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  S. Korea, Singapore form strategic partnership to boost defense and trade ties SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed on Sunday to establish a strategic partnership and to deepen cooperation across various sectors, including defense and trade. During a joint press conference following their summit at the presidential office, Lee and Wong agreed to closely cooperate in advanced technology, strengthen security coordination, and expand people-to-people exchanges in response to a rapidly changing gl November 2, 2025
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  Korea scores win on national interests and regional leadership on AI and K-culture via APEC GYEONGJU, November 01 (AJP) - South Korea on Saturday successfully wrapped up the 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju, securing major diplomatic, economic, and security wins while ushering regional economies toward a rare consensus on an AI-driven economic roadmap, a non-protectionist community, and the recognition of cultural creation as a regional growth engine — underscoring its K-culture power. President Lee Jae Myung declared the adoption of the Gyeongju Declara November 1, 2025
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  Kazakhstan eyes Korean investment for AI-driven smart city, industrial growth ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 01 (AJP) - Kazakhstan is courting South Korean investment for its next phase of industrial and digital transformation, including an AI-centered smart city project and new transport initiatives, Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov said Thursday. Speaking at a briefing held at The Hilton Hotel ahead of the Kazakhstan Global Investment Round (KGIR) in Astana, Kuantyrov said the two countries share common goals in digitalization and artificial intelli November 1, 2025
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  'K-Submarine' moves to the center in Korea's defense ambition SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - Nuclear submarines, once a politically sensitive topic in South Korea, have abruptly moved into the mainstream after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Seoul's pursuit of a nuclear-powered submarine program. With Washington's unusually explicit approval, President Lee Jae Myung elevated submarine cooperation to the top of his diplomatic agenda, raising the issue in back-to-back summits with Canada and Thailand on the sidelines of the APEC October 31, 2025
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  TOPIK website restored after data center fire, tests to resume normally SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - The official website for the Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK, has resumed normal operations, about two months after a fire at a government data center forced cancellations of some tests, the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education said Friday. The restoration means that upcoming tests, including those scheduled for November, will be held as planned, officials said, adding most systems related to test administra October 31, 2025
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  South Korea to complete military satellite network with final launch on Sunday SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - South Korea is set to complete its first military reconnaissance satellite network this weekend with the launch of a rocket carrying its fifth and final satellite under its “425 Project." The Ministry of National Defense said Friday that the rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2 p.m. (KST) on Nov. 2. Once operational, the five-satellite constellation will allow South Korea to monitor North Korean mili October 31, 2025
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  Seoul nears nuke submarine ambition upon Trump blessing SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - Whether by catering to personal ego or through a calculated diplomatic playbook, Seoul secured what had long seemed unattainable: U.S. backing for a nuclear-powered submarine, delivered during U.S. President Donald Trump's brief visit ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Before departing Korea, Trump posted Thursday that Seoul would build its "Nuclear Powered Submarine in the Philadelphia Shipyards," signaling October 30, 2025
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  Xi enters as Trump exits the APEC stage SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - What should have been a venue for championing free trade and regional cooperation on shared challenges — from AI governance to climate change — instead turned into a geopolitical showcase between the world's two superpowers. Gyeongju, the ancient Silla capital hosting South Korea's first APEC summit in 20 years, became the stage for a U.S.–China hegemony face-off as President Xi Jinping arrived just as U.S. President Donald Trump October 30, 2025
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  Lee stresses China's 'constructive role' for North Korea's denuclearization SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung has stressed China's "constructive role" in maintaining peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, Beijing's Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. Lee said South Korea "urgently needs China's constructive role in order to achieve a substantive solution" for nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula, in a written interview with the state-run news agency coinciding with Chinese President Xi Jinpi October 30, 2025
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  Lee holds talks with Canadian PM in Gyeongju SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung agreed to expand cooperation in the defense and economic sectors with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during their summit on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea's historic city of Gyeongju. Hailing the North American country as a "key ally," Lee highlighted the special relationship between the two nations, recalling Canada's military support during October 30, 2025