BTS Comeback D-40: More than a pretty face — Jin *Editor’s Note — As BTS prepares to return as a full seven-member act with a new album set for March 20 and an open-stage performance at Gwanghwamun on March 21, following a near four-year hiatus for rotational military service, AJP revisits the group’s 13-year trajectory. This series reexamines BTS’s history, music, performance identity and enduring appeal. The second installment traces the BTS member Jin's roots and growth. SEOUL, February 09 (AJP) - February 9, 2026

Agriculture minister dismisses further tariff-related pressure from US SEOUL, February 9 (AJP) - South Korea is unlikely to be pressed to open its agricultural market further beyond the scope of last fall's broader tariff-related deal with the U.S. Dismissing doubts, Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong made the remarks during a press briefing at the government complex in Sejong on Monday, when reporters asked whether South Korea's move to expand imports of American potatoes was made at Washington's request. She clarified that the impor February 9, 2026

Korea joins global AI bet, tripling spending in 2026 SEOUL, February 09 (AJP) - The bill for artificial intelligence is stretching at a staggering pace, and South Korea is joining the race by tripling government spending on AI to 10.1 trillion won ($6.9 billion) this year. Even so, Seoul's commitment is a small splash in a rapidly deepening global pool. Big Tech alone is poised to pour roughly $650 billion into AI-related capital expenditure in 2026. Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft plan between $635 billion and $665 billio February 9, 2026

BTS Comeback D-40: Police to deploy task force as Seoul concert expected to draw 260,000 SEOUL, February 09 (AJP) - Seoul police are bracing for a massive influx of up to 260,000 people next month as K-pop band BTS returns to the stage for a high-profile comeback performance in the heart of the capital. Park Jeong-bo, commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, announced Monday that a dedicated task force led by the deputy commissioner for public safety has been established to manage the event. During a regular press briefing, the commissioner said every dep February 9, 2026

Krafton posts record Q4 revenue on mobile game growth SEOUL, February 09 (AJP) - South Korean game developer Krafton reported a 49 percent growth in fourth-quarter revenue a year earlier, driven by strong performance from its mobile titles and cross-platform collaborations. Revenue for the final quarter of 2025 reached 919.7 billion won ($628.5 million), up from 617.6 billion won a year earlier, according to a regulatory filing released Monday. Operating profit plunged to 2.4 billion won from 215.5 billion won as the company set aside February 9, 2026

Sika deer at play in the snowy Mt. Halla JEJU, February 09 (AJP) -A herd of sika deer bounds across a snow-covered horse grazing field on Mount Hallasan in Jeju on Monday, after heavy overnight snowfall blanketed the region in white. As the snow eased earlier in the day, the deer emerged to roam freely across the quiet landscape, their gentle movement bringing life to the stillness of winter. February 9, 2026

Samsung Elec gets head start in HBM4 race, SK hynix plays it cool SEOUL, February 09 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has moved a step ahead in the race to commercialize next-generation high-bandwidth memory, shipping early samples of its HBM4 chips and preparing for mass supply, according to industry sources. In the sixth-generation memory standard expected to power future artificial intelligence accelerators from Nvidia and Google, Samsung appears to have gained an early edge over local rival SK hynix, which currently dominates the HBM market. A February 9, 2026

Lee congratulates Japan's PM on landslide election win SEOUL, February 9 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung on Monday congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on her party's landslide victory in a snap election the previous day. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lee said he "sincerely congratulates" the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-led coalition on securing a majority in Japan's House of Representatives. Wishing for Japan's continued development under Takaichi's leadership, he recalled hi February 9, 2026

Hundreds of fat cats at major businesses to face axe in 1st half SEOUL, February 9 (AJP) - Nearly half of outside directors at major businesses in South Korea will see their terms expire in the first half of this year, a study shows. Corporate tracker Korea CXO Institute surveyed the country's 50 largest companies and found they had around 1,235 outside directors as of this month. Of them, 543 or 44 percent are scheduled to have their terms end in the first half of this year. Among conglomerates, SK Group had the most with 85, followed February 9, 2026

Military helicopter crashes in Gapyeong, killing two crew members SEOUL, February 9 (AJP) - A military helicopter crashed in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province on Monday, killing two crew members, according to military authorities. The South Korean Army said the AH-1S Cobra went down at about 11:04 a.m. during training, which involved practicing emergency landings in conditions similar to an abnormal situation without shutting down the engine. The exact reasons for the crash were not immediately known. Two officers on board were rushed to a hospi February 9, 2026