US to launch "Project Freedom" to guide trapped ships through Hormuz SEOUL, May 04 (AJP) -U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that Washington would begin guiding commercial vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz after ships became stranded amid the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran, raising fresh attention in South Korea where dozens of vessels and crews remain exposed to the disruption. “Countries from all over the World … have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in t May 4, 2026

Korean refiners estimate bumper Q1 but beyond uncertain SEOUL, May 03 (AJP)-South Korea’s four major refiners are estimated to have posted combined first-quarter operating profits nearing 5 trillion won ($3.6 billion) on spike in export margins from cheaper inventories due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, though the windfall is expected to be short-lived once cheaper crude inventories are exhausted. According to market consensus compiled by brokerages, SK Innovation is estimated to have turned out an operating profit of ab May 3, 2026

Second Korean tanker reroutes via Red Sea as Seoul presses Iran on Hormuz safety SEOUL, May 03 (AJP) - A second South Korean tanker carrying crude oil has safely passed through the Red Sea and is en route to South Korea, authorities said Sunday, underscoring Seoul’s growing reliance on alternative shipping routes as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt global energy logistics. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Sunday the vessel had safely transited the Red Sea as of 10 a.m. after loading crude at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu po May 3, 2026

Korea's AI boom is outrunning its safeguards, exposing widening governance gap SEOUL, May 03 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence is no longer an emerging technology in South Korea. It is already embedded across offices, software engineering, media production, education and financial services at one of the fastest rates in the world. The problem, experts increasingly warn, is that the systems designed to govern that transformation are evolving far more slowly than the technology itself. “Many organizations claim to have ethical frameworks, but few can de May 3, 2026

HMM reaches labor-management deal to move HQ to Busan SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) - South Korea’s HMM, the world’s eighth-largest shipping company, said Friday that its labor and management have reached an agreement to relocate the company’s headquarters to the southern port city of Busan, the country’s main maritime gateway, resolving a long-standing dispute that had raised concerns over labor strikes and disruptions to global logistics. Busan, home to South Korea’s largest port, has been positioning itself April 30, 2026

South Korea to expand AI-related cooperation with Qatar, presidential aide says SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) - South Korea has agreed with Qatar to expand cooperation in advanced industries including artificial intelligence (AI), biotech, and semiconductors, according to presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik. In a post on Facebook on Wednesday evening, Kang said he met with Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Trade Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed to discuss ways to expand cooperation between the two countries. Their meeting came a few weeks after Kang v April 30, 2026

China's maritime push emboldens, raising strategic stakes in Korean waters SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) - China’s naval activity across Asian waters — including areas off the Korean Peninsula — has surged markedly, according to data obtained by a South Korean lawmaker, raising questions over the intent behind the sudden uptick. Chinese aircraft carriers entered waters under South Korean jurisdiction eight times in 2025, the highest annual figure since the Joint Chiefs of Staff began compiling such data in 2020, the office of People Power Party R April 29, 2026

South Korea, Latvia agree to expand defense cooperation SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) - Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back met with Latvian parliamentary speaker Daiga Mierina in Seoul on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of National Defense. Calling Latvia a "cooperative partner that shares universal values such as liberal democracy, the rule of law, and human rights," Ahn said during the meeting that Mierina's visit to South Korea would help broaden practical cooperation between the two countries. While discussing ways to expand April 29, 2026

FTC recasts Coupang under founder control, testing Korea-US fault lines SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) -South Korea’s antitrust watchdog on Wednesday designated Bom Kim as the legal head of Coupang, placing the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant under the country’s full conglomerate regulatory regime after a data breach scandal and despite U.S. pressure. The decision by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) reclassifies the group’s “same person” — a legal term denoting ultimate control — from the corporate ent April 29, 2026

Digital flashpoint: Korea's network fee concept draws renewed U.S. scrutiny SEOUL, April 28 (AJP) - A long-simmering domestic dispute over "network usage fees" has now boiled over into a major diplomatic friction point, as Washington ramps up pressure on Seoul to drop proposed legislation that would force U.S. tech giants to pay for data traffic. The rhetoric from Washington reached a new peak this week. In a blunt post on X, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) labeled South Korea’s mooted network fee policy as one of the &quo April 28, 2026