Animation pioneer Nelson Shin, VFX leader Daniel Son to lead jury at WAIFF Seoul 2026

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - The World AI Film Festival Seoul 2026 (WAIFF Seoul 2026) has appointed animation pioneer Nelson Shin as a jury member and named Daniel Son, founder and chief executive of visual effects studio Westworld, as president of the jury, reinforcing Korea’s growing role in shaping the future of AI-driven filmmaking. The appointments bring together two figures representing different generations of global visual storytelling — from the foundations of m

December 26, 2025

OPINION: Illegal crypto operators on the rise in Korea

More operators are running virtual-asset businesses without reporting to South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit, in violation of the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information, commonly known as the Specified Financial Information Act. Despite the FIU’s hard-line enforcement through ongoing monitoring, user tips and cooperation with related agencies, information encouraging use of unreported operators — including false or exaggera

December 26, 2025

KAI signs $69 million deal to upgrade Philippines' FA-50PH jets

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a contract with the Philippines on Friday to upgrade 11 FA-50PH fighter jets for about 93 billion won ($65 million). The deal includes aircraft performance upgrades and follow-on logistics support for jets delivered between 2015 and 2017, with work to be completed by 2029, the South Korean aircraft manufacturer said. The upgrade will strengthen the FA-50PH's ability to operate precision-guided weapons, exten

December 26, 2025

Seoul's presidential office returns to Cheong Wa Dae Monday

SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will formerly begin work at the Cheong Wa Dae on Monday, making the end of the presidential office's temporary operation in Yongsan-gu. The official name of the president’s office will change from the Office of the President to Cheong Wa Dae on the same day. At midnight, the phoenix flag symbolizing the head of state will be lowered at the Yongsan presidential office to be raised at Cheong Wa Dae. Forme

December 26, 2025

Samsung to showcase unified AI vision in standalone CES 2026 exhibit

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - For the first time in its CES history, Samsung Electronics will operate a fully standalone exhibition space, breaking away from its long-established practice of presenting its products in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall. The move underscores Samsung’s push to position itself as a leader in connected AI ecosystems ahead of next year’s show. Samsung has secured a 4,628-square-meter venue at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, separat

December 26, 2025

Special counsel seeks 10-year jail term for ex-President Yoon over martial law case

SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) -A special counsel team on Friday asked a Seoul court to sentence former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 10 years in prison on charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power related to his short-lived martial-law declaration in December last year. It is the first request for sentencing on the disgraced president whose term was cut short in the wake of his Dec. 3 martial-law stunt. During the final hearing of Yoon’s obstruction-of-justice

December 26, 2025

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