Seoul hopes for China's 'constructive role' amid Xi's possible visit to Pyongyang SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - South Korea hopes that any possible visit to North Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping would contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Cheong Wa Dae said on Thursday. "We expect China to play a constructive role on Korean Peninsula issues," it said, adding that the government has been "monitoring relevant developments." The remarks came after Xi is reportedly set to visit to Pyongyang as early as next week, after ho May 21, 2026

Subnautica 2 sells 4 million copies in five days after early access launch SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - Subnautica 2, the underwater survival sequel developed by Krafton's creative studio Unknown Worlds Entertainment, has sold about 4 million copies worldwide within five days of its early access release on May 15. The title, built on Unreal Engine 5 and set on a new alien ocean planet, logged 1 million sales at launch before surging past 2 million within the first 12 hours. Peak concurrent players on Steam reached about 467,000, while average daily active use May 21, 2026

Samsung Live: Stock jumps 6% on labor accord, lifting KOSPI SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - South Korean stocks jumped Thursday after Samsung Electronics and its labor union reached a last-minute tentative wage agreement led by Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon, easing fears of a large-scale strike at the country’s biggest chipmaker. Relief over the suspension of the planned strike fueled a sharp rally in Samsung Electronics shares, which jumped 6.43 percent to 293,750 won as of 9:33 a.m., helping lift the benchmark KOSPI 5.42 percent higher to 7,59 May 21, 2026

Fuel tax cut to be extended for another two months SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - The Ministry of Finance and Economy said Thursday it will extend the fuel tax cut for another two months through the end of July, citing mounting inflationary pressure from the prolonged conflict in the Middle East. Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said the decision was made after consultations with relevant ministries to help curb price increases. The current 15 percent tax cut on gasoline and the 25 percent cut on diesel, both set to expire at the end of thi May 21, 2026

South Korea Prepares for Local Election Campaign Season as Posters Fill Seoul Streets SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) -Stacks of campaign posters wait to be sorted as election officials inspect candidate materials at the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission in Seoul on May 20, on the eve of South Korea’s official campaign season for the June 3 local elections. Beginning May 21, the country’s streets, subway exits and neighborhood intersections will transform into a sea of banners, loudspeakers and campaign trucks as candidates fan out nationwide for 13 days of ra May 21, 2026

AJP Watch: Samsung closes pay gap with SK hynix in landmark semiconductor labor accord SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) -Samsung Electronics employees in its memory-chip division could receive performance bonuses of up to 600 million won ($440,000) this year under a landmark labor agreement that mirrors — and in some cases surpasses — rival SK hynix’s uncapped AI-era reward system that has transformed compensation expectations across Korea’s semiconductor industry. The provisional wage deal reached late Wednesday ties Samsung’s new special semiconduct May 21, 2026

Samsung Live: Strike suspended, union puts the agreement to vote until May 27 SUWON, May 20 (AJP) -Samsung Electronics narrowly avoided a closely watched 18-day general strike late Wednesday after marathon last-minute negotiations led by Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon produced a tentative wage agreement between management and the company’s largest labor union. The deal halted what could have become the biggest labor disruption in the history of the world’s largest memory chipmaker, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of the global DRAM market and May 20, 2026

Samsung Live: Samsung Union halts historic strike after eleventh-hour wage deal SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' largest labor union on Wednesday night suspended its planned full-scale strike, narrowly averting a historic walkout just an hour before it was scheduled to begin. The dramatic breakthrough came after management and union leadership reached a tentative agreement on the 2026 wage negotiations. "The general strike scheduled from May 21 to June 7 will be suspended until further notice," the union’s joint strike committ May 20, 2026

Korea's Lee ratchets up rhetoric on Israel, labor unrest and corporate ethics SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivered an unusually combative series of remarks Wednesday, lashing out at Israel over its seizure of aid vessels carrying South Korean activists, warning Samsung Electronics labor unions not to “cross the line” ahead of a major strike, and condemning fashion platform Musinsa for what he called the mockery of South Korea’s democracy movement in a controversial advertisement. The remarks, made during a Ca May 20, 2026

US embassy in Seoul hosts artist Park Ju-eon for Freedom 250 campaign SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - SEOUL — The United States Embassy in Seoul hosted South Korean contemporary artist Park Ju-eon for a special exhibition and talk on Wednesday afternoon, using cultural diplomacy to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of the country's founding. The event took place at the US Charge d'Affaires' residence near central Seoul. The gathering served as the second installment of Freedom of Expression: Freedom 250 U.S.-Korea Creative Dialogues. The y May 20, 2026