Hyundai Motor brings in Tesla veteran to accelerate robotics ambitions

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group has recruited Milan Kovac, a former Tesla executive who led development of projects including the humanoid robot Optimus, in a move aimed at strengthening its push for artificial intelligence and robotics. Hyundai said Kovac has been appointed as an adviser to the group and is expected to be named an outside director at Boston Dynamics, a robotics company owned by Hyundai Motor Group. Kovac brings nearly two decades of experience

January 16, 2026

Fire breaks out in Seoul's last remaining shantytown

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - A fire broke out in a shantytown in southern Seoul early Friday morning, forcing residents to evacuate. The fire occurred at around 5 a.m. in Guryong Village, the last remaining slum of makeshift homes and shoddy tents in Seoul's affluent district of Gangnam. Over 200 firefighters were dispatched shortly after receiving a report that the fire had started in an empty home. Hours later, smoke and flames are still engulfing the area despite efforts to

January 16, 2026

HMM to deploy AI navigation system on 40 ships in HD Hyundai tie-up

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - HMM said Friday it will deploy an artificial intelligence–based autonomous navigation system across 40 vessels, stepping up efforts to improve efficiency and cut emissions through advanced maritime technology. The South Korean shipping company will introduce the system through a technical partnership with HD Hyundai affiliates HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Avikus, a developer of autonomous navigation solutions. A contract-si

January 16, 2026

Impeached president faces first verdict on martial law-related charges

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol will be sentenced on Friday for one of several charges related to his botched martial law debacle. In a nationwide televised trial scheduled for 2 p.m., the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul is set to deliver its ruling on whether Yoon obstructed law enforcement by blocking investigators and other officials who attempted to detain him following his abrupt late-night declaration of martial law on Dec. 3,

January 16, 2026

S. Korea leans on semiconductors as non-IT exports lose ground: BOK

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - South Korea’s exports remain resilient, but the country is steadily losing ground in global competitiveness in some sectors, according to a report released Friday by the Bank of Korea. While headline export figures have held up, shipments of major non-IT goods — excluding semiconductors — have been largely stagnant for years, deepening performance gaps across industries. South Korea’s share of the global export market ha

January 16, 2026

Kookmin University researchers turn cancer's hunger against itself to treat drug-resistant tumors

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Researchers at Kookmin University have developed a drug delivery platform that bypasses the defenses of hard-to-treat colorectal cancer by exploiting the tumor's own aggressive metabolism. Kookmin University announced on January 15 that the team, led by Professor Kim Ha-rin of the Department of Biopharmaceutical Science, successfully treated KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer in animal models using the new system. The findings were published in the January

January 16, 2026

Researchers use laser light to sharpen radio telescope images of black holes

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - A joint research team led by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed a technology to significantly improve the resolution of radio telescopes using laser optics. By applying an "optical frequency comb" directly to telescope receivers, the researchers aim to capture sharper images of black holes and enhance precision in deep space exploration. KAIST announced on January 15 that the team, led by Professor Kim J

January 16, 2026

Seoul court upholds fine on Kakao over data leak

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) -A Seoul court on Wednesday upheld a record 15.1 billion won ($11.2 million) fine imposed on Kakao for failing to properly safeguard users’ personal information, rejecting the tech giant’s legal challenge to the penalty. The Seoul Administrative Court’s Administrative Division 14, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Sang-deok, ruled against Kakao in a lawsuit seeking to overturn a corrective order and fine issued by the Personal Information Pro

January 16, 2026

Lotte chair calls for quality-growth pivot as petrochemicals and retail falter

SEOUL, January 16 (AJP)-Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin on Thursday called for a decisive shift toward “quality growth” centered on profitability and efficiency, as the South Korean conglomerate’s flagship petrochemicals and retail businesses both posted weak performance last year, underscoring mounting pressure on the group’s traditional growth engines. The message came at Lotte’s first Value Creation Meeting (VCM) since a sweeping leadersh

January 16, 2026

Memory chips take center stage in AI-driven semiconductor boom

SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the global semiconductor market, propelling memory chips, once considered a cyclical commodity, to the forefront of the industry's future growth engine. Amid a heated race for data centers to build AI servers and inference systems, demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), server-grade DRAM, and storage has surged, creating what analysts describe as a rare "triple supercycle" in th

January 15, 2026