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  Gov't seeks talks to bring home South Koreans held in North Korea SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - South Korea is seeking talks with North Korea to bring back six South Koreans being held there, the presidential office said on Thursday. It comes just a day after the revelation was made during President Lee Jae-myung's press conference with foreign media, marking the first anniversary of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle. When asked by a reporter from NK News about the South Korean detainees in North Korea and a December 4, 2025
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  POSCO Future M to work with US firm to co-develop solid-state battery materials SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - POSCO's battery-materials unit, POSCO Future M, has signed a partnership with U.S.-based Factorial Energy to co-develop next-generation solid-state battery materials, the South Korean company said Thursday. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Nov. 25 on the sidelines of the Future Battery Forum in Berlin. Factorial Energy selected POSCO Future M as a partner after testing cathode samples from multiple global suppliers and determi December 4, 2025
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  OPINION: South Korean politics faces perpetual crisis as debate and compromise disappear SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - South Korea's political system is currently severely dysfunctional. Politics is meant to be the art of discussion, negotiation, and compromise. However, this essential process is missing today. The country's two major parties have normalized the dangerous practices of "deciding without discussion" and "acting without debate," neglecting their role as representatives of the people. This procedural destruction undermines public tr December 4, 2025
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  December sees spike in traffic accidents SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - Traffic accidents caused by slippery roads are most frequent in December, according to a study released by insurance company Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance on Thursday. The analysis of some 2,120 accidents from November 2021 to February 2024 found that 53.9 percent occurred in December, compared to 36.6 percent in January. Despite having fewer snowy or rainy days in December, the average number of accidents per day was 82.5, higher than January December 4, 2025
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  Retroactive US tariff cuts remove uncertainty for Korean exporters SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - The United States has retroactively reduced tariffs on South Korean automobiles to 15 percent effective Nov. 1, following recent trade negotiations, South Korea’s government said Thursday. The two countries are working to ease related customs procedures for exporters, it added. The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a pre-release of the Federal Register on Dec. 3, with formal publication schedule December 4, 2025
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  Season's first snow expected in Seoul SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - The season's first snow is expected in Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas on Thursday, with sub-zero temperatures lingering, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. "A heavy snowfall is expected later in the day over a few hours, which may disrupt the evening rush hour," the KMA said, advising people to stay updated with the latest weather forecasts. The capital region may see 1 to 5 centimeters of snow, while northeastern December 4, 2025
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  Seoul lifts 2026 cap for foreign-currency sovereign bonds to $5 bn SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - South Korea has raised the ceiling for next year’s foreign-currency denominated sovereign bond issuance to $5 billion from $3.4 billion offerings this year, giving authorities more firepower to stabilize the won as demand for U.S. dollars can intensify to finance the government’s pledged $20 billion in annual U.S. investments. The stretch marks the largest foreign-currency borrowing capacity since crisis periods—$6 billion cap in 2009 a December 4, 2025
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  INTERVIEW: China's Roborock challenges Samsung, LG with high-end robot vacuums SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - Roborock is upending South Korea’s home appliance market — long dominated by Samsung and LG — by rapidly expanding its foothold with high-end robot vacuums. Priced at around 2 million won ($1,370), the company’s premium models have won over consumers and helped propel the robot vacuum segment to a 1 trillion won market. Roborock’s strategy of moving beyond cleaning into full home automation is setting a new benchmark for December 4, 2025
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  National team coach Hong Myung-bo arrives in Washington for World Cup draw SEOUL, December 4 (AJP) - National team coach Hong Myung-bo arrived in Washington, D.C., just days before this week's group draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Speaking to reporters at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Wednesday, Hong said, "Just qualifying for the World Cup is a great honor." When asked which countries would be ideal opponents for South Korea in the upcoming quadrennial sporting event next summer, which will be the first to fea December 4, 2025
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  INTERVIEW: South Korea's Tesolo targets global humanoid market with robotic hand SEOUL, December 04 (AJP) - South Korean robotic gripper maker Tesolo is positioning itself at the forefront of the emerging “physical AI” era, betting that its multi-joint robotic hand can become a core component of next-generation humanoids. The company plans to accelerate commercialization through partnerships with major Korean manufacturers and global humanoid robotics startups. In an interview, CEO Kim Young-jin said Tesolo’s competitive edge lies in its December 4, 2025