PHOTOS: Korea's largest robot show opens at KINTEX

SEOUL, October 24 (AJP) - Robot World 2024, Korea's largest robotics exhibition, opened Wednesday at KINTEX in Goyang, showcasing cutting-edge technologies from 291 companies and organizations. The four-day event features 880 booths, making it the largest in the show's history, with a special focus on AI-integrated intelligent robots, including humanoids and service robots for delivery and guidance. The exhibition includes export promotion programs such as business consultations an

October 24, 2024

PHOTOS: Railway workers threaten strike

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - The Korean Railway Workers' Union held a rally near Seoul Station on Wednesday. They threatened to strike demanding wage increases and better conditions after eight rounds of wage negotiations since July failed to yield an agreement. The union stated that about 4,000 members attended the rally, while police estimated the number at 3,500.

October 23, 2024

SK bioscience's influenza vaccine approved in Indonesia

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - SK bioscience, which has developed South Korea's first domestically produced COVID-19 vaccine, said Wednesday its influenza vaccine received approval from Indonesia's Food and Drug Agency. The vaccine, Skycellflu Quadrivalent Prefilled Syringe, is the first Korean vaccine to be approved in the world's fourth most populous country. The World Health Organization predicts the circulating strains of influenza for both the Northern and Southern He

October 23, 2024

LG Electronics unveils software kit for AI home robot at global conference

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - LG Electronics said Wednesday it released a software development kit (SDK) for its mobile AI home hub robot "Q9" at ROSCon 2024, the world's largest robotics conference in Denmark this week. The SDK allows developers to create custom applications for the robot, which was first introduced at CES earlier this year. The Q9, equipped with multimodal sensing capabilities including voice, sound, and image recognition, can move around spaces on wh

October 23, 2024

Kim Jong-un inspects missile base, citing growing US nuclear threat

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a missile base for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), state media said on Wednesday. "The U.S. strategic nuclear means pose ever-increasing threat to the security environment of more definitely bolster its war deterrence and take a thorough and strict counteraction posture of the nuclear forces," Pyongyang's Korea Cent

October 23, 2024

CJ Olive Young expands rapidly growing live-streaming commerce

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - CJ Olive Young, a South Korean health and beauty retailer, is expanding its mobile live-streaming commerce business by opening a dedicated studio and offering production support for partner brands. The company said Wednesday Olive Live, its streaming platform launched in October 2019, has seen viewer numbers jump 142 percent and order value rise 33 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year. Popular programs include "Beauty Expe

October 23, 2024

OPINION: Canada's tariff strategy on Chinese EVs- A misstep in trade and climate policy

KARACHI, October 23 (AJP) - Canada’s decision to impose 100 percent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, with 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum to follow, reflects a critical moment in Sino-Canadian relations. From Beijing’s perspective, these measures are not merely economic sanctions - they represent a broader alignment of Canadian policies with those of the United States. Historically, Canada had pursued a more diversified trade policy, leveraging China&rs

October 23, 2024

Korea to raise industrial power rates by 9.7%

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Korea will raise electricity rates for industrial users by 9.7 percent on average while freezing household and commercial rates, the government said Wednesday. Starting Thursday, power costs will increase by 10.2 percent for high-volume industrial users and 5.2 percent for smaller companies, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea Electric Power Corp. “We raised industrial use rates, considering that large ex

October 23, 2024

OPINION: North Korea and Russia - Alliance of the weak

KENOSHA, October 23 (AJP) - Considerable media attention is directed to reports that North Korea is supplying troops to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine along with workers. In reality, this is simply the latest step closer between two already-close but weak partners. Both struggle today. Moscow’s assumption that Ukraine would be an easy conquest has proven disastrously wrong. As the war grinds on, significant numbers of young men are fleeing Russia rather than being drafted i

October 23, 2024

Ex-president Lee Myung-bak's elder brother dies at 89

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Lee Sang-deuk, the elder brother of former President Lee Myung-bak, died on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with age-related illnesses. He was 89. Lee senior had been receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital, according to his close aides. First elected to the National Assembly in 1988, the six-term lawmaker served as its vice speaker from 2006 to 2008. Once a prominent political figure during his younger brother's presidency, t

October 23, 2024