Won visits 9-month high on suspected Seoul-Tokyo intervention SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) -The South Korean won briefly climbed to its strongest level against the dollar in nine months on Friday as traders speculated that Seoul and Tokyo had stepped into currency markets to head off yen carry-driven capital flight ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy decision. The won strengthened to 1,418 per dollar around 6 a.m., its strongest level since Oct. 20, 2025, before easing to around 1,435 by midday. The Korean currency since mid-July has staged a July 31, 2026

Arrival of new US envoy presents fresh test for alliance SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - The arrival of a new U.S. ambassador to South Korea would, under ordinary circumstances, have been a routine moment in the long history of the bilateral relationship. He or she would present credentials, offer familiar words about friendship and cooperation, and begin the quiet work of diplomacy. But these may not be ordinary circumstances. Michael Steel's arrival on Thursday has drawn unusual attention here, not so much because she is another Korean-Ameri July 31, 2026

AI chip boom begins to warm South Korea's broader domestic front SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Red-hot chip demand, which earned South Korea's two chipmakers 150 trillion won ($108 billion) in combined second-quarter operating profit — equivalent to about 6 percent of the country's entire 2025 nominal GDP — is beginning to warm the broader domestic front, with the AI boom spilling from exports into factories, construction sites and household spending. The latest government data suggest the country's semiconductor-driven expans July 31, 2026

North Korea says peninsula conflict matter of time SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - North Korea declared Friday that armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula is no longer a question of whether but of when, denouncing a personnel buildup at the US military command in Japan as proof that Washington is preparing for war in the region. The statement came days after Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost, commander of US Forces Japan, disclosed in an interview with Japan's Asahi Shimbun published Saturday that his headquarters had added 215 personnel over the July 31, 2026

Delta to operate temporary Incheon-Las Vegas flights for CES 2027 SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Delta Air Lines will operate temporary nonstop flights between Incheon and Las Vegas for Korean travelers attending CES 2027, the company said Friday. The special flights will depart from Incheon International Airport from Jan. 3 to 5 and arrive at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas ahead of CES 2027, which will be held from Jan. 6 to 9. Return flights from Las Vegas to Incheon will operate from Jan. 9 to 10. The Incheon-Las Vegas service will be July 31, 2026

SK's Chey buys first SK hynix stake before 20% rebound SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) —SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won made his first direct purchase of SK hynix shares just one day before the AI memory giant rebounded more than 20 percent, turning his buy-the-dip move into an immediate paper gain. A regulatory filing with the Financial Supervisory Service on Thursday showed Chey purchased 3,620 common shares of SK hynix earlier in the day at an average price of 1,353,677 won per share. The investment was worth about 4.9 billion won ($3.5 July 31, 2026

South Korean military nearly shot down U.S. drone near border SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - South Korean forces nearly shot down a U.S. Marine Corps drone flying near the inter-Korean border after front-line units failed to identify it as part of an allied exercise, military sources said Friday. The incident occurred Thursday afternoon in the northern border city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, where U.S. Marines were conducting training as part of KMEP, a combined exercise between the South Korean and U.S. Marine Corps. As part of the drill, the U.S. July 31, 2026

LG CNS Q2 profit falls despite higher revenue on cost pressure SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - LG CNS posted a 9.2 percent drop in second-quarter operating profit, as rising costs outweighed steady sales growth at the South Korean IT services provider. According to a preliminary regulatory filing released Friday, operating profit fell to 127.9 billion won ($89.1 million) in the April to June quarter from 140.8 billion won a year earlier, even as revenue climbed 4.2 percent to 1.52 trillion won. Net income rose 19.9 percent to 118.7 billion won. Th July 31, 2026

South Korea opens door to three more tech firms on KOSDAQ SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) — South Korea moved three more technology companies a step closer to the stock market after the Korea Exchange approved their preliminary applications for a KOSDAQ listing. The Korea Exchange's KOSDAQ Market Division said Thursday that Melcon, a manufacturer of precision temperature and humidity control equipment, Lablup, an artificial intelligence infrastructure software developer, and MBD, a medical device company, had passed the exchange's list July 31, 2026

 KAIST develops technologies to cut AI sensory hallucinations SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - South Korean researchers have developed two technologies that stop artificial intelligence from claiming to hear sounds that were never recorded or see objects that do not exist, a step toward AI systems reliable enough for self-driving cars, rescue robots, and hospitals. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said Friday that a team led by Professor Ro Yong-man from the institute's School of Electrical Engineering developed techn July 31, 2026