KAIST uses quantum computing to design porous materials like LEGO blocks SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - The Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) has become the first in the world to apply quantum computing to the design of multivariate porous materials (MTVs), opening the door to new catalysts, membranes, and energy storage materials. MTVs are materials made of molecular building blocks that can be combined in different ways, much like LEGO pieces, to create tailor-made structures. They have potential uses in gas capture, selective September 9, 2025

Pilot program for hiring foreign domestic helpers suspended amid weak demand SEOUL, September 8 (AJP) - A pilot program allowing families to directly hire foreign domestic helpers has been terminated, according to the Ministry of Justice. The program was launched in March this year with the aim of addressing the country's extremely low birthrates by helping couples juggle childcare and housework, enabling them to work with fewer worries. However, it soon drew criticism, as some households could afford the service while some foreign workers were not en September 8, 2025

Alliance reaffirmed, substance lacking: Korean-American lawmaker on Lee–Trump summit SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - Two weeks after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and the United States President Donald Trump held their first summit, U.S. lawmakers are offering mixed assessments, praising its reaffirmation of ties but also pointing to unresolved challenges such as defense costs and trade issues. Rep. Young Kim, a Republican from California and one of the first Korean American women elected to Congress, said the summit served as a "necessary reaffirmation&qu September 8, 2025

Reliance on short-term visas exposes weak link in Korean projects in US SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - Korean companies building some of the largest industrial facilities in the United States are bracing for construction delays that could stretch up to two years, after stepped-up immigration enforcement exposed widespread reliance on short-term business visas for technical staff. Industry data compiled in the aftermath of last week’s raid on a Hyundai–LG Energy Solution battery plant in Georgia show that 22 projects worth about 145 trillion w September 8, 2025

Trump administration's immigration crackdown puts Korean firms in US on edge SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - Korean companies with sprawling manufacturing projects in the United States are bracing for major disruptions as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown, now extending its reach to foreign-led construction sites. The detention of hundreds of workers last week at a Hyundai Motor–LG Energy Solution battery plant under construction in Bryan County, Ga., has jolted South Korean executives and policymakers. Though officials in September 8, 2025

Lee meets with ruling and opposition leaders SEOUL, September 8 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung said Monday that national unity would be his top priority, as he met with the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul. The luncheon meeting came for the first time several weeks after Jung Chung-rae of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and Jang Dong-hyuk of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) were elected party leaders last month. Lee, who again wore his signature red September 8, 2025

[K-Pop] BTS' Brother band CORTIS drops teaser for 'FaSHioN' ahead of debut album release SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - CORTIS, the new boy band from BigHit Music and the label's third act following BTS and TXT, unveiled a teaser video for their follow-up track "FaSHioN" on Sunday, one day before the official release of their debut album. The clip, released September 7 on HYBE Labels' YouTube channel, features dramatic scenes set against New Zealand's snow-covered mountains, a junkyard, and city streets, punctuated by a car-crash effect design September 8, 2025

KAIST develops new database technology that could make AI agents much smarter SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - The Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) has developed a new database system that brings together two types of databases, relational and graph, into a single, more powerful platform, the prestigious institute said Monday. The technology, called "Chimera," is expected to help create AI agents that can think more like humans by understanding not just simple facts but also complex connections between them. Relational databas September 8, 2025

Defense company LIG Nex1 establishes European hub in Munich SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - South Korean defense firm LIG Nex1 said Monday that it has opened a representative office in Munich, establishing its first operational hub in Europe. The office was inaugurated on Sept. 4 with a ceremony attended by LIG Nex1’s chief executive, Shin Ick-hyun, along with German officials and executives from European defense firms. The company said the Munich office will serve as a platform for deeper collaboration with European partners in resea September 8, 2025

E-cigarette users show higher nicotine addiction than traditional smokers, study finds SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - Users of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products may be more dependent on nicotine than conventional cigarette smokers, according to a government-commissioned study released Monday, challenging industry claims that the alternatives are less addictive or less harmful. The research, conducted by the Korea Association on Smoking or Health at the request of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, surveyed 800 smokers between the ages of 20 and 69 nation September 8, 2025