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  Trade officials head to Washington again for follow-up talks SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) - Senior government and trade officials headed back to Washington again on Wednesday, seeking to finalize prolonged tariff negotiations with the U.S. Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan and presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom, who returned from their U.S. trip earlier this week, are expected to meet their counterparts there for follow-up discussions, raising hopes that a breakthrough in the talks could be imminent. The two have already hinted that "pro October 22, 2025
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  HUNTR/X trio and Saja Boys to come alive in Barbie forms, feature in Monopoly SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) -Netflix has partnered with global toy giants Mattel and Hasbro to turn its blockbuster K-Pop Demon Hunters into a full-fledged franchise spanning dolls, board games, and collectibles — marking a major step in the platform’s transformation into a creator of global intellectual properties. Under the new licensing deal, Mattel, famed for Barbie, and Hasbro, the maker of Monopoly, will roll out a wide range of products inspired by the hit anime October 22, 2025
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  North Korea fires multiple short-range missiles ahead of APEC summit SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) - North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, according to military authorities here. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missiles around 8:10 a.m., which were launched from an area south of Pyongyang. They flew about 350 kilometers and likely landed in North Hamgyong Province, rather than in the East Sea as the JCS initially speculated. Wednesday's launch, the North's first missile provocation since October 22, 2025
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  S&P upgrades LG Electronics' credit outlook, citing India IPO SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) - Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday upgraded LG Electronics’ credit outlook to “BBB Positive” from “BBB Stable,” the company’s first improvement since October 2022. The ratings agency cited robust performances in LG’s home appliance and vehicle component businesses, stronger cash flow from its Indian initial public offering, and a rebound at its affiliate, LG Display. The move came months after Moody&rsquo October 22, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Kazakhstan embassy marks Republic Day with strategic partnership dialogue in Seoul SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Korea hosted a roundtable discussion in central Seoul on Tuesday under the theme "Kazakhstan and South Korea: Advancing the Enhanced Strategic Partnership." The event marked Kazakhstan's Republic Day and the 35th anniversary of its Declaration of State Sovereignty, highlighting the shared commitment to deepening bilateral ties. October 21, 2025
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  INTERVIEW: Europe's largest Korean Cultural Center powers hallyu expansion in Budapest SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - One in every 200 Hungarians has joined a Korean cultural program in recent years — a sign that Budapest has become the beating heart of the Korean Wave in Central Europe, according to the head of the Korean Cultural Center in Budapest. "In the past three years, more than 51,000 people have taken part in the center’s programs — an impressive figure in a country of only 9.6 million, meaning roughly one in every 200 Hungarians has join October 21, 2025
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  Seoul fears rise of new ultra-conservative government in Tokyo may bring out old skeletons SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - As Japan welcomes its first female state leader, Sanae Takaichi, elected Tuesday as the country’s 104th prime minister, Seoul is watching closely — wary that a rightward turn in Tokyo’s politics could rekindle old tensions. The 64-year-old conservative and head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 237 out of 465 votes in the lower house, comfortably surpassing the 233-seat majority threshold. Although the LDP holds 196 sea October 21, 2025
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  Red-hot streak of Korean chip stocks spills over to downstream suppliers SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - South Korea’s semiconductor rally shows no sign of slowing, as record gains by memory giants ripple through the broader chip value chain, drawing in downstream suppliers and equipment makers amid growing concerns over a looming memory shortage in the AI era. Memory bellwethers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix both came close to symbolic six-digit milestones—100,000 won and 500,000 won, respectively. Samsung Electronics closed Tuesday 0.4 percent l October 21, 2025
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  Samsung fields stronger in-house chip-powered Galaxy to counter AI iPhone hype SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is equipping half of its upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup with its upgraded in-house processor, the Exynos 2600, to counter rising expectations for Apple’s AI-powered iPhone 17 series and to showcase renewed confidence in its AI chipset design and manufacturing capabilities. The tech giant said the new Exynos delivers more than six times the neural processing power of Apple’s latest A-series chip. The move marks the first time in October 21, 2025
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  Asian markets rally, KOSPI the world's best performer led by chip boom SEOUL, October 21 (AJP) - Major Asian stock markets closed mostly higher on Tuesday amid easing global trade tensions and improved investor sentiment, while South Korea’s benchmark index stood out as the world’s best performer of the month. In Seoul, the KOSPI closed at a fresh record of 3,814.69, up 1.76 percent from the previous session. The secondary KOSDAQ gained 1.89 percent to close at 875.77. Institutional investors drove the rally with strong buying despite conti October 21, 2025