U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel speaks at AMCHAM-KCCI Seminar Michelle Steel, U.S. ambassador to South Korea, delivers congratulatory remarks during the 2026 Doing Business in the U.S. Seminar at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul, Sept. 30, 2026. September 30, 2026

G-Star goes global by chance as Korean publishers lose home ground SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - South Korean game publishers are losing the battle for attention at home as short-form videos and streaming lure players away from marathon gaming sessions. Their retreat has a floor plan. Foreign publishers are filling the gaps at G-Star, the country's flagship game show in Busan this November, while Korean heavyweights chase audiences abroad. A floor plan released Tuesday for the Nov. 19–22 show in Busan lists Krafton and mid-sized Webzen a September 30, 2026

Korea breaks ground on Boston-style biotech hub SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Construction of a state-backed lab complex for South Korean biotech startups began Wednesday in Incheon, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, with 60 companies due to move in on completion in November 2028. The K-Bio Lab Hub, modeled on Boston's LabCentral incubator, carries a total cost of 217.3 billion won ($160.4 million). Yonsei University is supplying the site on its Songdo campus, and Incheon city is funding construction. Fifty units fo September 30, 2026

"Our wish is unification" falls out of fashion among South Koreans SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - “Our wish is unification, and even in our dreams, we wish for unification.” The familiar song South Koreans know by heart is losing its resonance as a new survey shows seven out of 10 have little interest in their hostile neighbor and fewer than half see unification as necessary. The 2026 survey by the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) found that 48.2 percent considered unification necessary, down from 49 percent last year, when September 30, 2026

Korea beats Dayyani family's 770 billion won claim SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - An international arbitration tribunal has thrown out a 770 billion won ($545.7 million) claim that an Iranian family brought against South Korea over late payment of an earlier award, the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday, adding to a string of government wins in high-stakes investment disputes. The case grew out of a collapsed takeover. In 2010, the Dayyani family, which controls Iranian appliance and petrochemical group Entekhab, agreed to buy str September 30, 2026

Sookmyung student wins KOGO award for AI omics work SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - A graduate student at Sookmyung Women's University won an excellent poster award at South Korea's leading genomics conference for research on an artificial intelligence platform that helps scientists find drug targets in vast sets of biological data, the prominent university in Seoul said Wednesday. Lee Seung-yeon, a master's student in the university's Department of Biological Sciences, received the award on Sept. 5 at the Korea Genome September 30, 2026

Korean securities issues plunge nearly 40% Aug amid rising yields SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) —South Korean securities offerings fell 38 percent on month in August on sluggish stock market and bond demand from higher rates, government data showed Wednesday. Companies issued securities worth 16.33 trillion won ($12 billion) in August compared with - 15.88 trillion won in bonds and 454.9 billion won in equities, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Bond sales fell 14.8 percent, largely due to smaller financial issues. Issua September 30, 2026

Crisis Group warns DMZ blast raises escalation risks SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - A recent land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone has underscored the risk of unintended escalation between the two Koreas at a time when Seoul and Washington are exploring renewed diplomacy with Pyongyang, experts at the International Crisis Group said Wednesday. Christopher Green, senior adviser for the Korean Peninsula at Crisis Group, said there was only so much South Korea could do in response to the incident, which occurred on Sept. 21 south September 30, 2026

Japan leads Asian stocks while Korean bonds rebound SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) -Japanese shares led East Asian markets Wednesday as Seoul and Shanghai managed only modest gains amid a continued rise in U.S. Treasury yields, with the 30-year yield reaching a 24-year high. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.2 percent to 66,271.28 as of midday. South Korea’s KOSPI edged up 0.1 percent, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.3 percent to 3,842.30. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.25 percent to 24,463.22. The subdued regional September 30, 2026

Melon Music Awards expands to two days for first time SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Melon Music Awards will expand to a two-day event for the first time in its 18 year history, Kakao Entertainment said Wednesday. The upcoming award will be held at Gocheok Sky Dome on Nov. 14 and 15 under the theme "K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse." The expanded format will bring together acts including NCT 127, NCT DREAM, ATEEZ, TWS, ILLIT, Hearts2Hearts, 82MAJOR, AND2BLE, YENA and RESCENE. Kakao Entertainment will also introduce a new &qu September 30, 2026