WNMC 26: Publishers bet on loyalty as Google reign fades MARSEILLE, June 02 (AJP) - If there was one subject dominating side-stage conversations at the World News Media Congress, it was the future of discovery. Across sessions on search, advertising, content management and audience development, publishers and technology providers wrestled with the same question: what happens if Google can no longer deliver the traffic publishers have relied on for two decades? The answer, according to many speakers, is not simply to replace SEO with th June 2, 2026

KOSPI retreats after record close as foreign investors sell SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI slipped in morning trade on Tuesday, retreating from the previous day's record close as investors took profits in major stocks. The index dropped to around 8,700 after closing at an all-time high of 8,788.38 the previous session. Shares of LG affiliates, which had led the previous session's rally, came under selling pressure, while a surprise US$80 billion equity raise by Google parent Alphabet prompted investors to rea June 2, 2026

WNMC 26: NYT chair delivers a rallying cry for journalism in the AI age MARSEILLE, June 02 (AJP) - For 40 minutes, A.G. Sulzberger stood before an audience of more than 1,300 editors, publishers and journalists from around the world and delivered what many attendees would later describe as one of the defining speeches of the World News Media Congress. The New York Times chairman and publisher did not simply warn about artificial intelligence. He mounted a sweeping defense of journalism itself — arguing that AI companies are building trillion-dolla June 2, 2026

Samsung Electronics to relocate US headquarters from New Jersey to Texas SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics will relocate the headquarters of its U.S. unit from New Jersey to Texas, according to industry officials. The electronics giant has reportedly informed employees that it plans to relocate its U.S. headquarters from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, to Plano, Texas, by the end of this year. The move, which industry observers say is intended to strengthen coordination across Samsung's semiconductor, mobile, and network businesses, would co June 2, 2026

Incheon's Hanagae Beach opens for summer season SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - At the far end of Muuido Island, a beach appears framed by rock formations. Where the tide has pulled back, vast tidal flats stretch out and barefoot visitors walk slowly across them. The official opening is June 20 — but Hanagae Beach has already ushered in summer. This summer's heat arrived earlier than usual. Incheon plans to open three beaches — Eurwangni, Wangsan, and Hanagae — simultaneously on June 20. Yet on June 1, 2026

Uzbekistan formalizes Termez Dialogue to anchor South Asian trade integration SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - Uzbekistan is establishing the Termez Dialogue as a permanent interregional forum to anchor its expanding economic integration with South Asian consumer markets. The institutionalization marks a structural shift in Eurasian supply chains, transforming neighboring Afghanistan from a source of geopolitical instability into a primary commercial transit bridge. The policy evolution moves the region away from isolated cross-border trade toward a comprehensive mod June 1, 2026

National cemeteries see surge of visitors as South Korea commemorates Korean War SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - Visitors have been flocking to national cemeteries across the country to pay tribute to fallen soldiers and war heroes, as June is observed as the month commemorating the Korean War (1950~1953). Many visitors paid tribute with flowers and moments of silence at the Seoul National Cemetery in southern Seoul, where soldiers and others who died for the nation are laid to rest. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Af June 1, 2026

How shaved ice tells different stories across East Asia SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - Shaved ice is a summer staple across Asia, but the same dessert has taken sharply different paths in South Korea, Japan and China. In South Korea, bingsu has become a luxury item, a social media prop and a marker of changing consumer habits. This summer, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul is selling its Jeju apple mango bingsu for 149,000 won, the highest price among major Seoul hotels. The Shilla Seoul charges 130,000 won for its signature apple mango bingsu at its loun June 1, 2026

SK Group chairman attends GTC Taipei to solidify Nvidia partnership, discuss customized AI memory SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won attended the GTC Taipei 2026 keynote on Monday, reinforcing the South Korean conglomerate's ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure partnership with Nvidia. Accompanied by SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung, Chey observed Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's presentation, which outlined the U.S. chipmaker's "Vera Rubin" mass production roadmap and future AI platforms. This marks the third major engagement between th June 1, 2026

South Korean bond yields surge on hawkish BOK remarks amid lingering Middle East conflict SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - South Korean government bond yields surged following a double blow of U.S. President Donald Trump's rejection of a draft peace memorandum of understanding with Iran and hawkish remarks from the Bank of Korea (BOK) governor. The local currency, in contrast, erased early losses to close slightly higher as a clearer path toward interest rate hikes cushioned the market. The three-year government bond yield rose 5.9 basis points to 3.790 percent, its highest June 1, 2026