Zhou Mi of Super Junior M to lead China venture STE SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - SM Entertainment has named Zhou Mi of Super Junior-M to lead its new Beijing joint venture with Tencent Music Entertainment Group, the company said Thursday. The joint venture, called STE, was established after SM and TME signed a memorandum of understanding in May to expand cooperation in the Chinese-speaking market. STE will work on a new Chinese idol group project that SM is preparing to debut within the next two to three years. The company will o August 27, 2026

Sookmyung team tunes coating strength by adjusting CO2 pressure SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - A coating material built from discarded plastic bottles and carbon dioxide can be made soft and rubbery or firm and glassy by changing one setting in the reactor, researchers at Sookmyung Women's University found. The team traced how the molecular structure of the starting material shapes the behavior of the finished film, turning a single laboratory result into something closer to a recipe with dials. The range they measured is wide. Glass transitio August 27, 2026

U.S. reaffirms commitment to North Korea's complete denuclearization SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - The Trump administration has reaffirmed that the United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, clarifying its policy after President Donald Trump recently declined to say whether denuclearization remained his goal in seeking renewed talks with Pyongyang. “The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday in response to a question August 27, 2026

Kia unveils revamped SUV lineup with new black editions SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Automaker Kia unveiled the latest versions of its key sport utility vehicles (SUVs), along with their special black editions on Thursday. The automaker said the facelifted versions of its flagship trio, the Carnival, Sorento and Sportage, offer customers more options to choose from along with enhanced convenience features, while their special black editions would apple to customers seeking a tougher and more premium look. In particular, the special edit August 27, 2026

Seoul tourist spending surges 70% as arrivals hit record SEOUL, Aug. 27 (AJP)-Foreign tourists are spending substantially more in Seoul even as visitor numbers hit records, with card spending surging nearly 70 percent in July — more than three times the pace of growth in arrivals, metropolitan government data showed Thursday. Seoul welcomed a record 1.61 million foreign visitors in July, up 20.8 percent from a year earlier, while their card spending jumped steeper 69.7 percent to 1.07 trillion won ($770 million). The figure August 27, 2026

KOSPI pares Nvidia rally after BOK hikes to 3% SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) — South Korea's KOSPI gave up more than half of its Nvidia-fueled early gains Thursday after the Bank of Korea (BOK) delivered a surprising back-to-back rate hike to 3 percent, tempering a rally in Korean chipmakers that had pushed the benchmark close to 7,000. The KOSPI traded at 6,864.75 as of 10:20 a.m., up 0.84 percent, after jumping more than 2 percent earlier in the session on Nvidia's bullish outlook for artificial intelligence demand and August 27, 2026

Lee meets Samsung chief in private amid push for mega chip cluster SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung held a private dinner meeting with Samsung Group chairman Lee Jae-yong earlier this week, according to sources in political and business circles on Thursday. Their talks at an unidentified location in Seoul the previous day are drawing attention for their possible focus on major domestic projects including plans to build a mega semiconductor cluster amid growing U.S. pressure on South Korean companies to expand investment in the U August 27, 2026

Nvidia admits memory squeeze, flags upside for Korean chipmakers SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Nvidia on Wednesday admitted that even the AI chip giant cannot escape the cost squeeze from the boom it helped ignite, as soaring memory prices lift production costs while benefiting Samsung Electronics and SK hynix from the supply crunch. The company reported second-quarter revenue of $96.2 billion for its fiscal 2027, more than doubling from a year earlier, as data center revenue jumped 117 percent to $89 billion. Nvidia forecast revenue of $108 billion, August 27, 2026

Philippine envoy celebrates scholarship awards Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez delivers congratulatory remarks during a scholarship award ceremony hosted by the Woojung Education and Culture Foundation at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul, Aug. 26, 2026. The foundation awarded approximately 400 million won in scholarships to 98 international students from 32 countries studying at universities in South Korea. AJP Yoo Na-hyun August 27, 2026

98 international scholars honored in South Korea Aiganym Zhalinova, a student from Kazakhstan representing the scholarship recipients, delivers remarks during a scholarship award ceremony hosted by the Woojung Education and Culture Foundation at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul, Aug. 26, 2026. The foundation awarded approximately 400 million won in scholarships to 98 international students from 32 countries studying at universities in South Korea. AJP Yoo Na-hyun August 27, 2026