Excitement builds ahead of BTS' full-group comeback

SEOUL, January 6 (AJP) - Excitement is building for K-pop juggernaut BTS' full-group comeback in late March, with pre-events and other promotional activities already underway in Seoul. Promotional displays for the septet's fifth album, set for release on March 20, covered the staircases to the main hall of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts near Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on Monday. In a press release, their management agency Big Hit Music said, "BTS beg

January 6, 2026

Samsung breaks ground on $475 million low-carbon ammonia plant in US

SEOUL, January 06 (AJP) - Samsung's engineering unit Samsung E&A has begun construction of a low-carbon ammonia plant in the United States under the Wabash project. The firm said on Tuesday that it held a groundbreaking ceremony the previous day for the U.S. Wabash Low-Carbon Ammonia Project at the Hay-Adams hotel in Washington. The company signed an engineering, procurement and fabrication contract with Wabash Valley Resources in October valued at about 680 billion won

January 6, 2026

[CES 2026] South Korea's Doosan Bobcat showcases voice-controlled machinery

LAS VEGAS, January 06 (AJP) - South Korean construction equipment maker Doosan Bobcat unveiled next-generation equipment technologies at CES 2026 on Tuesday, highlighting artificial intelligence-based solutions aimed at improving productivity on jobsites. Vice Chairman Scott Park and Joel Honeyman, executive vice president for global innovation, presented AI-driven systems designed to simplify machine operation, reduce downtime and help equipment adapt to complex work environmen

January 6, 2026

OPINION: Massive data breach at Coupang exposes lax security and lack of accountability

SEOUL, January 6 (AJP) - Coupang, South Korea's leading e-commerce giant, has offered just 50,000 Korean won (about US$35) in compensation to customers affected by its massive data breach detected in late last year. It is a meager amount, considering that sensitive personal information including home addresses and phone numbers, was exposed. As the breach occurred on a platform widely used to purchase daily necessities such as bottled water, following data leaks at teleco

January 6, 2026

South Korea to strengthen protection of K-brands in China

SEOUL, January 06 (AJP) - South Korea’s intellectual property office said on Tuesday it signed a memorandum of understanding with its Chinese counterpart to deepen cooperation on intellectual property, on the sidelines of a South Korea–China summit held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The agreement, signed between the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), updates and expands a s

January 6, 2026

[CES 2026] LG Innotek showcases autonomous driving, EV solutions

LAS VEGAS, January 06 (AJP) - South Korea's LG Innotek unveiled future mobility solutions combining autonomous-driving and electric-vehicle technologies at CES 2026, the world’s largest technology trade show, on Tuesday. Exhibiting at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, the components maker gave a preview to South Korean reporters one day before the show opened. The company set up a roughly 330 square-meter booth near the entrance of the West Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Cent

January 6, 2026

Korean AI firm Upstage releases AI model as open source

SEOUL, January 06 (AJP) - South Korean artificial intelligence company Upstage said on Tuesday it has released its in-house large language model, Solar Open 100B, as open-source software. Solar Open is the first output of the Ministry of Science and ICT’s “Independent AI Foundation Model” project, in which Upstage is participating as the lead company. Upstage said it developed the model entirely in-house, overseeing the full process from data construction to tr

January 6, 2026

CES 2026: Hyundai Motor to start deploying self-developed robots in US plants in 2028

LAS VEGAS, January 06 (AJP) -South Korea's auto conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group will start training its self-developed fleet of robots for full deployment in U.S. assembly lines from 2030, according to its vision on “AI robotics” unveiled at the CES. At a CES 2026 media day held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, the group presented its overarching theme, “AI Robotics, From the Lab to Life,” signaling a shift beyond hardware- and

January 6, 2026

Lee, Xi push economic cooperation as summit sidesteps regional flashpoints

SEOUL, January 05 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Monday to deepen economic and technology cooperation and frame 2026 as a “year of full restoration” in bilateral ties, even as the summit conspicuously avoided addressing several sensitive security and geopolitical issues looming over the region. Meeting for about 90 minutes at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Lee called the talks the first state-level diplomati

January 5, 2026

OPINION: Intervention in Venezuela may be unjust unjust but what about inaction?

U.S. intervention in Venezuela has triggered swift criticism framed as a violation of international law. Civic groups, some governments and parts of the international community argue that forcibly removing a sitting president of a sovereign state sets a dangerous precedent that risks eroding the global order. These concerns deserve serious consideration, because legal norms exist precisely to restrain the use of force. But if the debate ends there, it avoids a more difficult q

January 5, 2026