Celltrion to court global partners at BIO 2026 SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - South Korea's Celltrion will join the BIO International Convention in San Diego from June 22 to 25, where it aims to recast itself as a global drug developer and broaden partnerships built on artificial intelligence, antibody-drug conjugates and multispecific antibodies. The annual gathering, the world's largest biotech business event, draws more than 1,500 companies, investors and research bodies and over 20,000 participants. Celltrion plans to use June 18, 2026

Seoul names new nuclear reactor sites amid AI demand SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - South Korea has designated two coastal counties to host its first new nuclear reactors in 15 years, a decisive step to secure the massive power supplies required for the country's expanding artificial intelligence and semiconductor sectors. The selection clears a major bottleneck for the country's long-term energy strategy. It formally revives projects scrapped by the previous administration's nuclear phase-out policy, addressing government war June 18, 2026

Lee builds strong bond with Trump at G7 summit SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung discussed a range of issues including North Korea with U.S. President Donald Trump during an official dinner concluding the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France on Tuesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Lee, who sat next to Trump during the dinner in Évian-les-Bains, which lasted about 90 minutes, was able to engage in more intimate talks with him. Lee expressed hope that Trump would play a constructive role and take an active p June 18, 2026

Anthropic lands in Seoul as US export curbs cloud its top AI models SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - Anthropic opened its first office in South Korea, pressing ahead with global expansion even as Washington's export controls on its most advanced artificial intelligence models cast a shadow over the launch. The U.S. company unveiled a partnership strategy spanning major firms such as Naver and Nexon on its Wednesday Korean office launch day, alongside research institutions and startups, signaling a determined push into a market it called one of its fastest June 18, 2026

Samsung launches mid-tier Galaxy A37 5G smartphone in South Korea SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday it will launch the Galaxy A37 5G smartphone in its domestic market on Friday. The new mid-range model is priced at 598,400 won ($434) and will be available through Samsung's retail stores, its official website, and local mobile carriers. The device will be offered in three colors: lavender, white, and charcoal. The Galaxy A37 5G features a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a maximum June 18, 2026

SK hynix samples next-gen 12-layer HBM4E chips, stock at new high SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - South Korea's SK hynix said on Thursday it has begun supplying samples of its next-generation 12-layer High Bandwidth Memory (HBM4E) chips to major customers, moving to solidify its position in the booming artificial intelligence hardware market. The world’s leading supplier of HBM chips said the new HBM4E product delivers a data processing speed of up to 16 gigabits per second (Gbps) per pin while improving energy efficiency by more than 20 percen June 18, 2026

Pulmuone's US tofu sales climb 17% as plant expansion lifts output SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - Pulmuone announced its US tofu sales rose 16.8 percent from a year earlier to 107.8 billion won ($70.5 million) in the first five months of 2026, extending a streak of double-digit growth in the world's largest market for the soy product. The South Korean food maker said Thursday the gains held up even as stubborn inflation curbed consumer spending in the United States, helped by wider distribution and steady investment in production. Its tofu now reach June 18, 2026

Hormuz reopens, nuclear unanswered: what's new in the U.S.-Iran deal? SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) stops the shooting and reopens the Strait of Hormuz toll-free at least for the next 60 days, but leaves the nuclear endgame unresolved and a $300 billion question hanging over who picks up the war tab. The MoU has entered into force following an electronic signing by U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei and a June 18, 2026

Korean defense stocks stay hot as Gulf war exposes limits of U.S. shield SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - The war in the Gulf is winding down, but South Korean defense stocks remain hot as Gulf states would come out from the conflict with depleted air-defense inventories and questions about heavy reliance on U.S. weapons systems. Hanwha Aerospace closed 3.47 percent higher at 1,224,000 won on Wednesday, extending its weekly gain to 21 percent. Shares of LIG Defense & Aerospace, Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Systems slipped slightly from a day earlier after recent r June 17, 2026

Won, bonds stay quiet as BOJ risk fades, Fed decision looms SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - South Korea’s currency and bond markets remained calm Wednesday as investors looked past the Bank of Japan’s rate hike and shifted their attention to the Federal Reserve’s first policy decision under Chair Kevin Warsh. The won’s market average rate strengthened 5.3 won to 1,514.75 per dollar, showing limited volatility despite Tuesday’s BOJ decision to raise interest rates to 1 percent for the first time in 31 years. Korean gov June 17, 2026