Seoul, Washington postpone annual defense talks until early next year SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to postpone their annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) until early next year, with their defense chiefs set to hold separate talks in Washington in December, according to the Ministry of National Defense here. The agreement came during talks between South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Cebu, the Philippines on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeti October 29, 2026

Lee set to hold talks with German chancellor in Seoul SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Thursday. The two leaders are scheduled to hold talks later in the day, followed by a joint press announcement and an official dinner. They are expected to discuss ways to boost trade and investment, with a particular focus on cooperation in batteries, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as closer ties in defense and arms production October 29, 2026

UPDATE: Samsung SDI eyes humanoid batteries after 3-year profit high SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - Samsung SDI posted its highest quarterly operating profit in three years on Thursday and said it expects batteries for humanoid robots and aerospace to make a meaningful contribution to earnings by 2028. The South Korean battery maker swung to a third-quarter operating profit of 407.8 billion won ($304.5 million) from a 591.3 billion won loss a year earlier, according to its preliminary earnings filing. Operating profit doubled from 203.8 billion won in th October 29, 2026

K-choppers struggle to lift off amid factory-floor constraints SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Rows of unfinished helicopters dotted Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) rotary-wing assembly plant in Sacheon, their pale green and peach-colored bodies exposing the nuts and bolts of South Korea’s next defense ambition. Sacheon on South Korea’s southern coast is breeding the country’s next defense ambitions. The problem is they are missing a crucial element for liftoff. "We are currently focusing on mass production of the L October 28, 2026

Guryong becomes no-man's land. What of those who called it home? SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - A shantytown, others may call it. For those who stayed as their neighbors moved away, Guryong Village was home — a place where lives had taken root, however fragile the walls around them. By dawn Wednesday, fire had consumed swaths of the settlement tucked into Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district. It took nearly 13 hours to put out the flames. What would become of the lives they had uprooted was far less certain. One man in his 70s had been a October 28, 2026

New billboard marks Itaewon tragedy anniversary A citizen prays during a ceremony unveiling a new billboard along the "Path of Remembrance and Safety" at the site of the Itaewon crowd crush in Yongsan District, Seoul, on October 28, 2026, a day before the fourth anniversary of the tragedy. 2026.10.28 October 28, 2026

Itaewon tragedy: new memorial billboard unveiled Family members of victims and officials attend a ceremony unveiling a new billboard along the "Path of Remembrance and Safety" at the site of the Itaewon crowd crush in Yongsan District, Seoul, on October 28, 2026, a day before the fourth anniversary of the tragedy. 2026.10.28. October 28, 2026

Unionized workers at Samsung Biologics to resume wage talks next week SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Unionized workers at Samsung Biologics will resume negotiations over wages and other labor-related issues next week, warning that they will launch strikes if talks with management fail to produce an agreement. According to the biopharmaceutical company's union on Wednesday, the talks, scheduled to begin on Nov. 3, would be "all-or-nothing" negotiations, with the union calling them a final opportunity to reach an agreement. The union also October 28, 2026

LG Electronics' Q3 results show it too is riding the AI boom SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) -White-goods powerhouse LG Electronics is rebranding itself as a stalwart of AI data centers and automotive technology, and its latest earnings are a testament to that shift. The company reported a 55.9 percent jump in operating profit for the first nine months of the year, while orders for its AI data center cooling solutions surpassed 3 trillion won ($2.3 billion) by the end of September, up from roughly 600 billion won in the first half. Automotive el October 28, 2026

Korea reaps AI harvest. What happens after the party? SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - The AI harvest is here in South Korea, enriching chipmakers and equipment suppliers, rewarding shareholders and employees, and filling tax coffers. But the borrowing binge financing the global boom is drawing scrutiny from policymakers concerned about how long the bounty can last. Flush with cash after six consecutive quarters of record earnings, SK hynix on Wednesday pledged about 100 trillion won ($75.5 billion) in shareholder returns this year. Attention October 28, 2026