMT) in a sixth-floor gas room connecting the M15 and M15X facilities at the company's Cheongju 4 June 1, 2026

Update: Five killed in South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace factory explosion SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - An explosion at a Hanwha Aerospace factory in South Korea killed at least five people and injured two on Monday morning, according to police and rescuers. The blast prompted an emergency response as rescue workers continue to search for three unaccounted individuals. The incident occurred at 10:59 a.m. (0159 GMT) at the company's plant in Oesam, located in Daejeon's Yuseong District. Emergency dispatchers received about 30 simultaneous calls from peo June 1, 2026

South Korea's exports hit record high in May on strong AI chip demand SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - South Korea's exports surged more than 50 percent from a year earlier to a record high last month, fueled by robust semiconductor shipments, even as uncertainty persisted amid the prolonged war in the Middle East, according to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources on Monday. Exports in May totaled US$87.75 billion, up 53.2 percent from a year earlier, the highest monthly figure on record and the third straight month above $80 billio June 1, 2026

KAIST unveils mid-to-long-term strategy for artificial intelligence talent SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology outlined its mid-to-long-term strategy for nurturing artificial intelligence professionals and launched an international advisory board during a vision proclamation ceremony held at its main campus on Monday, the prominent institute said. The event shared the institution's direction for educational innovation, industry cooperation, and the establishment of a responsible artificial intelligence ecos June 1, 2026