North Korea-U.S. Summit without denuclearization: a 'Korea passing'

When South Korea’s new Democratic Party president took office in June, his administration moved quickly to explore the possibility of a summit between North Korea and the United States. During his first meeting with the U.S. president, President Lee Jae Myung described himself as a “pace maker” and the American president as a “peace maker,” signaling his intention to shepherd the two sides toward dialogue. His approach echoes the Moon Jae-in government’s diplo

December 4, 2025

Gov't ramps up safety inspections for high-rise buildings after Hong Kong's deadly fire

SEOUL, December 3 (AJP) - Following a massive fire at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong, government authorities here are conducting emergency safety inspections of buildings over 30 floors. Despite current regulations mandating the use of non-combustible materials and the installation of safety-related equipment, some buildings constructed before these regulations took effect still use flammable materials. Of some 140 skyscrapers over 50 floors or 200 meters, 18 are affec

December 3, 2025

Korean authorities up penalties and tax probe to fight online scalpers

SEOUL, December 03 (AJP) - Scalping of concert and sports tickets has exploded across Korea—surging 41-fold over the past five years—despite tougher penalties and enforcement, prompting regulators and tax authorities to intensify punitive measures. Ticketbay, the country's largest resale platform, is now capping all resale prices at 1 million won ($681) in an attempt to rein in runaway premiums and speculative behavior. The platform said Monday that listings wit

December 3, 2025

Chief Justice calls for thorough discussion on judicial reform

SEOUL, December 3 (AJP) - The Supreme Court's Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae emphasized the need for thorough public discussion on ongoing talks for judicial reform, citing the importance of protecting citizens' rights and maintaining social order. Speaking at a luncheon with President Lee Jae Myung at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, Cho said, "While not everyone may agree with judicial decisions, these verdicts gain legitimacy and trust through the constitution

December 3, 2025

Samsung wins national technology award for GDDR7 as AI inference demand grows

SEOUL, December 03 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics’ latest graphics memory was recognized by South Korea’s government as a key technology underpinning the country’s future AI competitiveness, amid growing industry focus on AI inference rather than model training. At the 2025 Korea Tech Festival, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy at COEX in Seoul on Wednesday, Samsung received the Korea Technology Awards Presidential Prize for its 12-nanometer, 40 g

December 3, 2025

Korea sees largest monthly stock outflow as foreign funds pivot to bonds

SEOUL, December 03 (AJP) - Foreign investors offloaded a net 14.2 trillion won ($9.7 billion) worth of South Korean equities in November, the largest monthly divestment since records began in the 2000s, the International Finance Center (IFC) said in a report on Wednesday. The outflow surpassed the previous highs of 12.9 trillion won logged in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and 10.1 trillion won in April this year amid U.S. tariff-related tensions. While foreign

December 3, 2025

Olive Young a must-visit stop in Korea owe 25% of sales to foreigners

SEOUL, December 03 (AJP) - A quarter of revenue at CJ Olive Young stores across South Korea now comes from foreign customers, whose purchases surpassed the 1 trillion won ($770 million) mark this year in a sharp illustration of K-beauty’s global pull, the beauty franchise said Wednesday. From January through November, spending by foreign nationals at Olive Young’s offline stores nationwide reached the milestone, marking a 26-fold increase from 2022, when Korea’s

December 3, 2025

HBM4 becomes the new battleground in Nvidia–Google chip war

SEOUL, December 03 (AJP) - The real battle between Nvidia’s GPU-led ecosystem and Google’s rapidly expanding tensor processing unit (TPU) platform and the outcome hinges on how quickly and at what scale the world's top memory makers based in South Korea can keep up in the rollout of next-gen high-bandwidth memory dubbed HBM4. Samsung Electronics that had been laggard in the early-stage HBM race is positioned for an unexpected leap as it accelerates the conversions

December 3, 2025

Former PPP leader apologizes for martial law debacle, calls for unity to move forward

SEOUL, December 3 (AJP) - Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), apologized for failing to prevent martial law a year ago, urging South Korea to focus on the future. Speaking at a press conference in Yeouido, Seoul, Han said, "We cannot abandon hope for the future because of past mistakes." Recalling how he rushed to the National Assembly to lift martial law shortly after disgraced former President Yoon Seok Yeol declared it, &quo

December 3, 2025

Korea must devise fundamental youth joblessness approach as AI worsens job market

SEOUL, December 03 (AJP) - South Korea must map out a comprehensive youth career program and introduce structural flexibility in working conditions to address the deepening mismatch in its labor market, with AI poised to further worsen job prospects for highly educated young adults – nearly half of whom already unemployed, scholars at home and abroad warn. The share of university graduates among the unemployed reached 49.6 percent in September, up from 47.8 percent in 2024 and

December 3, 2025