Korean issues in short-term debt hit record high H1 SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) —South Korean companies increasingly turned to short-term borrowing in the first half as higher funding costs and a sluggish capital market outside the semiconductor sector pushed issuers away from longer-term financing. According to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) on Tuesday, companies raised a record 1,272.8 trillion won ($917 billion) through commercial paper (CP) and short-term notes during the January-June period, up 68 percent from a year August 4, 2026

New humanoids break from the two-legged mold SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - A horned, chainsaw-wielding machine that looks less like a factory helper than a creature from Greek myth went viral online this week, the latest sign that the humanoid robot — long imagined as a two-legged mechanical twin of its maker — is quietly shedding the human silhouette that once defined it. The machine, named Threehalves, is being developed by Satyress Robotics, a startup based in Auburn, California. It grafts a humanoid upper body onto August 4, 2026

Samsung's Galaxy Z8 shatters 7-year pre-order record SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - South Koreans are snapping up Samsung Electronics’ latest foldable phones at a blistering pace of 140 units per minute, shattering a seven-year pre-order record and proving that the foldable form factor has officially shed its novelty status to become a mainstream must-have. Over a seven-day pre-order window that wrapped up on Monday, the tech giant racked up a staggering 1.44 million domestic sales for its Galaxy Z8 series, comprising the Z Fold8, Z August 4, 2026

SK hynix and SanDisk unveil HBF Blueprint for AI terabyte era SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - The artificial intelligence boom has a voracious appetite for memory, and the industry’s leading architects just released a new blueprint to keep it fed. On Tuesday, SK hynix and SanDisk published the first open standard specifications for High Bandwidth Flash (HBF), officially firing the starting gun on a new structural race designed to cure the massive data bottlenecks threatening real-world AI deployment. As the industry transitions from train August 4, 2026

A Twosome Place gains ground as Starbucks struggles with 'Tank Day' controversy SEOUL, August 4 (AJP) - South Korea's oversaturated coffee market is showing signs of a potential seismic shift, as Starbucks, the long-dominant market leader, has taken a hit to sales and reputation following its so-called "Tank Day" controversy, while rivals such as A Twosome Place have gained ground in recent months. A Twosome Place recorded an estimated 117.05 billion won in card payment transactions in July, according to Mobile Index, a data platform opera August 4, 2026

South Korea says AI factories lift factory output, cut defects SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - South Korea's manufacturers have posted measurable gains from deploying artificial intelligence on their production lines, the industry ministry said, pointing to sharper output and fewer defects across semiconductor, automobile and shipbuilding plants. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday that its flagship AI Factory initiative has backed the AI transformation of about 170 worksites, and that an inspection of 42 early adopters found p August 4, 2026

KOSPI slips as chipmakers fall; KOSDAQ surges 5% SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Korean shares diverged sharply Tuesday morning, with the benchmark KOSPI slipping as heavyweight semiconductor and automobile stocks declined, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ surged 5 percent on institutional buying and gains in biotechnology and optical communications shares. As of 10:30 a.m., the KOSPI stood at 6,217.20, down 0.6 percent from the previous session. The index moved between an intraday high of 6,389.40 and a low of 6,080.30. Retail investo August 4, 2026

S. Korea expands missile defense with additional Cheongung-II deployment SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - South Korea has added another domestically developed Cheongung-II missile defense system to its network, putting the first system scheduled under its 2026 fielding plan into operation, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Cheongung-II, also known as the M-SAM-II, is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles at lower altitudes during the terminal phase of flight. The latest system was deployed to a missile August 4, 2026

Kookmin University, KOICA train 30 Palestinian AI researchers SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - A new fellowship program will bring 30 Palestinian researchers to Seoul for doctoral study in artificial intelligence, with the entire course built around what they do after they go home. Kookmin University's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation and its Global Development Cooperation Institute said Monday that they would run the AI Ph.D. Fellowship Program together with the Korea International Cooperation Agency. Fellows will enroll in doctoral cou August 4, 2026

South Korea moves to protect 3 century-old temple toilets SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Three wooden outhouses still in daily use at South Korean Buddhist temples are in line to become national heritage, a decision that pushes state protection past the golden halls and stone pagodas of temple life and into the buildings where monks actually lived. The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) issued advance notice Tuesday of the designation of three temple latrines as national folklore cultural heritage. They are the Cheukgan at Seonamsa in Suncheon, Sout August 4, 2026