GS Retail launches AI-assisted feature to help customers shop for alcoholic beverages SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - GS Retail, the operator of convenience store chain GS25, has launched a new feature that allows customers to identify wines and other alcoholic beverages simply by photographing them without the need to scan QR codes or barcodes. Since last week, the artificial intelligence-assisted feature is available on its mobile app Wooridongne's Wine25Plus. It can recognize and provide information on approximately 10,000 types of alcoholic beverages such as wines and July 4, 2025

Chinese tech giant Tencent unveils massive investment plans to boost cloud business in South Korea SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - Chinese tech giant Tencent aims to boost investment and hiring to expand its presence here, as it considers South Korea a key strategic market. During an interview in central Seoul earlier this week, general manager Nicky Fang of Tencent Cloud, a cloud computing service arm, unveiled the company's ambitious plans to further accelerate its business here, with a focus on gaming, e-commerce, and entertainment. In particular, it seeks to leverage its expertise July 4, 2025

Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' voted 'best film of 21st century' by NYT readers SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - Director Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film "Parasite" has been voted the "best movie of the 21st century" by the readers of the New York Times. According to the daily, a survey of over 200,000 readers choosing the top 100 films named Bong's 2019 film as their top pick, followed by David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" (2001) and the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" (2007). Another film by Bong, &quo July 4, 2025

North Korea denounces Quad's demand for denuclearization SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - North Korea on Friday slammed the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad over its "coercive" demand for the isolated country's complete denuclearization, calling it a "provocation" that infringes on its sovereignty. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) accused the informal alliance, which was formed among Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, of "reckl July 4, 2025

KAIST and King Saud University partner to develop open-source AI model SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - South Korea's prominent research institute Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) and Saudi Arabia’s King Saud University (KSU) have agreed to work together on building an open-source artificial intelligence platform, offering an alternative to the current dominance of the United States and China in the global AI landscape. The two universities held a meeting on Jul. 3 at the KAIST campus in Seoul. KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyun July 4, 2025

Empyrion Digital opens first new Gangnam data center in over a decade SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - Singapore-based Empyrion Digital officially opened its KR1 Gangnam Data Centre on Wednesday, marking the first new data center development in Seoul's Gangnam district in more than 10 years. The 29.4 megawatt IT load facility, located in Seocho District, spans 30,714 square meters and represents the company's second operational asset in Asia following its 2021 acquisition of SG1 Dodid in Singapore. Singapore Ambassador to South Korea H.E. Eric Teo, Se July 4, 2025

Hyundai Steel and AWS forge strategic alliance to accelerate digital transformation SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - Hyundai Steel has signed a Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to drive digital transformation and expand its presence as a global digital steelmaker. The agreement was formalized on July 1 (local time) at AWS headquarters in Seattle, inside The Spheres. The two companies plan to cooperate in two main areas: introducing AWS’s cloud infrastructure to Hyundai Steel’s domestic production sites to accelerate digital tra July 4, 2025

INTERVIEW: US strikes on Iranian nuke sites may spur North Korea's nuclear buildup, Iranian envoy warns SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - Last month's U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which came shortly after Israel's sudden attack on Tehran, have ignited a cycle of escalating military tensions and retaliatory attacks across the Middle East. These developments could have "perilous" global repercussions with far-reaching consequences for further hostilities, potentially emboldening nuclear-armed countries including North Korea to reassess their military capabilities a July 4, 2025

NZ envoy says clean tech offers major opportunity for South Korea–New Zealand ties SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - New Zealand Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Dawn Bennet says clean technology and renewable energy are among the most promising areas for expanding cooperation between the two countries. Speaking in an interview with Aju Press on Thursday, she pointed to the potential for joint growth in industries that are increasingly shaping the global economy. "There is a great opportunity for New Zealand and South Korea to work more closely together in the clean July 4, 2025

HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk grilled by regulators over alleged IPO fraud SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - South Korean financial regulators have summoned Bang Si-hyuk, the founder and chairman of HYBE, for questioning over allegations of fraudulent trading practices linked to the firm's initial public offering. Bang, the influential music executive who oversaw HYBE’s transformation into a global entertainment powerhouse, appeared before the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) late last month to address accusations that he misled investors in the run-up to July 3, 2025