Aespa to drop collaboration song with PUBG: Battlegrounds SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - K-pop girl group aespa will release a collaborative song titled “Dark Arts” with the popular online game PUBG: Battlegrounds on July 15, SM Entertainment said Thursday. The song conveys a strong will to achieve victory in a survival battle, featuring intense rhythms and fast-paced guitar sounds. The upcoming release follows aespa’s recent single “Dirty Work,” which dropped last Friday and topped most South Korean music charts. July 3, 2025

French AI firm Dataiku courts Korean enterprises SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - Dataiku, a French artificial intelligence platform company, unveiled its strategy to support South Korean businesses in adopting AI and accelerating digital transformation, during a press briefing in Seoul on Thursday. The company emphasized its growing partnerships with major Korean firms such as LG Chem and Nepes, highlighting its integrated platform’s flexibility and enterprise-grade security. The firm's co-founder and Chief Technology Office July 3, 2025

Korean power equipment makers expand in Europe SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - South Korean manufacturers of power infrastructure equipment are accelerating their push into European markets, seizing on surging demand for data center power systems and aging grid replacement across the continent. The expansion comes amid growing European concerns over energy security and infrastructure resilience. A series of recent power disruptions — including major blackouts in Spain and Portugal in April — coupled with intensifying summer July 3, 2025

LG Electronics sharpens focus on AI, robotics under CEO William Cho SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - LG Electronics is undergoing one of the most ambitious transformations in its corporate history, shifting its focus away from traditional consumer hardware toward emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and business-to-business solutions. Now in his fourth year at the helm, CEO William Cho — also known by his Korean name, Cho Joo-wan — is steering LG with a long-term vision centered on “structural competitiveness,&rdqu July 3, 2025

Republicans press Trump administration to challenge Korea's online platform regulation SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - A group of 43 House Republicans is urging the Trump administration to confront South Korea over a proposed law regulating online platforms, warning that the measure could become a flashpoint in ongoing trade talks between the two countries. In a letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the lawmakers called the proposed regulation a discriminatory barrier that unfairly target July 3, 2025

Coupang enters cloud services market with AI-focused platform SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - E-commerce platform Coupang has entered the competitive cloud services arena with the launch of Coupang Intelligent Cloud, or CIC, a rebranded version of the company’s internal artificial intelligence computing infrastructure. The move signals Coupang’s ambitions to expand beyond retail and logistics by positioning itself as a serious player in South Korea’s rapidly growing cloud service sector — a space long dominated by global heavy July 3, 2025

Korea seeks to address China's export controls on key materials SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - South Korea and China held a new round of bilateral supply chain talks in Seoul on Thursday, as the two countries grapple with growing disruptions stemming from Beijing’s tightening export controls on key industrial materials. The meeting brought together senior officials including Kim Jong-chul, director-general for international trade relations at South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Wang Liping, his counterpart from China&rsq July 3, 2025

PHOTOS: Lee's first press conference as president SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung, who took office a month ago, held his first news conference as president on Thursday at the Yeongbingwan, the state guest house of Cheong Wa Dae. The conference offered the public and media a glimpse into his policy priorities and governing style. This is a collection of photographs that captured moments from the conference. July 3, 2025

President Lee Jae-myung says cutting off dialogue with N. Korea is 'truly foolish' SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the importance of diplomacy and communication with North Korea during a press conference held Thursday at the Blue House guesthouse, marking 30 days since his inauguration. "Based on solid South Korea–United States cooperation and coordination, we must work to improve relations with North Korea," Lee said. "Completely cutting off dialogue is really a foolish thing to do." When asked to elaborate on July 3, 2025

S. Korea enters final phase of minimum wage talks for next year SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - South Korea’s Minimum Wage Commission is holding its ninth plenary session at the government complex in Sejong on Thursday to finalize next year’s minimum wage. A final decision could come as early as Thursday night or early Friday morning. The labor side initially demanded a 14.7 percent increase from this year’s hourly wage of 10,030 won ($7.38), proposing 11,500 won. However, it revised its demand down to 11,260 won two days ago during th July 3, 2025