Samsung, SK pamper Nvidia's Huang in New York SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) -That South Korea’s chip titans and Nvidia are buddies — and codependents — is no secret. So when their customer/friend/indispensable business partner received an award for contributing to Korea-U.S. relations, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix vied to pamper Jensen Huang. Samsung took its congratulations to Times Square, while the leaders of both Korean chip groups turned up in New York for the occasion. Samsung Electronics Chairman September 29, 2026

Seoul insists Ukraine requested POW secrecy SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - Ukraine had asked South Korea to keep the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers secret, the South Korean government reiterated Tuesday. Seoul insisted that the two sides had agreed to confidentiality, while it waited for an apology from Kyiv for revealing the transfer and then denying that any such agreement existed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) summoned Andrii Vieshkin, Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Seoul, on Mond September 29, 2026

Defense chief says North Korean mines breached armistice SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - South Korea's defense minister said Tuesday that North Korean mines found south of the inter-Korean border appeared to have been planted rather than washed into the area, vowing corresponding measures against Pyongyang. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul made the remarks during a National Assembly defense committee meeting as the military disclosed that investigators had found an intact North Korean resin-bodied antipersonnel mine near the site of last w September 29, 2026

MBK chairman to repay Homeplus rescue loan in full SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - MBK Partners Chairman Kim Byung-ju will repay in full the 66.4 billion won ($48.9 million) emergency loan he personally guaranteed for Homeplus, the buyout firm said Tuesday. Kim settled 34.2 billion won earlier this month and will cover the remaining 32.2 billion won from his own funds by early next week, MBK said, clearing the debtor-in-possession loan extended by Curious Partners in full. Curious Partners lent Homeplus 60 billion won in May last yea September 29, 2026

Robotics, AI, bio widen KOSDAQ IPO choices SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - South Korea’s IPO market is showing signs of life after a sluggish first half, offering investors looking beyond the chip boom new exposure to robotics, artificial intelligence and biotech on the junior KOSDAQ exchange. September’s newcomers span robot automation, synthetic voices, digital medical devices and consumer brands. Several have posted triple-digit debut gains, although sharp subsequent pullbacks suggest investors are still more will September 29, 2026

Elite university ties fed suspected insider-trading ring in Korea SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) —South Korean financial authorities said Tuesday they had uncovered a suspected insider-trading ring whose members used elite university and consulting-firm connections to share confidential deal information and pocket more than 20 billion won ($14 million) with family members and acquaintances. The alleged scheme turned relationships formed in a university business club and at a global consulting firm into what regulators called an “informati September 29, 2026

Korea-China-Japan celebrate 15 yrs of cooperation SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - The new head of the intergovernmental body linking South Korea, China and Japan said Tuesday that cooperation among the three countries had continued without a break for 15 years, even when ties between any two of them turned difficult. Nishioka Tatsushi, who took office this month as secretary-general of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), remarked at a meeting with South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at the foreign ministry in Seoul. September 29, 2026

Kazakhstan offers to host nuclear arms talks SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - The country that gave up the world's fourth-largest nuclear arsenal after the Soviet collapse offered on Sept. 25 to host talks among the nuclear powers, months after the last treaty limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear forces expired. That treaty, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, was signed in 2010 and expired on Feb. 5. It capped the long-range nuclear weapons that Washington and Moscow keep ready to strike each other at 1,550 w September 29, 2026

Mexican TV specials trace Korea's cultural rise SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - Two major Mexican broadcasters aired three documentaries examining South Korea's cultural rise and use of artificial intelligence during President Lee Jae Myung's state visit, the Culture Ministry said Tuesday. TV Azteca and Imagen Television broadcast the programs from Sept. 24 to 26 across terrestrial television, pay TV services and digital platforms. One TV Azteca documentary traced the global spread of Korean culture to decades of September 29, 2026

Foreign publishers fill G-Star 2026 as Korean majors stay away SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - Foreign publishers will occupy most of the main exhibition hall at G-Star, South Korea's largest game convention, when it opens in Busan in November, according to floor plans the organizing committee released Wednesday. Six spaces of more than 100 booths each, the maximum the hall's structure permits, have gone to Crack, Krafton, HoYoverse, Google Play, Webzen and Team42. Krafton and Webzen are the only major Korean publishers among them. Ne September 29, 2026