South Korea counts local election votes to decide political control SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - South Koreans turned out in large numbers for nationwide local elections on Wednesday, setting up a high-stakes verdict on the one-year-old administration of President Lee Jae-myung. Voting proceeded smoothly across 14,288 polling stations before ballot boxes were transferred to designated counting centers. The election serves as a critical midterm referendum that could either grant the ruling Democratic Party of Korea total control over local and national g June 3, 2026

South Korean local election turnout reaches 48.9 percent SEOUL, June 03 (AJP) - Over 21.8 million people cast their ballots in South Korea's ninth nationwide local elections by 2:00 p.m. on election day. This pushed overall voter turnout to 48.9 percent, signaling potentially historic final participation levels. The mid-afternoon figure is 8.2 percentage points higher than the turnout recorded at the same time during the previous local elections four years ago. It also sits 2.1 percentage points above the 2018 elections, suggesting June 3, 2026

WNMC 26: From discovery to distribution, how publishers navigate in AI economy MARSEILLE, June 03 (AJP) - The debate on artificial intelligence in the journalism landscape on Tuesday, the second day of the World News Media Congress in Marseille, moved beyond fear and experimentation. For publishers across continents, the question is no longer whether AI will reshape journalism. It is how news organizations should engage with it — defensively, commercially, editorially or as a new audience in its own right. The sessions revealed a global industry test June 3, 2026

WNMC 26: No map in AI age. Newsrooms must chart their own course MARSEILLE, June 03 (AJP) - If there was one message that echoed through the halls on the second day of the World News Media Congress on Tuesday, it was that nobody knows exactly where artificial intelligence is taking journalism. "There is no map," WAN-IFRA AI in Media Lead Ezra Eeman told editors, publishers and newsroom leaders gathered in Marseille. For an industry accustomed to navigating disruption, the statement was both unsettling and liberating. The internet June 3, 2026

Future warfare makes diplomacy harder, but more vital, experts say SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - As artificial intelligence, space assets, and maritime competition reshape the nature of warfare, diplomacy is not becoming obsolete but is becoming more important in preventing conflicts from escalating and setting rules for emerging military technologies, security experts said Tuesday. The remarks came during the 33rd Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) Talks, a public lecture hosted by IFANS under the Korea National Diplomatic Acade June 2, 2026

Songzio and Heliot Emil reunite for falconry-inspired collection SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - South Korean designer label Songzio, whose designs recently took center stage during BTS's "ARIRANG" comeback performance in March, has collaborated once again with Copenhagen-based fashion brand Heliot Emil on a new collection inspired by falconry. Titled "Falconry," the collection will be released on Friday after the brand's first collaboration sold out shortly after its debut last year. Drawing on themes of speed and control, i June 2, 2026

K-BBQ draws fresh attention as Jensen Huang's Seoul dinner plan puts samgyeopsal in spotlight SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s reported plan to visit a Samgyeopsal (pork belly) restaurant, a staple of Korean barbecue (K-BBQ), during his upcoming trip to Seoul has turned a casual dinner itinerary into a cultural talking point, putting the charcoal-grilled pork menu back in the spotlight as one of South Korea’s most visible dining experiences for foreign visitors. Huang is expected to visit South Korea this week after appearing at the Computex tra June 2, 2026

South Korea makes final all-out push for Canada's submarine bid SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - South Korea is stepping up efforts to win Canada's next-generation submarine procurement project, as Ottawa is expected to select its preferred bidder by the end of June for a deal estimated to be worth US$40 billion. The final race for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, or CPSP, has increasingly narrowed into a competition between South Korea's "One Team" bid led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Germany's Thyssenkr June 2, 2026

Election officials make final preparations ahead of local elections SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - Election officials were making final preparations across the country on Tuesday, just a day ahead of this year's local elections. They inspected polling stations while testing ballot machines and conducting simulations to ensure smooth vote counting. According to the National Election Commission (NEC), polling stations nationwide will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Voters will be allowed to cast their ballots at designated polling stations b June 2, 2026

Buzz builds ahead of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's Seoul visit SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is visiting Seoul this week, and his trip is already generating buzz across local industries and financial markets, with major deals expected across areas including memory chips and artificial intelligence (AI). The excitement follows Huang's announcements Monday at Nvidia's developer conference in Taipei, where he said that the company's next-generation AI chips have entered mass production. "Now in full production June 2, 2026