Seoul to decide whether to lift ban on North Korean state media access

The South Korean government is weighing whether to allow public access to North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun and, more broadly, to ease restrictions on North Korean websites, as part of a policy review led by the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The issue will be discussed at a Cabinet-level meeting on Friday involving officials from the NIS, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Scie

December 26, 2025

Samsung moves to develop in-house GPU for next-generation AI devices

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics plans to introduce its first fully in-house graphics processing unit (GPU) as part of a new Exynos application processor scheduled for release in 2027, marking a major step in the company’s efforts to strengthen control over on-device AI performance. According to industry sources on Thursday, Samsung’s System LSI division is developing a proprietary GPU architecture to be integrated into the tentatively named Exynos 2800.

December 26, 2025

BTS Jimin extends record with 120th week atop Spotify South Korea artist chart

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Jimin of BTS has set a new record on Spotify South Korea's weekly artist chart, marking his 120th week at number one. According to data released by the streaming platform for the week of December 18, the singer remains at the top of the "Weekly Top Artists" chart. He is the first and only artist to reach the 120-week milestone since the chart's inception. The singer's run at the top is also reflected in the daily rankings. As of

December 26, 2025

KAIST researchers discover security flaw in architecture used by Google Gemini

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Researchers have identified a critical security vulnerability in the "Mixture-of-Experts" architecture used by major artificial intelligence models such as Google Gemini. The study reveals that a single "malicious expert" hidden within an AI's internal structure can bypass safety filters, increasing the rate of harmful responses from zero to 80 percent. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on De

December 26, 2025

Park Chan-wook film No Other Choice opens in five US cities ahead of national release

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Director Park Chan-wook's latest feature, "No Other Choice," opened in a limited release in five United States cities on December 25. Neon, the film's U.S. distributor, announced the Christmas Day opening via its website and social media channels. The film is currently screening in Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. According to the distributor, the release will expand nationwide in January. The film stars Lee

December 26, 2025

NYT: K-pop global peak raises questions about what comes next

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) -K-pop has never been more visible on the global stage, but its very success is now forcing a reckoning over where the genre goes next. A recent New York Times analysis argues that while K-pop has reached a new peak of cultural influence, it is also confronting structural limits that could shape its future trajectory. The paper points to the runaway success of KPop Demon Hunters, a Netflix animated film built around rival idol groups, as a symbol of K-p

December 26, 2025

Ex-Korean president faces closing hearing of insurrection-related trials

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) -Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will face a closing hearing Friday in a criminal case accusing him of obstructing an arrest and infringing Cabinet members’ constitutional rights in connection with his declaration of martial law. The hearing, scheduled for 10:15 a.m. at the Seoul Central District Court, marks the first time one of four insurrection-related cases involving Yoon has reached the final stage of arguments. Legal observers say

December 26, 2025

OPINION: South Korea's 2026 structural reforms must shift how wealth is built

The mission for next year is structural reform. If 2025 was the year to set the direction and strategy for change, the coming year must be about execution. Structural reform is often misunderstood as synonymous with layoffs or austerity, recalling the trauma of the Asian financial crisis. But its true meaning is different. At its core, structural reform concerns how an economy creates wealth — its mechanism of accumulation. For decades, South Korea’s accumulation m

December 26, 2025

Seoul elevates response to Coupang data breach, puts deputy PM in charge

SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) -South Korea has elevated its response to the massive personal data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang, placing the interagency investigation under the leadership of the deputy prime minister for science as concerns grow over accountability, transparency and regulatory oversight. The Ministry of Science and ICT said Thursday that the government will expand its joint task force probing the breach and have it chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Science Mini

December 25, 2025

BLACKPINK's Rosé's 'APT.' tops TikTok music chart, named Apple Music's song of the year

SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) - Rosé of BLACKPINK has once again demonstrated the global staying power of her hit single "APT.", following a string of major achievements across international charts. According to The Black Label, Rosé and Bruno Mars's duet "APT." was named Song of the Year by Apple Music, while also ranking No. 1 on Billboard's Global 200 and No. 9 on the Hot 100 year-end charts for 2025. The song also performed strongly on Tik

December 25, 2025