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  Seoul holds off US trade deal despite Japan's tariff edge SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korea is holding out in protracted trade negotiations with the United States and resisting pressure to sign a deal quickly even as Washington grants Japan a softer tariff regime that could erode Korean competitiveness. According to the Federal Register, the U.S. Commerce Department confirmed a preferential 15 percent tariff rate on Japanese automobiles and auto parts starting Tuesday, a significant discount from the 27.5 percent rate applied to September 16, 2025
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  KOSPI rises to new all-time high for 5th straight day SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index surged at the open on Tuesday, hitting a new all-time high for the fifth consecutive trading day and extending a historic rally. As of 9:23 a.m., the KOSPI was trading at 3,428.88, up 21.57 points (0.63 percent) from its previous close. The index opened strong at 3,421.13, immediately surpassing the record of 3,407.31 set just Monday. The new record marks the 11th consecutive session of gains for the index, dri September 16, 2025
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  Soundtrack of K-pop anime continues historic run on Billboard charts SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - One of the main theme songs from Netflix's hit South Korean anime "KPop Demon Hunters" stayed atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week, extending its streak on No. 1 for five weeks. "Golden" from the anime's soundtrack, claimed the No. 1 spot on the chart for a fifth week, becoming the "sole longest-leading hit by an animated act in the chart's 67-year history," Billboard said Monday. The song de September 16, 2025
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  Hyundai Motor averts strike with union deal SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor's labor union has reached a new wage and collective agreement with management, averting a full-scale strike after months of tense negotiations. The agreement was finalized after a vote by union members. According to the company, Tuesday, 52.9 percent of its union members who participated approved the deal. The new agreement includes a 100,000 won monthly increase in the base salary, a performance bonus package of 450 percent plus 15 September 16, 2025
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  Korean firms explore stakes in $45 billion Alaska LNG project SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - South Korean companies are emerging as early partners in a multibillion-dollar plan to export natural gas from Alaska, signaling growing alignment between Seoul’s energy ambitions and Washington’s push to expand liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Posco International last week became the first Korean firm to formally engage with Glenfarne Alaska LNG, the project’s developer, signing a preliminary agreement that covers potential LNG im September 15, 2025
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  Park Chan-wook's latest film wins award at Toronto film fest SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Director Park Chan-wook's latest film "No Other Choice" received an award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which wrapped up on Sunday. The thriller, an adaptation of American writer Donald E. Westlake's novel "The Ax," won the inaugural International People's Choice Award, a prize given to the most popular international film at the festival as voted by audiences. The feat came after the film's lead September 15, 2025
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  North Korea vows nuclear weapons program to remain 'irreversible' SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - North Korean state media on Monday condemned Washington for infringing on the country's sovereignty, citing a statement from its permanent mission to the U.N. in Vienna, where it reiterated that its status as a nuclear weapons state is "irreversible" under its constitution and vowed to "thoroughly oppose and reject" any attempt to change it. "We strongly denounce and reject the U.S. provocative act of revealing once again its September 15, 2025
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  K-beauty leaders sell assets, seek growth abroad as competition with indie brands intensifies SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - South Korea’s top cosmetics companies are accelerating restructuring efforts, selling assets and seeking new growth channels as they confront intensifying competition from a rising wave of independent K-beauty labels. Industry officials said Monday Aekyung Industrial, best known for its dual portfolio of cosmetics and household goods, is preparing for a transfer of ownership to Taekwang Group. Cosmetics account for 40 percent of its revenue and ge September 15, 2025
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  Hyundai E&C wins major seawater plant contract in Iraq SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Monday it had secured a contract worth more than $3 billion to build a seawater treatment plant in southern Iraq, one of the largest infrastructure projects the country has awarded in recent years. The agreement, signed Sept. 14 in Baghdad at the office of the Iraqi prime minister, is part of Iraq’s Gas Growth Integrated Project, an ambitious initiative that spans oil, gas, solar energy and water infrast September 15, 2025
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  [K-Tech] South Korean food technology company bets on chocolate without cocoa SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - On a recent afternoon, oval-shaped chocolate balls sat neatly on a platter at HN Novatech's research center. Their glossy shells promised indulgence, and the first bite delivered a familiar rush: creamy tartness followed by a flood of chocolate flavor. What the confection lacked was the very ingredient that defines chocolate. Instead of cacao, the morsels were made largely from plants like perilla seeds, almonds and coconuts — engineered to mimi September 15, 2025