South Korea avoids tougher contenders ahead of World Cup draw in Washington SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, has avoided strong contenders like Croatia and Uruguay in the upcoming group draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be take place in Washington, D.C. next week. The quadrennial global extravaganza, which will be the first to feature 48 teams and three host countries -Canada, Mexico, and the United States - will be held next summer. According to the football governing body, 42 teams have been assigned to f November 26, 2025

South Korean petrochemical firms seek approval for major restructuring deal SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Lotte Chemical and HD Hyundai Chemical have submitted a preliminary review request for their planned merger of petrochemical facilities, South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said on Wednesday. This marks the first restructuring case to move forward under a government-led initiative to revive the struggling petrochemical sector. Both companies operate naphtha cracking facilities within the Daesan petrochemical complex in South Chungcheong November 26, 2025

Seoul wields strongest-yet rhetoric to reverse KRW slide toward historic lows SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea must establish a new management framework for the National Pension Service (NPS) — the world’s third-largest pension fund and a market force amplified by an aging population already accounting for 20 percent of the nation — as its outsized footprint increasingly shapes both the capital market and the Korean won’s plunge to record-weak levels, the country’s top financial chief warned Wednesday. In a rare press br November 26, 2025

LS Electric secures largest-ever power equipment deal in US SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s LS Electric said on Wednesday it has secured a $315 million contract to supply high-voltage transformers in North America, the largest deal in the company’s history. The agreement, signed with a major U.S. private utility, covers the delivery of 525-kilovolt transformers to renewable energy facilities across the southeastern U.S. through 2029. The equipment will serve as critical power sources for large data centers in the November 26, 2025

Asian stocks reinvigorated by Google's AI fuel SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Asian stocks snapped out of their correction phase Wednesday as renewed euphoria over Alphabet’s “Gemini 3.0” reignited AI-driven appetite and lifted sentiment across the region. The benchmark KOSPI gained 1.9 percent to close in on the 4,000 mark in the morning earnings session. Institutions returned in force, with domestic institutions buying 702 billion won and foreign institutions 1.223 trillion won. Confidence also improved after F November 26, 2025

Lee returns home after 10-day multi-nation tour SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung returned home after his 10-day overseas trip to the Middle East and Africa. He arrived at a military airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province at 8:20 a.m., where he was greeted by key officials including Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik. Starting with a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, Lee traveled to Egypt before attending the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Johannesbu November 26, 2025

HBM chips are now edible in rare chipmaking collabo SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Chips responsible for a quarter of South Korea’s exports are now edible — coated with honey and banana — thanks to a rare collaboration between convenience-store chain 7-Eleven and memory behemoth SK hynix. The new 7-Select Honey Banana Flavor snack plays on this year’s buzzword, HBM (high bandwidth memory) — the ultra-fast DRAM that powers Nvidia chips and other AI accelerators, and which accounts for about 70 November 26, 2025

KAIST to test plasma thruster for small satellites on Nuri rocket SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said on November 26 that its cube satellite K-HERO will fly on South Korea's Nuri rocket early tomorrow to test a next-generation plasma thruster designed for small satellites. Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, is the country's first fully domestic launch vehicle. The upcoming fourth launch is scheduled for November 27 at 0:55 a.m. from the Naro Space Center in Goheung. It is also the firs November 26, 2025

Mourners flock to memorial altar to pay respects to tireless actor SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - A steady stream of mourners from all walks of life are paying their last respects to actor Lee Soon-jae at a memorial altar in Seoul on Wednesday. Lee, widely regarded as one of South Korea's most distinguished and prolific actors, died at the age of 91 at his home in the traditional wealthy district of Seongbuk-dong in northern Seoul the previous day, with his family by his side in his final moments. His memorial altar set up at Asan Medical November 26, 2025

SK Telecom teams up with Samsung for commercialization of 6G network SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s SK Telecom said on Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Electronics to jointly develop next-generation mobile technology, focusing on AI-based radio access networks (AI RAN) to support the eventual commercialization of 6G. Under the partnership, research will be jointly carried out by SK Telecom’s network technology division and Samsung Research. SK Telecom will contribute data and infrastructure November 26, 2025