Welcome to the Coffee Republic of Korea SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) -South Korea’s passion for coffee was on full display this week as the 2026 Seoul Cafe & Bakery Fair Season 1 opened at SETEC in southern Seoul. The four-day exhibition runs from Feb. 25 to 28. The fair brings together the full spectrum of the cafe and bakery industry — from specialty coffee and artisanal bread to desserts, beverages and franchise services. Visitors can also attend consulting programs on startup planning and store operation February 25, 2026

South Korea targets $740 billion in exports this year SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - South Korea is aiming to boost exports by diversifying markets, extending its growth streak into a second consecutive year. At a meeting in Seoul on Wednesday, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-gwan unveiled plans to reach an export target of $740 billion this year. The goal follows last year's record $709.7 billion, which was driven by a historic surge in semiconductor exports. Citing growing uncertainty in the global trade environ February 25, 2026

Defiant Trump vows to stand firm on tariffs despite Supreme Court ruling SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled he would not back down on tariffs, despite a Supreme Court ruling against his tariff policy last week. "A very unfortunate ruling, but the good news is that almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal that they already made..... knowing that the legal power that I as president have to make a new deal could be far worse for them, and therefore they will continue to work along the same succ February 25, 2026

NewJeans' creator proposes settlement to HYBE to resolve NewJeans legal disputes SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - Min Hee-jin, the CEO of OOAK Records and former head of ADOR, has offered to waive a 25.6 billion won ($18.9 million) legal payout from HYBE in exchange for the termination of all ongoing litigation involving herself and the girl group NewJeans. During a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday, Min announced her willingness to give up the funds recently awarded to her by a court regarding a put option on her former ADOR shares. Her proposal requires February 25, 2026

LG's smart home robot 'Cloi', ultra-thin OLED TV take home iF Design awards SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - South Korean tech giant LG Electronics announced it has won 26 awards at the iF Design Award 2026, taking home accolades across multiple categories including product design, user experience, and architecture. The company's key award-winning products include the "LG Cloi," a home robot designed to interact with users by responding to human facial expressions, voice commands, and gestures. LG also won an award for its "LG OLED evo W6," February 25, 2026

The murmured question: Will Rhee become third BOK chief in second term? SEOUL, Feb. 26 (AJP) — That the Bank of Korea will keep the policy rate steady at 2.5 percent on Thursday is hardly in doubt. Whether Governor Rhee Chang-yong will still be holding the gavel beyond the April meeting is. Rhee’s four-year term ends on April 20, shortly after the next rate-setting meeting on April 10. Whether he remains in office will be decided next month. Under the Bank of Korea Act, the governor’s term may be extended once with presidential en February 25, 2026

Ferry service along Han River set to fully resume this weekend SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - Seoul's water ferry service along the Han River is set to resume its full operations this weekend, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday. The service was halted on some routes shortly after its bombastic launch in September last year due to a series of technical glitches and other problems. After being partially suspended for about 100 days, the service is set to fully resume on Sunday following the completion of safety inspections and ot February 25, 2026

China's Unitree Robotics unveils new robot dog with enhanced speed and mobility SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - Chinese robotics firm Unitree Robotics has unveiled the As2, a new quadruped robot with upgrades in speed, endurance and terrain-handling capability, as the company expands its lineup of compact size industrial capability robots. The Hangzhou-based company announced the As2 on its website on Tuesday, offering the robot dog in three variants — Air, Pro and Edu. Weighing about 18 kilograms with its battery, the machine's standout feature is its February 25, 2026

Except for chips, Korea now a laggard behind China in next-gen industries SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - With the exception of semiconductors, South Korea has slipped into laggard status behind China across most next-generation industries, from robotics and electric vehicles to batteries and autonomous driving, a government-backed report warned Tuesday, underscoring a widening competitiveness gap that is no longer narrowing. A study released by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET) found that China now holds comprehensive value-chain a February 25, 2026

BTS Comeback D-24 : Less hype over BTS' 'ARIRANG' tour concert live cinema booking SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - The last-resort seats for the first round of BTS comeback concerts are now open, but unlike the stampede over the group’s free open-air performance in central Seoul, the rush has been muted, suggesting many fans still prefer the atmosphere of sharing the same physical space with their idols. Advance bookings for the live cinema screenings of BTS’ “ARIRANG” tour opened Wednesday at 10 a.m. (KST) across South Korea’s thr February 25, 2026