Korean Inc. leaders seeking large-scale trip to China in January SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) -South Korea’s leading business leaders are seeking to visit China early next year as part of a large-scale economic delegation, a move that could coincide with a summit under discussion between President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to sources closed to the matter Monday. The delegation, expected to include Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Myung Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun December 23, 2025

Lee Jae-yong reviews next-generation chip technologies at Samsung R&D and manufacturing hubs SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the company's Giheung and Hwaseong semiconductor campuses on Monday to review research progress and manufacturing readiness for upcoming memory and system semiconductor technologies. Lee toured the NRD-K complex in Giheung, Samsung's advanced R&D hub dedicated to next-generation memory, foundry and system semiconductor development. The facility focuses on overcoming scaling limits in cutting-e December 22, 2025

Samsung HBM4 scores well with Nvidia, unnerving memory end users amid tight supply SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is poised to share next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) orders for Nvidia’s upcoming Rubin artificial-intelligence accelerator with SK hynix, after earning strong evaluations in final sample testing by Nvidia, people familiar with the matter said. Samsung is said to have received one of the most favorable assessments in early system-in-package (SiP) validation for its HBM4, marking a sharp turnaround from earlier hurdles December 22, 2025

Dedicated gallery for ancient gilt-bronze masterpiece opens in Buyeo SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - The Buyeo National Museum is set to open a dedicated exhibition hall on Tuesday, exclusively showcasing one of South Korea’s most celebrated artifacts: a gilt-bronze incense burner of the Baekje Kingdom. Unearthed on Dec. 12, 1993, at a temple site in Buyeo, the incense burner is regarded as a pinnacle of ancient craftsmanship. Its intricate design — featuring a dragon base, a phoenix finial, and a body adorned with immortals, exotic animals, December 22, 2025

North Korea-linked hackers found distributing malware via word files SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - A North Korea-linked hacking group has been detected running a cyber operation code-named "Artemis," which distributes malware through word files. South Korean cybersecurity firm Genians said on Monday that it traced the operation, which is believed to have been carried out by the group known as APT37. The operation started with spear-phishing emails disguising others to evade detection by security software. When victims opened the files, December 22, 2025

South Korean stocks lead broader Asian rally SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - South Korean stocks rallied on Monday, with the benchmark KOSPI reclaiming the 4,100 mark as Asian equity markets advanced broadly. In Seoul, the KOSPI rose 2.1 percent to close at 4,105.93, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ gained 1.5 percent to 929.14. Foreign investors turned net buyers for the first time in six sessions, helping lift the main index. Institutional investors bought a net 1.6 trillion won ($1.1 billion) worth of shares, while foreigners pu December 22, 2025

S. Korea develops the world's second-fastest bullet train SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - South Korea has finished the development of a next-generation bullet train designed to operate at 370 kilometers per hour, the transport ministry said Monday. The achievement positions South Korea as the world's second-fastest rail operator, after China, to operate commercial rail services at speeds exceeding 350 kilometers per hour. Finalized under a four-year national research and development program, the project focused on the EMU-370. This electr December 22, 2025

As won hovers at crisis-era levels, Seoul feels like the world's most expensive city SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Headline inflation in South Korea remains anchored around the mid-2 percent range, but many households say daily life feels increasingly unaffordable, as a weak won erodes purchasing power and amplifies price pressures across imported goods. Seoul now "feels like the most expensive city in the world," ahead of Tokyo and London, according to a recent British Time Out survey that asked residents in 100 global cities to assess their cost of living. December 22, 2025

No special amnesty planned for Christmas SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - There will be no special amnesty for next week's Christmas and New Year's holidays. According to sources from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Monday, President Lee Jae Myung has not started reviewing year-end pardons. Such special pardons typically take about a month from the Justice Ministry's review to a final decision. In August, just two months after taking office, Lee granted pardons to a total of 836,687 people including Cho Kuk, December 22, 2025

Lee set to move into Cheong Wa Dae as renovations near completion SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung is expected to move into Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul soon, as renovations of the sprawling presidential compound are nearly complete. Some staff have already moved in, with the presidential office's daily press briefings resuming there on Monday. Lee's relocation from the current office in Yongsan to Cheong Wa Dae is expected to be completed as early as early as next week. Once moved in, he will have a shared workspa December 22, 2025