Weapons testing deal to sharpen KF-21 fighter jet's strike capability SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said on Thursday it has signed a contract with South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to conduct additional weapons testing for the KF-21 fighter jet. The contract is valued at 685.9 billion won ($500 million) and is intended to support continued development of the aircraft by enabling flight-test verification of air-to-ground capabilities, KAI said. The additional weapons testing progr December 18, 2025

KAIST develops AI training method that learns human preferences with less data SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a new artificial intelligence training method that allows AI systems to learn human preferences more accurately using far less data, even in noisy or uncertain conditions. KAIST said on December 17 that a research team led by Kim Jun-mo has created a reinforcement learning framework called Teacher Value-based Knowledge Distillation, or TVKD. The approach improves how AI December 17, 2025

Sookmyung Women's University team develops light-activated technology to break down fat SEOUL, December 16 (AJP) - A research team at Sookmyung Women’s University, led by Professor Byun Jun-ho in the College of Pharmacy, has developed a new nanotechnology that uses light to selectively break down fat inside fat cells, a potential advance toward safer and more precise obesity treatments. The researchers said in the study, announced on December 16, that the approach targets fat without damaging surrounding tissue, addressing safety concerns linked to existing obe December 16, 2025

KAIST develops stretchable liquid-metal ink for invisible cloaking technology SEOUL, December 16 (AJP) - Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a stretchable liquid-metal ink that allows electromagnetic cloaking properties to change as the material is stretched, a breakthrough that could expand the practical use of invisible cloaking technology in robotics, wearables, and defense applications. The research was announced on December 16 by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The study was December 16, 2025

South Korea's Samsung C&T teams up with Polish firm on small modular reactors SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Samsung C&T’s construction division said on Monday it has signed a partnership agreement with Poland’s Synthos Green Energy to jointly develop small modular reactor (SMR) projects in central and eastern Europe. The agreement provides for cooperation on SMR development in Europe, including feasibility studies, site selection and environmental impact assessments, starting with projects in Poland. The signing ceremony was attended by December 15, 2025

World AI Film Festival to debut in Seoul in 2026 SEOUL, December 12 (AJP) - The World AI Film Festival will make its Seoul debut in March 2026, bringing together artificial intelligence technology and film as part of its expanding global network. Content planning firm Vision Culture said it will host the World AI Film Festival Seoul 2026 (WAIFF Seoul 2026) on March 6 and 7, 2026, at Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul. The event will be held with official sponsor Lotte and media partner The Korea Herald. WAIFF is an internation December 12, 2025

Kookmin University highlights new ERC center on robotic functional skin and hypersensory perception SEOUL, December 11 (AJP) - Kookmin University hosted a K*-Colloquium on December 9 at its Industry-Academic Cooperation Building, where Professor Lim Si-hyung of the School of Mechanical Engineering presented the vision and roadmap of the newly selected Engineering Research Center (ERC) on Robotic Functional Skin and Enhanced Perception. The K*-Colloquium is a regular seminar series organized by the university's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation. It serves as a forum fo December 11, 2025

South Korean robotics leaders highlight rise of 'Physical AI' at COMEUP 2025 SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - A discussion on the growing convergence of robotics and artificial intelligence drew a full audience at COMEUP 2025, South Korea's largest annual startup festival, on Wednesday, as two South Korean robotics entrepreneurs described how so-called "physical AI" is reshaping the sector and opening new markets for humanoid machines. The session, titled "Physical AI: Where Robotics Meets Intelligence," brought together ROBOTIS CEO Kim B December 10, 2025

LG Uplus accused of hindering data breach probe by destroying critical server SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT has requested a police investigation into LG Uplus over allegations that the company intentionally disposed of a key server linked to a customer data breach. The ministry said the company discarded one of two APPM servers, which are critical for managing server account access and permissions, and submitted only the remaining server to a joint investigation team. “Both servers are required for an December 10, 2025

AI entrepreneur draws S. Korean startups to Saudi Arabia with promise of scale and cheaper AI infrastructure SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - Tareq Amin, the CEO of Saudi Arabia's state-backed AI company HUMAIN, used his keynote at COMEUP 2025, South Korea's largest annual festival held at COEX in southern Seoul, on Wednesday to make a direct pitch to South Korean startups: consider Saudi Arabia as a place to build, scale and cut costs. Amin described a country in the middle of an economic overhaul under its Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to move Saudi Arabia beyond its traditional December 10, 2025