Independent prosecutors set to wrap up six-month probe into martial law debacle

SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Independent prosecutors are set to brief on the findings of their investigation on Monday into disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched Dec. 3 martial law debacle last year. Wrapping up their six-month-long probe led by prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, they will explain the details of the investigation that led to charges against 27 individuals including Yoon. Of the 12 arrest warrants requested, five were issued. Prosecutors have also sought an

December 15, 2025

OPINION: Rethinking economic security in age of AI

SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - In early December, Reuters reported that private capital would help launch the “Invest America Program,” a cornerstone policy of President Trump’s second term. Michael Dell and his wife pledged $6.25 billion to activate what are known as Trump Accounts, an initiative embedded in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July. Under the program, every American child born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, will receive $1,

December 15, 2025

Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK chart AI-driven growth strategies for 2026

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - South Korea's four largest conglomerates are racing to finalize their 2025 business strategies, with artificial intelligence emerging as the linchpin of their growth plans amid persistent economic uncertainty. Samsung Electronics will convene its biannual global strategy meeting on Dec. 16, bringing together senior executives and overseas subsidiary heads to chart next year's direction. The company, pursuing a transformation into an "AI-dri

December 14, 2025

Korean seaweed rides high as U.S. tariff exemption adds fuel to export boom

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - South Korea's seaweed exports are on track to shatter records this year, and a newly announced U.S. tariff exemption is set to accelerate the momentum for the country's beloved K-gim. A White House fact sheet released last month listed seasoned seaweed as the sole seafood product to receive duty-free treatment, effectively slashing the previous 15 percent levy to zero, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Sunday. The exemption took effect on N

December 14, 2025

OPINION: When a language becomes a barrier

Every society reveals its anxieties in its exams. South Korea revealed quite a lot this year. The English section of the College Scholastic Ability Test, the Suneung, became so difficult that it briefly escaped the country’s borders. The BBC compared it to deciphering an ancient script. The New York Times, with a mix of bemusement and challenge, presented readers with excerpts from the test — a passage invoking Immanuel Kant, another steeped in gaming jargon &mda

December 14, 2025

Seoul mayor slams government housing curbs, demands regulatory relief

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Sunday lambasted the government's Oct. 15 real estate regulations, accusing policymakers of crushing ordinary citizens' homeownership aspirations and urging an immediate rollback of lending restrictions and redevelopment controls. "The most ordinary yet desperate dream of owning a home is being trampled under the Oct. 15 measures," Oh said in a Facebook post. "The government must no longer turn a blind eye t

December 14, 2025

Samsung C&T partners with Poland's Synthos to expand SMR business in Europe

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - Samsung C&T has signed a memorandum of understanding with Polish small modular reactor (SMR) developer Synthos Green Energy to jointly pursue SMR projects across Central and Eastern Europe, the South Korean construction giant said Sunday. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate on expanding SMR business into the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania, while also working together on feasibility studies, site surveys and

December 14, 2025

Coupang user numbers rebound slightly despite massive data breach affecting 33.7 million accounts

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) - South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang has seen its user base recover and expand modestly despite a colossal data breach that compromised 33.7 million accounts, underscoring the powerful grip the company maintains over the nation's online shoppers. Weekly active users on Coupang's main shopping app reached 29.9 million during the first week of December, up about 4.1 percent from 28.8 million a month earlier, according to data from retail analytics f

December 14, 2025

"Like deciphering ancient script", Korea's English exam stuns Western media

SEOUL, December 14 (AJP) -South Korea’s notoriously punishing college entrance exam has once again drawn global attention—this time not only for its difficulty, but for the language used by Western media to describe it. Following widespread backlash over this year’s English section of the Suneung, the country’s high-stakes college entrance exam, the head of the testing authority resigned, acknowledging that the questions were excessively difficult. Th

December 14, 2025

Colombia's Gripen deal raises questions beyond fighter jets

Colombia’s recent decision to acquire 17 JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden’s Saab for €3.1 billion was officially framed as a long-overdue modernization of its aging Kfir fleet. Yet the controversy surrounding the deal suggests that the issue extends far beyond replacing obsolete aircraft. The Colombian government insists the selection process was transparent. Still, key details remain unclear. It is not publicly known whether the contract includes weap

December 14, 2025