Allegations of workplace bullying involving NewJeans' Hanni dismissed

SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - Claims of workplace bullying raised by Hanni about a couple of months ago, a member of K-pop girl band NewJeans was dismissed, in a decision made by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Wednesday. The ministry said that she cannot be regarded as a typical employee under South Korean labor laws where workers are entitled to certain protections, so it decided to close the case. The ministry explained, "Hanni cannot be classified as a waged worker,

November 20, 2024

Kumho Tire to invest more in Viet Nam

SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - South Korea's Kumho Tire is reviewing the possibility of expanding its factory in southern Vietnam next year, nearly three years after initiating the second phase of expansion in 2021. With this new expansion, the Korean tire manufacturer aims to increase the factory's annual production capacity to 17 million units or more by the first half of 2026, a 36 percent increase from the current capacity. According to authorities in Binh Duong Provinc

November 20, 2024

BYD's success in Korean market depends on localization

SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - China's largest automaker BYD is set to enter the Korean electric vehicle (EV) market in early 2025. While the Shenzhen-based company has been operating in South Korea's commercial vehicle sector since 2016, its foray into the passenger car market is anticipated to be more challenging. BYD plans to introduce its mid-sized Seal sedan and Atto 3 SUV as its flagship models in Korea. The Seal model, currently priced between 149,800 yuan (US$20,700

November 20, 2024

OPINION: What Ukraine can now do with longer-range US missiles

SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - The outgoing Biden administration has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.- supplied longer-range missiles to strike deeper into Russia territory, according to reports citing White House officials. The move comes amid concern in the West that Moscow – aided by the influx of thousands of North Korean fighters – might be preparing a major counteroffensive to regain lost territory in the Kursk region of Russia. But how big a deal is the Biden decisio

November 20, 2024

PHOTOS: Event for cultural content and IP awareness opens at COEX in Seoul

SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - An event to promote cultural content as well as raise awareness of intellectual property (IP) kicked off its three-day run at COEX in southern Seoul on Tuesday. Hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the event brought together 90 domestic and international companies from various industries, encompassing webtoons, games, films, and dramas.

November 19, 2024

PHOTOS: Subway workers threaten full-scale strike early next month

SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - Unionized subway workers have threatened a full-scale strike early next month unless their demands for higher wages and better working conditions are met. In a rally in front of Seoul City Hall in the capital on Tuesday, they also urged Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines 1 through 8, to reverse its plans to lay off a massive number of workers. Otherwise, they will go on a full-scale strike on Dec. 6. They are requesting that more workers be hired instead, a

November 19, 2024

Russia accuses US of 'fueling' Ukraine war by allowing long-range missiles

SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - Russia warned on Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles supplied by the U.S. would "fuel the fire" of the war in Ukraine, further escalating international tensions. "It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps, and they have been talking about this, to continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this confli

November 19, 2024

Yoon stresses 'high-level communication' with Beijing, while maintaining strong alliance with US

SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - President Yoon Suk Yeol has stressed the importance of maintaining cooperative ties with both the U.S. and China. In an interview with Brazilian daily Folha de S.Paulo, Yoon, who is in Peru for the G20 summit, said, "The United States and China are, for , very important partners of cooperation. So, I consider it not a case of choosing one or the other country." The bilateral alliance with the U.S. is a "comprehensive global s

November 19, 2024

Disruptions loom as subway workers threaten full-scale strike

SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - Unionized subway workers in Seoul said they will go on a full-scale strike on Dec. 6. Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines 1 through 8, threatened to strike unless their demands for higher wages as well a s better working conditions including the hiring of more staff to ensure safety are met, during a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall on Tuesday. Concerns are mounting over possible severe disruptions to railway services, as the Ko

November 19, 2024

Samsung to unveil extended reality platform by year-end

SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics plans to unveil its Extended Reality (XR) platform by the end of this year, with a potential device launch in the third quarter of 2024, industry sources said on Tuesday. TM Roh, head of Samsung's Mobile Experience (MX) division, announced at the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 Unpacked event in Paris last July that the company would "create the ecosystem first before launching the device," suggesting the platform will focus on

November 19, 2024