New senior post in charge of AI created at Defense Ministry

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - A deputy minister-level post in charge of artificial intelligence (AI)-related affairs has been created within the Ministry of Defense to accelerate the military's technological modernization. Approved at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and set to take effect later this week, the new post will spearhead the military's adoption of cutting-edge technologies while overseeing key areas where AI is needed, including logistics, information, and the procur

December 30, 2025

Korea faces unavoidable shift toward renewables, nuclear power: energy minister

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea faces an unavoidable shift in its energy mix as it confronts the climate crisis, requiring a combination of carbon-free renewable energy and nuclear power while gradually phasing out coal and gas, Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan said on Tuesday. Kim made the remarks at the First Energy Mix Policy Forum held at the National Assembly, calling for a pragmatic and science-based approach to energy policy. Kim said t

December 30, 2025

Boy band RIIZE to conclude first world tour with three-day concert in Seoul

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - K-pop Boy band RIIZE will wrap up their first world tour with a finale concert in Seoul in March next year. According to their management agency SM Entertainment, the six-member boy band will perform in Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore in January, Macao in February, before concluding their tour with a three-day concert from March 6 to 8 at KSPO Dome, an indoor arena in southern Seoul with a capacity of 15,000. During their tour, which began in Septe

December 30, 2025

Seoul lifts ban on access to North Korea's party newspaper

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea has lifted long-standing restrictions on access to Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, allowing the public to read it uncensored at designated institutions, the Unification Ministry said Tuesday. Under the revised rules, South Koreans can access the newspaper at facilities that handle special materials — including the Unification Ministry’s North Korea Information Center and the Nationa

December 30, 2025

New nuclear reactor in Ulsan gets green light for operation

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - The government committee for nuclear energy on Tuesday gave a green light to the operation of a nuclear reactor in Ulsan, ahead of its commercial launch scheduled for sometime next year. The committee said it approved the operation of the Saeul-3 reactor, formally known as Kori, in Ulju, Ulsan, after a meeting in which five of six members voted in favor, following safety reviews by the state-funded Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety as well as prior assessm

December 30, 2025

Over 25,000 ethnic Koreans regain legal status after overstaying visas

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - More than 25,000 ethnic Koreans who had overstayed their visas here have regained their legal status, the Justice Ministry said on Tuesday. According to the ministry, about 2,522 ethnic Koreans applied for a three-month program implemented between September and November as part of immigration policies to recover their legal status. Of those applicants, 1,544 were granted legal status after undergoing strict screening conducted by legal experts and human

December 30, 2025

South Korea's foreign arrivals seen topping 21 million in 2026 on China-Japan tensions

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea could see the number of foreign visitors rise to more than 21 million in 2026, driven by a continued recovery in inbound travel and potential spillover demand from escalating tensions between China and Japan, industry researchers said. Yanolja Research, a data-driven tourism research institute, projected that foreign arrivals to South Korea would reach a baseline of 20.36 million next year, up 8.7 percent from an estimated 18.5 million in 2025.

December 30, 2025

US softens export curbs on chip equipment for Samsung, SK hynix plants in China

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - The United States has decided to partially ease planned restrictions on shipments of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix plants in China, helping the South Korean chipmakers avoid immediate and significant operational disruptions, industry officials said on Tuesday. Washington had been preparing to revoke the companies’ broad export authorization status and require case-by-case approvals for each shipment of

December 30, 2025

Seoul, Beijing agree to speed up services and investment talks under FTA

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) -South Korea and China have agreed to speed up second-stage negotiations under their bilateral free trade agreement, focusing on services and investment, as the two sides seek to broaden economic cooperation. Yeo Han-koo, South Korea’s minister for trade, met Li Chenggang, China’s international trade negotiation representative, in Beijing to discuss ways to accelerate follow-up negotiations under the Korea-China FTA. The two sides agreed to hold

December 30, 2025

South Korea's An Mu submarine completes long-range Guam mission without any failure

SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - The South Korean Navy said on Tuesday that its An Mu submarine has completed a roughly 7,000-kilometer round-trip blue-water deployment and overseas training mission without a single equipment failure. The 3,000-ton An Mu, part of the KSS-III program, returned to Jinhae Naval Port after taking part in the South Korea–U.S. combined anti-submarine exercise “2025 Silent Shark.” The Navy held a welcome ceremony on Tuesday, hosted by Rea

December 30, 2025