Zelenskyy turns to Seoul for air defense on surge in N. Korean force in Russia SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to South Korea for air-defense support as he warned that as many as additional North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia. Zelenskyy said in a post on X over the weekend that the number of North Korean personnel appearing in Russia had steadily increased from hundreds to thousands and that a decision had now been made to deploy between 30,000 and 50,000. The figure marked a sharp increase from hi August 10, 2026

AI chip boom puts Korea ahead of Japan, lifts China trade SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) -South Korea's dominance in artificial intelligence memory chips is reshaping Asia's trade landscape, helping the country overtake Japan in merchandise exports while driving a surge in shipments to China despite Beijing's aggressive push for semiconductor self-sufficiency. China's imports from South Korea nearly doubled in July, extending an AI-fueled trade boom that has transformed Korea into one of the biggest beneficiaries of the global race August 7, 2026

Uzbek President Mirziyoyev holds open business dialogue in August SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - Uzbekistan will hold its annual open dialogue between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and entrepreneurs in late August, the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul said on Friday, with no date yet fixed three weeks out. Nearly 6,000 inquiries have reached the organizing commission's call centers and official bots since intake opened, according to material the embassy distributed. More than 4,200 were resolved, and roughly 1,800 remain under review. Expert groups are worki August 7, 2026

South Korea shares AI forensic know-hows with Tajikistan SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - South Korean police and forensic specialists trained about 30 Tajik law enforcement officials in Dushanbe this week in methods for investigating phone scams, deepfake fraud and crimes committed through cryptocurrency. The program targeted a category of crime that has grown alongside Tajikistan's reliance on money sent home by migrant workers. The World Bank put remittance inflows at about 49 percent of gross domestic product in 2024, up from 39 percent August 7, 2026

Koreans face tougher U.S. visa screening over birth tourism ban SEOUL, August 7 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to curb so-called "birth tourism," potentially affecting some South Koreans who seek to secure U.S. citizenship for their children by giving birth in the U.S. The order directs U.S. authorities to deny citizenship to children born to foreign nationals who entered the country after misrepresenting the purpose of their travel to give birth there. It also instructs immigration officials August 7, 2026

Kazakhstan starts 800km highway to Caspian ports SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - Construction began Monday on an 800-kilometer highway across western Kazakhstan that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said will connect crossings on the Chinese border directly to the Caspian ports of Aktau and Kuryk, giving trucks a direct route onto the trade corridor Europe has been funding as an alternative to shipping through Russia. Tokayev launched the project by video link from Astana along with two other road schemes. He said the new highway would August 6, 2026

Kazakhstan opens AI olympiad as digital push accelerates SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - More than 500 high school students from 106 countries began competing in Astana this week at the world's newest international science olympiad, hosted by a government that has spent the past year signing $10 billion in data center agreements and writing Central Asia's first artificial intelligence law. The third International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence runs through August 8. The second edition, held in Beijing last year, drew 300 students August 5, 2026

Democratic-led states seek to block U.S. forced-labor tariffs SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) -The legal foundation for U.S. tariffs on goods from South Korea and 59 other trading partners came under challenge Monday as a coalition of 25 Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration in federal court. Many nonexempt South Korean goods entering the United States have faced a combined tariff rate of 12.5 percent since July 24, after Washington replaced an expiring 10 percent global surcharge with new duties imposed under Section 301 of the Trade August 4, 2026

US-Japan yen rescue puts 1,400 won back in play, bonds shrug SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) - The blunt yen-defense campaign jointly mounted by Washington and Tokyo has fundamentally shifted the outlook for the Korean won, putting the psychologically important 1,400-per-dollar level back within reach after the currency spent much of the first half trading around 1,500. The same intervention, however, has offered little relief to Korea's sovereign bond market, where heavy government issuance and a hawkish Bank of Korea continue to outweigh improving August 3, 2026

Former Trump aide says AI can redefine Korea-U.S. alliance SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) - South Korea's AI ambitions align with Washington's push to redefine the alliance beyond traditional security, as the two countries seek deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and economic security, a former White House national security official under President Donald Trump said Monday. "Economic security is national security," Alexander B. Gray told a National Assembly forum in Seoul. "South Korea' August 3, 2026