LG H&H weighs sale of beverage unit amid broader restructuring push SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - LG Household & Health Care, South Korea’s leading consumer goods company, is weighing the sale of its beverage subsidiary Haitai HTB. The company has tapped Samjong KPMG as lead adviser to evaluate options for Haitai HTB, formerly Haitai Beverage, as part of a broader review of its drinks division. Haitai HTB, best known for its Sunkist and Cocopalm juices, generated 414 billion won ($301 million) in revenue and 3.6 billion won in operating prof August 28, 2025

OpenAI to launch Seoul office in September SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - OpenAI, the San Francisco company behind ChatGPT, will open a branch office in Seoul next month, underscoring its push to cement a foothold in Asia’s artificial intelligence market. The new office, OpenAI Korea, will be located on Teheran-ro in Gangnam, Seoul’s financial and technology corridor. The company is scheduled to hold a press conference on Sept. 10 to mark the opening, according to industry officials. Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chi August 28, 2025

Korea Zinc emerges as key player in global battle for critical minerals Editor's Note: This article is the 33rd installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - As Washington scrambles to secure supplies of critical minerals, a South Korean metals giant has emerged as an unlikely player in the great-power contest — and a target of boardroom intrigue at home. Korea Zinc, the world’s largest n August 28, 2025

PHOTOS: From darkness to light, Gwangmyeong Cave SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Standing at the entrance of Gwangmyeong Cave, the sweltering 35-degree summer heat gives way to a sudden chill of 12 degrees. The cool air feels like a natural air conditioner, yet it carries the weight of history. An information board reminds visitors that this was once the Siheung Mine, opened in 1912 during Japan’s colonial rule, when tunnels were dug to extract gold, silver, copper, and zinc. The very path now walked by tourists was once carved for August 27, 2025

Hyundai consolidates shipbuilding units as US defense ties deepen SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard said Wednesday they would merge by the end of the year, creating South Korea’s largest shipbuilder as the country seeks to expand its role in global naval modernization and deepen cooperation with the United States. The boards of both firms and their parent company, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, approved the consolidation, which will fold Mipo into Hyundai Heavy. Shareholders August 27, 2025

Son Heung-min gears up for ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Son Heung-min, who made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut with Los Angeles FC (LAFC) earlier this month, is set to throw his ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium in California on Wednesday. Excitement has been building among his fans, as LAFC posted a couple of clips of him practicing ahead of his upcoming pitch at the Dodgers' home game against the Cincinnati Reds. With Los Angeles being home to the largest Korean community in the U.S., many co August 27, 2025

Regulators raid MBK Partners in expanding Homeplus probe SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korean financial regulators raided the Seoul headquarters of MBK Partners on Wednesday, intensifying a long-running inquiry into the private equity firm’s role in the financial troubles of Homeplus, one of the country’s largest discount retailers. Dozens of inspectors from the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service were dispatched to MBK’s Gwanghwamun office, officials said, as part of a joint probe into August 27, 2025

[K-Pop] BTS' 'Fake Love' racks up over 1 billion streams on Spotify SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Another song by K-pop juggernaut BTS has surpassed 1 billion streams on the world's largest streaming site Spotify, according to their management agency BigHit Music this week. "Fake Love" from their third full-length album "Love Yourself: Tear" reached the milestone last Sunday since its release in May 2018, becoming the septet's fifth song to do so after "Dynamite," "My Universe," "Butter," and &qu August 27, 2025

More babies born outside marriage in S. Korea, reflecting possible shifts in family norms SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korea recorded its highest proportion of children born outside marriage in 2024, reflecting a rapid shift in family structures in a country long defined by rigid norms around marriage and childbearing. About 13,800 babies — 5.8 percent of all births last year — were born to unmarried parents, according to data released Wednesday by Statistics Korea. While the share remains small compared with Western nations, it marks a sharp increase fr August 27, 2025

Gwangju seeks to host national AI computing center SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - The city of Gwangju plans to launch a committee to host South Korea’s next national artificial intelligence computing center, a project that local officials hope will anchor the city’s ambitions to become the country’s premier AI hub. On Sept. 1, the city will hold a launch ceremony for the committee, a coalition spanning lawmakers, business groups, academics, media, religious figures and civil society organizations. The body is tasked wi August 27, 2025