North Korea launches ballistic missile into East Sea SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile into the East Sea, military authorities said on Friday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected suspicious activities at around noon, shortly before the missile was fired from North Pyongan Province. According to JCS, the missile, believed to be short-range, flew 700 kilometers before splashing into the sea near Kilju in North Hyanggyong Province. Friday's launch is the seventh this November 7, 2025

Samsung Heavy secures $199 million order to build two crude oil tankers SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Samsung Heavy Industries said on Friday that it had secured an order worth about $199 million to build two crude oil tankers for a North American client, with delivery scheduled by January 2029. The deal brings the company’s total orders this year to $5.6 billion, or about 83 percent of its $5.8 billion target for merchant ships. “Following an $800 million preliminary order for offshore production facilities and a recent letter of intent November 7, 2025

Asian markets fall, KRW breaches crisis-linked 1,450 per USD SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Asian shares fell sharply in early Friday trading as investors reacted to overnight losses on Wall Street, sending South Korea’s benchmark indices below key thresholds and pushing the Korean won past a psychologically critical level historically associated with periods of upheavals. The won weakened rapidly in morning trade, with the dollar rising to 1,454.8 won as of 10:20 a.m. in Seoul. The breaches of the 1,450 level have typically coincided with November 7, 2025

Korea's Kakao posts record Q3 earnings, eyes AI-driven boost in Q4 SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Kakao reported its strongest quarterly earnings ever in the third quarter, with operating profit surpassing 200 billion won ($138 million) for the first time since its founding and expects the rollout of ChatGPT-powered services to offer meaningful boost to the chat platform most Koreans use starting fourth quarter. According to its regulatory filing Friday, Kakao’s consolidated revenue reached 2.087 trillion won in the July–September period, November 7, 2025

K-food exports surge in Middle East, North America SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - South Korea’s exports of food and agricultural products climbed 5.7 percent to $11.24 billion this year, buoyed by strong demand for ramen, beverages, and other Korean food products across global markets, the government said on Friday. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, agricultural and food exports rose 5 percent to $8.56 billion, while exports in the broader agricultural industry — including anima November 7, 2025

PHOTOS: Enjoy autumnal foliage before winter sets in SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) - Mild, warm weather is expected with daytime highs hovering above 20 degrees across the country on Friday, a day known as Ipdong or the beginning of winter in the lunar calendar. As unseasonably warm temperatures persisted through September and October, with fickle weather bringing occasional cold chills, this year's autumn arrived late and is likely to recede soon before people can fully enjoy the season. With many trees and leaves yet to turn into thei November 7, 2025

Hyundai Motor signs strategic partnership with UK AI startup SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday that it has formed a strategic partnership with CuspAI, a British artificial intelligence startup, to accelerate the development of next-generation materials for mobility applications. The agreement was signed on Nov. 6 at CuspAI’s headquarters in Cambridge, England, where researchers are pioneering the use of generative AI, deep learning, and molecular simulation to design new materials with specific performanc November 7, 2025

OPINION: Investing in innovation is South Korea's best defense SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - Last week, the world’s attention turned to Gyeongju, where U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the APEC summit. The two leaders agreed to ease trade and resource tensions, offering a glimmer of hope for the global economy. Yet the thorniest issues — Taiwan, security, and the future of global supply chains — remain unresolved. Their meeting, the first since the 2019 G20 summit in Osak November 7, 2025

South Korea's Lotte Chemical opens petrochemical complex in Indonesia SEOUL, November 07 (AJP) - South Korea's Lotte Chemical said on Friday that it has completed construction of a massive petrochemical complex in Cilegon, a port city in Indonesia’s Banten Province. A completion ceremony was held Thursday, attended by Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Lotte Chemical Chief Executive Lee Young-joon and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The facility — called the Lotte Chemical Indonesia New Ethylene Complex, or LINE — November 7, 2025

Seoul reiterates its planned nuclear-fueled submarine fleet built at home SEOUL, November 7 (AJP) — Senior Seoul officials on Thursday reiterated that South Korea’s planned fleet of nuclear-powered submarines must be built domestically, arguing that constructing them in the United States would be “realistically” unfeasible. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told lawmakers during a parliamentary hearing that Seoul aims to develop “cost-effective nuclear-fueled submarines tailored to our operational needs, rather than ad November 7, 2025