South Korea's Navy plans nuclear-powered submarines, drone carrier SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) - South Korea's Navy plans to develop nuclear-powered submarines and a drone carrier to strengthen its defenses against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the Navy said Tuesday. The Navy outlined its plans during a parliamentary defense audit at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, pledging to strengthen its forces through artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and advanced naval technologies. Under the government-led Jangbogo-N program, October 20, 2026

Samsung Bioepis wins 10-year rare disease drug deal in Brazil SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) - Samsung Bioepis will be the sole supplier of a rare blood disease treatment to Brazil's government-run market for 10 years starting next year, the South Korean biosimilar maker said Tuesday. The company signed a partnership agreement with Brazil's Ministry of Health to supply SB12, a biosimilar of Alexion's Soliris (eculizumab). Biosimilars are near-identical, lower-cost versions of biologic drugs. Brazil's health regulator, ANVISA, appro October 20, 2026

'KPop Demon Hunters' singer Ejae ties knot in Seoul SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) - Korean-American singer-songwriter Ejae, who earned global spotlight for her songs in Netflix's hit animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters," tied the knot with music producer and composer Sam Kim in Seoul over the weekend. According to U.S. fashion magazine Vogue on Monday, the couple held a private outdoor wedding in northern Seoul last Saturday. They had originally planned to marry in California in November but later changed their plans. The w October 20, 2026

Korean stocks tumble over 3% as foreign selling hits chipmakers SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) - South Korean stocks fell more than 3 percent Tuesday morning as heavy foreign and institutional selling battered semiconductor shares. The benchmark KOSPI fell 3.2 percent to 5,587.27 as of 10:30 a.m. (0130 GMT), after trading between 5,493.24 and 5,733.57. Foreign investors sold 605.8 billion won ($456 million) worth of shares, as institutions followed with 470.7 billion won worth of sale. Retail investors bought 832.1 billion won, helping cushion t October 20, 2026

Dormant financial accounts in South Korea surge to over 340 million SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) - More than 340 million financial accounts in South Korea had been left inactive as of the end of last year. According to data submitted by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) to lawmaker Park Sung-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Tuesday, the number of bank accounts and other financial accounts that had not been accessed for extended periods rose from 264.40 million at the end of 2021 to 341.91 million at the end of last year. October 20, 2026

Krafton to bring five games to G-Star as rivals sit out SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) - Krafton will showcase five titles at G-Star 2026, South Korea's largest game exhibition, the company said Tuesday, as most of the country's major publishers skip the Busan show this year. Nexon, Netmarble and NC are absent from the exhibitor lineup, leaving Krafton as the lone heavyweight in the main consumer hall. It shares that space with China's HoYoverse, Google Play and mid-sized Korean publisher Webzen, each of which also runs a booth o October 20, 2026

Samsung heirs join forces in JoongAng Ilbo rescue bid SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) -Descendants of Samsung’s founder have joined forces to rescue JoongAng Ilbo, one of the oldest South Korean newspapers established six decades ago, in a deal that would preserve its ties to the founding family. CJ Group and department store operator Shinsegae Inc. have teamed up with IT and financial services group DaouKiwoom in a consortium selected as the preferred bidder for the daily. The consortium beat five other bidders, including Orion and October 20, 2026

Trump downplays prospects of meeting North Korea's Kim during APEC SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) -U.S. President Donald Trump is willing to sit down with his Chinese and Russian counterparts to discuss nuclear disarmament on the sidelines of November’s APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, but is uncertain whether his agenda will include a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump welcomed the possibility of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin while October 20, 2026

Investors question AI boom, but Samsung's feud over windfall deepens SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) - Investors are moving on from Samsung Electronics amid quibbles over whether the AI boom is past its heyday, but inside the company employees are still fighting over their share of the profits it has already delivered. The simmering dispute has escalated into allegations of a physical confrontation between security personnel and a union leader representing disgruntled consumer electronics employees, prompting calls for an apology from Chairman Lee Jae-yong October 19, 2026

South Korea still in $6.1 billion Swiss air defense race SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) - South Korea remains a formidable candidate to supply Switzerland’s roughly 5 billion Swiss franc ($6.1 billion) second long-range air defense system, the Swiss defense ministry confirmed to AJP, denying that the contest has narrowed to a two-way race between French and Israeli suppliers. “Yes,” Switzerland’s Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, known as the VBS, replied when asked whether South Korea was still u October 19, 2026