Former taxman named as Lee's new chief of staff SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - Former National Tax Service (NTS) chief Lim Kwang-hyun has been tapped as President Lee Jae Myung's new chief of staff, Cheong Wa Dae said on Wednesday. During his final press briefing, Lee's outgoing top aide Kang Hoon-sik, who offered to resign last month following a series of failed Cabinet nominations, announced Lim's appointment. Kang said Lim, a former lawmaker and economic bureaucrat with extensive administrative experience, had helped October 14, 2026

MMA2026 adds aespa, IVE to lineup SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - The Melon Music Awards has finalized a 26-act lineup featuring aespa, IVE and a reunited I.O.I for its first two-day event in November, Kakao Entertainment said Wednesday. The annual K-pop awards ceremony will take place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 14 and 15, with 14 acts performing on the first day and 12 on the second. The 11 newly announced performers include I.O.I, aespa, IVE, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, Dragon Pony, HANA, IDID, AEN, TUIDE an October 14, 2026

Korea's next AI mission: keep data centers cool at sea or in space SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - The cloud has outgrown the ground beneath it. Starved of power and unwelcome in more backyards, the data centers behind artificial intelligence are drifting out to sea and even into orbit, and South Korea's shipyards are drawing up the hulls. Global demand for data center capacity will climb from 82 gigawatts in 2025 to 219 GW by 2030, according to McKinsey & Company, with AI accounting for about 70 percent. The consultancy estimates the build-out w October 14, 2026

Fire at Ulsan chemical factory forces 7,000 workers to evacuate SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - A fire broke out at a chemical factory in Ulsan on Wednesday, prompting the evacuation of about 7,000 workers from a nearby construction site. According to fire authorities, emergency rescue workers were rushed to the scene after the fire was reported at around 9:40 a.m. at a chemical products manufacturer in Ulju in the southeastern industrial city. They are still working to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby facilities, with ab October 14, 2026

Revived FTC unit raids top food makers SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - South Korea's antitrust watchdog raided Daesang, Ottogi and CJ CheilJedang on Wednesday over suspected collusion on processed food. It is the first case for a revived investigation unit once feared as the “grim reaper” of corporate Korea, industry sources said. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is understood to have found signs that the three companies colluded for several years on products including items such as kimchi, tofu, and ed October 14, 2026

Tourism boom brings more foreign visitors but shorter stays SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - Foreign tourist arrivals to South Korea have jumped, but visitors are staying for fewer days and spending less on lodging and dining, prompting calls for the country to focus more on attracting long-stay tourists. According to data the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) submitted to lawmaker Jeong Yeon-uk of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday, the number of foreign tourists rose 71.7 percent to 18.94 million last year, up from 11.03 mil October 14, 2026

Ukraine war poses different stakes for South Korea, Japan SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - The Russia-Ukraine war is nearing the five-year mark with little sign of an exit, with both sides expanding attacks on energy infrastructure and extending the war’s repercussions to draw East Asian countries closer to the epicenter. Japan has entered a defense deal with war-engaged Ukraine to purchase battlefield-tested Ukrainian interceptor drones. South Korea is equally engaged with Kyiv but in the opposite direction — a diplomatic spat trig October 14, 2026

SK chairman's ex-wife forgoes appeal in $700 million divorce SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - Roh Soh-yeong, the daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo, has decided not to challenge a court ruling awarding her 944 billion won ($744 million) in her divorce settlement with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, leaving the billionaire's appeal as the sole challenge before the Supreme Court. Roh, 65, director of Art Center Nabi, a Seoul-based arts institution, did not file a cross-appeal before the midnight deadline on Tuesday. Her former October 14, 2026

KOSPI sees modest rebound as foreign investors keep selling SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - South Korean stocks pared an early rebound Wednesday morning as foreign investors extended their selling and gains in chip heavyweights faded, after the benchmark jumped more than 2 percent shortly after the market opened. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) stood at 6,063.71 as of around 10:20 a.m., up 28.36 points or 0.47 percent from the previous session. The index had surged more than 2 percent shortly after the open as bargain hu October 14, 2026

Hanwha expands independent board chairs across affiliates SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - Hanwha Group is expanding the appointment of independent directors as board chairs across its major listed affiliates to strengthen corporate governance and protect shareholder interests, the company said Wednesday. Hanwha Corp. appointed independent director Kwon Ik-hwan as its new board chair Wednesday. Hanwha Solutions has had an independent director serving as board chair since 2024. Kwon, a former senior prosecutor who joined Hanwha Corp.'s boar October 14, 2026