Naver Cloud, Siemens partner to bring AI to factory floors SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - Naver Cloud has joined forces with Siemens to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence across the manufacturing sector. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday at Naver 1784 in Seongnam, south of Seoul. Naver Cloud chief executive Kim Yu-won and Siemens Korea President Chung Ha-joong attended, alongside Cedrik Neike, a member of the Siemens managing board and chief executive of its Digital Industries division. Under the June 24, 2026

More South Koreans head to Japan, widening travel gap with neighboring country SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - More South Koreans have been traveling to Japan amid the weak yen, while far fewer Japanese tourists are visiting Seoul. According to entry and departure records from the Ministry of Justice, nearly 9.46 million South Koreans headed to Japan last year, compared with about 3.65 million Japanese travelers who visited South Korea during the same period. Japan also remained the most popular overseas destination for South Koreans this year. In April alone, mor June 24, 2026

KOSPI snaps back from record crash SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - The KOSPI snapped back at Wednesday's open, following a script Korean investors have come to expect, the market's worst one-day crashes are almost always met by a rebound, as retail buyers piled in even while foreign and institutional investors kept selling. The benchmark rose 3.5 percent, recovering roughly a third of the 910.71 points it lost in Tuesday's record plunge. Samsung Electronics led, jumping 7.4 percent to 333,000 won ($217), whi June 24, 2026

NC AI unveils upgraded Varco 3D model with sharper shape fidelity SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - NC AI, the artificial intelligence arm of South Korean game maker NC, announced it had completed development of Varco 3D 2.0, the latest version of its 3D asset-generation service. The new model builds on user feedback and in-house research gathered since the original Varco 3D launched last year, sharply boosting performance over its predecessor, the company said. NC AI said Wednesday the upgrade tackles distortion of original shapes, long regarded as the b June 24, 2026

Cart before the horse: Seoul is moving SOX SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - The cart has come before the horse. Tuesday's 12 percent crash in Korean chip bellwethers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix reverberated across the Pacific, dragging the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) down more than 7 percent and pushing the Nasdaq more than 2 percent lower. It was a reversal of the traditional order in which Wall Street dictated sentiment in Seoul. This time, Seoul exported volatility to New York. The shift reflects how de June 24, 2026

Netflix to stream entire Korea's Mise-en-scène festival films SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - Netflix will stream all 44 competition films from the 22nd Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival in South Korea for two weeks beginning Wednesday. The films will be available through July 7, following the festival's six-day theatrical run at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul, which ended Tuesday. Selected award winners will remain on the platform longer, with availability varying by title. The festival received 1,667 submissions this year before June 24, 2026

Korea fails to make MSCI's developed-market watchlist, KRW cited SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - South Korea was passed over once more in MSCI's annual market classification, denied even a place on the watchlist that marks the first step toward a developed-market upgrade, with the index provider again pointing to the local currency. In results released June 23 in New York, MSCI kept Korea in its emerging-market index alongside China and India, offering only continued monitoring of Seoul's reform drive. It advanced Bulgaria and reaffirmed Greece&# June 24, 2026

Han River pool opens as heat wave arrives early SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) -Seoul's outdoor swimming season has arrived unseasonably early, together with the early arrival of heat wave. The Seoul Metropolitan Government opened the facilities simultaneously on June 19, including swimming pools at Yeouido and Ttukseom and water play areas at Jamsil, Gwangnaru, Nanji and Yanghwa Han River parks. The Han River outdoor pools and water playgrounds are one of Seoul's most popular seasonal attractions. According to June 23, 2026

Korea launches specialized copyright police division SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - South Korea will launch a permanent law enforcement division on June 30 specifically designed to investigate international copyright infringement and protect its rapidly growing digital export economy. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that a cabinet-approved decree officially upgrades its existing anti-piracy task force into the permanent Copyright Special Judicial Police Division, reinforced by eight newly assigned investigators. June 23, 2026

Korea's new obsession: borrowing to buy stocks, not homes SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - South Korea's stock craze has reached a point where borrowing to buy shares is becoming more socially acceptable than borrowing to buy an apartment. The shift reflects a profound change in a country long defined by its obsession with real estate, as millions of Koreans pour into a handful of AI-related stocks in pursuit of rapid wealth creation. Tuesday's selloff offered a reminder of how fragile that enthusiasm can be. The benchmark KOSPI cras June 23, 2026