Executives account for less than 1% at South Korea's top 100 companies SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) - Executives have made up just less than 1 percent of employees at South Korea's top 100 companies for five consecutive years. According to an analysis of the country's 100 largest companies by sales, compiled by the Korea CXO Research Institute and released on Monday, the number of executives rose by 109 or 1.6 percent from 7,028 to 7,137. Despite the slight increase, executives accounted for just 0.83 percent of the total workforce, up from 0.82 October 19, 2026

Four-legged robots to patrol Cheonan parks in Korean first SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) - Four-legged robots will patrol riverside trails and parks in Cheonan, a city south of Seoul, after regulators approved South Korea's first trial of legged robots on pedestrian paths, the city government said Monday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources' regulatory sandbox committee granted the trial a special exemption on Oct. 13, on condition that it meets additional requirements. The decision lets the robots patrol Cheoncheon Stream, C October 19, 2026

Japanese PM makes additional offering to controversial shrine SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made an additional offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on Monday, Japanese media reported. According to Kyodo News and other Japanese media, Takaichi sent a monetary offering, known as "tamagushi-ryo" on the final day of the controversial shrine's three-day autumn festival. The move came despite South Korea's expression of regret over her earlier offering, known as "masakaki," which s October 19, 2026

AI debt scare knocks Seoul and Tokyo stocks at open SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) -Wall Street jitters over debt-financed AI spending amid expectations of faster interest-rate hikes weighed heavily on Asian markets Monday, hitting chip-heavy Seoul particularly hard. The KOSPI fell 3.2 percent at the open before foreign investors turned net buyers and helped halve the loss. They had sold more than 11 trillion won ($8.2 billion) of South Korean shares last week. Decliners outnumbered gainers 615 to 221. The benchmark traded at 5,576.1 October 19, 2026

Samsung Biologics pitches one-stop ADC services in US SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) - Samsung Biologics courted drugmakers in San Diego last week with an offer to take antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) from early research to commercial production at a single site, the South Korean contract manufacturer said Monday. The company ran its own booth for a third straight year at World ADC San Diego 2026, which drew more than 400 companies and over 1,300 attendees from Oct. 12 to 15. ADCs, often called guided missiles, attach a potent cancer-killi October 19, 2026

Trump confidant Sen. McCormick likens US-Korea ties to 'marital counseling' SEOUL, October 19 (AJP) -U.S. Senator Dave McCormick likened Washington’s reset of relations with Asian allies including South Korea to marital counseling, saying adjustments were needed to build stronger partnerships. The Pennsylvania Republican made the remarks Friday at the Hudson Institute in Washington during a discussion with Mike Gallagher, a former chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. “And you’re in marital counseling, b October 19, 2026

USFK chief's DMZ remarks spark sovereignty row SEOUL, October 18 (AJP) - South Korea's defense ministry on Sunday distanced itself from U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson's remarks that South Korea begins at the southern edge of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), calling them his personal views as the United Nations Command (UNC) sought to clarify its position. Brunson made the remarks Wednesday at a forum hosted by the Gold Institute for International Strategy in Washington. Brunson, who also heads the UNC an October 18, 2026

Hyundai Motor to deploy humanoid robots at new factories after 2032 SEOUL, October 18 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group plans to deploy humanoid robots at new manufacturing plants after 2032 as part of a broader push to automate vehicle production using artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The automaker outlined its plans ahead of E-FOREST Tech Day 2026, scheduled for Oct. 19–21 at Hyundai Motor and Kia's Uiwang Research Institute in Gyeonggi Province. The event will showcase around 200 manufacturing technologies, including automation, AI October 18, 2026

South Korea's pension fund sees $128B drop in stock holdings' value SEOUL, October 18 (AJP) - The estimated value of South Korea's National Pension Service (NPS) stock holdings fell by 182.4 trillion won ($128 billion) in just over three months, driven largely by sharp declines in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix shares, industry data showed Sunday. According to financial data provider FnGuide, the combined market value of the NPS's stakes in 287 listed companies, in which it disclosed holdings of at least 5 percent as of June 30 or Oct. 15, October 18, 2026

BOK eyes January launch of cross-border won payment system SEOUL, October 18 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea (BOK) is testing an international version of its payment system to facilitate cross-border transactions in Korean won, with a formal launch targeted for January 2027, Governor Hyun Song Shin said Saturday. Speaking at the Group of Thirty (G30) International Banking Seminar in Bangkok, Thailand, held alongside the G20 and International Monetary Fund meetings, Shin outlined the central bank's plans to expand its large-value payment netwo October 18, 2026