• SK hynix workers approve revised wage deal SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) -SK hynix workers approved a revised wage and collective bargaining agreement Wednesday after the company and its production union adjusted the mix of cash and stock in profit-sharing bonuses.
• South Korean footballers to face Saudi after 4-1 win over Qatar SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korea will face Saudi Arabia next week in its second and final group-stage match in men's football at the Asian Games in Japan,
• A South Korean arrested over 2.4 billion won ticket scalping scheme SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korean man in his 30s has been arrested for allegedly reselling nearly 9,000 concert and sports tickets.
• Korea's defense min nominee faces confirmation test on Hormuz SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul faces grilling from lawmakers Wednesday over contentious issues.
• Koreans in Georgia immigration raid file suit vs Washington SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - About 300 South Korean workers detained during a large-scale immigration raid in Georgia last year have begun legal action against the U.S. government, CNN reported on Tuesday.
• Repeat quality breaches dog South Korean drugmakers Getty Images Bank SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - More than one in five drug factory inspections in South Korea have turned up quality breaches each year since 2022, according to regulator data released by a lawmaker Wednesday.

Korea-Central Asia Summit 2026>

• Seoul deepens ties with Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held back-to-back summits with the leaders of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, expanding cooperation in critical minerals, infrastructure and trade as Seoul hosted its first-ever summit with the five Central Asian nations. Lee first met Tajik President Emomali Rahmon at Cheong Wa Dae, where the two countries agreed to establish a “comprehensive partnership” for the first time since establishing dip
• Korea, Kazakhstan sign oil, nuclear fuel deals and upgrade ties SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - South Korea and Kazakhstan agreed Tuesday to cooperate on Kazakh crude oil supply and nuclear fuel, as the two countries raised their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership at a summit in Seoul. The agreements build on an economic relationship that is already substantial. Trade between the two countries topped $3 billion last year, and total South Korean direct investment in Kazakhstan has passed $12 billion, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomar

AJP ScaleUP

• Korean robots may lag, but stocks are flying SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) -South Korean humanoid robots may still be grounded and stand awkwardly compared with their Chinese peers, but stocks of their makers are flying, helping sustain the junior KOSDAQ market against broadly bearish sentiment in Seoul. A correction took hold Wednesday, but robotics stocks have stood out throughout the month and remained strong through Tuesday despite renewed anxiety over artificial intelligence investment in the United States. Shares of Robotis fell 5.24
• Dongwon Parts wins KOSDAQ listing approval SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - South Korean semiconductor parts maker Dongwon Parts said Tuesday it has received preliminary approval from the Korea Exchange (KRX) for a KOSDAQ listing, clearing a key regulatory step in its initial public offering (IPO). The approval came after its revenue jumped 55 percent last year to 92.3 billion won ($67.9 million). Operating profit rose more than sevenfold to 7.8 billion won ($5.7 million). Samsung Securities is the lead underwriter. Founded in 1997, Dongwon

ASIA Insight

• K-fashion next big K-thing in Japan after K-pop SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Takuya Enomoto, a 32-year-old pharmacist in Tokyo, watched his girlfriend's infatuation with South Korea move from SEVENTEEN on her playlist to her clothing collection. She first became a fan of the K-pop group, particularly member Hoshi, before branching out to other Korean acts and then Korean dramas, he said. Following K-pop artists on Instagram brought still more Korean content into her feed. "I think the algorithm exposed her to more and more Korean by Joonha Yoo
• Korean Gen Z takes to streets to protest U.S. call for Hormuz support SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - On most Saturdays, Gwanghwamun Square belongs to tourists, families, street performers and the assortment of political groups that regularly claim a patch of downtown Seoul for their causes. This Saturday brought another one: opposition to President Donald Trump’s repeated demands that South Korea help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the United States confronts Iran. Many in the crowd were not the veteran anti-American or progressive activists familiar from dem by Lee Jung-woo

AJP Watch

• AI music can make the charts. Can it win fans? SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - Pitchfork, one of America's best-known music publications, does not hand out zeroes often. But in August, American rapper Tyga's "$TARFACE" got one. The album had already drawn attention after Tyga acknowledged using artificial intelligence as a production tool, including for 1980s-style synthesizers and guitar solos, while saying the lyrics and vocals remained his own. Pitchfork did not reject the album simply because AI was involved. Its critici
• Korean shamanism finds new life in pop culture SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Drums pound, bells shake and chants rise as a mudang, or Korean shaman, appears to slip between worlds, communicating with spirits through an electrifying ritual of music, dance and trance. For millions of moviegoers, the spectacle became familiar through a famous gut scene in director Jang Jae-hyun's 2024 occult blockbuster "Exhuma." Gut, an ancient Korean shamanic ritual performed to communicate with spirits, comfort the dead, seek blessings or ward

AJP Focus

• Chip binge intoxicates Korean Inc. stakeholders, waves of strikes spread SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Two years on, the still-strong chip bonanza of the AI-driven economic age has bestowed on South Korea a double-digit growth in national wealth in nominal terms unseen in more than three decades, thrusting stakeholders — employees and shareholders — into brawls for a bigger share of the newfound riches. Strikes and strike threats have become a recurring scene this year, spreading from chipmakers and shipbuilders to digital platforms such as Kakao. A weak
• Korea dreams big on humanoids, but they still run on foreign parts SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - South Korea's humanoid robots hardly look like formidable competitors beside their free-wheeling Chinese counterparts, and their awkward moves betray a much deeper problem. Despite South Korea's much-hyped push to become an artificial intelligence powerhouse, its physical AI ecosystem remains fledgling, short of both scale and a homegrown supply chain. Aei Robot, one of the country's leading bipedal robot makers, is largely forced to fend for itself, mac