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  Hyundai Rotem opens first rail component plant in US SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - South Korean rail manufacturer Hyundai Rotem has opened its first American production facility, a move aimed at aligning with Washington’s push to localize infrastructure supply chains. The 8,500-square-meter plant, called Hyundai Rotem Smart Electric America, officially opened on Wednesday (local time) in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, the company said Friday. Demand for rail infrastructure in Southern California is likely to surge ahead of September 19, 2025
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  Rosé's catchy song amasses over 2 billion views on YouTube SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - Rosé, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, continues to break records with her catchy song "APT." According to her management agency, the global hit, a collaboration with American pop star Bruno Mars, amassed over 2 billion views on YouTube in about a year after its release in October last year. With the latest feat, she now has another music video surpassing 2 billion views on the American streaming giant, adding to the quartet September 19, 2025
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  INTERVIEW: Climate expert urges Seoul's new climate ministry to finalize NDC SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea must commit to a long-term pathway to reduce carbon emissions now that it is set to launch a new ministry integrating energy, climate, and environmental functions, said a leading climate scientist. "The most urgent task for the ministry would be to finalize the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)," said Axel Timmermann, director of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Center for Climate Physics at Pusan National Unive September 18, 2025
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  Seoul opts for promotion-first and regulation-later approach on AI deployment SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea has chosen a middle path between Europe’s strict rules and U.S.’s hands-off stance in global race to govern artificial intelligence. The Ministry of Science and ICT this week detailed the criteria for high-impact AI systems pertinent to the Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and Establishment of Trust" dubbed as the AI Basic Act due to take effect next January. Seoul will be the second jurisdiction after th September 18, 2025
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  The sky's the limit for K-ramyeon riding on Demon Hunters craze SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - The challenge of slurping fiery-hot ramyeon is nothing new. But when a chart-topping K-pop trio does it in a Netflix hit that becomes the platform's most-watched animated film, the sales surge – and stock rally – for Korean snack makers can be staggering. Instant noodle giant Nongshim, featured as a motif in "KPop Demon Hunters," closed Thursday at 481,500 won ($347), up 24.6 percent from a year ago. Nearly 30 percent of that j September 18, 2025
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  Gov't launches task force to tackle US visa issues after Georgia immigration raid SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - The government launched an interagency task force to address issues related to U.S. visas. The task force, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, aims to ensure that the concerns raised by South Korean businesses are reflected during negotiations with the U.S. The move follows the weeklong detention of hundreds of South Korean workers during a sweepi September 18, 2025
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  KB Financial pivots to artificial intelligence to lead Asian banking Editor's Note: This article is the 36th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest financial group is making a high-stakes wager on artificial intelligence, betting that the technology will reshape the future of banking in Asia and cement its dominance in the region’s fast-changing financial September 18, 2025
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  Georgia immigration raid prompts calls for special visa program for South Korean workers SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Despite Seoul's massive $350 billion investment pledge to Washington, a sweeping U.S. immigration raid early this month led to the detention of hundreds of South Koreans working at a joint electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Georgia. The incident severely disrupted South Korean companies' plans to send skilled workers to the U.S. for productivity and quality control. The raid underscores the need for clear and consistent v September 18, 2025
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  Korea's drug crisis spikes, treatment gap widens SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - South Korea, once hailed as drug-free, is confronting a fast-rising drug crisis with young adults most affected and treatment systems lagging to raise long-term public health concerns. From January through August, authorities confiscated 2,810 kilograms of illegal drugs — 3.5 times the 787 kilograms seized in all of 2024, Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Il-young said Thursday, citing data from the Korea Customs Service. The haul, equivalent to a September 18, 2025
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  Samsung Electronics will receive $250 million grant from Texas SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics will receive a $250 million grant from the state of Texas to support its semiconductor expansion, Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday (local time). The funds, allocated from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund, are separate from the $4.7 billion in federal aid Samsung secured last year under the CHIPS Act. The new grant was announced after Abbott met with Kyung Kye-hyun, Samsung’s vice chairman, in Austin on Sept. September 18, 2025