South Korea, UAE agree to deepen partnership in AI and nuclear energy SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung agreed with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to expand bilateral cooperation with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare, while deepening collaboration in the defense and energy sectors during their talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, according to the presidential office. In a joint declaration after the summit, they pledged to pursue a "new leap forward for another 100 years of part November 19, 2025

Seoul finally puts Lone Star saga behind after ICSID declares complete win SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) -South Korea has finally put to rest its years-long investment dispute with U.S. private equity firm Lone Star, after the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) overturned its earlier ruling that ordered Seoul to pay $216.5 million in compensation plus interest over the fund’s 2012 sale of a Korean bank. “The government's compensation liability — about 400 billion won at today’s exchange rate — November 19, 2025

Kimchi-making costs expected to drop slightly SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - The cost of making kimchi, the country's staple side dish, for a family of four is estimated to decrease by 5.6 percent from last year to 201,151 Korean won, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT). The estimate came after a survey of prices for about a dozen key ingredients at about 17 farmers' markets and 36 large retailers. Despite more and more households opting to buy kimchi these days, many South Koreans s November 18, 2025

Micron courts talents in its rivals' home turf as heat intensifies in memory sector SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - The three-way memory race in the high-stakes AI battlefield has spilled onto South Korean campuses, as the U.S. contender Micron Technology aggressively hunts for engineering talent on its rivals’ home turf amid intensifying competition in advanced chipmaking. Micron has been posting multiple Korea-based engineering roles on LinkedIn — including HBM system architecture, DRAM product engineering, and logic-integration positions — and wil November 18, 2025

Nvidia-related rout spills over to Asian markets, spoiling Baby Shark creator's KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - The Wall Street tech rout — fueled by renewed concerns over Nvidia’s overvaluation — spilled into Asia on Tuesday, hammering semiconductor names and dragging down major regional indices. South Korea’s KOSPI plunged 3.32 percent to 3,953.62, losing the symbolically important 4,000 level. Sentiment soured after news that Thiel Macro — the hedge fund founded by Palantir Technologies chairman Peter Thiel — had fully liquid November 18, 2025

K-beauty set to be next collateral damage from localization fever in China SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - Korean beauty brands were virtually absent from this year's Singles' Day shopping festival — often dubbed China's version of Black Friday — marking a stark retreat from a market they once dominated and positioning K-beauty as the next collateral damage of China’s localization drive after smartphones and cars. The simultaneous withdrawal of Korean players underscores both the sophistication and rising confidence of Chinese ma November 18, 2025

Lee seeks to expand cooperation in high-tech industries with UAE SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - South Korea aims to lay the foundation for a new phase in bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by expanding cooperation in high-tech and future industries including healthcare, artificial intelligence (AI), and other advanced technologies, President Lee Jae Myung said in an interview with the UAE's English-language newspaper Aletihad. Lee, who is currently in Abu Dhabi before attending the Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa lat November 18, 2025

INTERVIEW: Sookmyung Women's University builds global footprint in pharmaceutical science SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - Sookmyung Women’s University’s College of Pharmacy has emerged as one of South Korea’s most active incubators of medical and pharmaceutical R&D, expanding its global footprint and highlighting the strength of female scientific leadership in the country. In an interview with AJP, Dean Jeon Ra-ok said the college’s competitiveness "comes from its history, and the networks and research foundation that history has built.&quo November 18, 2025

IBK opens Silicon Valley center to support Korean startups SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) said Tuesday it has opened a center in Palo Alto, Calif., to help South Korean startups establish a foothold overseas. The IBK Silicon Valley Center replaces a smaller office the bank launched in 2023 and marks its first full-scale overseas startup hub. The new facility includes space for investor presentations, meetings with local partners and networking events aimed at early-stage companies. IBK has operated a November 18, 2025

Team Korea lands in UAE to widen defense, energy, high-tech foray SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - Team Korea — led by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and a delegation of top corporate chiefs — arrived Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates to pursue business opportunities in a Middle East rapidly pivoting toward digitalization, high-tech manufacturing, militarization and decarbonization powered by its oil wealth. The two-day UAE visit includes leaders from Korea's industrial backbone: Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyund November 18, 2025