PHOTOS: Inside the IFA 2024

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - IFA 2024, Europe's largest consumer electronics show, is held from Sept. 6 to 10 in Berlin, Germany. Major electronics companies from around the world, including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, participated in the event, showcasing their latest technologies and products. Both companies focused on AI-based smart home technologies, with Samsung presenting the theme "AI for All" and LG featuring "AI Home Reimagined with Affectionate Intelligen

September 9, 2024

RSQUARE to transform shopping mall into mixed-use office space in Seoul

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - RSQUARE, a commercial real estate firm, said Monday it has been selected to carry out a project to transform a large-scale shopping mall in eastern Seoul into office space. The building, which houses Enter 6 - Park Avenue Hanyang University, was purchased by GRE Partners Asset Management for 112.1 billion won ($83.5 million) and will be repurposed from a shopping mall to office space and redeveloped into a mixed-use complex. RSQUARE was selected as th

September 9, 2024

BTS RM's collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion's new song dominates global charts

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - Popular American female rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s new track "Neva Play," featuring BTS member RM, has made a notable performance on global song charts. As of Monday, the song stood at No. 13 on Spotify’s daily global chart, with more than 3.6 million streams. The song is in fifth place on Apple's iTunes Song Chart The track, dropped last Friday, is a hip-hop song with an addictive beat. Megan Thee Stallion&rsqu

September 9, 2024

Slow-paced TV variety shows captivate viewers craving countryside peace

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - TV viewership ratings reveal a growing trend among people longing to escape the hustle of urban life for a slower pace in rural areas or abroad, according to Nielsen Korea data released Monday. Leading the ratings in the first week of September was "Jinny's Kitchen 2," a tvN variety show featuring "Parasite" star Choi Woo-sik, actor Lee Seo-jin, and other celebrities running a Korean restaurant in Iceland. The show garnered a top

September 9, 2024

KAIST, NYU to launch joint degree program in AI

SEOUL, September 9 (AJP) - The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and New York University (NYU) agreed Monday to establish a joint degree program in artificial intelligence. KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung and NYU President Linda G. Mills signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul to initiate the groundbreaking program. The agreement follows years of cooperation between the two institutions in AI research and student exchange programs. Both instituti

September 9, 2024

Samsung, LG unveil AI home appliance ambitions at IFA

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics presented their artificial intelligence home appliance strategies at IFA 2024 in Berlin, Germany, focusing on building smart home ecosystems powered by artificial intelligence. LG Electronics introduced its AI agent FURON and AI home hub ThinQ ON at IFA, Europe's largest consumer electronics trade show, which opened Friday for a five-day run. "Customers only need to communicate with generative AI as they

September 9, 2024

Drug smuggling into Korea increases by 23% in 2023

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - The Korea Customs Service reported a 23.4 percent increase in the amount of smuggled drugs seized in 2023, according to data released Monday by the main opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi. A total of 769 kilograms (1,695 pounds) of illegal drugs, valued at 61.3 billion won ($45.7 million), were confiscated by customs authorities in 2023. This marks a significant rise from the previous year and a dramatic 419 percent increase compared to t

September 9, 2024

PHOTOS: K-Shopping Festa promotes products from small businesses

SEOUL, September 9 (AJP) – A traditional market fair opened at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul on Monday for a three-day run, as part of the K-Shopping Festa, Korea's largest event promoting products from small businesses. The event offers visitors the chance to sample a variety of culinary delights from traditional markets selected as outstanding. The K-Shopping Festa is taking place across the country from Aug. 28 to Sept. 28.

September 9, 2024

PHOTOS: Hanwha Life team becomes new League of Legends champions

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - The 2024 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Summer Finals electrified Gyeongju over a thrilling weekend. This, Korea's premier esports tournament, saw over 30,000 fans descend upon the city for a vibrant fan festival and a nail-biting finals series. The pinnacle match, broadcast globally in seven languages, captivated a peak audience of approximately 4 million viewers – a testament to LCK's enduring reign as Korea's most popular esports leagu

September 9, 2024

N. Korean balloon detonator suspected of starting warehouse fire near Seoul

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - Fire authorities suspect that a timed detonator from a North Korean balloon, designed to disperse waste through a small explosion, may have ignited a warehouse fire in Paju, northwest of Seoul, on Sunday. Since May, North Korea has launched balloons filled with wastepaper, garbage, and human feces into South Korea in retaliation against South Korean activist groups, mainly defectors, who send propaganda leaflets to the North. These balloons have land

September 9, 2024