N. Korea claims 'successful launch of multi-warhead missile'

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea Thursday claimed that it had "successfully" conducted a missile test, contradicting South Korea's assessment that the ballistic missile, fired near Pyongyang the previous day, appeared to have "failed." According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the launch, aimed at testing the individual operation of mobile warheads including a decoy, was a "success." It hailed the achievement as a signifi

June 27, 2024

Naver's Webtoon Entertainment sets IPO price at top of range ahead of New York market debut

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - Webtoon Entertainment, affiliated with Korea's leading internet portal Naver, has set its initial public offering price at $21 per share, the top end of its proposed range, signaling strong demand ahead of its debut on the Nasdaq on Thursday (local time). At the set price, the market capitalization of the digital comics platform could reach $2.67 billion. The Los Angeles, California-based firm is the parent company and North American opera

June 27, 2024

VISUALS: Korea's largest book fair underway in Seoul

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - The 2024 Seoul International Book Fair opened at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul, on June 26, 2024, for a five-day run. This year's theme for the nation's largest book fair is "Houyhnhnm," inspired by the horse-like race without human vices from "Gulliver's Travels." More than 120 publishers and book-related organizations from 18 foreign countries, as well as about 350 domestic publishers and institutions, are participating in the event,

June 27, 2024

LG Electronics unveils self-learning AI CLOi robot

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - LG Electronics unveiled its CLOi robot powered by Google's Gemini artificial intelligence model at the Google Cloud Summit Seoul on Thursday. This marks the first integration of generative AI into the CLOi robot line. The upgraded CLOi features enhanced communication abilities, capable of generating responses to unexpected questions and performing tasks like creating background images via voice commands. LG plans to launch the AI-equipped CLOi Gu

June 27, 2024

Peruvian K-pop girl band hold debut showcase in Seoul

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - Rookie K-pop girl band BlingOne, without any Korean members at all, made their debut in Seoul on Wednesday. Consisting of three Peruvian members – Abigail, Kenny and Ruby, they are set to embark on their activities in Korea and overseas as the first-ever K-pop girl band from South America. They were formed through the World K-Pop Center's global audition project "Click the Star," which aims to discover and nurture new talen

June 27, 2024

Nexon to launch 'First Descendant' game next week

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - Korean game developer giant Nexon Games confirmed that it will release its new PC and console game "The First Descendant" next Tuesday. "Our project goal was to create a game that could succeed in the global market through live service," Lee Beom-jun, lead producer of the loot shooter game, said in a recent media event. He emphasized that the game was designed with "complete cross-platform functionality" in mind from the

June 27, 2024

Opinion: Social media platforms are blocked in Iran. Candidates in this week's presidential election are embracing them anyway

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - After Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on May 20, the Iranian government had to schedule an early election to choose a new president. The regime has approved six presidential candidates to run in the election on June 28. The pool includes four hardliners, one centrist and one reformist. The main competition is expected to be between two hardliners and the reformist candidate. One of the hardliners is Saeed Jalili, the s

June 27, 2024

PHOTOS: Expo showcases latest solar energy technologies

SEOUL, June 25 (AJU PRESS) - A major exhibition showcasing next-generation solar energy industry trends and future prospects is underway at KINTEX in Goyang, west of Seoul. The 2024 World Solar Energy Expo, marking its 15th year, runs from June 25 to 27. This year's expo features a wide range of exhibits, including solar modules, inverters and structural components. Visitors can explore specialized solutions in RE100, building-integrated photovoltaics and solar power for industrial compl

June 26, 2024

Seoul plans virtual replica of Yeouido for urban challenge simulation

SEOUL, June 26 (AJU PRESS) - Techtree Innovation has partnered with Seoul City to recreate the island of Yeouido on the Han River in a virtual world for simulating various urban problems, the Korean 3D geospatial map developer announced on Wednesday. Techtree specializes in spatial digital twin technology, which enables high-resolution mapping. This technology allows city officials to develop digital twin infrastructure and conduct simulations for natural disasters like flooding.

June 26, 2024

Virtual artists rise as K-pop embraces AI celebrities

SEOUL, June 26 (AJU PRESS) - Rookie singer iaaa has garnered over 137,000 views on YouTube with her debut single "Our Season." In the heartfelt mid-tempo ballad, her warm, delicate voice sings of first love, with her rippling hair, sparkling eyes and gentle movements evoking an innocent springtime romance. However, none of these are real. Composed entirely of pixels, code and a synthetic voice, iaaa is the latest in a throng of virtual artists to emerge in the vibrant Korean

June 26, 2024