Air Premia to resume route to Ho Chi Minh City in November SEOUL, August 7 (AJP) - Air Premia will resume its route to Ho Chi Minh City in November, the short-haul carrier said on Friday. The resumption of round-trip flights between Incheon and Viet Nam's most populous city, slated for Nov. 5, comes about three years and two months after the carrier suspended the route in September 2023. Flights will operate five times a week except on Tuesdays and Fridays, with schedules subject to change depending on government approval. Passenge August 7, 2026

KAIST develops AI chip with tunable response speed SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - KAIST researchers have built a semiconductor that can be set to react quickly or slowly, matching the pace of whatever information reaches it, and that keeps the setting after the power goes off. Arranged in a grid of 256, the devices predicted the course of a mathematical pattern used in the field as a difficulty test about four times more accurately than an identical grid with every device fixed at a single speed. Nature Communications published the w August 7, 2026

Semiconductor parts maker Dongwon Parts seeks KOSDAQ listing SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) — South Korean semiconductor parts maker Dongwon Parts has launched its initial public offering (IPO) process, seeking a KOSDAQ listing after a sharp rise in earnings driven by stronger demand from global chip equipment makers. The company said Friday it submitted a preliminary listing application to the Korea Exchange (KRX), with Samsung Securities serving as the lead underwriter. Revenue rose to 92.3 billion won ($64.7 million) last year from 59.5 b August 7, 2026

Koreans face tougher U.S. visa screening over birth tourism ban SEOUL, August 7 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to curb so-called "birth tourism," potentially affecting some South Koreans who seek to secure U.S. citizenship for their children by giving birth in the U.S. The order directs U.S. authorities to deny citizenship to children born to foreign nationals who entered the country after misrepresenting the purpose of their travel to give birth there. It also instructs immigration officials August 7, 2026

Naver's Q2 operating profit misses consensus as costs outpace sales SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - Naver's second-quarter operating profit fell short of market expectations despite stronger-than-expected revenue, as spending on artificial intelligence, marketing, sports broadcasting and payment infrastructure squeezed margins. Operating profit for the April-June period came to 520.3 billion won ($346 million), down 0.2 percent from a year earlier and 4 percent from the previous quarter. It was 8.1 percent below the FnGuide consensus of 566.2 billio August 7, 2026

Seoul rebound fragile on SK hynix lag SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) -The KOSPI struggled to claw back into positive territory Friday as heavyweight SK hynix remained under foreign attack, leaving the market's rebound on shaky footing. By 9:45 a.m. the KOSPI was 0.20 percent lower at 6,284.46 after opening higher. Samsung Electronics rose 2.82 percent to 237,000 won ($166), double the 1.40 percent gain that lifted SK hynix to 1,516,000 won ($1,064), even though SK hynix fell far harder on Thursday. Foreign investors turn August 7, 2026

Kookmin University opens AI alliance with 10 companies SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - A proposal to form a corporate consortium that would fund dedicated admission seats in artificial intelligence and software was raised at Kookmin University on July 24, at the launch of an industry alliance the Seoul school is building with 10 technology companies. Contract-based quotas let companies pay for places at a university under an agreement that links admission to employment with the sponsoring firms. The university's August 7, 2026

South Korean military steps up vigilance after North Korea fires ballistic missile SEOUL, August 7 (AJP) - The South Korean military remained vigilant on Friday, stepping up its readiness against potential additional launches after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea a day earlier. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was launched from Wonsan in Kangwon Province at around 5 p.m. the previous day, without disclosing details about its flight distance or other specifications, saying that it was analyzing the launch with t August 7, 2026

Trump sets polysilicon tariff floor, giving Korea partial reprieve SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed his semiconductor trade offensive further upstream into the industry's raw-material supply chain, imposing new tariffs and minimum import prices on polysilicon but granted South Korea a preferential treatment that could soften the blow for the country's chip and solar manufacturers. The proclamation, signed Thursday following a Section 232 national security investigation, imposes a 15 percent tariff on pol August 7, 2026

When Seoul melts, its children splash back SEOUL, Aug. 6 (AJP) — South Koreans have joined Europeans and Americans in sweating through one of the world's hottest summers. But to borrow an old saying, if you can't beat the heat, join it. Across Seoul, children have declared war on the thermometer. Instead of hiding indoors as temperatures flirted with 40 degrees, they cannonballed into pools, sprinted through fountains and chased water jets across the city. Under a relentless sun, the season that often feels u August 6, 2026