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  INTERVIEW: AI may turn Korea's inward finance into strategic edge: Carstens SEOUL, March 27 (AJP) - Unlike globally recognized industrial giants such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai, South Korea’s financial sector remains relatively underexposed overseas — yet its domestic orientation could become a strategic advantage in the era of artificial intelligence, a former top central banker said. Artificial intelligence is set to fundamentally reshape financial intermediation, from payments to supervision, according to Agustín Carstens, former g March 27, 2026
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  Samsung SDI to acquire stake in precursor maker Fino to secure battery supply chain SEOUL, March 27 (AJP) - Samsung SDI is set to invest about 30 billion won ($19.8 million) in Fino, a South Korea-listed subsidiary of China's CNGR Advanced Material, as part of efforts to strengthen its battery materials supply chain. Fino released regulatory filing Thursday it had approved a rights issue of about 14.29 million new shares through a board resolution. Samsung SDI will subscribe to about 6.13 million shares, or about 40 percent of the offering, at an issue price of March 27, 2026
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  Seoul enforces ban on naphtha exports for 5 months amid supply crunch SEOUL, March 27 (AJP) -South Korea will keep domestic naphtha at home after its shortage from the widened conflicts in the Middle East has crippled a cracking facility, sending downstream ripples across factory floors to plastic delivery bags and cartons. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on midnight Friday issued a gazette enforcing ban on naphtha exports immediately for five months as a part of a package of "wartime" measures that included deeper and longe March 27, 2026
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  Asian stocks fall on oil surge; Korea slides as "wartime" response fails to convince SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) — Asian equities fell across the board Thursday as oil prices hovered near the $100-per-barrel threshold and geopolitical tensions deepened, with Seoul markets brushing off the government’s so-called “wartime” response. Despite tentative talk of an endgame to the Middle East conflict, markets showed little conviction. Risk aversion held firm across the region. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.3 percent to 53,603.7, China’s S March 26, 2026
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  BTS comeback detonates across screens, streets and systems within a week SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) — It has been barely a week since BTS dropped its first full-member studio album in six years and staged a comeback performance in downtown Seoul livestreamed to nearly 20 million viewers on Netflix — and the aftershock is already everywhere. The group has not paused for breath. Fans across the world are flooding platforms with dance challenges to the title track “SWIM,” its hypnotic hook now echoing from smartphones to city streets March 26, 2026
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  Nearly 800 cadets commissioned in Iksan Iksan, March 26 (AJP) - About 788 cadets were commissioned as non-commissioned officers (NCOs) at a ceremony at a military academy in Iksan, North Jeolla Province on Thursday, after completing about 12 weeks of training. According to the army, it was the largest class in the past five years. Of the 788 newly commissioned NCOs, 579 were selected through a civilian recruitment program including 232 women, while 209 were former enlisted soldiers. The Army attributed the increase to March 26, 2026
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  Hot Stock: KAI defies market rout as KF-21 rollout fuels defense rally SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) -Shares of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) bucked a broad market selloff Thursday, riding a surge of investor optimism tied to the rollout of South Korea’s first mass-produced KF-21 fighter jet and rising expectations for arms demand amid expanding Middle East conflicts. While the wider market reeled, KAI climbed. The stock extended its recent rally, gaining for a second straight session and closing at 188,000 won, up 1.6 percent on the day — a March 26, 2026
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  North Korea, Belarus seal closer axis in Pyongyang summit SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) -North Korea has drawn Belarus further into its orbit, formalizing ties along a likeminded axis of sanctioned states aligned with Russia. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko received an enthusiastic welcome from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first two-day visit to Pyongyang, according to state media from both countries, as the two leaders moved to upgrade relations into what they called a “new stage.” The two strongmen — March 26, 2026
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  South Korea Supreme Court overturns 2021 ruling dismissing forced labor claims SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s Supreme Court belatedly confirmed Thursday that it has dismissed and ordered a retrial of a lower court decision that rejected a collective damages suit against Japanese companies filed by victims of wartime forced labor during World War Two. The Supreme Court said that on Feb. 12 that it upheld an appellate court decision overturning the Seoul Central District Court’s dismissal of the case. The proceedings date back to 2015 when March 26, 2026
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  Annual sports-themed show awes visitors with cutting-edge technologies SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) - The annual sports-themed trade show is taking place at COEX in southern Seoul this week. The Seoul International Sports & Leisure Industry Show (SPOEX), South Korea's largest and one of Asia's biggest exhibitions where sports, technology, and industry converge, kicked off on Thursday and runs until this weekend. This year's event brought together around 300 domestic and international companies, offering a comprehensive platform that goes be March 26, 2026