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  South Korea, Czech Republic forge ministerial framework to fast-track Dukovany nuclear project SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - South Korea and the Czech Republic agreed to establish a ministerial-level consultative body to oversee the construction of two nuclear reactors at the Dukovany site, as both nations deepen an energy partnership worth about 26 trillion won ($18 billion). South Korean Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan met newly inaugurated Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his counterpart Karel Havlicek in Prague on Monday (local time) at the Czech gover February 18, 2026
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  Big tech giants ramp up hiring of Korean semiconductor engineers as AI chip race intensifies SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - Major U.S. technology firms including Nvidia, Google, and Tesla are aggressively recruiting South Korean semiconductor engineers, zeroing in on the country's deep pool of expertise in high-bandwidth memory as the global race for artificial intelligence hardware accelerates. The hiring push marks a significant escalation from earlier years, when recruitment of Korean chip talent was largely confined to memory makers such as Micron Technology and mobile February 18, 2026
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  OPINION: When a Chat App starts making decisions for you Not long ago, choosing a restaurant in Seoul required some effort. You searched on Naver. You skimmed blog reviews. You checked ratings on Kakao Map. You compared prices. You asked friends on KakaoTalk. Sometimes, you still had to make a phone call. Soon, it may take one sentence. “Find me a quiet wine bar in Gangnam.” Within seconds, a list appears on the screen. Photos, location, price range and user ratings are displayed. For restaurants linked to KakaoT February 18, 2026
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  ASIA INSIGHTS: Robots on Chunwan stage: What China is signaling to Asia China’s Spring Festival Gala, known as Chunwan, is more than a television program. At 8 p.m. on Lunar New Year’s Eve, nearly 1.4 billion people turn their eyes to television and mobile screens at the same time. That moment functions as a national ritual and a shared narrative. It is a cultural event, a political message and an entertainment program — and also a showcase of industrial strategy. Each year, China uses this stage to declare where it is headin February 18, 2026
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  U.S. surges in 5G standalone adoption as South Korea holds second in download speeds, report finds SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - The United States is rapidly consolidating its lead in 5G standalone (SA) deployment, while South Korea continues to rank among the world's fastest networks by download speed, according to a report released Wednesday by global network intelligence firm Ookla. The report, which assessed the state of 5G SA and 5G Advanced worldwide, said U.S. standalone adoption surged 8.2 percentage points over the past year to reach 31.6 percent, driven by the sequenti February 18, 2026
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  S.Korea's curling team slip to fourth after Switzerland defeat, bobsled pairs finish outside top 10 SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - South Korea's women's curling team dropped to fourth place in the round-robin standings after falling to world No. 1 Switzerland 5-7 on Wednesday, putting their semifinal push under increased pressure at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Kim Su-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun and fifth Seol Ye-ji — the squad known as "Team 5G" — were edged out at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Corti February 18, 2026
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  Korean President vows to correct housing "fantasy" in Lunar New Year message SEOUL, February 17 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday underscored his core governing goal — to correct what he called the nation’s “housing fantasy” and build a safe and peaceful society grounded in fairness, reason, growth and shared prosperity. In his Lunar New Year message posted on social media platform X, Lee said he never sought political power for personal ambition, but to gain the authority needed to confront structural injustice, February 17, 2026
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  EDITORIAL: Asia's moment written in tears — Japanese skaters' golden triumph When the scores were announced, time seemed to pause. For a brief moment, the arena held its breath. Then came the roar — and then, more quietly, the tears. On the ice of Milan, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara did not celebrate like conquerors. They collapsed into each other’s arms, trembling, overwhelmed, as if the weight of years had suddenly fallen away. Their sobs were not only of joy. They were the release of doubt, of fear, of nights spent wondering wheth February 17, 2026
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  A long ride back to Seoul as holiday winds down SEOUL, February 17 (AJP) -Heavy traffic clogged major highways across South Korea on Tuesday as millions of holiday travelers began returning to Seoul as the long Lunar New Year holiday ends on Wednesday. According to the Korea Expressway Corp., travel times to Seoul as of noon had lengthened sharply, with trips from Busan taking up to 10 hours, Ulsan 9 hours and 40 minutes, Daegu 9 hours, Mokpo 9 hours and 20 minutes, Gwangju 8 hours and 50 minutes, and Daejeon 4 hours and 40 minu February 17, 2026
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  ASIA INSIGHTS: India's AI summit and Asia's quiet inflection point Global leaders and technology executives gathering in New Delhi this week for India’s artificial intelligence summit are not simply attending another diplomatic forum. They are meeting at a moment when the direction of technological change feels unusually consequential. The summit, attended by more than 20 heads of state including Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reflects how deeply artificial intellige February 17, 2026